Jeff Duncan, sports writer for the Times Picayune wrote an article published in that news paper January 14, the morning of the Saints-Frisco game that all but guaranteed the Saints would win because as he said, this is a different Saints team, a different time and they can win a road playoff game. However he gave himself some breathing room and said at the very end the Saints could lose because of their disposition.
Sport journalists in New Orleans, radio, TV and printed just don't get it and are incapable of judging the Saints on a rational basis. Their total reporting is simply the "offense genius of Payton and the prolific passing of Brees" which actually represents individual performance instead of the team performance. The Saints played a patsy schedule this year but met a real challenge with Frisco who's team knows how to play defense.
It is a matter of record that competition in the NFL has gone down hill as a result of expansion and a playoff system devised for the purpose of putting more money in the owners pockets. Competition was at a higher level before the playoffs were begun when the winner of the NFC and the AFC met in the Super Bowl. Now a team with a loosing record has a chance to be in the Super Bowl. There is nothing competitive about that and makes a mockery of the regular season which should account for everything.
The final NFL standings at the end of the season as published in the Times Picayune of January 2 showed that of the 32 teams that make up the NFL only 12 teams had a winning record, 37%. Is it any wonder why Drew Brees and Tom Brady both broke Dan Marino's passing record that has stood since 1984. And to top it off second year quarterback Matt Stafford of Detroit was only shy 47 yards of also breaking Marino's record. Is it any wonder so many records fell this year for the Saints and the NFL.
All six of the Times Picayune sports journalists listed in the January 14 edition predicted a Saints victory at Frisco. One would think that out of six at least one would have projected Frisco the winner because of their record and great defense. Duncan in his article on Sunday after the game gave the excuse that the Saints loss because the defense blitzed at the wrong time.
Ironically it was Damin Esper, a contributing writer in the Times Picayune of Sunday January 15 who gave the most intelligent answer as to why the Saints lost to Frisco. He said, the 49ers physical defense kept the Saints offense out of sync. That New Orleans gained plenty of yards but never was in control of the game. This writer will drink to that but who is Damin Esper? I have never heard of him but he made the right call.
Sports journalist in New Orleans will continue to talk about Payton and Brees ability and will also continue to brush aside the failures of the NFL and the lack of competition. All of the Saints prolific passing records and individual performances and the Saints are back home again early from the playoffs. The quarterbacks for the Giants and Frisco have taken their team to the championship game without all those individual records. Some sports journalists never learn.
