Why the Saints aren't in the playoffs

By By Stan Torgerson / sports columnist
Dec. 31, 2002
One Man's Opinion:
I don't know where the expression "going to hell in a handbasket" originated but I do know where it ended up Sunday etched on the rug in the Superdome, spelled out by the frustrated, and frustrating, New Orleans Saints.
If I were a cartoonist, this column would carry a picture of a football dressing room mirror with Saints players staring into it. Spraypainted across the top would be these words, "Why The Saints Are Not In The Playoffs."
It couldn't have gotten much worse than that feeble New Orleans attempt on their home field to beat Carolina and make the playoffs. Two field goals in 60 minutes. No touchdowns. Turnovers. Dropped passes. Indifferent secondary play. With a big prize on the table, a spot in the playoffs, this team played like sinners, not Saints.
And to those writers and broadcasters who continue to say Aaron Brooks belongs in the top echelon of NFL quarterbacks let me borrow a familiar descriptive term popular at this time of the year.
Bah. Humbug.
Needing one win in their last three games the Saints went into the tank at 0-3. And let us not forget they were 2-5 in their last seven games. Knowing the New Orleans fans, I suggest those players who live elsewhere get on the first possible plane, train or nearest highway and head for home.
For those players who live in the Crescent City, bar your doors, keep the lights turned off and pretend there's nobody home.
Saints fans aren't going to buy the argument that this year's 9-7 record is that much better than last year's 7-9.
They were too close to 12-4 or 11-5 or even 10-6 to settle for the consolation prize of 9-7. Owner Tom Benson shouldn't dare to threaten that without a new stadium he may move the Saints out of town. Local fans may run them out instead.
Ole Miss
On the other hand the Ole Miss Rebels delighted their fans by starting slow and finishing strong in their win over Nebraska. I find it fascinating the Rebels last three wins in the Independence Bowl have all been against Big 12 opponents, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Name me another team outside their league which has done that. There are none.
The Rebels played this game with enthusiasm and desire and it it showed. Yes, the Cornhuskers were bigger but they weren't faster and the the Rebs sock-it-to-them attitude eventually prevailed.
Nebraska won the game on the ground, 266 yards to 52, but Eli Manning and friends easily won the game in the air 313 yards to 93. Most important they also won it on the scoreboard.
So where does David Cutcliffe and his team go from here? He says out to recruit and he's right about that. The Rebs still need some bigger, stronger linemen on both sides of the ball. A tough running back with speed and power would certainly help.
The Rebels will lose about 17 seniors from this year's team but if Manning returns, and I believe he will, there will be excellent carryover talent for the 2003 season. Next year could be the long awaited break-through year for Ole Miss.
One thing for certain. There will be no more use of the word "disappointing" for 2002. The win over Nebraska washed that away.
Southern Mississippi
Hurt and shorthanded as they were, the Golden Eagles played well against Oklahoma State. When you lose your starting running back and your quarterback and you're playing against a quality opponent who came into the game with three straight wins and five of its last six, it could have been a long afternoon. But Southern's kids gave it their best and actually led after three quarters, only to be outplayed in the fourth.
But for 2003 let it be noted that Ole Miss did not do the Golden Eagles any favor by beating Nebraska. The Cornhuskers visit Hattiesburg next year. If you don't think they're not going to come in with an attitude to punish someone from Mississippi you don't know college football as well as you should.
Since they won't see Ole Miss again, the next best thing will be Southern Mississippi. But the Eagles have something on their side they rarely get to enjoy. They'll be playing one of the nation's storied football powers at home rather than on the road. The bookies usually say home field advantage is worth three points. But for that game it likely won't be enough.