Ladies and gentlemen, Monday night football this season has not been so slouchy. We have seen many great games. The two Miami games I thought were excellent, as well as the New England/Buffalo game, and who can forget the New Orleans/Atlanta game.
But last nights beating the Patriots (or gaytriots as I like to refer to them) by the New Orleans Saints was simply fantastic.
Forget about the fact New England may be one of my most hated franchises in sports, you simply watch how the Saints decimated the defense, it was absolutely amazing. I have never seen any team in this decade just embarrass the Patriots playing straight up man to man football. Sure the Phins did it last year, but they used the wildcat and no one in football saw that coming. What the Saints did last night was just pure football poetry.
Drew Brees the captain of the ship, 5 TD 371 yards and a passer rating of 158.1, looked absolutely stunning last night. When New Orleans made the first field goal of the game, and then New England scored the touchdown followed up by a Wes Welker 41yard punt return, I was depressed because I thought to myself, "here we go again, same New England high powered offense going to overpower the Saints." Boy was I wrong.
A play later, Mike Mckenzie, a cornerback who was last seen in a Saints uniform with a torn ACL, returned to the team just this past week to intercept a pass from Tom Brady intended for Randy Moss. This game was the tale of two interceptions. There was the one by Mckenzie which was the game changing play (which led to a TD pass to Pierre Thomas) and there was as Kevin Harlan excitedly exclaimed on Westwood One Radio "the dagger" by Darren Sharper. Drew Brees was blowing off fireworks, while we were sitting on blankets and watching the fireworks he provided. Brees hit five different receivers in his award winning performance. It wasn't that the Patriots D was that horrendous. It came down to the fact that Brees has great presence in the pocket and of course a great line protecting him. If you're a Saints receiver, he will find you, and by this, he exposed lots of holes in the Patriots defense.
Drew Brees said that his team looked up to the Patriots as the team they want to be. Now Brees, the captain of the team who might be able to close the deal and be the only other team since the 1972 Dolphins to run the table on the entire season. It will be Tom Brady looking up to him. Brees was his daddy all night long.
So what’s the footnote in all of this? Well two things.
First, let’s get to the minor point in my world. When Minnesota and New Orleans paths cross, it will be the game of the year, possibly the decade. These two teams evenly matched (except Favre’s the dinosaur who drinks lots of Gatorade or something). You have a great receiving corps on both sides, and perhaps the best pass rusher in football Jared Allen on the side of the Vikings. It will be the NFC version of Patriots v Colts.
And speaking of the Patsies, next week they make the trip to South Florida. One of two things will happen. The first, the Patsies will be angry and pissed off, and take it all out on the Dolphins destroying them by 3 to 4 touchdowns. Perhaps a win can lock up the AFC East for them as they’re done playing the Jets, and I wouldn't look to New England to go on a big losing streak. In fact in the last 7 seasons, it has only happened twice when they have gone back to back loses. Once in 2002 against Green Bay and Denver (bye week in between), and in 2006 against Indy and the Jets. Can it be done? Can the Phins topple the humbled Patriots? Belichick looked very choked, Moss didn't know what to say, and Tom Brady looked absolutely stoic. They all said that they weren't the team they thought they were. Perhaps has a little bit of confidence been shattered? Can the Dolphins capitalize on this?
Let's see; your main running back injured, nose tackle injured, two rookie corners, no main nose tackle, no play making wide receiver, just got beat down by the Buffalo Bills in the last quarter...I would have to say the Phins are David going up against Goliath.
But nevertheless, the Dolphins have something to prove. They’re the victims of embarrassment not because the Bills defense sliced and diced them like the Saints did to the Pats. They allowed themselves to get beat due to poor play calling, and letting a bad team stay in the game on their turf. The Phins had many opportunities to put it away, but they failed. Will they be looking at this game as a way to make up for a bad division loss, and erasing it with a magical divisional victory? You bet your ass. That’s why I believe the Phins can do it in south Florida against a battered New England Patriots team. At least I hope they can, because if they don't, it’s closing time.
As for the Saints, would I like to see them go undefeated? Well, they’re more likable than the 07 Patriots, but there's only room for one team in "Perfectville." Unfortunately, with the remaining games on the New Orleans schedule, Sean Payton and company might as well go to a U-Haul dealer and rent a truck to move in.
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