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The NFL has just announced that the Saints will face the Detroit Lions this Saturday night at 7pm CST in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Here is the full first round playoff schedule (all times Central):

Saturday 3:30pm – Bengals @ Texans

Sunday 12:00pm – Falcons @ Cowboys/Giants

Sunday 3:30pm – Steelers @ Broncos

The divisional round schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 14, 3:30 p.m.: Saints/Dallas-N.Y.Giants/Atlanta @ San Francisco

Saturday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.: Denver/Pittsburgh/Cincinnati @ New England

Sunday, Jan. 15, noon: Houston/Denver/Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

Sunday, Jan. 15, 3:30 p.m.: Dallas-N.Y. Giants/Atlanta/Detroit @ Green Bay

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

The New Orleans Saints turned what was looking like a possible shootout with the Carolina Panthers into a blowout of them with a barrage of 21 unanswered points that allowed them to pull away in the second half and go on to win, 45-17.

It was a record-setting day for the Saints as they piled up numerous NFL and franchise marks while also hoping for the Rams to upset the 49ers to give the Saints the #2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, but it was not to be. The Rams were fired up late, but just couldn’t overcome a 24-point lead and eventually fell 34-27.

Drew Brees added 389 passing yards and 5 more TDs to his sterling season’s stat line, and Marques Colston had a great game: 7 catches for 145 and 2 TDs, while Chris Ivory (TUSK!!!) became the first Saint to go over 100 yards rushing in a game this year (127 on 19 carries with a TD). Jimmy Graham almost came away with the TE receiving yards record with a 97-yard, 1 TD performance (but Rob Gronkowski bettered him late in his game).

Defensively, many yards and points were surrendered in the first half, but they really tightened the screws in the second half, holding the Panthers scoreless and setting a whole new tone by forcing a three-and-out on their first second-half drive and ending it with a big sack on 3rd down by Martez Wilson. Patrick Robinson nabbed an end zone INT in the first half, and Tracey Porter recovered a fumble forced by Isa Abdul-Quddus in the second half, putting the Saints at a +1 turnover ratio for the game. Jo-Lonn Dunbar led the team with 6 tackles while rookie Cameron Jordan notched his first sack of the year (and a horse-collar tackle penalty).

Early word is that the Saints will be playing at home next Saturday in the Wild Card round. With Detroit losing and Atlanta currently kicking Tampa Bay’s ass, it looks like it will be the Lions coming to town next week to face the Saints.

Vote in the poll, and then make the jump for the stats and to start jawing about the Saints big win!!

Panthers vs Saints coverage

Panthers vs Saints recap

Panthers vs Saints box score

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

Well, we’ve got the makings of a thriller so far in this game, as the Saints and Panthers have traded touchdowns, field goals, interceptions, and long runs on their way to a 24-17 Saints lead at the half.

Marques Colston has 6 catches for 129 yards and 2 TDs, while Chris Ivory has 7 carries for 64 yards, including a 35-yard TD. Drew Brees is looking pretty good, 16 of 23 for 249 and 2 TDs, but he did throw an INT in Panthers territory that killed a drive.

On defense, Patrick Robinson picked off Cam Newton in the end zone, but other than that, the Saints have not figured out how to stop the Carolina offense, which has 130 rushing yards (with a 29-yard TD run), and 101 passing yards.

Another note I’d like to make is that the refs seem to be letting much contact during and after the plays go on from both teams, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fight break out if they don’t clamp down on it.

Make the jump for the stats and the Second Half Thread, there is certainly much more excitement to be seen, heard, felt, and smelled!!!

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

Chronic Radio: Saints-Panthers post game 4:30 pm!

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

Carolina Panthers (6-9)		Week 17		New Orleans Saints (12-3)
		@

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

Should Old Acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon! (ok, that’s enough of that)

Here’s a link to the full lyrics of that song in both English and Scots with pronunciation guides. Knock yourself out.

Happy New Year, CSC!! It’s the beginning of a glorious new year with new possibilities, new hope, and best of all, new calendars!! (any other calendar/organizer/Levenger nerds out there?…anyone?) Hopefully you are hanging in there and hydrating if you celebrated a little too much last night – you gotta get ready for gameday, people!!

Let’s start 2012 off with a bang and make it count since we may not even be here next year at this time. The Saints and Panthers tee it up at 1:00 EST today with a 13th win, some NFL and franchise records, and a possible # 2 seed in the NFC playoffs at stake for the Saints, while respectability and spoiler goals are in play for the Panthers.

Sean Payton says they’re playing to win today. Well, that’s good, because so am I, and so are my Hot Reads.

Feels like it’s been a looong time since we last did this – way back in 2011, I think it was, so let’s get right to it!!

** We can use this area as our pre-pre-pre-game open thread discussion zone until the actual game thread opens up. How are you feeling about this game? How did you ring in 2012? What’s your gameday gear and meal situation? **

Panthers vs Saints coverage

Panthers vs Saints preview

Primary Option

Week 17, and it’s the same old story on this one. This team goes nowhere if it cannot PROTECT DREW BREES.

Last time they played, the Saints were giving up 2.2 sacks per game and a sack every 19.9 pass attempts, and in the game itself, they allowed 2 sacks and two QB hits. This time around, the Saints have improved their protection numbers a bit, and are now allowing 1.6 sacks per game and one sack every 25.9 pass attempts.

The DEs have recorded more than half of the 31 total sacks for Carolina this year, with Charles Johnson leading the team with nine, and next are Greg Hardy and Thomas Keiser, with four each. Johnson was listed as doubtful with a back problem on Friday’s injury report, so the Saints might catch a break there.

What I’d Like To See: Protection commensurate with their current averages (and if he throws a lot, it needs to be even better): a maximum of one sack and a couple of hits, and a combination of good line blocking, chips on the ends, solid running game, and some more of Brees’s patented fancy footwork to allow him the time to do what he needs to do through the air to move the ball and win this game.

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Checkdown # 1

Carolina loves to run and they are pretty good at it (3rd in the NFL averaging nearly 150 rushing yards per game), so the Saints really need to do whatever they can to CAGE THE CATS’ RUNNING GAME.

The three-headed running attack consists of RBs DeAngelo Williams (783 yards, 7 TDs), Jonathan Stewart (682, 3), and then QB Cam Newton (674, 14), and against the Saints on October 9, they combined for 162 yards and 2 TDs. Williams did most of the damage (115 yards and a TD), but Cam did get a short yardage TD run.

What I’d Like To See: This time, I’m calling on the newly-confident run defense to lock down the Panthers running game to under 100 yards and hold it to 1 TD.

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Checkdown # 2

THIRD DOWN SHUTDOWN – On the season, Carolina has converted 75 of 180 third downs (42%). Do you know how many they converted against the Saints in Week 5? Seven out of 12. That’s 58%, for Pete’s sake! 58%! No way can they allow that to happen again.

What I’d Like To See: The Saints defense getting off the field at least two out of three times on third down.

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Safety Valve

The Panthers are giving up 125+ yards per game, and last time, the Saints could only muster 101 yards and one Mark Ingram 1-yard TD on 28 carries. The Saints have been running the ball much better as of late, and 3.6 yards per carry is just not going to cut it, so they need to continue to RUN BIG OR GO HOME.

What I’d Like To See: Around five yards per carry, a couple of rushing TDs, and 120+ rushing yards from the Saints ground game.

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Bonus Hot Read

In their last meeting, the Saints gave up at least four plays of 20 or more yards, and two of them went for TDs (Steve Smith’s 54-yard catch and run [followed by Roman Harper's late hit] and DeAngelo William’s 69-yard run), so they need to TAKE AWAY THE BIG PLAY.

What I’d Like To See: The Saints defense give up no plays of over 20 yards, especially no scoring plays over 20 yards.

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

This one’s for all the marbles.

Only a few teams still have seeding or a postseason spot on the line; the rest have nothing to play for other than pride and principle.

This last week also marks the finals for most guys who play fantasy football as well as the finale for Pick ‘Em.

Which teams are packing it in early, and which are too proud to quit? Which teams will play their starters and which will rest? Which records can still be broken?

While the Saints are on pace to break a few records, I’m also in a race to the finish and on pace for my best Pick ‘Em year ever (I’ve played Pick ‘Em since 1997).

SB Nation NFL Page

Season Total: 162 wins, 78 losses

Last Week: 10 wins, 6 losses

Average: 10 wins, 6 losses

Last Year: 157 wins, 99 losses

Best Year: 170 wins, 86 losses

Yahoo Rank: 1^st out of 84

Sirius Rank: 92nd out of 8,693

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This Week’s Picks:

Cardinals over Seahawks, 1 – I think Arizona has the better defense to go with better weapons on offense. I hope John Skelton plays for the Cardinals because he’s got something going. I’ll take the more traditional QB with Larry Fitzgerald over Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn “Skittles” Lynch.

Chiefs over Broncos, 2 – Upset #1 – Once again, I’ll take the more traditional QB with the better weapons on offense and the better defense. Yeah, I know, Denver has a “good” defense, but I prefer Kansas City and Romeo Crennel. Which team has played better over the past month? Kyle Orton didn’t play so well against the Raiders, and Denver does have a better defense, but I don’t care.

Giants over Cowboys, 3 – Believe it or not, I think Tony Romo is the bright spot for Dallas (other than DeMarco Murray who’s on IR). However, I think the Giants will come away with the win not because of ELIte Manning, but due to their rushing attack. Both teams are mediocre, and the Giants did have to come from behind in their last contest. While the Giants are in the habit of coming from behind, the Cowboys are in the habit of giving games away.

Colts over Jaguars, 4 – Upset #2 – I prefer Dan Orlovsky to Lame Gabbert. I think Maurice Jones-Drew will have a big day, but I think the Colts will continue their streak in an effort to save their coach’s job. I think the Colts are a different team with that winless monkey off their backs.

Bengals over Ravens, 5 – Upset #3 – I just don’t trust Joe Flacco. Cincinnati hasn’t won a big game against the Ravens or Steelers this year, but I think they want/need it more now. Ray Rice can’t do it all, and Andy Dalton has A.J. Green. The Bengals’ banged up secondary is playing a little better now that they’ve adjusted to the injuries, and all they need to worry about is Torrey Smith because Anquan Boldin is out for the year.

Lions over Packers, 6 – Don’t look now, but the Lions are back to their form from the first month. Matthew Stafford is lighting it up, and Detroit signed Joique Bell (NOoooo!!!). I don’t want to play Detroit in the postseason. The Packers have nothing to play for.

Dolphins over Jets, 7 – I’d love nothing more than to see the better QB and better team shut Rex Ryan up. The Jets throw too much and can’t run effectively or consistently. The Dolphins have the right mix and play better on defense.

Vikings over Bears, 8 – Josh McCown looked decent last week against the Packers, considering the circumstances. The Bears defense is playing at a high level. The Vikings don’t have Adrian Peterson. So why do I like the Vikings? Because I think they give it to Joe Webb when the going gets tough, and I’ll take him over McCown.

Raiders over Chargers, 9 – Detroit deflated San Diego’s push for the postseason, and I think now that it’s a given Coach Turner and AJ Smith will be getting Norv’d, the Chargers will pack it in. Oakland has too much to play for and Philip Rivers is a turnover machine, leading the league (along with Rex Grossman) in combined giveaways.

Titans over Texans, 10 - I hate picking the Titans to win anything simply because you can’t trust them to act right, which might explain why I have nothing to say about the Titans. With that said, Houston has the third seed no matter the outcomes of games on Sunday, so they have nothing to play for. They finally get Wade back, along with Andre Johnson. I would not play Andre; I wouldn’t play Arian Foster or Ben Tate either, but the new Houston wants to do their best to “look” good and beat the old Houston. They should save “trying to look good on offense” for the postseason. No use hurting another hammy in a meaningless game.

Eagles over Redskins, 11 – Add interceptions thrown to fumbles lost by Rex Grossman, and you’ll find he has more turnovers in the NFL than almost anyone else (he’s tied with Philip Rivers), which is remarkable considering he was benched for about a month earlier in the season. The Eagles look closer to becoming what they envisioned prior to the season. The defense has come around and Michael Vick looks to be healthy again. Washington looks to be on a RB carousel as well as the QB one. Santana Moss is the only target I trust, and though Jim Haslett’s defense looks good in spurts, they do stupid things by design sometimes.

Saints over Panthers, 12 – The outcome of this game is dependent upon whether or not Sean Payton pulls his starters while “scoreboard watchin” and if so, at what point in the game. I think Sean does pull Drew Brees, but only in the 4^th quarter after putting up 350 yards and 4 TDs.

Steelers over Browns, 13 – I don’t care who starts at QB for either team, though I think Pittsburgh should definitely rest Ben Roethlisberger. I’ll be picking the Steelers because they are better at everything Cleveland wants to do.

Falcons over Bucs, 14 – Tampa has lost nine consecutive games, the last four by double digit margins. It has gotten ugly. Raheem Morris has lost his team and there is some weird and bad stuff going on in the locker room. Half the team has quit. Too bad the Falcons don’t look the same way.

Patriots over Bills, 15 – Yeah, the Patriots are still playing for a top seed, so they’ll want to keep Tom Brady in at least until Dan Marino’s record is passed for a second time. If Brady stays in for more than three quarters, I think the Patriots win big.

Niners over Rams, 16 – The Rams are the worst team in the NFL. They don’t have a CB who was on their roster in training camp, and are down to the offensive tackles that come from hand # 2 if you are counting. Their QB lost his top WR targets very early in the season, in addition to Steven Jackson for about a month, in addition to being injured himself. Did I mention the Rams tried to change offenses during the lockout? Their OC became the HC of Cleveland, so they took the fired OC from Denver who may be going to KC. Anyway, I don’t blame Steve Spagnuolo for this season and hate to see him fired.

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

Before we dive into the Black & Blue Part Deux installment of the 2011 season, I’d like to give a history lesson. Sean Payton became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2006, and shortly thereafter, Drew Brees became his starting QB.

Over the last six seasons, the Saints have scored 40 or more points on 14 occasions. The first happened in 2006 against Dallas, where Sean Payton and Bill Parcells agreed to just kill the clock (Parcells actually conceded a loss and just took a knee – I’ve never seen that one before). The 2007 season added one more against a Jaguar team that was hot at the time (the Saints were fighting to get back to .500 and everything worked as they spread the Jags out). In 2008, the Saints scored over 40 on two occasions, against Green Bay and Detroit. In both instances, the Saints came close to breaking their franchise record for points scored in a game, yet Sean Payton toned it down and just handed the ball off for much of the last 20 minutes in each contest.

In 2009, the Saints offense finally came together with a viable rushing attack that provided balance, and they broke the 40 barrier 5 times (one playoff game included). In every instance, Drew Brees either handed the ball off in the 4^th quarter or came out of the game once it was in hand. 2010 featured no 40+ point outings. This season, the Saints have crossed over 40 points on 5 occasions with their renewed rushing attack once again in play. Even when the Saints broke their franchise scoring record against the Colts, Drew Brees was yanked from the game in the third quarter and the backup QB didn’t throw a single pass – yet two more TDs were still scored.

Sean Payton has shown time and time again that when the game is in hand, he’s a fair sport and doesn’t rub it in Bill Belichick style. Even when the Saints dominated the Patriots so much that Belichick said “f*** it” and pulled his starters with five and a half minutes to play, the Saints didn’t pull a Steve Spurrier. In 2009, Drew Brees was 12 yards short of throwing for 4400 yards for a fourth consecutive season (at the time, Dan Marino had four such seasons in his career, leading the NFL with the most of the then 26 occasions of recorded 4,400 yard individual passing seasons), yet Drew sat out the last game in order to avoid injury for the postseason.

Here’s the point, Pete Prisco: what happened Monday night in the Superdome was a special accomplishment, and if it could have occurred any other way that night, it would have. To assert that the Saints were classless and running up the score is irresponsible of a national NFL journalist. It reeks of homerism from a closet Falcons fan. The stage was set, that amount of yards was what was needed, and Drew Brees gave his fans and a national audience what they tuned in to see, removing a distraction heading into the finale. If you have a problem with the “Saints trying to score”, I have a problem with the Falcons going for it on 4^th down in their attempt to score multiple times before time expired. Take a pointer from Bill (Parcells or Belichick) and know when you’ve had your ass handed to you and take a knee if you don’t want that to happen.

Now on to this week’s game.

Cam Newton has already surpassed Peyton Manning’s record for most passing yards in a rookie season, and he’s doing it with a better completion percentage, fewer interceptions, and more combined touchdowns. In essence, he’s doing it better. Does Newton scare me? – Hell, yeah! I don’t even want to think about next year because he’ll give the Saints enough trouble on Sunday alone. He’s like that mouth sore that won’t go away – no matter what you do, he’ll be a problem.

Don’t you dare play man coverage against him, because the minute the defensive backs turn their backs to him, he’ll take off and gash the area of the field where routes aren’t being run. The linebackers and defensive ends need to not play hero and just make contact and hold on until help arrives. Zone coverage isn’t necessarily the answer either – Newton is smart and puts in the time it takes to be an elite QB: he knows how to read a defense and where to go with the ball.

The Panthers aren’t going to the postseason. This IS their Super Bowl. They’d love nothing more than to spoil any chance the Saints have at a bye week and beat a full-strength Saints team. Ron Rivera isn’t John Fox, but I couldn’t tell in the first contest; he already has a good grasp on how to play the Saints. The key for the Panthers is playing physically – something they’ve always done against the Saints. They are looking to bloody a nose or two, disrupt the Saints timing on offense, and keep the defense off balance enough to convert on third downs and create offensive plays that would normally be sure stops when 1+1 doesn’t equal 3.

In years past, if you could limit Steve Smith and bottle up the Williams/Stewart combo, the Panthers would eventually fall off pace – even when Drew was forced to nickel and dime and settle for more field goal attempts than touchdowns. With Cam Newton, that has changed. Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell are averaging over 17 yards per catch (they have over 100 combined). Greg Olsen, Jonathan Stewart, and Legedu Naanee all have over 40 catches, while Jeremy Shockey isn’t far behind with over 30. Newton spreads the ball around, and when he isn’t hitting his WRs deep for a third best (64) completions of 20+ yards (tied with Drew Brees), he’s dumping it off to the tight ends and running backs- they account for over 140 completions. Translation: if Cam Newton the runner doesn’t give you an ulcer, Cam Newton the passer might be too much for Nexium.

How exactly can the Saints combat Cam? Sean Payton knows just what to do: he plans on attacking the Panthers full force, all players at a go. Do you think Payton will allow Tom Brady to break the record Drew Brees just set? Do you think Sean Payton will sit any star players when there’s a chance St. Louis pulls off another great upset? Do you think Sean Payton will take his foot off the gas when his team is finally coming into form at the right time? I don’t.

I look for Drew Brees to extend his record with another 300+ yard passing outing. I look for the Saints to break the Greatest Show on Turf’s record for total yardage in a season, to break the record for most completions, to break the record for first downs, to break the record for most receiving yards by a tight end, and to continue a few streaks in the process while breaking even more records than I can list. I look for the Saints to rush for more yardage on the ground than Carolina. I look for the Saints defense to continue being stingy when it counts – on third down and in the red zone. I look for Legatron (Thomas Morstead) and the rest of the Saints special teams to once again be special and give the Saints a decided advantage in that phase.

Sure, Cam Newton will give the Saints defense more than we can stomach, but it won’t be enough. The Saints are balanced when it counts. Carolina’s defense has problems of their own, and I don’t see how they can manage Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles now that the Saints offense has fully developed. The Saints can sustain drives without depending on the explosive plays – the Saints don’t need the miraculous to convert on 3^rd downs consistently, and that is the difference. This should be a tightly contested game, but I expect the Saints to win with a score of 34-24, even if San Francisco ends the first quarter with a 35-0 lead.

Stat Time:

Offense –

1. Saints – 33.5 points per game, 457 yards per game, 6.6 yards per play, 56% 3^rd down conversions, 31:48 time of possession, -4 turnover margin

4. Panthers – 25.9 PPG, 396 YPG, 6.3 YPP, 42% 3^rd down, 30:35 TOP, +2 TO margin

Passing Offense –

1. Saints – 329 YPG, 8.2 yards per attempt, 70.7% completion, 41 TDs, 13 INTs, (64) 20+ yard pass plays, 24 sacks given up, 108.2 QB rating

11. Panthers - 246 YPG, 8.0 YPA, 60.1% completion, 20 TDs, 16 INTs, (64) 20+ yard completions, 33 sacks surrendered, 85.3 QB rating

Rushing Offense –

3. Panthers – 150 YPG, 5.3 yards per carry, 25 TDs, 3 Fumbles, (22) 20+ yard rushes

9. Saints – 128 YPG, 4.8 YPC, 15 TDs, 3 fumbles, (13) 20+ yard runs

Defense –

22. Panthers – 25.6 PPG, 362 YPG, 6.0 YPP, 42% 3^rd down, 20 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries

26. Saints – 21.5 PPG, 373 YPG, 5.8 YPP, 34% on 3^rd down, 19 FFs, 6 FRs

Pass Defense –

21. Panthers - 236 YPG, 8.2 YPA, 63.5% completion, 23 TDs, 13 INTs, (47) 20+ yard completions, 31 sacks, 94.2 opposing QB rating

30. Saints – 268 YPG, 7.1 YPA, 57.7% completion, 23 TDs, 8 INTs, (47) 20+ yard completions, 31 sacks, 86.1 opposing QB rating

Rush Defense –

10. Saints – 105 YPG, 4.8 YPC, 10 TDs, 7 fumbles, (12) 20+ yard runs allowed

21. Panthers - 126 YPG, 4.5 YPC, 17 TDs, 10 fumbles, (14) 20+ yard runs

Overall Statistical Comparison: On both offense and defense, not much separates these two teams. They allow and execute the same amount of explosive plays, and while the Panthers have a better turnover margin, the Saints are better on 3^rd down on both sides of the ball. The Panthers look to have a better rushing attack, but I’d argue the Saints running backs have performed better than Carolina’s group when you remove Newton’s ground contributions. In the passing game, Drew Brees is the difference. Who would have thought before the season that the Panthers would have a Top 5 offense?

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles

OK CSCers, it is now 24 hours and some change until the Saints will take the field against the Carolina Panthers for the final regular season game of 2011 (technically, it’s the first game of 2012, but who around here ever gets caught up in semantics?).

As I awoke today, I found myself still wondering what the Saints should do about playing their starters in this game, and how long they should stay in, as well.

Make the jump to review what we know and then speculate on this matter with me…

Panthers vs Saints coverage

Panthers vs Saints preview

Cat Scratch Reader

It’s been a whirlwind few days since the Saints beat Atlanta on Monday night and Drew Breeeeeees!!! set the new single-season passing yardage mark, so let’s just carefully walk ourselves through the sequence.

By Wednesday morning, Dave was already dealing with the question of Drew Brees’s status for the game, and went on the record in support of him playing on Sunday to help stay ahead of Tom Brady, who is only 190 yards behind Brees in passing yards for 2011.

Then, based on Sean Payton’s press conference later that day, Mike Triplett reported that the Saints would be playing to win on Sunday:

“We’re going full speed ahead,” said Payton, who said he doesn’t even plan to pay attention to the score of the San Francisco 49ers-St. Louis Rams game, which will be played at the same time…

…Payton said he decided to play his starters this week, both because of that shot at the No. 2 seed and because he feels like his team is well-rested and has a lot of momentum going during its current seven-game win streak.

“We’re playing some of our best football here the last few weeks,” Payton said. “There’s some value to that.”

Nothing much changed on Thursday, as folks reported on Wednesday’s statements, and while Drew Brees’s Wednesday press conference didn’t offer any information contradictory to Payton’s, he did discuss how the situation in 2011 is different from that in 2010:

There’s a lot of records out there we could potentially set, break. I think our mindset above and beyond that is how do we put ourselves in the best position to play and win in the playoffs and when you look at last year, you could say this situation is somewhat similar to last year where going into week 16 if we beat Tampa and Atlanta loses, we win the division and get the one seed. This time around, we’re locked into the three unless we win, San Fran loses then we get the two, so that’s a significant jump. That’s the difference between a first round bye or not…

…Last year we felt we were a little banged up, should rest up, limited some guys. I think we all found ourselves scoreboard watching a little in regards to that other game, therefore I feel like not that we took a step back in that game. We just didn’t progress and I feel like our mindset is that we want to continue to progress and continue to get better, because I think there are things that serve you well in this game if you can continue to stay in the rise as you head into the playoffs, whether they’re confidence builders or situations that come up that you fight through.

Payton addressed the question from some different angles in Friday’s press conference, first:

Does a potential upcoming playoff game next week affect your decision on whether you play a player in this week’s game?
“I think it would have to be very simple: does he help the team in playing well enough to win a game? If the answer is no, if it’s something that is potentially not full speed and it could hurt the team, then you can’t play them. If the answer is yes, that would be a lot like week eight or week nine. It happened last week where Lance (Moore) as recovering and it seemed like he was doing well and then on the third catch all of a sudden he pulled up and now you’re at 45 (players) on game day. You’re always trying to gauge where that player is and is he healthy enough to help us. If the answer is yes, then that’s one thing. If it’s no, sometimes that’s a difficult decision.”

Then…

Was there any thought to not put the scores of the 49ers-Rams game this weekend on the scoreboard in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome?

“Honestly there are so many thoughts that come ahead of that, but I understand the question. I think we’re treating it like we would (any game). This is a chance for us to win a 13th game, which has really been done once in this organization’s history. We just got done talking at the end of practice, we feel like we’ve been playing good football and yet there are areas that we feel like we can improve on. We feel like that could help us heading into the postseason. We want to finish strong and we want to play well. I think that is separate entirely from what happens with any of the other games. It’s always this last week where there are a handful of scenarios. I think maybe it’s a little clearer in the NFC because it really just comes down to one game with either the Giants or Cowboys winning, but other than that the field is set. I think we’re going to really pay closer attention to how we’re doing rather than how anyone else is doing.”

…and one more try to see if he’ll say anything different:

Does the possibility of Drew Brees‘ single-season passing yardage record come into consideration at all with playing him?

“Not really. There are a lot of statistical little things that could be achieved or not achieved in this game, but not really. I think the focus is playing our best game against a team that we feel like is playing very well and is very hot and very difficult to defend. They’re a team that’s gotten better and better certainly since we played them last, which seems like such a long time ago. I think our focus is really on what we need to do to play our best football game and play these guys and finish the season on the right note.”

OK, now you’ve got the official word(s) from Sean Payton and Drew Brees on the matter, as well as a tiny bit of analysis/assessment/projecting from Dave and Mike Triplett.

Sean Payton only tells the media what he wants them to know, so there’s good reason to suspect he may be puffing out a smoke screen for strategic advantage.

And now the question is, “What in the wide, wide, world of sports are they really and actually going to do on Sunday against the Panthers?”

Please vote in the poll and then discuss your rationale in the comment section below. You can also explore the whole “shades of meaning” area by sharing what you THINK they will do and what they really SHOULD do (if there’s a difference)…

Let’s do this!

Read more of this Saints News post via Canal Street Chronicles