NFL playoffs

[HedleyLamarr]

Oh, this is just too rich.

You should have heard the cheering that erupted during the Atlanta Hawks game tonight. Priceless.

Ok Saints fans, let's start hearing the excuses.

[TopCat]

Wow, what a great finish! Thank the lord I don't have to see boring ass Peyton Womanning and the Colts make it deep in the playoffs this year.

Good one. Not really.

As they like to say in Ohio,

[GFB]

Another brilliant playoff performance for Peyton Manning. Greatest of all time right there.

[njmeadowlanders]

JETS!

They'll get mauled in New England a week from now, but tonight was damn fun...

[nash61]

Rex Ryan will be making love to Nick Folk's foot tonight.

+1

[infrared41]

Wow, what a great finish! Thank the lord I don't have to see boring ass Peyton Womanning and the Colts make it deep in the playoffs this year.

Good one. Not really.

As they like to say in Ohio,

No, in Ohio we use Mr. Leghorn for jokes that are actually funny. What you did was just another in a long line of a really bad play on words. "Cowgirls", "Suckeyes", "Fakers", etc. Knnhrvy16 was being kind. What he should have said was "Womanning" is just stupid.

[TopCat]

It's a joke because Peyton Manning is a male.

[BlueSky]

Stupid black pants!

JK. First, congrats Seahawks' fans. Great win for you guys, epic fail for the Saints' D. The offense made some mistakes but 36 should be enough to win any game so this is all on the D and special teams (no KO return game whatsoever, horrible field position as the result).

How does a defense that throttled Atlanta (7 pts allowed) on the road in just as hostile an environment (I know, I was there) a few weeks ago allow the pathetic Seahawks to roll over them like that? Well, those who wish to ponder it have an entire off-season to do that. Not me; I know what happened - exactly what I said concerned me...that if the Saints went up there just expecting to win they would get embarassed. And so it went.

The fact that the Saints have so many starters and contributors out is also showing. On offense, no Chris Ivory (leading rusher), no Pierre Thomas, no Jimmy Graham (new go-to tight end. Washed-up back-up Julius Jones fumbled the ball to his former team once already. But what's most disheartening is the play of the defense. They haven't been able to pressure Hasselbeck at all; Saints are missing Malcolm Jenkins at safety, and his replacement-- Roman Harper-- looked stupid on allowing the first THREE touchdown passes.

....and washed-up Julius Jones can't make a 4th and 1. This game's over.

Harper was awful, but he's not Jenkins' replacement, he's the starter. Jenkins' replacement is Darren Sharper. And that wasn't on Julius Jones, the Saints have been awful on 3rd/4th and short for the last several years regardless of who's carrying the ball.

Marshawn Lynch decided to enter full on-beast mode. What is going on?

Oh yeah, and I'm laughing at you, Mr. "Losing teams should not be in the playoffs"... The current format works fine. No need to change it.

Sorry, have to disagree. The Giants and Bucs were both more deserving of a playoff spot than Seattle was, and ironically, the Saints would have had a better chance against either of those teams because they would have taken the game more seriously. This game was a Boise State-OU repeat, one team given no shot and having nothing to lose using that "us against the world" thing to get motivated. Watch what happens next week when Seattle is away from Qwest and has to play a team that isn't looking past them.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Just leave, New Orleans. Go home and think about what you just did then come say you're sorry when you're ready.

You need to look into a program that can help you raise your maturity level a little bit. Then come say you're sorry when you're ready.

Did anyone else think it was dumb how the announcers were saying that a team winning some football games last year uplifted an entire region?

It was dumb, but it was dumb because it was true, not because the claim was absurd. People and local governments tend to take sports way to seriously, so I can see how the Saints winning the Super Bowl last year "uplifted" the region. It's just dumb that something like that would uplift a region.

Now cue the NOLA residents accusing me of being insensitive to the region's suffering.

I understand how outsiders see it that way because they don't (and can't) understand what the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints has been since the team came into existence in 1967. There's no way to explain it that would make sense to someone who hasn't lived there. I would think though that a reasonably compassionate person could at least understand the concept of having something to hold onto when you've been beaten down by something beyond your control.

Oh, this is just too rich.

You should have heard the cheering that erupted during the Atlanta Hawks game tonight. Priceless.

Ok Saints fans, let's start hearing the excuses.

How long will you be on this board before you realize I don't make excuses? I don't think Chawls or other Saints fans on here have either. What's more sad to me is the obvious need so many people here have to pile on. Pile away, I couldn't care less. I've said it before, it takes mental toughness to be a Saints fan. Forty years of "wait till next year" and crap like losing a game by a point when your QB is sacked for a safety with a minute left (@ Dallas, 1983) will do that to you.

I'm disapponted of course but still love the Saints as much as ever. I must say that last year's SB title makes this kind of thing MUCH easier to take. And now I'll continue to root for my other favorite team: whoever's playing Atlanta.

BTW, how many of you were in such a froth when it was 10-0 Saints before all the fans were even seated?

[Cujo]

Sanchez sucks.

Dude is now 3-1 as a starter in the playoffs -- he's gotta be doing something right.

[Cujo]

BTW, Jim Caldwell should be fired for calling that timeout. The Jets just had ran the ball to run down the clock and try a 45-50 yard field goal. Calling that timeout gave the Jets an extra play to get into chip shot range.

I don't understand why the timeout was called either. The Jets had centered the ball for what would've been a coin-flip field goal attempt, and Caldwell calls a timeout WHY? The Jets kicker is NICK FOLK! Even Peyton Manning was like WTF. I'm 99% certain the Colts would be traveling to Pittsburgh next week had that TO not been called. Thanks, Jim!

[IceCap]

Sanchez sucks.

Dude is now 3-1 as a starter in the playoffs -- he's gotta be doing something right.

He was throwing passes high all day. The Jets would have probably won handily had he played better in the earlier portions of the game. He really didn't play all that spectacularly last night.

The one thing I love is that all of the commentators were saying he had to have a stellar game if the Jets were going to have a chance. Instead he plays ok and they still win. Love it.

[IceCap]

Did anyone else think it was dumb how the announcers were saying that a team winning some football games last year uplifted an entire region?

It was dumb, but it was dumb because it was true, not because the claim was absurd. People and local governments tend to take sports way to seriously, so I can see how the Saints winning the Super Bowl last year "uplifted" the region. It's just dumb that something like that would uplift a region.

Now cue the NOLA residents accusing me of being insensitive to the region's suffering.

I understand how outsiders see it that way because they don't (and can't) understand what the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints has been since the team came into existence in 1967. There's no way to explain it that would make sense to someone who hasn't lived there. I would think though that a reasonably compassionate person could at least understand the concept of having something to hold onto when you've been beaten down by something beyond your control.

Yes, I can understand the value of having something to hold onto when you've been struck by tragedy. I'm not sure I personally would see a football team wining a championship as worthy of that, but I can understand it.

Where you lost me was the part about not being able to understand the relationship between the city and team since they came into existence since 1967. You're venturing into Cleveland fan territory here. I hate to break it to you, but the relationship between the Saints and their home city is no different then the relationship between any other team and their home towns. It's simply not, save the Packers. They're the lone exception.

[BlueSky]

Did anyone else think it was dumb how the announcers were saying that a team winning some football games last year uplifted an entire region?

It was dumb, but it was dumb because it was true, not because the claim was absurd. People and local governments tend to take sports way to seriously, so I can see how the Saints winning the Super Bowl last year "uplifted" the region. It's just dumb that something like that would uplift a region.

Now cue the NOLA residents accusing me of being insensitive to the region's suffering.

I understand how outsiders see it that way because they don't (and can't) understand what the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints has been since the team came into existence in 1967. There's no way to explain it that would make sense to someone who hasn't lived there. I would think though that a reasonably compassionate person could at least understand the concept of having something to hold onto when you've been beaten down by something beyond your control.

Yes, I can understand the value of having something to hold onto when you've been struck by tragedy. I'm not sure I personally would see a football team wining a championship as worthy of that, but I can understand it.

Where you lost me was the part about not being able to understand the relationship between the city and team since they came into existence since 1967. You're venturing into Cleveland fan territory here. I hate to break it to you, but the relationship between the Saints and their home city is no different then the relationship between any other team and their home towns. It's simply not, save the Packers. They're the lone exception.

I have my opinion, you have yours (and that mildly disturbing avatar). When your opinion is backed up by 17 years of living in New Orleans and 42 years as a Saints fan, it'll carry a little more credibility when discussing the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints.

[Lights Out]

And the "40 years of wait 'til next year" is also crap. The Chargers have had 47 years of "wait 'til next year." When we finally win a Lombardi, there's not going to be a year-long love-in afterwards, because nobody in the national media cares about San Diego sports in general. So please don't start with the pity party, because New Orleans doesn't even have the worst championship drought.

[BlueSky]

And the "40 years of wait 'til next year" is also crap. The Chargers have had 47 years of "wait 'til next year." When we finally win a Lombardi, there's not going to be a year-long love-in afterwards, because nobody in the national media cares about San Diego sports in general. So please don't start with the pity party, because New Orleans doesn't even have the worst championship drought.

Maybe you could actually read my post before flailing around on the floor ranting. I said the "wait till next year" contributes to the mental toughness it takes to be a Saints fan. The same is true for Chargers fans, Cleveland fans, Bills/Vikings fans (especially...can you imagine making 4 SBs and winning none?), any team that hasn't seen a SB win (or like Detroit, has titles but too long ago to be relevant). That part has nothing to do with the "picking up the region" aspect of the Saints' championship run.

[DEAD!]

And the "40 years of wait 'til next year" is also crap. The Chargers have had 47 years of "wait 'til next year." When we finally win a Lombardi, there's not going to be a year-long love-in afterwards, because nobody in the national media cares about San Diego sports in general. So please don't start with the pity party, because New Orleans doesn't even have the worst championship drought.

He's looking at you.... Cleveland.

[Lights Out]

But you've actually WON a Super Bowl recently. That means you've ceded your right to use the "woe is me, we're such a tortured fanbase, I'm so mentally tough for rooting on this team" card for the foreseeable future. Red Sox fans are blindingly annoying because they still play that card despite winning two recent World Series. Saints fans are approaching that level of annoyingness.

[BlueSky]

But you've actually WON a Super Bowl recently. That means you've ceded your right to use the "woe is me, we're such a tortured fanbase, I'm so mentally tough for rooting on this team" card for the foreseeable future. Red Sox fans are blindingly annoying because they still play that card despite winning two recent World Series. Saints fans are approaching that level of annoyingness.

You're really twisting this. My point was that it's easier, in part because of the SB title and in part because of the long years of misery, to take all the piling on by the Topcats of the world after the Saints spit the bit yesterday. Even here at work - I live in the metro Atlanta area - the vultures were perched before we even got in this morning, ready to rag us few Saints fans. Whatever. Everybody's sick of hearing about the Saints and Katrina - I get it, I am too. But why some people (not you, this has been a civilized debate) have to be such immature asses about it, I have no idea.

[Lights Out]

I get what you're saying. I'm used to the bragging about Super Bowl titles from Raiders, Chiefs, and Broncos fans by now, I just tune it out. Never mind the fact that Raiders fans shouldn't be so cocky since they've been terrible for so long, or that the only time the Chiefs won a Super Bowl, Nixon was in office.

[IceCap]

Did anyone else think it was dumb how the announcers were saying that a team winning some football games last year uplifted an entire region?

It was dumb, but it was dumb because it was true, not because the claim was absurd. People and local governments tend to take sports way to seriously, so I can see how the Saints winning the Super Bowl last year "uplifted" the region. It's just dumb that something like that would uplift a region.

Now cue the NOLA residents accusing me of being insensitive to the region's suffering.

I understand how outsiders see it that way because they don't (and can't) understand what the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints has been since the team came into existence in 1967. There's no way to explain it that would make sense to someone who hasn't lived there. I would think though that a reasonably compassionate person could at least understand the concept of having something to hold onto when you've been beaten down by something beyond your control.

Yes, I can understand the value of having something to hold onto when you've been struck by tragedy. I'm not sure I personally would see a football team wining a championship as worthy of that, but I can understand it.

Where you lost me was the part about not being able to understand the relationship between the city and team since they came into existence since 1967. You're venturing into Cleveland fan territory here. I hate to break it to you, but the relationship between the Saints and their home city is no different then the relationship between any other team and their home towns. It's simply not, save the Packers. They're the lone exception.

I have my opinion, you have yours (and that mildly disturbing avatar). When your opinion is backed up by 17 years of living in New Orleans and 42 years as a Saints fan, it'll carry a little more credibility when discussing the relationship between New Orleans and the Saints.

I'm sorry. I just don't by the "(insert city) has a relationship with (insert team) that no other city has" argument. It sounds just as silly for New Orleans fans to say it as it does when Cleveland fans say it. The entire notion reeks of unwarranted exceptionalism. The only exception is the Green Bay Packers, who literally have a different relationship with their fans then any other pro team.

Also All Hail Lord Megatron