Sports - New Orleans Saints

Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Can you feel the pressure?

Are we ready for some pressure?

When the convention of believers was summoned on Oct. 8, it was with the gusto of any revolution. The bravado of youthful abandonment and commitment to the 2009 Saints brought a mostly regional army of long-suffering fans of the Black and Gold to a communion of belief in this team.

But at 7-0, as the sole unbeaten team in the NFC and with a three game lead in the NFC South, the Saints bandwagon has taken on a national glamour that is trendy, and to tell the truth, a little scary.

Analysts like Steve Young are beginning to talk about undefeated seasons and the Super Bowl as if the Saints were a dynasty. We are not, and that brings us to the central point of today’s discussion.

A team has to earn respect over an extended period of time on the field in order to reach the mountaintop. Less than half a season does not get us to the level of success that entitles this team to such an expectation, teams such as the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s, the Steelers of the ‘70s or the great 49er teams, stand in those rare ranks.

That is not to say our Saints are not laying down the foundation of such a tradition, but we will have to temper our enthusiasm with the reality that while we have won the first seven, there are many pitfalls along the road to the next nine.

This takes us back to the word “pressure”. Pressure is building on the Saints now and to some extent on the fans. Out of our sugar rush we don’t want to talk about our success in a way that demeans the opposition, or that overloads the teams’ ability to win with class and dignity.

In other words, we want to believe in a way that reflects well on the Believer Nation as well as on our team. We do not want to act out our success like some athletes who we see celebrate a touchdown or tackle as if it were the pivotal play in a Super Bowl victory, when the achievement is much more modest.

You will recall the Believer warned more than two weeks ago that the Falcons are among the best teams in the NFL, and that Quarterback Matt Ryan a brilliant new star in the league, and they could contest with Saints at a very competitive level.

Admit it, after the successful on-side kick with less than 30 seconds remaining you were sweating a bit.

The Believer has not lost faith in the Saints, but in the cold light of objective analysis he recognizes that the past two weeks have brought some measure of concern. Maybe that is just part of the responsibility that goes with being a front-runner — worry.