Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to formally introduce a new member of the Canal Street Chronicles team, saints-nation. He is the creator, writer and editor of his own fan blog Saints Nation. SN has been providing consistent, quality Saints content on his own site for a few months now and will continue to do so. He will also be lending his talents and original content here for all of us to enjoy.
I am hoping this will offer yet another perspective for you, the reader, and to also lighten the load for myself. SN will be contributing a couple of posts a week including his player grades following every game this season and hopefully a preview each weekend of the upcoming game. In addition, I have given him the freedom to write posts about current topics in Who Dat Nation whenever they inspire him. Today, SN is getting his feet wet with a quick little introduction to the week ahead. Please welcome him to the family and share your thoughts/concerns/questions/advicein the comment section.
Posing as the NFL's best kept secret may not last much longer for the 4-0 Saints if they can find a way to beat the 5-0 Giants this week and move to 5-0 themselves. Looking sharp in all three phases through four games and being the model of consistency hasn't been enough for the Saints to get talked about nationally. Sure, Brees gets his props nationwide, but beyond that it's been a quiet 4-0 for the Saints, made even quieter by the bye week. Even Darren Sharper's five interceptions in four games (including two run back for touchdowns) has hardly been talked about by the media outside of New Orleans. If you circulate the forums, the average NFL fan still labels the Saints as a potent passing offense coupled with a horrendous defense and mediocre running game. The rumblings of "look at the quarterbacks they've faced" is still a constant jab (examples: Matt Stafford, Kevin Kolb, Trent Edwards, Mark Sanchez). This can all end now.
This Sunday is a big game for a lot of reasons, none bigger than the possible tiebreaking scenario this game could have on the NFC playoff picture as the Giants are clear front runners for home field advantage. As a Saints fan, I like that they're free of the national media distractions for the most part. If the Saints win this game, that will undoubtedly change. Ultimately that's what would come with the territory of going 5-0 and beating the "New York Football Giants". I say so be it, because while media and audience recognition have zero to do with the standings, it would be nice to get that respect. If the Saints beat the Giants, you can't say they didn't face a good defense, you can't say they didn't face a good QB, and you can't say "they got lucky" because of the 4 preceding games as a track record. It won't be easy, though, because I happen to think this Giants team is better than the one that won the Superbowl. If the Saints lose, they'll just fall back into obscurity. Let the chips fall where they may.