By: Mark Menard
The Saints have not made a secret of their aspirations for the coming season. The Black and Gold feel like they must contend for a Super Bowl berth, and anything less will be a disappointment.
Saints Radio Network color analyst Deuce McAllister agreed during a Wednesday appearance on WWL Radio.
You’ve got playmakers across the board. You even have pretty good depth in some areas. You don’t wanna lose anybody for an extended period of time, particularly for the season. There will be situations that you can’t control that you’ll have to deal with because at this point the games will go on. Can you have some of your younger players step up and make plays? And can your stars continue to be stars and make plays? If that does occur for this team… more times than not, you’ll be the favorite going into that game.
You still have to go out and play the game, but on paper, you have a really good shot at at least qualifying for the playoffs and being a representative for the NFC in some type of NFC Championship Game.
As for the matchup that will open the season for the Saints, McAllister said he expects to see a rejuvenated Tom Brady with the Buccaneers.
I don’t think he has to carry a team like he did up in New England because they have better weapons around him. I think his offensive line may be better across the board in Tampa than it was in New England.
Every throw doesn’t have to be perfect down here in Tampa because he has elite guys not only on the outside but at tight end as well. And no knock on Sony Michel, but he can just turn around and hand it to one of those guys or get it to them in the flat, and those guys can make something happen.
I want him to show his age defeinitely come Sunday, but I think overall as far as the season is concerned, he doesn’t have to carry nearly as much of the load as he had to in New England.
The Saints and Buccaneers square off at 3:25pm Sunday afternoon on WWL. You can hear the full audio of McAllister’s appearance on “Sports Talk” by clicking the podcast link.
Featured Image Photo Credit: WWL
