Please tell me that New Orleans Saints cornerback Fred Thomas, who just last week I had hoped to return quickly from injury, didn’t allow Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson to torch him for six catches, 190 yards, and three touchdowns. Please follow that up by telling me that Saints running back Deuce McAllister didn’t carry the ball a measly 10 times for 40 yards in a 31-16 home loss. I really don’t want to know that rookie sensation Marques Colston had to be carted off of the field with a high ankle sprain. And please spare me the news that the Saints are no longer the sole leaders of the NFC South.
For more on the Saints and the LSU Tigers …
What I’d much rather hear is that Saints coach Sean Payton hasn’t gotten caught up in Reggie Bush-mania to the point that his emphasis on getting Bush the ball is markedly hurting his team’s offensive effectiveness. I’d love to know that quarterback Drew Brees isn’t padding his undeniably gaudy passing statistics with unfulfilled fourth-quarter come-back attempts. I want to see that defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith are simultaneously vying to lead the league in sacks. And I’d more than prefer that any individual rushing for more than 100 yards in a Saints game be wearing a black and gold uniform.
Something that I’ve learned from more than 25 years as a Saints fan is that I can hardly ever expect to have my are-they-really-so-lofty dreams come true. The excitement of Joe Horn scoring a 72-yard passing play countered by a Bengals safety returning an interception for a 52-yard touchdown is apparently a Crescent City reality that may never fully transcend itself. Thank goodness that I’ve discontinued the habit of chugging beers throughout Saints games for my 30-something, fatherly nerves could no longer take the extremities of such patented erratic play.
Speaking of which, is it reasonable for the LSU Tigers, a team that some consider as the most deeply talented in all of college football, to be so absolutely inept at rushing the football? Against the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers could only muster 85 yards on 31 carries for a dismal average of 2.7 yards per touch. Luckily, quarterback JaMarcus Russell engineered yet another last-minute scoring drive, capped by his third touchdown pass of the day, which put the game into overtime. Yes, it was a blocked extra point that actually made extra time necessary, setting up the potential for a Saints-style topsy-turvy whirlwind of imminent disappointment. But in the case of the Tigers, a forced and recovered fumble by the defense set the stage for a 26-yard field goal that made the Tigers a perfect 8-0 playing at home in Death Valley this season.
This article appears in November 17 • 2006.