Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead
My question is:
Were the Saints a good team last year, but just weighted down by a crappy QB, poor coach, no real home field?
I think the issue was Brooks. That may be the fault of Haslett (or the GM) for not sitting/replacing him, but it sure does look like Brees has made one heck of a difference. I'm sure having a true home field this year helps, but not for the turnaround that has happened so far thsi season.
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The answer is all of the above, but at best the Saints would have been mediocre last season. Brooks, though athletically gifted was truly the anti-Brees, in that he was not a leader, made poor decisions consistently, and had no heart (sounds like a certain Stamp QB). Haslett was a coach who believed in having superior athletes rather than good football players, Payton is the complete opposite, the Colston pick is a perfect example. Payton let him develop in the pre-season and when he realized that he ran great routes, and never dropped the ball, he jettisoned Stallworth who was the epitome of a Haslett player, amazing athlete, average football player(we got Simoneau and a third rounder). Jake Delhomme is another excellent example of the Haslett regime, all he did when he played was drive the team down the field, make good decisions, and was a natural leader, but he didn't have the athletic ability of Brooks, so ultimately he was let go to a division rival no-less.