We all know the story of the season so far and every day seems to get worse. An injury here. A heartbreaking loss there. Another injury here. A drug suspension there. As I type this now I am actually laughing about it. I mean, its just so ridiculous. This is just typical Saints. WIth such an impressive team on paper and an incredibly productive offseason, didn't you just know it was not going to be easy and it wasn't going to go according to plan.
Before we gain redemption this Sunday against the 49ers, I thought we should all get ourselves in a positive frame of mind again. I put together some random stats, notes and thoughts about the team, the game against Denver and the season in general. You may just find something interesting in here that you didn't know or never thought about.
- The Saints have already won a game. We're already ahead of where we were last season.
- It was a division win.
- Mike McKenzie is back, healthy and contributing.
- The Saints are first in the league in punt return average with 19.0 yards per punt.
- They are also 1st in the league in the following offensive receiving categories: Receptions, Receptions per Game, Total Yards, Yards per Game.
- Our first round draft pick looks pretty good and is desesrvedly starting.
- Our quarterback is ridiculously good. And he's not injured. Did I mention how ridiculously awesome our quarterback is?
- With all the money invested in Smith and Grant, at least they are playing and not among the many injured players.
- That Saints came back from an 18 point deficit on Sunday and had a chance to win after getting off to a bad start. They came up with big plays when they needed them, including a fumble recovery and a safety.
- We know the team can easily put together a string of wins, like last years 4 in a row, and be back in the thick of it.
- Reggie Bush is playing like we all hoped he would. He is also leading the league in receptions. Teams are affraid of him. They should be.
- The Jonathan Vilma acquisition was a good one. He is sixth in the league in tackles.
- We still haven't lost at home yet.
- This many injuries might devastate other teams but the Saints have still been able to at least put themselves in a position to win two weeks in a row.
- Meachem is looking good so far. The Saints depth at wide receiver is one of its strongest aspects.
- The Saints are 8th in the league in offensive 3rd Down Efficiency.
- They are also 4th in the league in the following offensive categories: Total Yards, Yards per Game and Yards per Play.
- They are also 1st in the league in the following offensive passing stats: Completions, Completion %, Gross Yards, Net Yards and Yards per Game.