It’s a strange feeling to finally have the season starting. Today the Saints finally get to don the Black & Gold and take the field for the first time as a team in the 2014 season (I don’t count OTA’s). There are a lot of expectations and most if not all of them are entirely reasonable, but beyond those expectations there are a few things that I will be watching very closely as the season gets under way and we get closer to week 1 against Atlanta.
Health, health, health:
As it would turn out last year the Saints being bombarded with key injury after key injury was a bit of a blessing in disguise. It allowed for our young and hungry players to get more time on the field and allowed many of the guys we are looking to establish themselves as stars this year…to get the opportunities they needed to show their stuff. Smith going down put Gallete in his rightful role as starter and introduced to the world the saga of #bodybags. Harper was in and out for much of the season which forced them to use Kenny Vacarro all over the place, and allowed him to establish himself as Rob Ryan put it ‘the best all around safety in the game’ (not nearly as much hyperbole there as one might expect coming from one of the Ryan twins). This year that will not be the case; the Saints number one priority has got to be staying healthy and keeping #angryingram as far away from our linebackers and lineman as possible… the guy is a curse (kinda kidding there, but seriously Mark). Last year, there were a lot of guys waiting in the wings for their chance to shine, but this year the Saints are a lot less deep at key positions.
‘Opening the Chrysalis’ :
Basically we have a few ‘caterpillars’ on the team who need to come out of their ‘shells’. Akiem Hicks has already had a mini-breakout year last year… but now it’s time to let loose the Hulk and watch him devastate the landscape. The one thing he lacks at this point is a ‘mean streak’. If a guy holds you then throw him on his derriere and send the message early… this is war folks. Rafael Bush and Patrick Robinson are also both within this realm of ‘potential’ because they have everything they need to be stars in this defense. P-Rob just needs to put it all together and not try to do too much and Bush needs to just ‘let it fly’. The guy who really stands out to me as the ‘surprise’ guy though is definitely Nick Toon. Toon has the potential to be a Vincent Jackson type threat in the Saints offense and this is the year he either lives up to his potential… or gets the boot. Toon has a greater upside/hype ratio than pretty much any guy on the team right now, and I am praying he has that ‘click’ moment because his abilities really would come in handy against the elite teams in the playoffs.
Pressure is all in your head:
I think it is safe to say that there has never been a team more hyped and with greater expectations this early in the season in Saints history. Archie Manning wasn’t wrong when he said on paper this is the best team the franchise has ever had, and I wasn’t joking when I said they remind me of the Niners dynasties of old. This team has the potential to be the rare and lethal combination of an upper echelon team in all three phases of the game with no true weaknesses. There are certainly areas where we are ‘less strong’, but provided there is good health there isn’t a single area you can just attack and be secure in the knowledge you have the advantage. On the other hand the Saints are built to deal with pretty much any type of opponent. That is a frightening concept for opponents and an awe inspiring one for fans…but. The big fat elephant in the room is that even though this team has tremendous talent, great coaching, a conducive schedule to winning, and the right balance of youth and experience…they also have the tremendous amount of pressure that comes with all that upside. I pray it doesn’t happen, but it is possible that this team struggles early and collapses under the weight of their own expectations. I give this the same odds of Skip Bayless not taking shots at LeBron and declaring his undying love for Jordan/Brady/Tebow/Manziel/anyone from Vanderbilt
Sonic Boom… or Bust
No players career is written when they first take the field and I am certainly the most biased of all Saints fans when it comes to Brandin Cooks… but I really hope he can be what he was at Oregon State when I watched him every Saturday. If we get that guy I really don’t see anyone beating this team without a massive cheat job by the refs or a slew of injuries to key guys. Brandin isn’t just an incredibly explosive athlete, he is also a humble kid from Stockton, CA who works his butt off and simply wants to be the best at what he does. I think he can be an absolute catalyst for the Saints offense giving Sean and Drew a weapon they haven’t ever had before. However, he is still a five foot ten rookie and while I think he is up to the task the impact of him failing could be just as great as that of his success.
With all that said guys I am excited beyond all belief to finally have football again and to get to watch my favorite sports team go full blown Mongols on the NFL.
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