We're all in so fall in

And now, in the interest of catching up a little, here are a few matters of note from the Saints-Rams game played back on December 12.

• Because Menckles had to miss this one, I was free to travel to the Dome via bicycle as God intended. Menckles and I used to do this regularly but a few seasons back we became a one bike household and so have gotten into the mode of taking the streetcar when we're up early enough or... more frequently.. the Tercel when we're hungover and late. This time, since I was traveling alone, this seemed like a fine opportunity to make up for lost time.
  
  So here's how I took full advantage of this opportunity. Upon completing the, mostly against a strong headwind, trip to Poydras street and the subsequent negotiation of the dense pre-game crowd to find a suitable parking spot, the first thing I noticed was I had forgotten my phone. Now I'm certainly old enough to have experienced professional football without the palm top accompaniment of immediate stats, scores, and sideline updates along with the inane blurtings of hundreds of Saints fans via the Tweeter Tube but it's not a world I am eager to go back to. I mean it's one thing to watch Drew Brees throw an interception, yell "Oh shit!" turn to the people sitting next to you who are also yelling "Oh shit!" and commiserate for a few moments before moving on to the next play. But if you don't also have the ability to look at your phone and read through 26 additional "Oh shit!"s four of five plays later then you really aren't experiencing the game in the round, so to speak. Anyway I needed my phone. And after one more bike ride to the house and back, I had it. I had also gained almost as many yards as Malcolm Jenkins would returning picks that day, but that's another story.
  
  
  The no phone remembering motherfuckers in the house were more than pleased to see this no catching motherfucker catch the motherfucking ball



• Through some doubtlessly underhanded means which remain unclear to me, Mom and Dad managed to score tickets to this game in the plaza level. I grew up in New Orleans and have attended a number of events at the Superdome where I could sit in the lower levels; high school football, exhibition baseball, the Pepsi Superfair, that sort of thing. But I've never seen a Saints game from any perspective other than the Terrace. The season tickets we've held in recent years are in Section 617 up against the wall at the very tip top and I will forever contend that these are the best seats in the house.
  
  
  Saints vs Texans Preseason 2008 as seen from the best seats in the house
  
  But I was curious about the lower bowl so just prior to the half I decided to make my way down for a visit. Courtney Roby was kind enough to go and get himself nearly decapitated while I was in transit which meant that I hardly missed any action getting all the way across the building. What I found when I got there was interesting but also confusing. The seats were close enough that we had a great view of Ironbutt stretching out his injured hamstring and Poochie picking his nose but a much more muddled view of the action on the field than what one gets from above. When Jenkins stepped in front of a Sam Bradford pass and took it the length of the field, we saw the pick coming about as well as Bradford did. Maybe that's a neat thrill the first time, but in the long run I much prefer our God's eye view from up top. Dad's review of the plaza seats was that the experience was "almost like being there". I think that's about right.



• Here is a photo of Charity Hospital I took after the Rams game from the patio at Handsome Willy's.
  
  
  
  Notice there are some lights on in rooms on the upper floors. What creepy horror movie plot is being played out there?



• Rams week's Dome complaint: It's getting difficult to keep up with the ever-evolving set of instructions to Saints fans from the players, coaches, and stadium officials regarding when to make noise, when not to make noise, and even which specific noises to make on cue.

  Payton said he'd like the fans to turn up the volume after what he described as just an "OK" noise level in the Saints' previous game in the Superdome against the Seattle Seahawks three weeks ago.
  
  "I think we can be louder," Payton said. "I thought with Seattle it was OK, but I know that it can be a lot louder in there. We're in that stretch of the season where it needs to be louder."
  
  Brees, meanwhile, wants to add a wrinkle to the pregame "Who Dat" chant he orchestrated earlier this year. Brees suggested that after the coin toss, the Superdome should go silent until they get the signal from the honorary captain to begin the "Who Dat" chant.

  Attending these games has never been so much work. Luckily I was still in line for my over-priced rum mixer diet coke while the Superdome crowd was put through this exercise so I can't properly gauge the success or failure of it. I'm guessing a lot of people said "Who Dat" all at once.
  
  I wonder, though, if the coaches and players so concerned with fans' ability to provide sonic assistance, could look into an issue that comes up from time to time with Superdome police. During the second half of the Rams game, a cop visited our section to request that the Saints fans there discontinue their practice of beating on the metal wall while the opposing offense tries to call signals.
  
  Anyone who has ever attended a game going back practically to 1975 is familiar with this practice. It is a widespread and long accepted behavior the discouragement of which confuses and upsets those of us who are just trying to follow Coach Payton's request for loud sounds. I should note that this isn't the first time we've been told to stop beating on the wall but it is the first time it's happened in over two years. Not sure what prompted it. Someone suggested that perhaps one of the nearby Rams fans complained. But if that's the case, why is Superdome security even listening to those people?

And now, in the further interest of catching up, here are a few brief comments on the Saints-Ravens game played on December 19.

• Right so this Baltimore - New Orleans match-up could be considered the David Simon Bowl thanks to Mr. Simon's career in reducing the real life problems of those two cities to a sort of after-school special melodrama for yuppie liberal pseudo-intellects on HBO. But I've already spent enough time here commenting upon Mr. Simon's tele-insults to my city and his so I'll spare you too much of it here. Anyway David Simon isn't what sucked about this game.
  
  What sucked about this game was the barrage of texted, emailed, Facebooked, and voicemailed (because obviously we weren't going to answer the phone) shit talking emanating from Menckles' Baltimorean friends and family to our various electronic devices. Said barrage actually began about three months ago and, while it did reach an unholy crescendo during the actual game, we expect it to continue in stops and starts for at least the next century or two. Or maybe until Ravens fans finally feel like they've received that "respect" they're due vis a vis their multiple league titles in being overlooked, discounted, robbed, victimized, and so forth. Think Saints fans have a chip on their collective shoulder? These guys are carrying chunks the size of Michael Oher Sandra Bullock's ego. I'd say it might help matters if their team wins an actual Super Bowl title, but the last time that happened it only seemed to make matters worse.
  
  So okay, Baltimore. You got us. Your tight end proved to be as uncoverable as any tight end to face the Saints this year, your 4'11" running back proved to be untacklable enough to get Danny Clark benched for the game we actually cared about, oh and your coach was gentlemanly enough to challenge this play just so the viewing audience back home could watch it replayed a few more times.
  
  
  
  So yeah, great job. All of that plus a six point win that we aren't taking too badly around here should make you feel pretty good with the world for a while. Well, at least until your next opportunity to manufacture outrage at being "robbed" once again at KC this weekend.

And now, in the interest of catching up, here are a few observations regarding the Saints' crowning achievement of 2010 on December 27 at Atlanta.

• Sibling rivalry becomes serious: In years past, we've referred to this series as a sibling rivalry. The teams are about the same age. Their track records over the years are similar. And the cities they represent are known to be both disdainful and envious of one another for various reasons. Their fan bases know each other well, in fact often belong to the same extended or immediate families, and travel to the opposing city in extraordinary numbers each season for this game.
  
  I know I always love Falcon week in the Dome. Falcons fans are, at least in my experience, among the most enjoyable visitors to taunt and joke and even dance with in the Superdome. Earlier this year, the Falcons fans in our section repeatedly got up and danced to the Crunk song. I think we're all a little tired of that song by now but they kind of helped make it fun again. I appreciated that.
  
  But this year, with the Saints defending a world championship (HOLYFUCKINGSHIT, High Five, etc.) and the Falcons holding the top seed in the NFC, the stakes in this second match-up were higher than ever. Inevitably this affected the typical good nature associated with the game a bit. This was the most intense football game the Saints have played in since last year's NFC Championship and the rivalry itself has taken on a seriousness it has rarely seen over the years. Here are three quick items that I think convey this a bit.
  
  1) On the day of the game, the internet was alight with indignation over an insensitive Sportsblog Nation Atlanta post in which Falcons fan Steven Godfrey unloaded his exasperation at Saints fans for being, in his words, "willing to capitalize upon Hurricane Katrina as a means of fabricating a redemption narrative for their football team." I don't want to rehash the whole matter here as we've already spent enough time hashing the shit out of it. The point is, Falcons fans obviously have a serious chip on their shoulder this year. Having been a Saints fan for 36 years, it's difficult to begrudge them that even if they express it in the most stupid of ways.
  
  2)Example 1-A of stupid Falcons fan outrage: The pee incident. After the Saints' win, long after fans and most staff as well as most of the Falcons players had left the Georgia Dome, some of the Saints' defensive players gathered at the Falcons logo at midfield and took a group photo. It's something they had done after several road wins stretching back to the Thanksgiving Day win at Dallas and obviously a team bonding activity not meant to show anybody up. Naturally a few Falcons fans who got wind of it manufactured another conniption. When asked about the budding controversy, Remi Ayodelle, obviously trying to be funny, delivered, for my money, the quote of the year, "I pissed on the Falcons logo."
  
  Did Remi actually pee on the Falcon? Unfortunately, no he didn't. We are pretty sure he didn't, anyway. Otherwise, surely one of the hazardously placed photographers nearby would have caught it.
  
  3) The games themselves have been the most consequential and tightest match-ups of the year. Again, not to rehash things, but Garrett Hartley's missed field goal in Falcons-Saints I is probably the reason the Saints are flying across country this week instead of resting up for a home playoff game. But also, check this out. The day after Falcons-Saints II, Patrick provided us with all you need to know about the Saints and Falcons this year from a purely football perspective.
  
  

  After last night's game, the Saints and Falcons have played twice, are 1 - 1 against each other for 2010, and post a combined score of 41-41. They have a chance to meet again in the NFC Championship game in several weeks. Rivalries, especially in the pros, don't often see better years than this one.

  
  
  Now I know that Saints fans who are thinking with clear heads are hoping for a Seattle to Chicago to the Superdome vs. Green Bay path through this year's playoffs. But what serious football fan thinks with a clear head anyway? We all know what we really want to see before we're done this year is Saints-Falcons III.
  
  
  Anybody up for one more?



• More serious shit: It seems like the Saints have been involved in more post-play pushing and shoving in every single game this year than in previous seasons. I don't know if this is a typical experience for a defending champion, or if maybe the Browns were expressing the rest of the league's feelings about the Saints when they accused them of "dirty play" earlier this season. I haven't seen much evidence to support this reputation if it does indeed exist. I did, however, note that the Saints managed to land a few of those "remember me" hits on Matt Ryan during the Monday Night game. Although they also managed to land a couple of those to his head. When you deliver a "remember me" hit to the head, it seems like you may be defeating your own purpose a bit. Also it's a costly penalty. The Saints have gotten into more trouble with penalties this year than last. Against Atlanta they were flagged 8 times for 92 yards.
  
  
  A common scene in 2010



• The dumbest thing I've ever seen Drew Brees do: Brees, who finished with the second most interceptions in the NFL this season (22) and has thrown at least one pick in 12 consecutive games, threw the stupidest interception of his life at Atlanta when he shoveled a panicked flip into the hands of Falcons defensive end Chauncey Davis who took it 26 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. It was the dumbest thing I've seen a Saints QB do since Aaron Brooks threw a backward pass at a tackle vs. San Diego back in 2004 and probably the dumbest thing I've seen Drew Brees do (yet). The pick six and the interception Brees threw on the succeeding drive marred an otherwise laudable performance from Brees who hasn't had a bad season overall, just one in which he's thrown 22 interceptions.
  
  Amazingly, this was the third pick-six Brees has thrown to a defensive lineman this season. At least it's the third one of those I can think of off the top of my head. Was there another one? Tell me there wasn't another one.
  
  
  Oddly, a common scene in 2010



• The greatest thing I've seen Reggie Bush do: Bush picked up a blitzing Falcon to help the Saints pick up a crucial third down during the second half. It was one of those plays where even the TV audience can see the what's going to happen before the play begins. We see the guy creeping up to the line, we see Brees point him out to Bush, we all hold our breath and hope he can get him. Reggie got him. It was the biggest (positive) play he made all season (so far, of course... we hope).



• What did poor Matt Ryan do to deserve this stupid nickname?:
  Ryan is obviously a talented QB and a rising star. Who, then, decided to ruin his young career for football fans by saddling him with the embarrassing sobriquet "Matty Ice"? It's not helping him. It's making it difficult for fans of opposing teams to at least give the guy the respect he's earning as a player. Plus it's making television game announcers sound even more boorish and stupid than they already do. Just stop it already.




• The Gregg Williams GIF is magic: I hate to say this. In fact I never say this at all about any football coach ever. But I actually kinda like Gregg Williams. He's funny, he's aggressive but not stupid, and he exhibits a certain self confidence... maybe even a maturity we don't often see from the paranoid control freaks who dominate the profession. Williams appears to trust and respect his players as professionals and they seem to like him pretty well.
  
  Also Varg made this animated GIF of a celebrated Williams gesture during the first Tampa game.
  
  
  
  We've decided it has magical properties. A few times during the fourth quarter of the extremely intense Saints-Falcons II, the Saints found themselves in dire need of a defensive stop or play. At those moments, we dutifully posted the GIF to our Tweeter Tube and were quite pleased with the results. I still haven't decided whether I want to watch the Wild Card game at home or in a bar somewhere. Whether or not I have the ability to post that GIF quickly and at a moment's notice may factor into this decision.

And now, in the interest in catching up... Okay wait. I'm not even interested in going over the season-ender vs. Tampa. Because the Panthers couldn't beat Atlanta, the game honestly couldn't be more insignificant. That is, except for the fact that it took out half the Saints' freaking roster for no apparent reason. This week we learned that the pointless injury to Ironbutt's foot will cost him the rest of the season and that a "setback" will do the same for Pierre Thomas. For one glorious moment during the first half of the Rams game, the Saints' backfield boasted a healthy Frenchy, Bush, and Ironbutt (FBI), and that was fun. I hope you made the most of that time.

But now all of that is behind us and the Saints are traveling to a 7-9 playoff qualifier with no idea what to do about a running game except hope once again for that ever-imminent "breakout performance" from Reggie... oh and of course JOIQUE BELL, BITCHES!

And then there's this.

Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, tight end Jimmy Graham, linebacker Danny Clark and defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove are out for Saturday’s playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Jenkins (knee) and Graham (ankle) both were injured in the first quarter of the regular season finale against Tampa Bay and missed Thursday’s practice. Clark (hamstring) and Hargrove (knee) also did not participate in Thursday’s practice.

During the Tampa game, we watched special teams MVP Thomas Morstead run down and prevent a sure touchdown.. although that game, of course, barely counted. It does beg the question of whether or not Morstead could stand in at safety, or tailback, or even tight end if called upon. You laugh, but Rosalind's version of Madden 2011 seems to think he can play guard for some reason and who are we to question that wisdom?


Actual photo of virtual Morstead

Anyway right about now I have to say that #iamnotworrieder than I have ever been #iamnotworried since the first time I ever #iamnotworried about anything. To those of you (few, we know) clear-headed football analysts who want to talk about the reasonable ways a clear-headed person can consider this 11-5 defending Super Bowl champion disappointing in some way go right ahead. But also don't be a dick.

I told you at the start of this season that this was going to be all gravy no matter what happened. Even if the Saints lost every game this season, (a thing they've actually come close to doing in our never so distant memories) nobody was going to show up and confiscate their trophy or undo the Lombardi Gras parade or take away any memories of that singular breakthrough experience we'll all carry with us forever in the remaining brain cells we didn't destroy in the process of watching it happen. But they didn't lose every game. In fact they won 11 while fighting injuries, chasing the Falcons, and playing better defense than any Saints team has played in nearly a decade. (High Fucking Five!) And it's not over yet.

But even if it is over, so what? These have been the best five years in which to be a Saints fan. I've been lucky enough to sit in the Superdome terrace and watch this team come together, grow up, and exorcise 40 years of accumulated angst. In short, as a football fan, I couldn't be prouder.

So tomorrow here we go again. Load up the liquor, fire up the Tweeter Tube, and let's make the best of going all in with this team one more time this season. Or maybe a few more times.

Title reference