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Photo lifted from NFL.com

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They weren’t. At all. Was there ever a doubt how this game would turn out?

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OK, so when Tim Hightower scored that 70-yard touchdown on the opening play of the game, fans in the Superdome got a little restless. But the Saints’ responded emphatically. The offense responded by scoring on six of their first seven possesions. The defense responded by forcing a fumble, nabbing an interception and knocking Kurt Warner (briefly) out of the game. The end result, of course, was a blowout of epic proportions in a game that was only exciting to watch for Saints fans (not that they’re complaining).

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Just get ready for next week, when The Most Important Game In The History Of the Saints will be played. For now, on to the post-game feast:

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Hot Gumbo:

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• Drew Brees – The past month or so when Brees was putting up mere pedestrian numbers is all but forgotten now, isn’t it? He was 23-of-32 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the ball effectively (six receivers notched catches) and, surprisingly enough, did it all by completing just one pass of more than 26 yards (the 44-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass to Devery Henderson).
• Reggie Bush – Sweet heavens to Betsy that fella had a helluva game! In a performance tha should shut up his detractors (present company included) for at least the time being, Bush turned in the performance of his career: 217 all-purpose yards and two highlight reel touchdowns that all but destroyed any hope the Cardinals had of winning. Just check out this run. It’s almost like he’s trying to earn all that money he’s making!
• Sean Payton – First words that come out of his mouth when he reached the post-game podium: “So much for being rusty.” Payton has plenty of reason to get all egotistical and smarmy, the sporting press has been recently questioning his team’s effort, talent and desire following three-straight losses to end the season. He respodned by calling one of the best games of the year. It was balanced (34 runs, 32 passes), creative (again, that amazing flea-flicker) and exposed the Cardinals’ 23rd-ranked defense for the weak unit that it is.
• Darren Sharper – Oh where oh where had Mr. Sharper disappeared to in the last few weeks of the season? It seemed as if the Saints could no longer rely on him to come up with the big play like they used to. Then there he was today, recovering that Arizona fumble in the first quarter that threw all the momentum to the Saints.
• Saints Defensive Line – Will Smith had an interception, Bobby McCray knocked Kurt Warner out for part of the game and, despite registering just one sack, never let the Cardinals passers get comfortable. As for that first play, “you don’t win or lose a game on the first play,” Jonathan Vilma said.
• Gregg Williams – Because I could list almost every New Orleans’ defensive players here, why not put the guy that put them in the position to win. His game plan did what the Packers’ second-best pass defense couldn’t do last week: contain the Cardinals’ passing game. Though Cardinals passers combined for 266 yards, Arizona did not have a passing touchdown and had just two pass plays go over 20 yards. Oh, and after Hightower’s 70 yard rushing touchdown to start the game, the Cardinals had just 31 rushing yards. That’s very good.
• Marques Colston – Six catches for 83 yards, a touchdown and more than a few of them jaw-dropping. Eat up, Marques!
• Devery Henderson – Just four catches but they were for 80 yards and a touchdown. That’s good enough for Gumbo.

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Spoiled Crawfish:

• Tim Hightower – I bet he thought he was going to have a hell of a day after taking the first play of the game to the house. But as they say, it’s not how you start the game, it’s how you finished. He had just 17 rushing yards after that.
• Larry Fitzgerald – If only for the fact that every passing play seemed like a disaster waiting to happen with him on the field. Oh, and his dad cut in front of me in line at halftime in the media dining room. Not cool.
• Matt Leinart – Replaced the injured Warner at the end of the first and second halves and didn’t completely fall apart. That was disappointing to see, really.
• Anyone Who Picked Against the Saints in this Game – You know who you are.

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Room-Temperature Abita:

• Kurt Warner – Granted, he plays for the other team and, for a second there, it seemed like he was going to go pass-for-pass with Brees. But just being able to come back and play after that crushing hit by McCray earns this man a beer.
• Deuce McAllister – He led the team on the field and acted as honorary captain for the coin toss. It’s a shame he had to do it all without getting to even put on pads.
• Brad Pitt – Hey! Look! He was on the sidlines! With a goatee! Can he be the mayor now?
• Post-Game Media – For spending so much time trying to figure out why Reggie Bush came out of the tunnel holding a baseball bat (If you want to know, Payton gave out a bunch of them with the words “Bring the Wood” on them to represent what the team’s mentality should be for the game) even after Reggie Bush explained it. Twice. And they say journalism is dying.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Saints fans have an infinite reason to love Drew Brees for all that he’s done in reviving the Saints and the charity work he does in the New Orleans area. But did anyone expect him to be an eloquent wordsmith on top of being a golden-haird, rocket-armed wonder?

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Just check out this editorial Brees penned for the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. In it, he tackles the American Needle vs. NFL case that is about to go in front of the Supreme Court. The case has to do with antitrust laws, and like almost all Supreme Court cases, is layered and complex. Brees does a great job of breaking down what’s happening in the courtroom and what it means to players and fans (no surprise, Brees is against the NFL on this one because they’re seeking antitrust status that could jeopardize current player salary structure). Here’s an excerpt:

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I could choose to sign a contract with the Saints because of a crucial player-led antitrust lawsuit in 1993 that secured players’ rights to sell our services as free agents. Until that case, team owners had acted together to control players and keep salaries low, while the popularity of the game and teams’ revenues grew exponentially. Today, if the Supreme Court agrees with the NFL’s argument that the teams act as a single entity rather than as 32 separate, vigorously competitive and extremely profitable entities, the absence of antitrust scrutiny would enable the owners to exert total control over this multibillion-dollar business.

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What might the owners do? They could agree to end or severely restrict free agency, continue to enter into exclusive agreements that will further raise prices on merchandise, lock coaches into salary scales that don’t reward them when they’re promoted and set higher ticket prices (including preventing teams from competing through ticket discounts). These and other concerns prompted the NFL Players Association — along with the players associations of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League — to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court last fall, arguing against the notion of the NFL as a single entity.

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I’m not going to get into the politics of the whole situation or look at whether Brees is right or wrong. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy that a professional athlete can have the the wherewithal not only to grasp the complexities of what’s going on in the league that employs him, but also the intelligence to be able to pen an editorial for the Washington freakin Post. Oh and in a time when athletes would be caught dead before making any sort of political stance that could jeopardize their standing with their league or sponsors, this is Ali-esque (sad that it’s come to that, but you gotta take the small victories).

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Bravo, Brees. Bravo.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Three weeks ago, all the talk was about the Saints’ potentially undefeated season. Last week’s loss against Dallas seemed like a hiccup; up until that point the Saints had played good (and sometimes great) enough to earn their first-round bye. A Minnesota meltdown in Carolina also gave the Saints a chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Now, after a completely stunning 20–17 overtime loss to the Buccaneers, the Saints appear to be reeling and there’s no telling when they’ll get back in control.

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Playoff football, as anyone who follows the NFL can attest, is a much different animal than the regular season. A loss to Tampa is awfully disappointing, but the Saints will live to play another day. There’s no such luxury in post-season football and there’s an added pressure to perform at the highest level. Against a broken, two-win Buccaneers team, the Saints struggled to get a victory. How will they fare against Minnesota, Philly or any other formidable playoff opponent? The New Orleans defense showed some of its early-season form with two interceptions the huge fourth-down stand with just under five minutes left, but they also let up 439 yards to a Tampa Bay offense ranked 29th in the league. No to mention the Black and Gold were completely unable to stop Cadillac Williams in overtime (he had nine carries for 40 yards in the period). The offense, after a hot start, failed to score a second-half point, with a Marques Colston fumble and a missed field goal leaving desperately need points on the field.

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Teams have overcome defensive shortcomings in the past (most famously, the 2007 Colts who won the Super Bowl despite a poor rushing defense) but it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. After starting the season 13-0 with all kinds of aspirations, the Saints must now take a good long look at themselves and see if they can’t once again grasp the mojo that powered them through the first three quarters of the season.

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Hot Gumbo:

• Drew Brees – 32-of-37 for 258 yards and a touchdown seem like incredible numbers, but even this hot gumbo has a hint of expired crustacean in it. 37 attempts is about 15 more than you’d like to see Brees throwing in a game the Saints led for most of the way. But you can’t fault Brees for the play-calling as he did his job admirably on the field.
• Robert Meachem – He had 66 yards on five catches including a wide-open touchdown and a clutch fourth-quarter grab that should have secured a Saints win had they not missed the ensuing field goal.
• Pierre Thomas – Managed to earn 60 yards on just six carries and scored a touchdown before being forced out of the game with bruised ribs. When the Saints were cruising, it seemed like he could’ve had two weeks off to rest and get healthy. Now New Orleans has a must-win in Carolina and may have to expose Thomas to more punishment.

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Spoiled Crawfish:

• Saints Special Teams – As if that 77-yard punt return for a touchdown wasn’t bad enough, the entire Saints’ punting unit made fools of themselves when they (incorrectly) tried to accuse Tampa Bay of offsides or encroaching on the previous play. Yes, the Tampa player jumped offside for a moment. But guess what? He’s allowed to do that as long as he doesn’t touch an opposing player and makes it back onsides before the snap. The Saints seemed distracted on the next play as Tampa was running back the tying score. Oh and don’t get me started on that missed field goal that would’ve ended the game in regulation.
• Saints Rushing Defense – The Saints gave up 176 yards on the ground, including all 48 yards the Bucs gained in overtime on the ground. When you can’t close out a team like Tampa Bay at home, with a chance to clinch homefield advantage, you have some serious problems.
• Saints Passing Defense – Sean Payton was asked if he was concerned about his secondary since they’ve given up an average of 313 passing yards their last four games. This was Payton’s answer: “In our league it’s crisis or carnival because the stuff in the middle doesn’t sell.” Um…what? Payton went on to say something about learning about your team’s character when you hit adversity and yadda, yadda. Translation: Sean Payton is worried about his secondary. You should be worried, too.
• Sean Payton – I was going to put the Saints Offense here for the sake of balance, but the offense played so well for most of the game that it seems unfair. Payton already laid some blame on himself for the loss but lets heap on some more blame while we’re here. How is it that the Saints came out so flat in the second half? How does he account for the team’s total drop-off since that great victory against New England a month ago? Payton and the Saints have ignored many glaring short-comings for too long, now it’s time to see if they can recover.
• Garret Hartley – Payton made a good point that fans shouldn’t point to just one aspect of this Saints’ loss and put the blame on that. Sure, Hartley’s miss wasn’t the reason for the Saints loss – the defense could’ve showed up in overtime, special teams could’ve done a better job in punt coverage, among other things – but Hartley is paid to make field goals and that one would’ve ended the game. He missed (for just the second time all season, no less) and the Saints ended up losing. That makes him a scapegoat.

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Room-temperature Abita:

• Marques Colston – He had eight receptions for 77 yards but that fourth quarter fumble cost the Saints some much needed points (New Orleans would’ve had a first down inside Tampa’s 40 had he hung onto the fooball). Lukewarm day for no. 12.
• Reggie Bush – He had 66 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards and 14 return yards for a pretty preductive day. And hey! He didn’t get injured! Isn’t that something?
• Darren Sharper – Got his eighth interception of the season, good for second-best in the NFL, but was also part of a secondary that Josh Freeman put up 217 passing yards.
• Tracy Porter – Also got an INT (in the end zone, no less) and has gotten better since returning from injury. It’d be nice if the Saints could take all the individual accomplishments in their secondary and turn it into a victory.
• Tom Benson – He’s kept the team in New Orleans, put the right people in charge of football that’s led to this 13-win season and yet, save a Super Bowl victory, this may be the lasting (moving) image of the season:

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Sorry, Tom, Hartley missed wide left. Yea, we thought it was as good as in, too.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Perfection is hard, there’s a reason that only one team in NFL history has been able to pull it off. And, despite what their record may have suggested, the Saints have been far from perfect this season. Their defense has droped into the bottom third in the league after spending the first half of the season in the top ten. The offense has fallen back into the 2008 habit of relying too heavy on Drew Brees. Near missed in Washington and Atlanta should have served as clear warnings that the Saints could yet stumble this season.

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But now that the Saints have lost (a feeling Who Dat nation was all too happy to forget) by the tune of 24-17 to the Dallas Cowboys. To keep a good head about him, you have to step back and realistically asses where the team stands. First of all, it’s important to note that they’re 12 games above .500, with only the Colts boasting a better record. The Saints are still in control of their destiny and could still easily secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The loss exposed how injuries have affected the Saints’ secondary and showed that even Drew “Cool” Brees can play like a mere mortal some times. It was a gut-check game, and it may be the best thing to happen to the Saints all season.

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Keep in mind that, though Dallas has a recent history of late-season collapses, this was a (I hate to say it) talented Cowboys team with their backs to the wall. The brought their best to the field and the Saints just couldn’t match them for desperation or intensity. And why should they? Dallas’ future is still uncertain, the Saints have all but assured a long playoff run. And in the end, with the silly notion of a perfect season now out the window, the Saints can focus on correcting the flaws that have shown up in recent weeks and set their eyes to the real goal this season: A Super Bowl win.

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But that’s enough prattling about greater context, let’s give out some knee-jerk analysis in the form of imaginary food:

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Hot Gumbo:

• Who Dats: Despite having few things to cheer about for the first three quarters of the game, Saints fans kept the Dome as loud as they could muster throughout the game. Go ahead and grab yourselves a case of cold Abita and drown those sorrows.
• Marques Colston: His five receptions for 86 yards steadied an otherwise erratic offense and his ridiculous fourth-down catch on the Saints (ultimately-fruitless) final drive gave Who Dats hope for another comeback win. Now if he could only pass block and cover the Cowboys’ Jason Whitten and the Saints’ would have been in business.
• Jonathan Vilma – He had 10 tackles, four assists and a sack and, for long stretches of the game, seem liked the only defensive player on the field for the Saints. His missed tackle of Marion Barber at the goal line notwithstanding, Vilma’s play was a key reason the Saints had any chance at the end of the game.
• Courtney Roby – In a game that had few highlights for New Orleans, his 67 yard kickoff return in the second half seemed like a turning point in the game. It wasn’t, but we can’t fault him for that.
• David Thomas – In place of injured Jeremy Shockey, Thomas was Brees’ most reliable target catching a team-high eight passes for 77 yards. Not bat at all for the old dude that founded Wendy’s.
• NFL Network – They featured the Soul Rebels brass bad in their pre-game show (they played a song that they learned the same day and rocked it out at the Blue Nile last night) and they continue to have the most entertaining game crew in the biz (I’m talking about Rich Eisen and Co., not whoever called the game. I have no idea who did that.)

Spoiled Crawfish:

• Drew Brees: As much as it pains me to put Brees here, the Saints QB had his poorest outing of the season and it cost the Saints dearly. He accounted for all three of the Saints’ turnovers (an interception and two fumbles), all on drives that could have led to desperately-needed points by the Saints.
• Malcolm Jenkins: He was burned terribly by a Miles Austin double-move that led to the Cowboys’ first score and, as unfair as it seems, may end up being the scapegoat for the secondary woes tonight.
• Devery Henderson: Two huge drops (including a gimme in the end zone) matched his number of catches.
• Coach Payton – He could not figure out a Dallas defense that let up 51 points in its last two games and, as he himself admitted, didn’t do enough to protect Brees (notably on the final play of the game where Jerrod Bushrod was left one-on-one against a red-hot DeMarcus Ware who then sacked and stripped Brees of the ball).
• Third Downs – The Saints’ offense couldn’t convert them (1-of-7 on the night) and the Saints’ defense couldn’t get stops on them (Dallas was 8-of-15). in the end, it spelled doom for New Orleans.
• DeMarcus Ware – Aside from the fact that he completely killed the Saints’ perfect season, here’s another reason to hate the Dallas linebacker: he’s a piss-poor tipper. A very reliable source informed me yesterday that Ware left a $50 tip on a $500 check at one of New Orleans’ best, and most expensive, restaurants. That’s a 10% tip from a guy who makes over $10 million a year. Class act, this one.
• Miles Austin – How dare you expose the New Orleans secondary for being an overly aggressive and depleted unit? How dare you take the air out of the Superdome with that 49-yard touchdown reception on your team’s opening drive? How dare you even show up to New Orleans?

Room-temperature Abita:

• Reggie Bush – Just as I thought I’d have to eat my words on Bush being the most overpaid player in the NFL (he had 46 yards in just under a half of play) he goes and gets injured. Of course the Saints aren’t disclosing the nature of the injury, but I’m sure Bush will feel better after a good night’s sleep on his money bed.
• Will Smith - On any other day, Smith’s four tackles and two sacks would’ve gotten him some fresh, hot gumbo. But on a day where he and his defense let up 439 yards (including 145 on the ground), he only deserves lukewarm Abita.
• Thomas Morstead – Averaged 50.2 yards on four punts. Good for him.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Unlike some lucky people, I couldn’t make it out to Gambit’s Lawman Watch Party at Theo’s (as of this writing the first of back-to-back episodes is just finishing), but there is a silver lining: I was able to catch Drew Brees’ appearance on the Jay Leno Show.

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Now why would I be watching the Jay Leno Show you may ask? Because Drew Brees was on. I managed to catch that segment and that segment alone. How lucky am I?

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Now I don’t have DVR and didn’t have the presence of mind to record it off my TV screen, but I did take some meticulous notes and for those of you who missed it (or are too lazy to check out the clips on Hulu) here are the highlight’s from Brees’ appearance.

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• The segment was all part of what I assume is a regular Leno bit called “9 at 9″. It’s called “9 at 9″ because it comes on approximately 9 p.m. mountain time. Well it’s 9:57 central time right now and the segment ended some 10 minutes ago sooo…you do the math.
• The first question was about Drew Brees’ nickname in high school – “Cool Brees” – which Leno said sounded like a bad cologne. He then added that his nickname in high school was “Chinzo”. I can’t tell why people aren’t watching this show.
• Second question was about Brees’ NFL commercial with Barack Obama. Apparently the president “razzed” Brees about the Bears having the Saints number in recent years. Brees then claimed he was a “rooftop sniper” away from throwing the president a pass with a little extra heat. Snipers, Drew?
• Leno asked Brees if he’s ever stolen anything from a hotel while on the road. Brees admitted to having taken some towels from his hotel in Hawai’i when he played in his first Pro Bowl. In his defense, this place looks like it would have some nice towels.
• Fourth Question: If Brees had just $10 to spend on fast food, where would he go? He gave two disappointing answers: In & Out Burger (he’d order two double-doubles, no cheese, animal style with fries and a Sprite) or Jimmy Johns’ (for their Italian sub). Now while these are no doubt delicious purveyors of burgers and sandwiches, Brees couldn’t have thrown some love to Popeye’s or Raising Canes? For shame.
• Brees’ guilty pleasure show: Glee. He watches the show with his wife (crowd: “awwwww”) but doesn’t try to sing along cause he can’t sing very well.
• Clearly not paying attention, Leno then asked Brees to sing the Purdue fight song. Brees complied, though he only sang the second part. I’m sure he’ll be hearing from his alma mater.
• Question seven was about Brees’ pre-game eating ritual. For all you gourmet buffs out there, he has a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the night before a game and an egg-white omelet with ham, bell peppers, spinach, and some links of sausage. Any breakfast joint worth its fryer grease should start serving that immediately. Call it a “Cool Brees Omelet” (see what I did there?)/
• Brees was asked what the strangest thing he’s ever signed was. He said in training camp back in 2006, a fan asked Brees to sigh a black and gold prosthetic leg complete with fleur de lis. Brees, ever the consummate professional, signed.
• Last question: Brees was asked to name as many New Orleans dishes as he could in 15 seconds. Brees named three types of oysters, three shrimp dishes, red beans and rice, po-boys, turtle soup, gumbo, and “anything fried or blackened.” He did leave jambalaya, muffalletta, and any kind of crawfish dish off the table but that’s not bad for 15 seconds. And he gets bonus points for the “fried or blackened” quip.

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And just like that the segment was over, Leno threw to commercial and I turned off my T.V. before a GAP commercial nearly made me chug drain cleaner.

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Despite what many may think, the Saints have no easy games left on their schedule. If yesterday’s 33-30 overtime win over the Redskins wasn’t to your liking, take a moment to consider the facts. The Washington Redskins, despite their 3-8 record coming into Sunday, had a top-10 defense and was coming off two near-upsets against Dallas and Philadelphia. Add in that their old defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, was coming into town with an unblemished record, and you best believe that Washington squad was ready to play yesterday.

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And this is how it’s going to be from here on out. The Saints play three division opponents in their last four weeks, with the Dallas Cowboys coming to the Dome the day after Christmas. Despite their middling records, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Carolina are not likely to just lay down and let the Black and Gold stomp on them, especially if any of those rivals could play spoiler to a perfect Saints’ season. For now, take heart in the fact that the Saints still have the best offense in football and still have a quarterback in Drew Brees that can lead this team to victory under any circumstances.

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Hot Gumbo:

• Drew Brees – For a guy who really didn’t look comfortable all day, he sure put up some comfortable stats. 35-of-49 for 419 yards and two touchdowns plus an interception that Robert Meachem turned into a touchdown. Drew Brees: MVP? Yea, that sounds about right.
• Robert Meachem – If you haven’t seen the play where Meachem absolutely robbed Washington’s Kareem Moore and scored a touchdown, do so. Multiple times. If that’s not impressive enough, Meachem had eight catches for 142 yards and, including the 44-yard fumble return, had 186 total yards for the Saints. I’ve said it before and will again: the Saints have the best receiving corps in the league.
• Garrett Hartley – Aside from that pretty-much-impossible 58-yard attempt at the end of regulation, Hartley was perfect on the day. He was also able to do something the Redskins’ kicker couldn’t: kick a field goal inside the 25-yard line.
• Sean Payton – With his team playing from behind all game long (to wit, the Saints never led until Hartley’s OT kick), Payton called a masterful game. His game planning exposed Washington’s Laron Landry’s propensity to bite on double moves and it led to two Saints touchdowns. Payton also deserves credit for calling that timeout in overtime to give the replay officials extra time to look at Mike Sellers’ fumble, giving the Saints the ball and the game.
• Jason Campbell – We don’t usually give hot gumbo to an opposing player but you gotta give it to the Mississippi boy with his 367 yards and three touchdowns. Now, Gregg Williams, any chance you can explain how and otherwise middle-of-the-road quarterback looked so good against your defense?

Spoiled Crawfish:

• Reggie Bush – There’s a rumor on the interwebs that the Saints won’t be keeping Bush next season. I wonder why? Hmm, maybe it’s because he’ll be getting paid $8 million to average around 25 positive yards a game.
• Saints Defense – Whether they had a hangover from that Monday night win or they didn’t respect the Skins’ offense (not that you can blame them, Washington has scored more than 25 points just once all season), but the Saints defense did not show up for most of today. Luckily, the Skins shot themselves in the foot and the replay officials caught that OT fumble or that perfect season would have been history.
• Devin Thomas – The Washington receiver has barely done anything in his two years in the league, had just 187 yards and one touchdown all season coming into this game and then he decides to put up 100 yards and two touchdowns on the Saints. What’s up with that?

Room Temperature Abita:

• Usama Young – Missed a few assignments that led to Skins’ touchdowns but recovered a fumble played better than the rest of the Saints secondary. Drink up, Young!
• Jonathan Vilma – He was a ghost all game long as the Skins drove up and down the field until when it mattered most. His fourth-quarter interception denied Washington any chance at kicking a field goal to win the game in regulation. Expect a much better performance from Vilma and the Saints defense next week.
• Pierre Thomas – With Washington stuffing the run all game, the Saints began to substitute screen passes for run plays. So while Thomas’ 18 rushing yards are unimpressive, his 64 receiving yards helped the Saints sustain a good rhythm throughout the game.
• Atlanta Falcons – Even if the Saints had lost, Atlanta’s loss to Philly meant that New Orleans would clinch the NFC South. Also kinda of feel sorry for the Dirty Birds seeing as how the Saints are gonna lay down the hammer in Atlanta next week.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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If this feels like the biggest Saints win in franchise history, well, it’s because it is. A decisive win on Monday Night Football against the team that has set the standard for excellence in the NFL this decade? Yea, for the New Orleans Saints, it’s never been better than this.

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Of course, as I’ve mentioned before, with the Saints still undefeated, EVERY win from here on out will be the biggest in Saints history (especially when it comes to the playoffs when it’s win or go home). With New Orleans having to play just two more teams with winning records (@ Atlanta and vs. Dallas), a playoff spot is all but secured. Now it’s about gaining homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. For now though, let’s enjoy this win.

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Hot Gumbo:

• Drew Brees — He was perfect tonight — no, literally. His passer rating was a perfect 158.3. Brees also became the only player to throw three touchdowns in a quarter against any Bill Belichick-led team and it was just the fourth time a Belichick squad gave up four passing touchdowns. What’s that? oh, Brees had five touchdowns you say? Well isn’t that something? “Let’s just say he’s playing real well,” coach Sean Payton said afterwards. Yes, coach, let’s say that.
• Marques Colston — He only had four catches but he made them count. He finished with 121 yards and a touchdown that pretty much put the nail in the Pats’ coffin. Colston also helped me clinch in fantasy football this week and we know that’s what really matters.
• Devery Henderson — Henderson’s 33-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage for the Saints set the tone for a night where he finished with 116 yards and a touchdown on a play where he was left wide open. Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that the Saints have the deepest receiving corps in the league?
• Mike McKenzie — Seems ages ago that the Saints cut McKenzie and even more since he last played. Over a year off the field and he gets an INT in his first game back? That’s what you call a professional.
• Darren Sharper — Someone look for the Fountain of Youth in Orleans Parish because Sharper has clearly found it. He’s been playing great all season and his INT in the fourth quarter gave him eight for the year and was the dirt on the Patriots (you know, on top of the coffin Colston put the last nail in). Also, his 355 return yards off interceptions is just three shy of the Baltimore Ravens’ Ed Reed 2005 record.
• The Entire Saints Defense – I could spend all day listing players that contributed to this win but really, you have to just credit the unit as a whole. Two sacks, a forced fumble and two interceptions just beging to tell the story tonight. The Saints defense made the Patriots offense look bad to mediocre at best and that’s not something teams have been able to do for quite some time.

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Spoiled Crawfish:

• Tom Brady — Brady didn’t look as poised as he did when he led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win in the Superdome back in 2001. Frustrated, flustered, and even scared at times is how I would’ve described his play tonight.
• Sedrick Ellis — I hate to pick on a guy who played so well coming off an injury, but just what in the hell was he thinking when he was trying to dance around with the football before fumbling it? Stick to sacking quarterbacks and stuffing running backs, big boy.
• Monday Night Football broadcasting crew — I didn’t get to listen to anything they said on air but I’m sure there was plenty of cringe-inducing moments. Enlighten me in the comments.

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Room-temperature Abita:

• Robert Meachem — On any other night he’d get a dish of nice, hot gumbo with his five receptions for 69 yards and a TD, but alas, too many players got gumbo and it’s silly to think anyone could make enough to feed every Saints player. Cheer up, lukewarm Abita can be chilled in a frosty-cold mug!
• Pierre Thomas — Didn’t do anything too flashy and didn’t really get too many rushing yards (64) but he was effective when called upon and you gotta love the effort he made on hist touchdown.
• John Carney — Maybe his first field goal, which he banked in off the post, should’ve been an indication that he wasn’t going to make that second field goal attempt late in the fourth. Either that or he just got tired from kicking all those extra points.
• Jeremy Shockey — Surprising fact: Shockey has caught a pass in 106 straight games. If only he could catch touchdowns so prolifically.

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Clay A. Smith

If you believe that there’s such a thing as a moral victory, than what would you classify Sundays’ inexplicable “dramedy of errors” in St. Louis as? The Saints pulled out the victory, thanks to some much needed heroics from Courtney Roby and everyone’s surrogate fall guy, Reggie Bush-but it fell well short of the one sided mercy killing that everyone had expected it to be. Remarkably, in a  28-23 point”nail biter” that wasn’t decided until the final play of the game, the league’s number one offense was outgained (420-to- 434 yards) and gave up 23 points (more than twice as much as St. Louis’ season average) to a 1-8 Rams’ team that boasts the league’s lowest scoring offense.

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The Saints are beyond resting on their laurels. Sunday they showed a sort of lethargic complacency that could be easily construed as disinterest. Its hard to find fault in an undefeated team, but the effort just wasn’t there. New Orleans was held scoreless for the first fifteen minutes of the game by a defense that’s typically known for giving up points in bulk.

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Their depleted secondary played as such, not only allowing the catch, but allowing St. Louis’ conspicuously unidentifiable corp of third string receivers to shake free for critical conversions. Among them most notably, Donnie Avery, whose two touchdown catches doubled his season total. When Avery and the rest of the Rams’ motley crew of receivers weren’t schooling the Saints’ reserves, RB Steven Jackson was bullying Saints’ defenders like he forgot his lunch money.

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Jackson had a 131 rushing yards-the third consecutive week that the “Black and Gold” had been left black and blue by a punishing down hill runner. The Falcons’ Michael Turner had 151 rushing yards and a score in week eight followed by the Panthers’ DeAngelo Williams, who had 149 yards of his own with two scores in week nine. Before that the Miami Dolphins tag team tandem of  running backs (Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown) combined for 128 on the ground.

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Even worse than their woes against the run, the Saints have been coughing up the ball with alarming regularity. Drew Brees’s two interceptions and Marques Colston’s fumble into the end zone gave the Saints’ thirteen turnovers in their last four games. And the rash of injuries to their secondary which include Jabari Greer, (groin) Darren Sharper, (knee) and most recently  Tracey Porter (MCL) has made them vulnerable against the pass. Fortunately, the Saints have the 1-8 Buccaneers in week eleven. But in a league where there isn’t always a lot separating the “haves” from the have “nots” its hard to look past anyone. The Rams proved that Sunday. The Saints can only hope the Bucs are a little more cooperative.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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Hot Gumbo:

• Sean Payton — So made a pretty mystifying decision early in the fourth quarter when he called a timeout before unsuccessfully challenging a Marque Colston incompletion in the end zone, but he called an otherwise flawless second half for the Saints. Also, he gets major props for this quote: “I don’t know that we’re playing a lot of attention to where this mark compares at the halfway point to previous seasons. There hasn’t been a rich history hear in terms of successfull football teams.” Honesty! So refreshing.
• Robert Meachem — Five receptions for 98 yards including a beautiful 54-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown makes this one of Meachem’s best games as a pro. He honestly looked three or four steps faster than Carolina’s entire defense on several occassions.
• Devery Henderson — Three receptions for 93 yards is impressive, even if 63 of those yards came on one play. (Actually, that might make it more impressive).
• Will Smith — Two sacks and the forced fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. Smith made up for all of the defensive line’s shortcomings in the first half.
• Jonathan Vilma — The man was all over the field, recording 10 solo tackles and two for a loss.

Spoiled Crawfish:

• DeAngelo Williams — For that ridiculous 66 yard touchdown run on the Panthers’ opening drive and for putting up 149 yards on the Saints D (which still hasn’t figured out a way to keep opponents’ yards down). You’re a stupid, ugly jerk, Williams. You deserved to get stripped on that fourth-quarter play.
• Jake Delhomme — He didn’t have a complete meltdown like he’s had so often recently but he also didn’t do much to help his team. 17-of-30 for 201 yards and a lost fumble won’t cut it. Also, you play for the wrong team, jerk.
• Chris Gamble — For intercepting Brees and making him look bad after the Saints defense gave Drew a short field. Who do you think you are, Gamble? You think because you have a sweet name you can try and ruin Brees’ QB rating? Go fall out of a moving vehicle.

Room-Temperature Abita:

• Drew Brees — Another week, another uneven performance. 24-of-35 for 330 yards and a touchdown are great numbers if you don’t take into account the interception and lost fumble. Unfortunately, we do take the bad with the good and right now it’s making Brees look ordinary. Frankly, that’s kind of unsettling. “I take complete responsibilty for the way we came out offensively,” he said. “I’m disappointed in myself for starting off that way.” It’ OK, Drew, we still believe in you.
• Reggie Bush — Speaking of ordinary, Bush had 53 positive yards on the day which is pretty, well, average. He did have an incredible one-handed catch though, so you gotta give him that.
• Marques Colston — Caught a huge 45-yard pass but it was the only one he had all game. Also ran a sloppy route that contributed to Brees’ interception and dropped a pass in the endzone. Not the best day for Colston.
• Roman Harper — Had a career-best 10 tackles, including four for a loss. Now why doesn’t he deserve Hot Gumbo, you ask? Well because he’s a freakin’ safety and they should never have that many tackles. Ever.

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Photograph by Jonathan Bachman

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It’s been a while since we last did this, but I’m glad we got back to work for Monday Night Football. The Who Dats were out in force early (word of mouth says tailgating began around noon) and as creative as ever. We’re gonna do two posts for this one. Hang onto to your butts.

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Hot Gumbo:

• Marques Colston — For a guy who’s scored five touchdowns and has averaged 77 yards per game coming into tonight’s contest, it’s surprising to see how Colston has flown under the radar this season. He was nothing short of spectacular tonight, notching 85 yards and a touchdown with bonus points for the incredibly degree of difficulty of some of his catches. “Obviously he’s no stranger to those types of catches,” Drew Brees said afterwards about his top receiver.
• Pierre Thomas — He made up for his fourth quarter fumble with a topsy-turvy touchdown run that all but sealed the deal for the Saints. His 91 yards set the tone for the entire game. And yet, he wasn’t satisfied. “I have to eliminate that. I can’t fumble,” he said after the game.
• Jeremy Shockey — Who Dats gave Shockey the loudest reception next to Drew Brees and he responded with a monster game, catching five passes for 72 yards including an incredibly acrobatic 17-yard grab during the Saints’ last scoring drive.
• Who Dat Nation — All 70,088 Who Dats were out in force tonight, from the early-day tailgating to the opening kickoff, all of downtown was buzzing with Saints fever. You could honestly feel the energy reverberating off the Superdome as game-time approached and it was as loud as ever during the game. Oh, and the two full-stadium ‘Who Dat?’ chants at the start and end of the game gave me chills. (Note: I don’t blame the 30,000 or so fans that left with just under two minutes left, even though the game didn’t end for another hour).

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Spoiled Crawfish:

• Turnovers — The Saints had four of them (eight in the last two games) and, sure, they were able to overcome them to win the game, but jeez, did it have to be so dramatic? Drew Brees’ fumble was recovered for a touchdown and gave Atlanta an early lead. Later on, the game was all but over when Mike Bell fumbled and gave the Falcons new life. “We did a lot of things that can get you beat in games,” Sean Payton said. If the Saints don’t fix thses problems, they WILL get beat one day (well, maybe).
• Matt Ryan — For a guy that threw three interceptions and was sacked three times, he still found a way to make the Saints pass defense look mediocre, passing for 289 yards. At least he was considerate enought to become completely undone in the fourth quarter.
• Michael Turner — 151 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown? Just who does this guy think he is? Him running all up and down the field wore down the Saints D and may have exposed some weaknesses in the run defense that may get other teams thinking they can run all over the Black and Gold. What’s up with that, Turner? Jerk.

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Room-temperature Abita:

• Drew Brees — This is probably unfair but he’s set such a ridiculous standard for himself that his 25-of-33 for 308 yards and two touchdown performance just isn’t up to par for him. Especially when you consider that he also threw an interception and lost a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. You’re supposed to be the Golden-Armed Wonder Man, Brees. Not the Average-Armed OK Dude. Average-Armed OK Dude sucks.
• Saints’ Secondary — The DBs for the Saints had another uneven game, producing three interceptions (one for a touchdown) but also allowing Matt Ryan to throw for 289 yards including that 68-yard bomb to Roddy White to start the second half. I wish these guys would make up their minds as to whether they’re good or not.
• Reggie Bush — Hey look! Another touchdown! Isn’t that just gravy? Just ignore the fact that he recorded a grand total of 15 positive yards. Seriously, ignore it. It will just make you angry.

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