2011 Saints Season is Painfully Forgotten

by Dave Cariello on Jan 22, 2012 1:03 PM CST

With the NFC Championship kicking off later today, the pain and agony from the Saints soul-crushing loss to the 49ers last week will be staring us all in the face again, still leading us to wonder what could have been; what should have been.

I even received a couple of questions in our 'What Up with Dat?' series asking me if and when this aching would go away. Despite well-meaning efforts to comfort us, like this one from Mark Lorando, the short answer is never. Ever. Not for me anyway.

Because as long as all of the Saints' record-breaking accomplishments this season continue to get flushed down the toilet by everyone outside of Who Dat Nation, I will forever be painfully pissed off.

Think about it. The Saints put together the single greatest offensive performance by a team in the history of the NFL, yet nobody seems to be talking about it. Everyone and their mother still remembers the St. Louis Rams and 'The Greatest Show on Turf' but do you think they'll remember this Saints team years from now? Not bloody likely.

And where the hell's our nickname? I'm looking at you, media!

The sad truth of the matter is that the Saints needed to win the Super Bowl this year for all of their impressive record-breaking accomplishments to be remembered forever and to stay in the forefront of America's mind. They failed to do that and, in essence, failed to solidify their legacy; failed to show the entire country what we here in New Orleans already know. That's what hurts the most.

That's why this years playoff loss was so absolutely devastating and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. The Saints accomplished so much in 2011 and created so many memories, only for it all to be forgotten and ignored. Not by Saints fans, of course, but by everyone else.

That hurts.

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although i see your point.. the nickname would have been something like..

“the greatest show on turf II” or some bullcrap.. still would have pissed us off.
we need (really, our team leaders) to stay looking within.. & put together the greatest off-season plan ever.. we got a lot of work to do, obviously..
as fans we must brush the nightmare off..
i’m watching these games this evening, i’m gonna think a million things but i’ll take consolation that payton/loomis/spag & the rest are already rolling full blast ahead..
we recovered from a cinderella season in 2006 that ended in a snowy field in chicago.. we can do it again..
saints always..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 1:05 PM CST reply actions

Absolutely.

Whatever they would have come up with would only have sucked rocks. And we’d have to live with it. I’m fine with no nickname. And we’ll come back just fine. It will just feel like we’re digesting ground glass for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months. But we’ll be back.

This isn't about rules, it's about manners. Now there's no rule that says that I cant come over here and fart on your entree. But I don't do it. Why? Because it's not good manners.

by Doc Boudin on Jan 22, 2012 1:12 PM CST up reply actions

I still like No Punt Intended. It’s funny in two ways. Not only does our offense not punt (often), but our defense doesn’t force punts!

Mark Ingram-OROY
Cam Jordan-DROY
New Orleans Saints-2012 Super Bowl Champs
TOP IS GAWD!

by Alex Swift on Jan 22, 2012 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

but this window for this season is closed, hard, right on our fingers

and it can’t be reopened…

they blew it, and that’s pretty sad and hurtful. I think this must be a teeny, tiny bit of how Hoodie and crew felt after dropping the SB to the Giants after their undefeated reg. season in 2007.

"We live by the blitz, and we die by the blitz.'' - Roman Harper

"So I guess the blitz died.'' - Alex Smith

by Hans Petersen on Jan 22, 2012 1:25 PM CST reply actions

yeah.. and the overall window did close a notch or two..

hence.. the sense of urgency must be greater than ever this off-season..
i expect that looking forward..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 1:45 PM CST up reply actions

Perhaps the only way this season could have ended worse would have been getting to the Super Bowl and losing. But, if that was the only other option, I’d still take it.

by Drew-Dat on Jan 22, 2012 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah Roger That, in theory

but AFC was weak, except for the Pat’s Off, or Bal. Def.

You think you know, and you don't know, and you never, ever, will.-Jim Mora Sr.
I understand ....nothing.-Michael Scott
The Future is Unwritten.-Joe Strummer
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."-Mahatma Gandhi

by metryman on Jan 22, 2012 2:55 PM CST up reply actions

everybody needs to watch these game & channel all the disappointment/anger/sadness..

into one big huge pile-of-whodat karma..
we didn’t lose cause it was written..
we will not win because it has already been written.. we will have to go write the “new story/soon to be history”
we all need to contribute in the writing.. (yes, even pizza..)
starts here today.. by letting go all these anchors..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 2:03 PM CST reply actions

steven tyler just murdered the star spangled banner..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 2:05 PM CST reply actions

he looks like he's been around since the American Revolution

"We live by the blitz, and we die by the blitz.'' - Roman Harper

"So I guess the blitz died.'' - Alex Smith

by Hans Petersen on Jan 22, 2012 2:35 PM CST up reply actions

I'm ready to shake it off.

It just seems to me if we were as great as all that, particularly on offense, and we were, btw, it should fuel confidence in our future enough to let go of this one as just a missed opportunity on the way to getting to the ultimate goal again inevitably.

I’m sad for the players, still. They work really hard. Most of them, anyway. But, as a fan, I’m just not that sad anymore; in part because of all the things Mark Lorando wrote about.

I don’t think we’ll ever get the kind of credit we think we deserve and I don’t think it really is about being too sensitive. It’s about this team’s beleaguered history, until it was reversed in 2006. We’re “cute” and once “darlings” but beyond that no long history of success and they don’t quite believe in us as real contenders.

We have to savor the truth with chips on our shoulders in a good way. They really can’t ever take it away from you or as fans our share enjoyment in the team’s accomplishments. No matter if no one notices but us. It really did happen. And the record will forever show that it did.

"I am a Saints player. Look, sir" Patrick Robinson

by CrazyforColston on Jan 22, 2012 2:19 PM CST reply actions

game thread

Pats/Ravens

Drew Brees....MVS Most Valuable Saint! Who Dat!!!

by cajuncommando58 on Jan 22, 2012 2:20 PM CST reply actions

Disappointment

This is my first post, but a longtime reader and, of course, Saints fan.

My take on this Saints team is that it was the most talented team in the history of the franchise. The 2009 team accomplished more in winning the Super Bowl, but this 2011 team was better. I won’t try here to convince you of this, but I believe most of us would agree with my statement. And, I think that’s why Dave and all of us feel the way that Dave puts it – we will never get over the potential of this season not being realized without a shot at playing and winning the Super Bowl.

I was at dinner earlier this weekend with a friend who is a Pats fan. I live in Boston now so they’re all around! He was commiserating with me over the Saints loss and shared that the 2007 Super Bowl still “haunts” him. He watches a replay of it several times a year and is struck by what could have been done differently for the outcome to have been different for his team.

The Saints vs Niners game will be the same for all of us, as it should be, because let’s face it, the Saints blew a bunch of opportunities on both sides of the ball as did the coaches at times, too. Our disappointment is true, deserved and won’t be forgotten.

Whether THIS team is remembered by others who are not Saints fans as “truly great” doesn’t really matter, to me at least. I’d argue it shouldn’t matter to any of us. A team becomes considered as truly great when they sustain winning seasons and winning Super Bowls over a sustained period of time.

The Saints can still be considered as great by non Saints fans and the media, but it will take coming back in 2012, winning the division, making it to the Super Bowl and hopefully winning. If the Saints win multiple Super Bowls in the span of Drew Brees’ tenure with them, trust me, they will get all of the respect you and I think they deserve. But, until they earn it by winning when it matters, not just in piling up a dozen plus offensive records, we’ll just have to take solace in knowing this team could have been great and we’ll remain disappointed by what could have been.

by MRB on Jan 22, 2012 3:10 PM CST reply actions

Excellent post.

"Move over Marino, there's a new Brees coming through town!"-Jim Henderson

by BRSaintsFan on Jan 22, 2012 3:21 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

we all expect our management/coaching/players to grab the bull by the horns..

bury this loss.. i attack the off-season with greatest sense of urgency (or is it just me..? cause nobody answers me..)
now.. can we do the same as fans..?
we expect them to have the fortitude to overcome failure.. do we have it..?

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 3:24 PM CST up reply actions

Not sure I agree entirely, I didn’t fail and none of the other Saints fans did either. The 2 games i made it to in the Dome this year were definitely rocking and we did our job then. I certainly can’t attack the offseason, but the coaches and players certainly can and will I’m sure. The players and coaches deserve credit for winning and the opposite for losing. They’re all big boys and I’m sure they see it the same way. We will be there to cheer them on next year.

by MRB on Jan 22, 2012 5:16 PM CST up reply actions

if your kid fails an exam.. it's not really you..

but it is “your” failure, in a way.. or such it feels like..
i’m talking about picking up the spirit.. as fans..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 5:54 PM CST up reply actions

That pic of Drew really sums up how I feel perfectly....

Kinda depressing

I drained my heart and burn my soul....I trained the core to stop my growth-MM

by AcquiredPanic on Jan 22, 2012 3:19 PM CST reply actions

i've seen a picture of brees..

all by himself 20 yards away from everybody.. on a snowy field in chicago on the 2007 NFC championship game.. i tried to look it up.. cause the sense of desolation is beyond words..
but the story wasn’t over, apparently..

everybody start working on something to get their spirits up.. y’all about to piss the plague off with this doom/gloom mood..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

i just got a new saints key chain

hey, its a start

--- I don't miss the alcohol as much as I miss having the built in reason on why I'm nekkid in public.
--- I used to want to be an inspiration to my son. now i just hope to be a dire warning.
--- just two men and a dog making candles
--- I know i'll win my battles though i fear we'll lose the war
--- if you find yourself in a fair fight you failed in planning.

by maybetoday on Jan 22, 2012 9:06 PM CST up reply actions

It seems to me this team

Didn’t even feel like a Superbowl bound team until we got past Tennessee and continued winning. I remember much hand wringing and the Rams game was such a horror that it caused a lot of trepidation about winning on the road and questions about this team’s sense of urgency.

It really wasn’t until we got back home and were blowing teams away again, more impressively than even ’09 that it began to feel like a SB team. Well past the mid-way mark.

The defense scared us all year, until we accepted that the offense was probably enough as long as they kept making those timely stops.

So, I’m not sure this team really was the surest bet to go all the way and somehow remembering that helps. Improvements will get us there, but getting hot just in time was crucial but there was still something lacking.

Looking at the other playoff teams I think it’s intensity. Saints have to play with more intensity in the playoffs. And obviously, an improved defense.

"I am a Saints player. Look, sir" Patrick Robinson

by CrazyforColston on Jan 22, 2012 3:33 PM CST reply actions

the intensity was there..

we put up 32 behind 460 passing yards on a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 17 points at home all year..
we fought on defense and stayed in the game..
the turnovers cannot be attributed to lack of intensity.. neither can lining up man-to-man and blitzing with 40 seconds to go..
we went down.. that’s all..
they didn’t out-hit us like they think.. the pierre injury was a lucky shot..
they were more disciplined.. & made way less mistakes..
but we took them to where they were calling themselves “mighty men” & had them crying of ecstasy for the great win against the great contender (us)..
no solace in that.. but we fought for our win.. just could not pull it off..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 3:46 PM CST up reply actions

good points.

I might have it all wrong. Maybe it was about discipline.

I’m proud that they fought hard to stay in the game and should have won it. I guess I just bought into the popular impression that we weren’t used to the heavy hitting. Still not sure I don’t agree with that conclusion.

"I am a Saints player. Look, sir" Patrick Robinson

by CrazyforColston on Jan 22, 2012 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

you mean.. you can actually see me..?

(i was beginning to think i was invisible.. ha ha..)
no one seems to want to discuss moving forward..
not saying it applies to you.. but i am disappointed in the dark mood most people seem to want to settle for..
we need to get up and go (like i said to some guy up there) just like we expect our players, etc. to do the same..
winning in life’s not easy.. if it was,anybody would be doing it.. ha..
have a good rest of the weekend.. if i don’t get to talk to you..

by the 9th plague on Jan 22, 2012 4:17 PM CST up reply actions

Couldn't agree more.

I want to move on, too. Not that I want to shut anybody up who still wants talk it out. Not at all, and I doubt that’s what you are saying. There’s lots to take a fan’s encouragement and enjoyment about in this team going forward.

Good rest of the weekend to you as well.

"I am a Saints player. Look, sir" Patrick Robinson

by CrazyforColston on Jan 22, 2012 4:54 PM CST up reply actions

i hear ya plague

and i agree with ya. but right now were still going through the stages. most of us are still in the denial or anger stage.

by maybetoday on Jan 22, 2012 9:10 PM CST up reply actions

I love you Dave......

But to say that this year has been forgotten, that’s crap. I know I need to, but hell I don’t even know if I can watch the NFCCG today. It’s over, but I haven’t forgotten it yet…..

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!
WHO DAT?!
TWO DAT!!

by LA_No1_SaintFan on Jan 22, 2012 5:28 PM CST reply actions

What makes it worse

Is that the Patriots is the team that I wanted the most in the super bowl. Beating them and then the Steelers in the next super bowl would have cemented this team’s place in history.

Am I getting a little ahead of myself? :-)

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!
WHO DAT?!
TWO DAT!!

by LA_No1_SaintFan on Jan 22, 2012 5:41 PM CST up reply actions

Think you missed the point...

only for it all to be forgotten and ignored. Not by Saints fans, of course, but by everyone else.

You and all the other Saints fans won’t forget. The media and the rest of the country have already forgotten how great a season the Saints put together, and it’s all because they didn’t win the Super Bowl.

Wanna say something? Sign up! It's free!

by Dave Cariello on Jan 22, 2012 6:52 PM CST up reply actions

You mean...

…Saints could actually be under the radar a bit next year for not winning out? Perfect!

Since they’re isn’t enough alcohol to make that deception go down, I’ll take any means available that will get us closer to a 2nd Super Bowl and hope it will ease the pain of this year heart-stabbing loss.

Repeat? Run it!

by FrenchFreak on Jan 22, 2012 7:11 PM CST up reply actions

Aha.....

Think you missed the point…

I forgive myself, I am NOT thinking rationally (yet) about this whole thing

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!
WHO DAT?!
TWO DAT!!

by LA_No1_SaintFan on Jan 22, 2012 7:34 PM CST up reply actions

Watching the Patriots game helped me heal

…a little. Lee Evans catches the TD pass, Cundiff kicks a chip shot field goal, and the Ravens fans are going crazy. Instead they will spend the offseason wondering what if..

Brady throws three picks and wins…Saints have five turnovers and lose.Life isn’t fair…but the season was great…unforgettable really. The opportunity is still there next year. Time to let go of the past.

"I've seen George Foreman shadow box, and the shadow won." Muhammad Ali

by BenDerDonDat on Jan 22, 2012 5:49 PM CST reply actions

That really was the ravens defense last shot at a superbowl. At least are window hadn’t completely closed

In Breesus' name we play

by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 22, 2012 6:16 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

There is no reason

…for the window to ever close..but in any event, we have three years at least left with the current crew.

"I've seen George Foreman shadow box, and the shadow won." Muhammad Ali

by BenDerDonDat on Jan 22, 2012 6:27 PM CST up reply actions

The 49ers are terrible

If it wasn’t for those turnovers….

by xen-cuts on Jan 22, 2012 6:52 PM CST reply actions

Not terrible

..but Saints beat themselves no doubt

"I've seen George Foreman shadow box, and the shadow won." Muhammad Ali

by BenDerDonDat on Jan 22, 2012 7:04 PM CST reply actions

Still not over it

Haven’t watched football all day, just can’t do it. Hurts too much because they could have gone all the way if not for just a few easily fixable mistakes. Makes me sick.

by SarahT on Jan 22, 2012 7:09 PM CST via mobile reply actions

^^^^This^^^^

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!
WHO DAT?!
TWO DAT!!

by LA_No1_SaintFan on Jan 22, 2012 7:36 PM CST up reply actions

Even if the SAINTS won the Super Bowl i doubt they still woulda been respected by the media . They woulda just gave some bullturd how they are just a dome team blah blah. If your ever looking for the SAINTS to get recognition or praise from the media or some fans your not going to get it. When they did win the Super Bowl it felt to me that the media and some fans were talking about how the Colts lost as oppose to how the SAINTS won. We all know how special Drew and co. is. They play for us!. Phuck everyone else! WHO DAT!!

I cant hear you in the dark ! (lip reader)

by cannistra1 on Jan 22, 2012 8:14 PM CST reply actions

San Francisco's tears are helping me heal

In Breesus' name we play

by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 22, 2012 9:49 PM CST via mobile reply actions 2 recs

I'm bottling them

I’ll be selling them on the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon in the morning

I drained my heart and burn my soul....I trained the core to stop my growth-MM

by AcquiredPanic on Jan 22, 2012 10:07 PM CST up reply actions

Toulouse & Bourbon!

…I was in the house band there (544 Club) back in ’99-00!

As.for the disappointment of how this season ended….well…one of my best friends is a huge Giants fan, just watched them win another trip to the SB with him. At the end of regulation, he looked at me and said: “The Saints were 5 turnovers from their second Lombardi, there’s no way this 49ers team beat them, they beat themselves; and there’s no way my Giants would have beat them in the ’Dome.”.

Strangely, that gave me both a bit of comfort, while at the same time breaking my heart all over again, thinking what SHOULD have been….

So, onward, that’s all we have left. We are still the greatest fans of the greatest team, and nothing will change that for me.

I am a WHO DAT for life, I bleed black & gold, and no amount of disappointment can alter that.

GEAUX SAINTS!

Irony: an atheist Saints fan

by GSO Saints Fan on Jan 22, 2012 10:25 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

They are quite useful in that, yes. My roomie asked if i felt “great joy” when they lost. Nope. Mainly just relief. The worst #2 seed — and yes, they ARE that, regardless of what some may “think” about that fact — since us in 2006 got their just deserts and we were saved from having to see either of the punk jackass Harbaugh brothers in the Super Bowl.

And waiting a week — and completely avoiding every source of NFL news for a solid week as well — was a big help as well. I just literally couldn’t take it. I didn’t even care who would be our new DC — or even know we’d need one. I just needed time away.

But the original point from Dave is still completely true. We whiffed and it really hurts. We were absolutely 100% the better team, but we played like crap and did NOT deserve to win. The refs sucked but they did NOT “steal” the game from us. We did that all by ourselves by being so flat out stupid as to not be prepared knowing you must focus on holding onto the ball above almost all else when facing a team who lives and dies by the turnover (like San Fran). Essentially we were the Vikings of 2009, with the better offense, but too moronically stupid to realize that the opposing defense was going to do everything humanly possible to steal the ball from us and we absolutely had to make sure we didn’t let them. And yet despite playing like total crap in this key area, we still almost won anyway. Only 49er fans, twits, and people trying waaaaay too hard to bend-over-backwards to be “fair” will fail to realize how that proves we WERE the better team. But we didn’t prove it on the field which is the only place that counts, and there is no true solace for that. There can be no joy in “at least they lost the next week”. All that truly comes is relief, that at least we didn’t choke away a game that we flat out SHOULD have won by two scores or more and give our ex-division-rival a freebie SB trophy they did not and could not deserve.

On the third hand, if Spags can find a way to turn this craptastic defense into something TRULY respectable instead of a one-hit-wonder like G-Dub in 2009, it’s going to eventually be worth it in the long run. But that’s still future, and it’s still merely possibility. Right now, nobody has a clue what he’ll do. He could end up making the defense worse, in fact. It would take a near-herculean effort to do so, but it’s still theoretically possible. Hopefully he will do otherwise.

by FriarBob on Jan 22, 2012 10:51 PM CST up reply actions

Interesting post

but no one every said that the Saints weren’t a good team. Everyone is saying that it was a great game and the teams were who we thought they were. The Saints have a great offense and a pitiful defense that will make the 49ers offense look competent and the 49ers have a great defense and a pitiful offense that will look great against the Saints. Literally everyone was right about everything they said about both teams. We lost the game. That’s it.

by cpranger on Jan 22, 2012 11:11 PM CST up reply actions

I still find solace knowing the niners got their hearts ripped out by turnovers and blew it at the end of the game (even though they shouldn’t have been hosting the game to begin with). There is a sense of justice. It still takes a qb to win a superbowl. I won’t have to look at harbaugh’s ’somebody punch me in the face, please" face. However watching the giants, a team we destroyed, move on to the superbowl by virtue of dodging us in the playoffs still hurts

In Breesus' name we play

by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 23, 2012 7:57 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

I think we would have won if we had played the Giants again… especially since it would have been in the Dome. But I don’t think we would have managed to “destroy” them again. They are better than they were then.

It’s a great pity they weren’t better then as well. Because even had that made our previous game with them extremely hard-fought and tight all game long (instead of only for part), that was ALSO right around the time they lost to San Fran. Had they been able to beat San Fran, this whole what-if scenario would almost certainly be moot.

by FriarBob on Jan 23, 2012 8:21 AM CST up reply actions

It would have been close

I don’t know that our O-Line would have been able to stop the rush that the Giants gave the 9ers. Smith was watching the game from his back most of the time. And so was Eli. I think it would have been another shoot out with the Giants and hopefully we would have been able to stop Eli at least a little bit of the time.

by Saintsfan75 on Jan 23, 2012 9:54 AM CST up reply actions

Yes.

I do feel a little better now.

by SarahT on Jan 22, 2012 11:06 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

It's still painful no doubt.

The only way we’ll get respect is by winning a 2nd or 3rd Superbowl. The media loves to fellate over Tom Brady and the Patriots. I was hoping the Ravens wouldn’t have game that game away. I would love for Eli to beat him again.

Oh and I’ll add this, screw the media. This was a great season for us and we broke offensive records all around that no other team has ever broken before.

I spent 8 years trying to reach him...and then another 7 trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply...Evil.

Dr. Sam Loomis Aka (Donald Pleasence)

by Jricky70 on Jan 22, 2012 10:30 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd for

The media loves to fellate over Tom Brady and the Patriots.

That explains all those slurping sounds I get whenever I switch channels to ESPN. I had been thinking it was just technical difficulties.

"Dang! The Saints won the Super Bowl!" - my wife, Meso "Happy" Hu Dat.

by Dang Hu Dat on Jan 23, 2012 7:51 PM CST up reply actions

I found this post from a fellow Who Dat (ofhumbon)

Start spreading the news..A great step in the grieving process….Suck it 9ers!
7 Stages of Who Dat Grief…

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-
You will probably react to learning of the loss with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Shock provides emotional protection from being overwhelmed all at once. This may last for weeks.

2. PAIN & GUILT-
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Maybe you didn’t wear your special jersey from the Superbowl year for good luck. Maybe you didn’t make sure the lid on your red drink was tight. Did you follow your game day routine in the exact same manner as winning game days? Did you watch the playoff game at the same place you watched the loss from last year? (what where you thinking…it is totally your fault…you idiot!) Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, and not hide it, avoid it or escape from it with alcohol or drugs….or not.

You may have guilty feelings or remorse over things you did or didn’t do to prevent the Saints loss. Life feels chaotic and scary during this phase.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay unwarranted blame for the loss on someone else. Please try to control this, as permanent damage to your relationships may result. This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion.

You may rail against fate, questioning “Why the Saints?” Niners fans are such douchebags! They don’t deserve to go to the NFC Championship! You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair (“I will never wear that old jersey again, I’ll never wear it 56 games straight again without washing it..”)

4. “DEPRESSION”, REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. Why Did Greg Williams blitz that last play, why did Sproles drop that punt, why did the refs not call the helmet to helmet hit on the first fumble? This is a normal stage of grief, so do not be “talked out of it” by well-meaning outsiders. Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage of grieving. Those “wait till next year”ers should just shut the F##k up. You sooooo do not want to hear that BS.

During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, reflect on what a great season it was, and how Greg Williams/Sproles screwed it up, and focus on memories of the past Superbowl victory. You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair.

7 Stages of Grief…

5. THE UPWARD TURN-
As you start to adjust to life without a Saints Superbowl this year , your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. You realize that Mardi Gras is around the corner, and that 75% of the teams still left in the playoffs live in the frozen tundra of the northeast, and that they will be freezing their asses off for at least another 4 months, while New Orleaneans will be experiencing 65-70 degree temperatures, Mardi Gras, French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest, and some of the best food and music in America. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your “depression” begins to lift slightly.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again. You find that you can wear your Black and Gold Saints jersey and feel hopeful again. You will find yourself looking forward to next year’s season. You will start to realize that the Saints will still have a great offense and (mostly) decent defense. Your crys of “Let Williams go to St. Louis…good riddance” will be replaced with " I don’t want to kill Greg Williams with a meat cleaver as much as I did 8 months ago". The team will be reconstructing, the NFL draft is right around the corner..the future is looking good..yes…..Who Dat???.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
During this, the last of the seven stages in this grief model, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, untroubled YOU that existed before the Saints loss. You realize that your team…with their 13-3 season, were rocktorious..yes, they didn’t get the golden amulet, but the Saints, will be unstoppable next year. With the Superbowl in New Orleans, the Saints will be the first team to host the Superbowl on their home field. You will find a way forward, and so will the Saints. With Payton and Brees at the helm, it’s destination Superbowl 2013 New Orleans Louisiana…. Who Dat!! ..

"We, in our building, didn't feel like we needed to have Reggie Bush to have a successful offense. We've had lots of games over the last five years where Reggie was unavailable. And yet, we've been able to move the ball, score points and win games at the same rate as when we did have Reggie." -- Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis

by halo2saints on Jan 22, 2012 11:19 PM CST reply actions 4 recs

The Kubler-Ross model

by metryman on Jan 23, 2012 9:40 PM CST up reply actions

Bravo

I actually do feel a little better after reading this.

I drained my heart and burn my soul....I trained the core to stop my growth-MM

by AcquiredPanic on Jan 24, 2012 1:08 AM CST up reply actions

Keeping the Fever

When I got home from work this morning after a long 12 hour night shift, I had an overwhelming desire for both HArbaughs to be bounced today. I had to work again in 10 hours, but as I tried to go to sleep I just kept that picture of both the brothers having their dreams crushed as mine were last week. Somewhere in my grief model I needed to fit some sort of justified revenge to feel better and finally swallow the bitter pill.
I woke up to my wife watching the AFC game and cheering for the Ravens, she cant stand philandering Brady since he dumped his baby mamma for Giselle, but I could not join her in that sentiment. Jim looks too much like John, and I had to root for the Pats. Saw the last quarter, the opportunities to win and to tie, and both getting Mal-Janked from the Ravens…Kinda felt good.
Then the NFC game started and I got pretty sad seeing replays of PT getting drilled in the side of his head and falling lifeless to the turf. Fell asleep and woke up periodically, Caught the Giants getting the punt muff TO off the guys knee and the ensuing TD, putting em up by 3, and felt a lot better. While at work saw it went into OT, and later an ER nurse called my phone to tell me it was over and the Giants had won. Felt some of the grief slipping away, with my petty measure of revenge exacted today, I am chipper and can fully move forward as a fan, remembering when the draft was about all we had to look forward to as Saints fans, I am once again ready to compile wish lists, anticipate cap space, look at lots of you-tube college collages on players that could be “the One” a difference maker that we are all hoping will come in and inspire the defense with passion and fire.
We as fans have been through the ringer, our disappointments used to come in November, December, the sadness is magnified when the come in January, but hell I will glady accept this new norm and shall not be overly critical of a great team that didnt quite make it to the ultimate prize. The road is freaking tough, the pitfalls are many, and there is only 1 champion, but for the fever within I will keep projecting the fever throughout. I live in Oregon now but have worn some form of Saint paraphernalia every day for years before last weeks loss ,and every day since. Be it a hat, jacket, shirt or sweater ( I have very limited selection of other clothes, and I dress like an adolescent) My Saints scrubs are still in the weekly rotation, my Saints longsleeves still worn proudly under my scrub tops.
This is our pride, and this is our team; this is our passion. We are quirky, cantankerous, and quick to holler with joy or frustration, but that is who we are as a fanbase. I have had so much fun with other Saints fans, the cameraderie in New Orleans on gameday, and really anytime during the season is unparralelled in other NFL cities. I sure miss being there at those times. Lets keep our head up, enjoy the feeling that the Harbaughs and their dad can all sit around with GrandMasterWangs big bowl ‘o’ Wangs and eat em all up, any orifice they desire, and watch some other team take home the Lombardi…Amen

by WhoDatFever on Jan 23, 2012 1:55 AM CST reply actions 4 recs

Good post

Since you took the time to write it and it is lengthy enough…I would make it a fanpost next time so that everybody gets a chance to read it and it stays up longer.

I drained my heart and burn my soul....I trained the core to stop my growth-MM

by AcquiredPanic on Jan 23, 2012 2:16 AM CST up reply actions

rec'd

In Breesus' name we play

by Breesus Christ Superstar on Jan 23, 2012 8:48 AM CST up reply actions

I feel a little better

We broke so many records we set a record for number of records being broke. That is how good we were this year. The only solice I have is the 9ers lost. I kinda wanted to see them win and go to the Superbowl and loose because all I have heard at work is how the 9ers are the only team that has gone to the Superbowl more than twice and have never lost. I would like to see that record broke. But that’s just me. Hey at least we are not the Bills and Vikings!!!!

by Saintsfan75 on Jan 23, 2012 4:34 AM CST reply actions 1 recs