First of all, football season is closing in now, with September 12th under a month away. And While preseason is not exactly the most exciting exhibition to watch after Week 1 at least its something to watch. And after Saturday’s performance from Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill — the New Orleans Saints are fine.
Either Winston or Hill is Good Enough for a Saints Playoff run
Either way, the negative stories have dominated the off-season and have brought more fear and uncertainty than any other year. Drew Brees is now an afterthought. Surely, the Delta Variant dominates the 24-hour news cycle. And there is a real threat there. Not only to the general public but to the NFL too.
Unfortunately, the spread throughout the southern part of the United States is inevitable. Take precautions. It’s going to be a tough challenge this fall — fighting the virus alone.
Still, the football season is moving forward. Perhaps, the season can at least give us some relief of talking about the ongoing negative headlines. And the negative headlines coincidentally have infected the Saints roster as well. Be that as it may, Sean Payton will push through.
Sean Payton Wins with any Quarterback
That being said, there is hard evidence pointing towards another playoff run in 2021. Nevertheless, the naysayers outnumber the optimists for the upcoming 2021 NFL season. The predictions for the Saints average somewhere between eight and nine games are simply against what the numbers show since Sean Payton took over the coaching duties in 2006.
First of all, look at recent history just on offense. Drew Brees missed a total of ten games over the last two years. Losing a starter and a future Hall of Famer for nearly one-third of two seasons usually spells catastrophe.
Proven Winners without Brees
Any NFL team winning half the games without their starter would be considered being a successful stretch. Look no further than the Dallas Cowboys who lost Dak Prescott late in Week 5 against the New York Giants. The Cowboys were averaging almost 33 points a game in 2020 with Dak Prescott starting. In the next 12 games, the average fell to 19 points a game on offense. The Cowboys finished 6-10 and still had a chance to win the division only because of a lackluster NFC East.
Prescott over his career owns a 42-27 record over his career. This averages out to a 10-6 record. That’s one example. Also, take the 2017 Green Bay Packers. The Packers started at 4-1 until Rodgers went down for the season. Finishing at 7-9 and going 3-8 without Rodgers.
Of course, there are so many intangibles to go into a team’s season when the starter goes down. But keep in mind this important point. No one really knew how Teddy Bridgewater would fare when Brees got injured. As far as Taysom Hill, he came out undrafted and was cut by the Green Bay Packers after the preseason.
In Payton we Trust
The fact that Hill is even in the NFL is not just miraculous. It’s evidence. It’s evidence that Sean Payton knows what he’s doing. Taking an undrafted quarterback to a bonafide starting quarterback in the NFL takes a lot of ingenuity. And making him into the “Jack of all Trades” is pure genius.
In short, It’s irrelevant who’s named the starting quarterback. If the Saints defense can hold opponents to about 20 points each game, which is what they have been doing — the Saints only need about a field goal more. Over the last four seasons, the Saints are 10-5 in three-point games.
On average, the statistics are approximately winning two of three games. Those tight games usually come down to one play or a possession. Look for plenty of tight games this season. It’s no coincidence back in 2016 when the Saints finished 7-9 — the black and gold were 2-4 in those three-point games. Win the close games and the playoffs are guaranteed.
Obviously, games being that close are coin-toss games. Sean Payton is 30-25 overall since 2006 in three-point games. However, his coaching has improved. He has proved time and time again winning happens in many different ways. And after showing he’s a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate, players do respond. This team is poised to make another run. Either Winston or Hill has enough to make another playoff run.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
