Today were interviewing Bloguin’s own Saints Nation to find out what they think about the upcoming game. We asked them 5 questions, and you’ll love the answers!
Bucstop.com-The Saints have been lighting it up, again, this season. Year after year really. Yet you seem to only hear “Brady and Manning”. Do you feel Brees’ name deserves to be in that elite club?
A)I feel like “Brady and Manning” is a function of the last decade and people bringing up those 2 names currently just aren’t paying attention. First off, Manning hasn’t been a top 2 QB the last couple years, and that was BEFORE he became a cripple. I’m sure he’ll come back eventually and be good again, but right now, for me, Rodgers is ahead of everybody. Brady is right there with him, of course, and I put Brees as the #3 best in the NFL. So to answer your question, yes, Brees absolutely belongs in that club. I think he’s a top 3 NFL QB and arguably better. I don’t think Peyton belongs in that club anymore.
For two years now, the Bucs have been beaten bad by you guys in Tampa. Then lost in New Orleans in close games. Do you think the Saints and Bucs have each other’s number when it comes to playing in each others home stadiums?
No disrespect to your team, because I know you guys are very good… but I don’t put much stock in either loss in the Superdome. Last year, the Saints had already clinched a playoff berth and they held out a lot of players. At halftime, when Atlanta had really pulled away from Carolina and you knew there was no chance of catching them the Saints went into “let’s not get injured” mode. Sean Payton later admitted that. I’m not saying the Bucs aren’t good enough to beat the Saints in the Superdome, but that particular game was less about the Bucs having the Saints number and more about the circumstances surrounding the Saints’ effort output. Ditto in 2009, really. At the time, the Saints were up 17-3 and had some injuries, and Lynell Hamilton rushed the ball every time after that. Who? Yeah, exactly. The Saints benched Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Mike Bell at the time. The Saints would end up clinching the top seed later that evening with a Vikings loss, and they didn’t need that win. Again in that game, they went into prevent injury mode. So I just think both times the Saints were at a point in their season where they weren’t trying their hardest. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses, but the circumstances surrounding those games are the truth. Now, credit to Josh Freeman, he led a terrific comeback in 2009, the Bucs got a little lucky with a Garrett Hartley miss late before overtime, and in 2010 he played another fantastic game. I just feel like I’m not going to concede that the Bucs “have the Saints’ number” in New Orleans until the Saints actually try in that game and lose. On the flipside, the Saints have been fortunate to get blowout wins the last couple years in Tampa, but I’m not naïve enough to think that’ll happen again, especially considering how pissed I’m sure the team is after that embarrassment in San Fran. I expect a good close game.
Bucstop.com Rebuttle- True, you guys held out a couple players, but we also had over 10 starters on IR. And When your up 17-0 going into the 4th quarter, your not supposed to have to make a clutch FG to win the game. But a miss is a miss. I dont think the Bucs have the Saints number in New Orleans, but the Bucs had a good lead on the Saints before the Falcons score got out of hand, and New Orleans wasnt that great of a team last year at that time of the year. they were eliminated from the playoffs by a sub .500 team. I think of all the NFC South teams, I think the Bucs Saints is the most healthy rivalry because of the fact both teams win games like those in 09 and 10. It sparks debate, and passion, from both sides. Clearly, the Saints are the better team on paper right now than the Bucs, but luckily the game is played on grass, not paper. I welcome your response in the comments section.
Who has been your best free agent acquisition this season?
Darren Sproles. No ifs, ands or buts. He’s taken over Reggie Bush’s role in the offense and he’s performed at twice the level. He’s quick, shifty, extremely fast, has good hands, and hits the holes and is decisive in his cuts like Bush never was. This guy is a real football player. He’s slight of size but brings a crucial element to the offense. Honestly, he kind of reminds me a bit of Warrick Dunn in some ways, although less durable as an every down runner.
Josh Freeman is struggling a little this year, but he’s still the undisputed leader of this team, and its best overall athlete. What do Saints fans think of Freeman?
Freeman has shocked me. Coming out of Kansas State, I never thought he’d amount to anything. I just thought he was too raw to ever fully put it together in the NFL. I’ll admit it, I thought that was a very bad draft pick for the Bucs. Turns out, he’s an extremely solid NFL quarterback, a good leader and intelligent. I rate him somewhere around the 8-13 slots depending on the day as a QB in the NFL. I have him maybe slightly behind the Big Bens, Phillip Rivers types. He’s in there with the Eli Mannings, Tony Romos and Michael Vicks… In fact, I think he’s probably better than at least half those guys I just listed this year. Romo is falling off in a hurry and Vick has dropped off big time. Freeman is off to a shaky start this year but he’s a really good player and the Bucs are lucky to have a solid young quarterback like him to rely on for a long time moving forward. I don’t like the idea of facing him twice a year for many years to come, I’ll tell you that.
Sean Payton completely changed the landscape of New Orleans Saints football when he arrived in 2006. What do Saints fans think of Bucs Young coach Raheem Morris?
I think the jury is still out on him a bit but the Bucs took everyone by surprise with their run last year. He seems like a great motivator. This year they really picked up where they left off until that 49ers game. That was a big shock. The Bucs had finally gotten to a place where I counted on them to play well and be a legitimate playoff team. That performance in San Fran was alarming. I’m anxious to see how they respond to that. With the Saints coming to town that’s a tough opponent to rebound with but I have a feeling the Bucs will be ready. If the Saints win the NFC South race has a huge gap, so the Bucs really can’t afford to get into a 2 game hole with the tiebreaker to the Saints. I feel like if the Bucs get blasted again their season could spiral, but conversely a good performance (win or lose) could right the ship and give them some confidence. To answer your question I think Morris is a solid young coach but I’m not ready to put him up there in the top 10 or anything until he proves he can build a winner over the long haul.
Agreed. I followed Morris when he came back to coach Bucs DB’s and that unit improved 10 fold from when he left. That told me he would be a good coach one day. He will have to follow up with consistant wins, and some playoff wins too, before anyone, myself included, put him in the top 10. I did think he deserved to be mentioned for Coach of the Year honors for last year.
MANY THANKS to SAINTS NATION! Go check out their site and MY answers to THEIR questions!
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