We’ve ALL heard that, in relationships, you only get out as much as you put in. I think that’s true. That’s also why, while disappointed, I wasn’t crushed after Sunday’s Saints/Vikings playoff game.
At the beginning of the season, Dave Cohen and I were talking about predictions and expectations. I told him I thought the Saints would have a great season. I even predicted their 13-3 record. Not all of the games were right but the final total was. But I also told him I had NO EXPECTATIONS. That didn’t mean I didn’t HOPE or WANT that they’d go to and win the SuperBowl; it just meant that, after the last two seasons I wasn’t expecting any magical season.
When it comes to professional football there is no magic. There’s no football Easter Bunny or Santa Claus to sprinkle the glitter over one team or another to anoint them as champions before the season even begins. As always it comes down to coaching, execution and desire. Do you need the ball to bounce your way? Absolutely. But that’s often a product of circumstances. The running back was carrying the ball sloppily. The defender was able to punch it out of his hands. The quarterback threw the ball in the wrong spot. The receiver didn’t fight hard enough for the ball. The defense was getting pushed around. They didn’t adapt. The corners weren’t fast enough. The list goes on and on, but I think you get my point.
We often tend to think that our feelings are those of everyone. Maybe that’s what I’m guilty of here, but I didn’t sense the same level of happiness and excitement for this year’s playoff game as I have in past years. Perhaps I’m projecting my own feelings. Perhaps not. But I DO KNOW this. While there is no football Santa Claus or Easter Bunny there ARE contracts, salary caps, free agents and an NFL draft. At the top of the list is Drew Brees.
Number 9 turns 41 on January 15th. He’s an unrestricted free agent. It’s now up to Drew, Mickey Loomis, Sean Payton, Jeff Ireland and Mrs. Benson to decide if he comes back and if so at what price. You can’t pay everybody; and, as a result, next year’s team won’t be like this one at all.
So will next year be OUR year? It all depends on who’s doing the blocking, tackling, carrying or throwing the ball. We shall see. But I can guarantee you this. There is no magic. There is no Easter bunny. There is no Santa Claus. I believe there is a God, but I don’t think He really cares about NFL football. If He did, I don’t think He would have let the last three seasons end as they did for…wait for it…THE SAINTS.
