What Up With Dat?: New York State of Mind Edition

Below are answers to reader questions submitted Wednesday Special thanks to all those that participated. Feel free to continue the discussion on any of these topics in the comment section below.

Why is everybody penciling in Nick Toon to be on the 53 - man roster? - Phil W.

Because he was a mid-round draft pick, not just some average schlep off the street, so he's given the benefit of the doubt. He hasn't done anything yet to prove he shouldn't be on the team. And if the Saints cut him, they'd have to hope he clears waivers before adding him to the practice squad, a risky move given Toon's potential. It's unfortunate that his injury has kept him from showing us what he's capable of, but in the few OTAs and practices in which he's been able to participate, good things were being said about him. I'm hopeful the wait will be worth it.

What do you think about playing the regular season with replacement refs? Not a big deal or end of the world as we know it? - Vicki J.

It's the end of the world as we know it. That's an exaggeration of course but you get what I'm trying to say. These replacement referees are bad and it won't be long before they're suckiness drastically affects the outcome of a game.

Honestly, this whole replacement referee situation has the potential to be much worse for Roger Goodell and the NFL from a PR standpoint than any of this bounty crap. Let's face it, only Saints fans are upset about the bountygate punishments. Fans of the other 31 NFL teams think justice was served. But everyone's got a dog in the replacement referee fight; the league risks pissing off the entire sport's fan base if it doesn't get this crap fixed soon.

Will you hate Drew if he sucks this year? - Ed C.

Never.

How would you rank the Head coaches in the NFC South? - Matt C.

There's Sean Payton, then there's everyone else.

Which is the more likely victory: The Saints playing the Falcons in Atlanta, the Giants in New York, or the Broncos in Denver? - Ben D.

Here's a brief little Saints/Giants history lesson for you. I think we've got their number.

2006 @Giants - Saints win 30-7

2009 vs. Giants - Saints win 48-27

2011 vs. Giants - Saints win 49-24

I'm an out of town Saints fan living in NY. I plan on attending the Saints / Giants game at the Meadowlands, and hopefully at least one more road game and a game in NOLA. Since I'll be wearing my Saints jersey, I know I'll be getting abuse from the home team's fans - even MORE abuse than usual due to Goodell / Bountygate. What do you believe the best response would be to that abuse? - Alex S.

And you will get abused. I'm glad you realize that. I've attended two Saints games in NY against the Giants so I speak from experience. You'd think they'd be more appreciative considering our great city has loaned them their quarterback.

Unfortunately, it's hard to return trash talk to the fanbase of a team that just won the Super Bowl. They've kinda earned that right this year. But if you must, I would gently remind them of their team's record against the Saints over the past six years (see above). The Saints have owned the Giants. And here's a fun fact: the last time the Saints played the Giants in NY (2006), the Giants offense never ran a play in Saints territory.

What INT stat will be higher...the amount our Defense gets, or the amount that Drew Brees throws? - Irish A.

Good question. Considering that the Saints defense is currently two ahead of Drew Brees in the interception department, I'm just going to assume that trend continues through the regular season.

Spags D Are you buying into it yet? Only preseason I know, but looks to be a good looking scheme so far. With the turnovers in the games and Brees getting picked off a few times in practice, looks like a above average D and that's all we need for a trip to nola in February. Agree? - Jacob D

Agree.

Will this be the year Malcolm Jenkins transforms into a mirror image of Darren Sharper? - J. Ricky

Last year we all expected big things from Jenkins - at least I did - but nothing ever really materialized. Now with a new defensive coordinator and complete change in scheme, I'm hoping Malcolm turns that corner and moves up to elite safety status.