Saints Recap-Precap
by Jack Moss

By no means were the Saints flawless, but they were a damn sight better than last year.

Recap: Week 2

New Orleans Saints 34, Green Bay Packers 27

For the second straight week, the visiting Saints played smart football and beat down an inferior opponent worse than the final score indicated.

But by no means was their performance flawless. Indeed, after three turnovers in the first quarter, the team found itself trailing the Packers 13-0. However, unlike the Old Saints, the New Saints did not lose their collective head or confidence and throw in the proverbial towel. No, the New Saints stuck to their game plan, scored two unanswered touchdowns, and, by halftime, had a 14-13 lead.

Of course, Brett Favre would not allow his team to die easily, and when he led a second-half scoring drive to tie the score (20-20), it looked like another classic Farve comeback unfolding. And it would have been had he been playing against the Old Saints. Instead, the New Saints responded with two straight touchdowns (including one by yuh boy Marques Colston), both of which were set up by outstanding defense and competent special teams play.

From that point on, the game’s outcome was no longer in question. Neither was the spread (Saints by 3). They didn’t commit crucial mistakes, nor did they invent a mind-blowing, awe-inspiring, completely original way to lose the game. That was the Old Saints. The New Saints don’t roll like that. They win; they cover.

Saints Fans 2, “fans” of the Saints 0.

Which are you? If you still say things like “same ol’ Saints—they’ll never win” when the Saints repeatedly turnover the ball and trail by 13 points early in the first half…or “give ‘em time—they’ll find a way to blow it” when the Saints are winning late in the second half…or “I’m just a realist” when pressed as to why you are such a miserable pessimist…you are a “fan” of the Saints. Yours is a tainted soul.

If, on the other hand, you realize that this Saints team is unlike any other before it (save maybe the ’87 squad), and even if it wasn’t, you’d still be fully invested and (by choice) blindly optimistic…you are a Saints Fan. Yours is a soul worthy of salvation.

No matter which you are—if you had the confidence necessary to bet on the Saints again this week, you gots paid. And if you’ve yet to cash in on their early success, better hurry. The Boys in Vegas are on to us.

All the Prime-Time-TV-Katrina-Dome-U2-Dubya-NFL-Lovefest stuff aside, the Saints-Falcons game is big. Saints-Falcons has always been big—at least to Saints and Falcons Fans—because it’s a divisional game. Plus, it’s the A-T-L (the L is pronounced “Ale”) against the N.O. It’s the Dirty South against the Dirty Dirty South. Crunk v. Bounce. It’s the semi-annual family reunion backyard football throwdown to settle it all (until the next game) game—the uppity side against the degenerate side, of course. It’s bangin’ before, during, and after the game. And Monday’s meeting will be no different.

Unlike the Browns and the Packers, the Falcons can run against any team. Atlanta’s running backs, Baton Rouge’s Warrick Dunn and rookie DeAngelo Williams, are both cheetah-quick and dynamite in the open field; as if that’s not enough to worry about, Falcon QB Michael Vick makes his talented backfield mates seem sluggish and unimaginative by comparison. Expect them to combine for an impressive rushing total (say, 300 yards or so) against the Saints.

What makes Atlanta such a good team, though, is not its offense, but rather, its rock-solid, playmaking defense. The Falcon D will give the Saints offense its first real challenge of the season. And a challenge it will be.

But don’t let the Dirty Birds worry you. Brees, Bush, Hizzy, and the rest of the Homies will be up for the test. And while the Saints’ defense may give up plenty of yards on the ground, it will make big plays when necessary—especially on third downs and in the red zone. Vick will have his highlights, yes, but he’ll also throw an interception or two or three.

Look for many lead changes and swings of momentum and for the game be decided when a controversial call leads to a game-winning field goal.

Either way, 3.5 points will be enough. Play the Saints. Holla.

Jack Moss is NOLAFugees' political analyst and handicapper. Look for his "Saints Recap/Precap" weekly on NOLAFugees.com