Analysis: Expectations may change for Saints, but tanking isn’t in their DNA, via @MaddyHudak_94:
The New Orleans Saints’ season is in peril, and it’s hard to spin analysis from a meaningful vantage point. To call the turnover year following Drew Brees’ retirement disastrous would be putting it mildly. Historically, the signs all but warned of this: failure to appoint a successor, sustained success and resultant high draft slots, and a late free agency push for a final championship run. Allowing a franchise quarterback to retire on his own terms, deservedly so or not, has consequences for the rest of the team.
But while the season may feel lost in terms of playoff aspirations, it might prove valuable to reposition through a different lens. One perhaps more in line with proper expectations; there’s always more lessons to be had in disappointment. In fairness to contemporary fans, outside of recent playoff heartbreak, it’s a new feeling. It’s harder to swallow after the beautifully chaotic 5-2 start entirely derailed from the tracks to a 5-7 collapse.
An optimal opponent like the upcoming New York Jets now brings great anxiety and some consensus building online to doom it as a “trap game.” There are too many weak links and injuries at nearly every unit and not enough plugs to compensate for them. As a result, there’s been discussion of the value in tanking the season; it would be hypocritical to point to those high draft slots under Brees as a factor in this situation and balk at this response. But that assumes there’s a premium player worth the conversation. Not only that, but at the right role, at the right time, and one valuable enough to entertain this notion that won’t be grabbed by the teams ahead of New Orleans with 5 or fewer wins.
Asking a competitive organization to flip their entire worldview on its head when there’s feasible chance at a wild-card slot is absurd. As much as the idea of the playoffs feels laughable, the reality is few teams have legitimately separated themselves. Five are on the cusp, and four of those have a 5-7 record. Two of them are division opponents – and the Saints have a chance at redemption with both. Retaining hope is a difficult ask; it’s easier to check out rather than open the door for more disappointment. But there’s a positive outlook for those willing to see the forest for the trees.
For Saints fans, the culture of their sports team is uniquely intertwined with that of the city. From rebirth came an era of transformative success that reshaped a franchise. It’s understandable that somewhere along the way, the meaning of culture became synchronous with sustained winning; deep playoff runs were annually expected.
I recently read an insightful Sports Illustrated article on the Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell. Essentially, the story of how a new head coach is sustaining a winning culture in the face of a (then) 0-8 record. Utilizing late-game timeouts as a test of player response, balancing critical candor with positivity, and not falling into a trap that excuses lack of talent for failure to coach fixable and incremental adjustments. Campbell’s tactics reminded me of a famous Sean Payton mantra: don’t eat the cheese. While the Bill Parcels-adopted phrase warns against complacency in success – a stark contrast from a winless record – it’s the same underlying strategy. Take the example of Campbell’s usage of meaningless timeouts. Who is still willing to concentrate and remain competitive despite the scoreboard?
If you’re assessing players on the Saints roster, it’s all but universal. Fans may pine for the years of a high-powered offense, but that identity had faults. There were plenty of one-score losses over the years, just like this season. It was rarely on the offense; there were games where Brees was Herculean, and that effort was all for naught. That the other team would march decisively and swiftly into the end zone felt given. To be honest, there’s something to be said about complacency in elite quarterback play. While unintentional, the state of the Saints felt partially reliant on heroics by Brees. That’s not a sustainable culture.
Believable or not, this season might illustrate the sharpest culture under Payton’s tenure. It’s one headlined by a skeletal defense, but it’s one that’s kept almost every loss within grasp. While the offense has been an utter and unsolvable failure, it’s not the sole reason this team has lost football games. For perspective, back-to-back losses to Tennessee and Atlanta were both decided by two points. Had New Orleans converted a single of three failed two-point attempts, or made both extra points against the Titans, their record is easily flipped to 7-5. Would that feel in line with reasonable season expectations in context? If so, have we, in a way, fallen victim to eating the cheese?
Teams that fail to decisively move on from a longtime quarterback all circle the drain to an extent immediately following. The same culture that convinced us to buy in through Week 8 is one equally valuable through this losing streak. That we’re entertaining convoluted playoff scenarios at all should highlight something of importance. It might not seem this way, but while the team identity remains decisively in flux, the culture is stronger than ever.
It isn’t dissimilar from the foundation being built in Detroit. One that saw a team fight through 10 losses and a disappointing tie to seal a win on a fourth down walk-off touchdown. That Campbell is a disciple of Sean Payton’s coaching tree is hard to ignore in context; the piece is illustrative of a larger portrait. It just requires buying in to a different perspective. When considering the circumstances, New Orleans has earned that chance.
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