8-8. Sports limbo. Even 7-9 is better than this...at least it represents definite failure. But splitting the schedule into two even pieces...it feels as though this season never really happened. As though the Saints are some sort of disembodied shade haunting the NFL. Half of our opponents obviously didn't believe in ghosts.

Of course, there are questions to ask and comments to make in the wake of this slow-motion skid into the bayou. In no particular order, here are mine:

• Did anyone see a weird parallel between the Saints and what happened to Dallas this year? "The most talented team in football," so they claimed...and they crashed and burned. It was obvious that the Cowboys, for all their talent, don't play as a team. Is that the Saints' problem? Recall that Payton and Gibbs both came directly from Dallas.
• Speaking of Gibbs: he has got to go. Giving up three miles on the ground to DeAngelo Williams is bad enough; but when the game is on the line in the fourth quarter, you know Jake Delhomme is going to go long to Steve Smith. Bushmen know that; New Guinea headhunters know that; plankton know that. Only Gary Gibbs and his defense seem utterly clueless. And the solution is so simple: do not, under any circumstances, allow Steve Smith to get loose behind your secondary. If you have to assign a man to stick to him like glue, do it. If it takes two, do it. Three? Do it. Don't let Steve Smith get open deep. So what do we do? We let Steve Smith get open deep. Again.
• Payton might follow Gibbs; if I were in Tom Benson's position, he would. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. We need a top-notch head coach, not someone who can put together the best offense in the NFL and happily tinker for three seasons while the rest of the team falls to pieces.
• Here is a quote from a story about Romeo Crennel, who has just been fired by the Browns:

  Crennel had three years left on a contract extension he signed in January after the Browns went 10-6 and just missed the playoffs."

  A newly-signed contract extension isn't bulletproof protection. Payton ought to be sweating bullets.
• Since introducing their all-black uniforms at (I believe) the San Francisco game in 2006, the Saints are 7-8 in those unis. They're not only ugly, they're losers. We need to make a new start in 2009; and however trivial it may seem, having a uniform change can't hurt. Let's stop playing in leotards, please.
• Jeremy Shockey is a bust. And before anyone complains that I'm kicking the man while he's down, I hasten to point out that he's down, and that's the point. And when he's healthy enough to start, he is nowhere near as effective as half of the tight ends in football. One of the reasons, I am sure, that the Giants allowed Shockey to depart is that they felt Kevin Boss wasn't simply a decent replacement, but a better player. They were right; Payton and Loomis were wrong. They should be running the Fed, or a car company.
• Drew Brees is the greatest victim in Saints history. He's set to become the new Archie Manning, but with much better stats: the best offensive player, by far, that ever donned black and gold, but dragged down by the talentless hacks he plays with and for. I feel like we should apologize for signing him.

Okay, rant mode over. Now: how to fix it? First of all, Payton most likely isn't leaving. Neither is Loomis. But Gibbs must go. If he stays, don't look for any improvement at all--its a sign that the guys at the top are not willing to accept consequences. But even if Gibbs does go, there's still a lot of work to be done.

It starts with a defensive coordinator who believes in attacking. There are plenty of good, young, eager, and highly competent defensive assistants who would love the opportunity to improve the Saints. We're not Detroit; we're not Oakland. We're not the team where careers go to die. Let's find the right man and give him the same support that was given to Payton to construct the best offense in the league. (That means, in part, that Payton himself gives the DC a free hand.)

We also need a change in attitude. We need for the players to know that they may not play week in and week out with their heads up their asses. Tackle the damn ball carrier. Cover the receivers. If you give up a catch, knock the hell out of the receiver. Punish the offense on every play. Every. Damn. Play. Those who take plays off can take their uniforms off. Go drive a beer truck or something. That goes for you, Will Smith. You too, Charles Grant. Forget those fancy gold-plated contracts you signed...there's this thing called "cut" that we'd like to introduce you to.

To get that change in attitude, players need to know two things: first, that their starting jobs are on the line every week. Second, that their contracts may be on the line as well. (And a third thing, too: that the coaches are going to be held to the same standard. That's why Gibbs must be cut loose.)

Finally, we have to get smart and aggressive in free agency. Time and again I read that the Saints "traditionally" tend to go for the middle-rank players instead of the high-priced stars. That's smart, if you're trying above all to save money and just get by; if you're trying to build a championship team without the draft picks you traded away, it's the definition of stupid. We need linebackers. We need safeties. We need defensive ends. We need a totally new defense, and we're not going to get one with but a single first-day pick. That means the free agent market; and that means that Payton and Loomis are going to have to be smarter than they've ever been, and that Benson is going to have to open the pocketbook.

Do these things and we have a fighting chance. Next year. Again with the "next year." Oy gevalt.