A league leading amount of pressure from a unit whose expectations were so low that it had people complaining about a draft that appears to have netted four starters and what appears to be the love-child of Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush? A rangy, sure-tackling group of linebackers that are actually limiting YAC's instead of making their coaches want to run to the bathroom and manually induce them? Aggressive defensive backs who are looking for the ball before it's getting spiked in their end zone of bouncing off their back shoulder as a yellow flag soars by in the distance? In the most literal sense imaginable, I simply do not believe what I am seeing. I won't - no - I can't let myself get sucked in by the inherent optimism that comes with going eight quarters without giving up a single point. That's mostly because those goose eggs have come against a Philip Rivers-less Chargers team and a DeAndre Hopkins-less Texans team, but it's also because those eight quarters aren't even worth enough to provide an intoxicating return on $2 beer night. Assuming that the third preseason game is the closest thing that an NFL team has to a dress rehearsal, the Saints look like they might actual be competent on the side of the ball that has actively been tarnishing the legacy of a future 'Hall Of Fame' quarterback. Unfortunately, almost every wedding ceremony that has gone awry can also claim that their rehearsal dinner was flawless. It's not that I don't want to take consecutive defensive shutouts for all that they are worth (which is basically just ungodly expectations that are realistically hinging on the oft-hampered hammy of a rookie cornerback), but I have to stay grounded so as to limit the damage when they inevitably take a tumble from Cloud 9. Truthfully, it's looking like the long-belated cleansing of a defensive coaching staff that proved completely defenseless years ago is immediately returning dividends, but I refuse to invest myself in them until it results in meaningful benefits. Leaders like Cam Jordan and Kenny Vaccaro appear to have eased the transition of a plethora of new players, but I will remain skeptical until those sacks lead to victories of the non-moral variety. In the case of trusting a Saints' defense, it's better safe than sorry...if only due to the nauseating amount of times they have left Saints' fans feeling sorry for themselves. Although, I did have to slap myself for a reminder of that at least twice while watching this clip...
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