The GOAT
Founder GSEZ
Well, once more, into the breach, dear friends.
Claude and I are going to give GSEZ one more go, and if we can’t keep it consistent this year, pretty sure we’re going to shut down for good.
(Rest of world: *crickets*)
We don’t expect anyone to read this before kickoff tomorrow, but we wanted to get a few things on the record anyway:
Never bet online before in my life. Never bet ANYWHERE except at the Fair Grounds for fun and blackjack on the $2 tables when I was with a group at some casino and couldn’t weasel out. Went on FanDuel on Thursday (Claude Jr. helped me get set up) and put $100 each on the Saints win total money line:
- 13 wins, +800
- 12 wins, +450
- 11 wins, +250
Yes, the last one was a hedge, but if this team doesn’t win 12 games, [tastesless expression here].
The Saints went 9-8 last season and missed the playoffs only because we never get help from any other team in the last week of the season and of course the Rams choked. We started 58 different players. We started four different QBS, the three of whom that started our last 10 games will never start a NFL game at quarterback again.
The reason nobody thinks this team is any good is that the world doesn’t care about the labor pains, the world just wants to see the baby, and all they see is a team that didn’t make the playoffs and Jameis Winston from 2019.
And last year our baby was honorable but looked like….I struggled for a good popular culture comp but it was just a really ugly baby. Sorry, all I got.
But what a difference a new year and some health and a new WR corps will create.
For those of you keeping score at home, instead of a bunch of guys we found outside Walmart on Sunday morning looking for day work, we will have the 2019 OPOY and two other new terrific WRs starting in just a few hours….
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I wonder what would have happened if Joe Cocker had covered a Tom Waits song. My guess is somewhere between “could anyone really tell” and “the earth implodes.” I guess we’ll never know.
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Well, we’re about to give birth to “**** everybody else.” (Not his real name, obviously. His real name will be “Oh and **** you too.”)
Healthy team, real QBs now, real WRs now, all the good players on defense either back (will not miss Small Game Marcus Williams) or replaced and/or improved….. We are going to win the NFC South again, going 6-0 this time, and curb-stomp a number of other teams in the process on the way to a 13-win season.
- Key players to watch
- DE Marcus Davenport – if he’s what we think he can be, he changes everything. Nothing else to say.
- DE Tanoh Kpassangoh — through 8 games last year lead us with 4 sacks, then got hurt, out for the year. He’s back. He can make us a LOT better.
- RG Cesar Ruiz – so far looked like a wasted high pick; the usual optimistic camp reports say he’s finally got it. If he does, this takes this OL from “solid” to “pretty damn good.” We’ll see, because camp reports are less than useless. A potential critical difference maker.
- CB Paulson Adebo – projected first round pick early in college, gets hurt, we draft him, really good rookie year, another “wow he’s great now” camp star…he’ll miss the opener and not too much more, but he’s another guy, like Ruiz, if he can take a B position to an A+ position, that’s huge.
- LB Pete Werner – I think folks know this one well enough but I put him here because I didn’t want to look dumb.
- TE – the whole position, filled with JAGS but if something pops with any of them, what a great add that will be. Because right now with these guys based on last year, you may as well either go with 3 wides or use extra OL in short yardage
There are a lot of players I didn’t list here that are obvious: will MT regain his old form? will Jameis continue his upward trajectory as he tries to turn into Drew Brees faster than Jennifer Jason Leigh turned into Bridget Fonda in “Single White Female”? can Marcus Maye/Honey Badger/whoever replace FS Marcus Williams and recently traded slot corner Chauncey Gardner Williams? (Well, very much yes on that one.)
There’s a lot I left out there. WR Michael Thomas, great again after two years missed with injury? Yes. Thin at linebacker depth? Not an issue in today’s NFL. Jameis Winston at QB with Andy Dalton behind him? Please. We’re good to go. DE Payton Turner? Not counting on him. Rookie DB Alontae Taylor? Whatever we get is found money.
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“Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.” – L.R. Paige
Be honest – just now, if I didn’t bring it up before, do you really miss Sean Payton?
Weren’t ALL of us just ready for a fresh start, instead of a desperate time-pressured chase to get Drew and Sean another Lombardi?
Asking for a friend.
Same with the sudden camp trade of CJGJ for some late-round picks. Love the guy for what he is but I trust the front office that it needed to be done.
Aren’t those bandages already ripped off and pain dealt with? See how that works.
As Payton always said….next man up.
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Saints 31, Falcons 7. **** those guys. They won’t know what hit them.
WHO DAT.