Saints Sideline Blog

PAYTON’S HEALTHCARE PLAN

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010      Email Print

DATELINE: Charlotte NC/ January 3rd, 2010 (Its cold here, but it will be warm in the dome in a few weeks!)
 
President Obama would be impressed. Congress and the Senate would tip their hat in approval, heck even HIllary Clinton would marvel at how this Healthcare plan seem to work. Sean Payton issued a firm stance on the Who Dat Healthcare plan by putting Health over winning in the Saints season finale against the Panthers. I find it hard to argue with sitting your starters when all of your goals (Number One seed, Home Field and Division Title) are already feathers in your collective cap. For those who second guess this decision, your second guessing would be volumes louder if Drew Brees would have gotten hurt by the likes of Julius Peppers in this football game.
 
The biggest argument against this Healthcare referendum is that this team desperately needed to build some momentum after they have failed to put together a complete game since its Patriot Performance back in November on Monday Night. A big reason is that injuries have kept these Saints from reaching their previously perfect performances. I think the biggest loss has been Jabari Greer who along with Tracy Porter have turned one of the worst secondaries into one of the most opportune units in the league. Greer who was hurt in the previous game against Carolina came back and looked like he never left. He did the little things like making the key tackles on 3rd down or just plain being a sure handed tackler, the little things this team and especially this defense has missed. Its ironic on a week where so many key Saints were given sideline passes, one of its best players made a key return.
 
A question we may never know the answer to is if the Saints were 15-0, would Sean Payton have rested his guys or put the foot on the gas and gone for the perfect season? Will Smith told me afterwards he feels they may have played a little in the 1st half but in the end rested for the greater good, a "healthy" run at the Super Bowl. I appreciate Smith's analysis but I disagree, Sean Payton has never said what he would do but I think he would have played his guys and gone for it. Just like his aggressive offensive playbook, I believe Payton would find it hard to be so close to history and not go for it, but we will never know?
 
Sean Payton didn't agree with the recent talk that the NFL may penalize the teams down the road who intentionally sit their starters in games like these for a playoff run. He says being in this position is something the team has earned and it should be your right to sit or play your guys. I couldn't agree more, while I think its ridiculous how the Colts handled things a week ago versus the Jets, I think Payton was right on cue this time around. A Healthcare plan like this insures a healthy Shockey,Pierre Thomas, Darren Sharper and most importantly a healthy and well rested Drew Brees, with all of his weapons back on his home field in a few weeks to boot. Payton says "we'll be ok" for a playoff run, after this healthcare offering maybe his mindset should be "Yes We Can."
 
WHO DAT HITS
 
BREES IN THE BOOKS: Typical Drew Brees, he doesn't play but in the process still sets another impressive NFL record. Brees breaks Kenny Anderson's single season completion percentage mark with a total of 70.55. Anderson set the mark with the Bengals back in 1982. Back then a young Brees turned 3 years old.
 
ROBY/MEACHEM UPDATE: The last thing you wanted to see in this game was somebody get hurt (see above) but both Courtney Roby and Robert Meachem were on the receiving end of some serious licks versus the Panthers. As expected both Saints seemed a little doozy after this one but both told me they will be fine for the playoffs.
 
PAYTON'S WILDCAT: For the first time this season Sean Payton rolled out the wildcat formation. Running the show was RB Lynell Hamilton.
 
SCARY SAINTS STAT: No team in the history of the NFL has made the Super Bowl after losing its last three games??!!
 
CAROLINA COLD: At kickoff, it was 30 degrees which was the coldest game on record ever for a home Panthers game. Yet another reason why home field advantage in the playoffs is so important.
 
NOBODY ASKED ME BUT: I get that the NFL is full of parity but down the stretch this season its gotten out of hand. The Eagles look like one of the best teams in the league and they are shutout by the Cowboys? The Broncos are playing for the playoffs and are hammered by the Chiefs? We've seen the same old song replayed over and over,week after week--why anybody bets on this league is beyond me??
 
UNTIL NEXT BLOG,
Mike Nabors
CST

By: Mike Nabors

An Emmy award winning sports reporter who covers a wide variety of events for CST. Primarily, Mike serves as the network's reporter for Saints coverage.

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