Another week, another game with little to no Saints offense to speak of.
Even the most optimistic of Saints fans will have a hard time pulling positives from a 26-8 loss to the Chargers. Count the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert among that group.
“You want to be positive, but then it kind of always goes negative and I’m not trying to be negative,” Hebert said in his postgame rant. "Believe you me, I’m a half-full kind of guy, glass half full instead of half empty, but right now, half full? Right now I’m so discouraged it’s not even half empty, it’s just freaking empty. … There ain’t no water in the glass, there ain’t nothing, I’m in the desert, my mouth’s all chalky. I’m parched.”
Hear Bobby Hebert's full postgame rant in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
One reason for optimism to start the season was rookie Spencer Rattler, whom this team is very high on and feels like can develop long term. That’s gone negative over the last three weeks, with three consecutive losses. Outside of a second quarter explosion against the Bucs he’s led two scoring drives for a pair of field goals.
The Saints stuck with the rookie for another start through the struggles, but ultimately made the switch to Jake Haener midway through the third quarter.
"The rattler ain’t even rattling,” Hebert continued. "Spencer Rattler, no, I think he got defanged, he ain’t got no more fangs. It’s very discouraging.”
In the end it was sixth consecutive loss, something that hasn’t happened for the Saints since 2005, the final season of the Jim Haslett era.
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It was a result that has the Cajun Cannon looking up and down the Saints roster and trying to find the elite young players, and there simply aren't enough of them. The depth has been tested this season, and it has not answered the bell.
“I look at where we’re at right now, and I want someone to challenge and call me and name me a player, do we have any great young players on the Saints right now?” Hebert said. "I’m not talking about good. No, Chris Olave is good. … I’m not even talking about the best of the best, I’m just talking about like, elite is like top 5, and you can be great without being elite, you know it’s different however you describe it, but I think right now, do we have any great young players? I’m not talking about good, I’m talking about great.”
The Saints are now 2-6 and the season is slipping away. They’ll get a date next week against the only NFC team with a worse record in the Carolina Panthers. It’s possible Derek Carr returns for that game, but it’s also possible that the Saints have to turn to a backup again.
A win in that game won’t provide much relief, but another loss would plumb even deeper depths of despair in a season that’s fostered nothing but negativity since a high-flying start.
"I still don’t think we’re the worst team,” Hebert said. "Now you let us lose to Carolina, and we’re playing at Carolina next game, then the sky has fallen, it truly has fallen