Wins are far too hard to come by in the NFL for any of them to ever truly feel like a loss. That's simply a fact. That being said, it was a fact whose legitimacy as such was put to the test by a Saints' team that spent the vast majority of the afternoon doing the counterproductive things that so often lead to defeat against a team that's damn near allergic to victory. It's a cliche for a losing team to claim they lost the game as opposed to it being won by their opponent, but - as a fan of said opponent - I think the Cleveland Browns would be well within their rights to in saying they repeatedly booted the sure victory they've been waiting nearly two years for outside the uprights. Simply put, the Saints really don't deserve to be 1-1 headed into an important, tie-breaking matchup against a division rival on the road, as they needed the Browns to Brown as hard as they have ever Browns'd just to win by a field goal in come-from-behind fashion. Be it drive-killing fumbles from Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn that were only technically forced as they came as the direct result of unnecessary attempts to gain empty yardage. Be it missed opportunities, as Drew Brees dropped a sure touchdown about five yards out of the bounds that restrained a wide open Ben Watson and later short armed a streaking Ted Ginn. Be it points taken off the board, as an Alvin Kamara touchdown was brought back by enough holding to satisfy a lover with abandonment issues. Be it Sean Payton's play-calling that clearly didn't account for a prominent pass rush, as he was undeniably outwitted by the sick and twisted mind of Gregg Williams. Be it dumb penalties that extended drives and took away from what was an otherwise intriguing performance by a defense that was coming off a thorough dismantling. Be it that same defense saying "not so fast..." in being let off the hook by allowing the only thing they couldn't let happen to happen when Ken Crawley lost focus and let a receiver get behind him on 4th down to score what should have proved to be a go ahead touchdown with a minute left. Be it Dennis Allen showing he learned next to nothing from the Minneapolis Miracle by giving up just enough yardage to allow for a game-tying field goal attempt in next to no time flat. The Saints made so many fundamental mistakes that I'm near positive that this extremely elongated paragraph didn't account for them all. The NFL is as year-to-year a sport as you'll find, as a short 16 game schedule allows for the closest possible thing to a purely fresh start, but the Saints have already rotted out all the optimism that surrounded them coming into this season. The truth is that their first two opponents are probably a lot better than expected, but what's false is the sense of security they look to be playing with against less talented teams. Other than Drew Brees stat line, there's just not all that much that currently speaks to this team being a contender in a loaded conference. As proven last year, that could certainly change quickly, but it's going to happen almost immediately if they want to come anywhere close to reaching their potential. To a fanbase who knows all too well what 7-9 looks like, this team has no excuse to appear strikingly similar. With the amount of mistakes that have haunted them, from the front office on down to the sideline and out onto the field, a team that was presumably poised for greatness comes off as having a shocking amount of complacency considering they've accomplished next to nothing. There's still hope that this is but a slow start, but - since their season was basically saved in Week 2 by the sheer incompetence of a team that hasn't walked off a winner since 2016 - it would be a lie to call that hope anything but subjectively blind at the moment. Notes: - An underachieving offensive line hasn't helped, but Mike Gillislee has looked like the exact opposite of the type of player you reconfigure your roster for in making everyone, including Alvin Kamara, miss Mark Ingram...
- It was both a huge relief and a little redemption for Marcus Williams to make the play most responsible for letting the sanity of Saints fan live to see another Sunday. The game against the Buccaneers made it easy to forget how great he was in camp, but - boy, oh boy - did he literally pick a hell of a time to make his lurking presence felt...
- I don't know if saying that the best defense against Michael Thomas is himself, as his competitiveness is what has allowed him to post historic numbers throughout the first two weeks. However, he clearly needs to pick and choose more appropriate times to fight for every inch, as his fumbles have sabotaged ungodly stats in being the only person, place, or thing proven capable of stopping him...
- It's just about never that you say this about a team with Super Bowl aspirations, but the Saints have got to find a way to get their 3rd string quarterback on the field more. With his first chance at kick return duties, Taysom Hill almost did what's so rarely seen from those wearing black & gold by breaking one the distance. If anything has been made clear through the first two weeks, it's that this team is too reliant on Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. As great as they may be, another playmaker only stands to make their jobs easier. I don't how or what can be done to get one of the most athletic players on the team the ball more often, but if there's someone that should be able to figure it out then it's Sean Payton.
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