After all the bad things that happened in 2008, losing to Carolina got Big Daddy’s New Year’s drinking started early to numb the pain of a terrible year. This week Big Daddy’s Saints Beat blog delivers coverage of the New Year’s Eve Mid-City bonfire, gives the season’s final section 645 report, recaps the Carolina game, wonders if Jake Delhomme cursed the Crescent City, questions Sean Payton’s comments, releases his World Famous Pregame Information.
Mid-City’s traditional Orleans Avenue Christmas-tree bonfire spawned quite a controversy this year. Protesters levied complaints concerning revelers throwing fireworks into the open flames. Public opinion forced new safety measures to keep the annual festivities alive. Did anyone see WWL-TV Channel 4 Eyewitness News’ 5:00 p.m. broadcast on Monday? Lucy Bustamonte covered the aforementioned story showing some cheap home-made video of the Mid-City event. Obviously no one screened the grainy footage before airing it, because much to the delight of unsuspecting viewers editors forgot to cut out the wasted chick bouncing around the fire topless. Man, those were nice and real! Whoever saw them will show up to get a New Year’s kiss from her.
Knowing NFL reality, fans sadly anticipated this might be Deuce McAllister’s last game in a Saints uniform. Consequently, during the customary pregame roll call fans shook the building yelling, “Deuce” to thank him for years of dedicated service to the team and the community. What a tribute! The Panthers’ running game quieted the crowd in the high-priced lower levels; however, nothing stops fan outbursts where Big Daddy sits. Pandemonium in 645 during the Sunday’s furious rally created unmatched adrenaline. Big Daddy knows the Superdome is the loudest stadium in the NFL, and 645 leads the charge. It is so much fun being up there.
John Kasay starts Saints Beat’s finale recap kicking the Panthers to a 6-0 lead after one. Drew Brees’ awful interception plus a bulls**t pass interference call set up Carolina’s first touchdown. Dante Wesley’s return of Skyler Green’s fumble put the Saints in a 23-3 hole late in first half. Brees hit Marques Colston for a 26-yard score shrinking the halftime deficit to 23-10. Jonathan Stewart’s 2-yard run following Jake Delhomme’s long pass to Steve Smith made it 30-10 going to the fourth. Drew Brees led the Saints spirited comeback, throwing three touchdown passes to give the Saints a 31-30 lead with 3:11 left. Our ineffective pass rush and minor league secondary looked like a matador letting a bull run through his red cape as Carolina drove right down the field and Kasay nailed the game-winner, sending Saints fans home with another excruciating loss 33-31.
Remember how Jake Delhomme’s free agency loomed over the Saints in 2002? Saints management kept Delhomme benched while Aaron Brooks’ diminished skills (unable to pass due to injury) cost the Saints a playoff birth. Front office brass wanted to retain Delhomme’s future services without dolling out a significant pay raise or creating a quarterback controversy. This cheapskate approach paved the way for Tampa Bay (a s**t team we beat twice that year) to win the Championship. Repercussions stung fans even more when our division rival snatched the Louisiana signal-caller off the open market. Carolina went on a Super Bowl run in 2003 while New Orleans suffered through another disappointing season. Delhomme continues to hit us where it hurts, compiling a 9-2 record against his old team. Do you think Jake hooked up with a Voodoo Priestess to curse the Big Easy?
Listening to Sean Payton’s Monday press conference, I heard him pinpoint every defensive weakness that plagued the team throughout ’08; Payton even stated the offense needs more balance. Boy, if Coach Payton knew what the problems were, why hasn’t the team addressed them before now? Since the Saints are way under the salary cap, filling holes in our Swiss cheese defense should not pose much of a challenge. Right? If the front office doesn’t plug in better talent in every soft spot, fans will know there’s no commitment to winning. Hey Coach, are you saying that you learned defense wins championships? God, I hope so …
Next week check out Big Daddy’s Saints Beat blog for LSU’s Chick-fill-A (Peach) Bowl recap, a critique of the New Orleans Hornets before they embark on a very difficult 4-game west coast swing, plus a special New Year’s Eve report. Go to www.NOSaintsHistory.com to find cool info about your favorite pro sports franchise. Now Big Daddy’s World Famous Pregame Information: — Take LSU and the Points —
