If anyone can do it, It's Detroit.

[Jules]

I have been with The Packers since 61. I remember some really bad teams.

You are a good man, Dan. And I did not mean it to rhyme but it just did.

Sorry I snapped at you whoartthou. You are a Pats fan though so I am used to snapping at your fanbase so we will have to just deal with it.

I mean I'm not an idiot. I know how the playoffs work and have been watching football since......well maybe the late 80's when I was a little kid. I just often prefer to look at the glass half full side when it comes to the playoffs too. You gotta have faith as George Michael would say.

 

[Jules]

Well it's nothing wrong with it. Before the Saints, it was my beloved Houston Oilers whom I surely miss, still to this day. The Saints kinda grew on me more after the Oilers left, even though I had been to games as a kid. That's my family's team, and they stuck with them during the ugly years.

You can learn a lot being around fans of a losing team for so long, surely there are band wagonners when they start having success, but you can easily tell who was where when they sucked.

There are plenty of Colts fans who have always liked the Saints too. Many seem over the SB loss by now as well. Many like Brees and the NO connection with the Manning's and Wayne. Brees went to Purdue.

In fact many Colts fans have praised Brees for his record recently.

I must be the rebel of people I know . And my mom. I have converted her into a Packers fan.

 

[Bogart]

There are plenty of Colts fans who have always liked the Saints too. Many seem over the SB loss by now as well. Many like Brees and the NO connection with the Manning's and Wayne. Brees went to Purdue.

In fact many Colts fans have praised Brees for his record recently.

I must be the rebel of people I know . And my mom. I have converted her into a Packers fan.

Colts fans are a classy bunch, I will tell you that. I was on a Houston board, and they got along better than the Texans fans after that loss a few weeks ago.

I haven't been to NO in over 10 years, but when they say Manning is looked at like a son there, it's pretty much true. They love Peyton, but I never could see the big thing for Archie Manning. Guess I would have had to have lived in the 70's, cause as fast as Brees broke all his records, I never got the impression he was as great as they say he was. He's more of a "What could have been story" I guess.

 

[Jules]

Colts fans are a classy bunch, I will tell you that. I was on a Houston board, and they got along better than the Texans fans after that loss a few weeks ago.

I haven't been to NO in over 10 years, but when they say Manning is looked at like a son there, it's pretty much true. They love Peyton, but I never could see the big thing for Archie Manning. Guess I would have had to have lived in the 70's, cause as fast as Brees broke all his records, I never got the impression he was as great as they say he was. He's more of a "What could have been story" I guess.

I always gathered that Archie was a decent QB on some very bad teams. That has just been the word.

We can be unclassy though. I mean with AFC rivals. Heck I can smack talk with anyone though.

Awww man. I felt bad when it was a Colts/Saints SB. I knew it would be a bad ending for someone. I could even tell Peyton felt uncomfortable leading up to the game at times. I can read him like a book. He made comments like "I will do my best to help the Colts win the game even though I know how much it would mean to the city of New Orleans to win the title." And Archie had to say out loud he was rooting for the Colts LOL.

Just wasn't meant to be. I wanted the Vikings. I am over the SB loss though. Not like we lost to crap. It was the first seed in the NFC and a future HOF QB. If we lost to say the Bears in 2006 I would have been beside myself.......

 

[Bogart]

I always gathered that Archie was a decent QB on some very bad teams. That has just been the word.

We can be unclassy though. I mean with AFC rivals. Heck I can smack talk with anyone though.

Awww man. I felt bad when it was a Colts/Saints SB. I knew it would be a bad ending for someone. I could even tell Peyton felt uncomfortable leading up to the game at times. I can read him like a book. He made comments like "I will do my best to help the Colts win the game even though I know how much it would mean to the city of New Orleans to win the title." And Archie had to say out loud he was rooting for the Colts LOL.

Just wasn't meant to be. I wanted the Vikings. I am over the SB loss though. Not like we lost to crap. It was the first seed in the NFC and a future HOF QB. If we lost to say the Bears in 2006 I would have been beside myself.......

Archie did play for the Oilers one season, who had one of the worst O-lines in football history, and even Bum Phillips himself said it was a mistake putting him there. Most QB's Phillips had weren't that bad anyway, Dan Pastroni got sacked more than 60 times in one season, other than that he'd look great throwing to good boy Earl Campbell.

Vikings fans down South still act like the Saints stole that championship from them by physically trying to injure Favre, but what makes them think they would have beat the Colts is beyond me. You won't convince me in a million years they would have beat Indy, with a banged up Favre or a healthy one, that defense would have still tore him to pieces.

Packer fans still have to thank the Saints for keeping Favre out of the Super Bowl that year lol

 

[Jules]

Archie did play for the Oilers one season, who had one of the worst O-lines in football history, and even Bum Phillips himself said it was a mistake putting him there. Most QB's Phillips had weren't that bad anyway, Dan Pastroni got sacked more than 60 times in one season, other than that he'd look great throwing to good boy Earl Campbell.

Vikings fans down South still act like the Saints stole that championship from them by physically trying to injure Favre, but what makes them think they would have beat the Colts is beyond me. You won't convince me in a million years they would have beat Indy, with a banged up Favre or a healthy one, that defense would have still tore him to pieces.

Packer fans still have to thank the Saints for keeping Favre out of the Super Bowl that year lol

I think they felt their D would have stuffed our bad run game and they would have teed off on Peyton or something. And our run D could be iffy at times. Still I would have liked the Colts chances.

With a banged up Favre though I would have LOVED the Colts chances. Would have canceled out a banged up Freeney and even Caldwell could have coached well vs. that coaching staff in the Vikings.

Oh well, thanks Favre. Thanks a pile lol. Man oh man did they turn it over a lot in that title game.....wow. They can only blame themselves for all those turnovers.

 

[packerfan4ever]

Lions could win but the Saints q.b has more experience and their d-line will not over look other players,don't think they will just cover Johnson lions d-line think if they can stop the run and get too Brees and not let him have time to throw maybe,but think the saints will beat lions.

 

[morningwood]

Colts fans are a classy bunch, I will tell you that. I was on a Houston board, and they got along better than the Texans fans after that loss a few weeks ago.

I haven't been to NO in over 10 years, but when they say Manning is looked at like a son there, it's pretty much true. They love Peyton, but I never could see the big thing for Archie Manning. Guess I would have had to have lived in the 70's, cause as fast as Brees broke all his records, I never got the impression he was as great as they say he was. He's more of a "What could have been story" I guess.

The "what could have been" theme is part of it, but Archie was incredibly talented and made some incredible plays on a horrible team. I can recall watching him scrambling for his life and making something out of nothing time and again.

As you know, the Saints have a big following in Mississippi, so Archie, being born in the Mississippi delta and a standout at Ole Miss, was an instant fan favorite. Keep in mind this was during a time when access to college games was much more limited by geography, so Archie was well known within the are and there hopes that he would lead the franchise to being a contender.

Not only that, he actually wanted to stay in New Orleans and help the team. He was a big aprt of the community, and still is. People did not hold it against him that he was not on a winning team, if anything they could see the career he could have had and embraced him even more.

 

[PackersRS]

I cannot prove you wrong xyn. I never said that the SAINTS are >>> packers. I said their defense MIGHT BE > green bay's, or at the very least are in similar stratospheres.

The packers O > the saints O. BUTTT, don't act like the saints have some shmuck offense. They broke most of the records sent be the early 2000 ram teams.

They are a dangerous team and overlooking them would be stupid

Here were both teams' standings as of week 16 (before yesterday's meaningless games):

Saints' D:
26th in yards allowed
32nd in forced turnovers
15th in points allowed
23rd in opposite QB rating

Packers' D:
31st in yards allowed
1st in forced turnovers
12nd in points allowed
8th in opposite QB rating

So, they're very similar defenses. The Saints are a little better in allowing yards, while the Packers are a little beter in points allowed, in opposite QB rating, but A LOT, and I mean A LOT better at forcing turnovers (which affects QB rating in a big way).

Another stat that I'd found interesting is redzone efficiency. Here're the numbers (again, as of week 16), and I included the 49ers. One caveat: those numbers are calculated if the game was to be (and it will) at Lambeau (a.k.a. home redzone efficiency for the Packers and away redzone efficiency for the 49ers and Saints).

Offensive RZ efficiency (percentage of TDs scored per trip. I'm using TDs and not scoring, because we all know that if a team is held to FGs against us at the RZ, they're gonna lose):

GB - 1st in the league
NO - 24th in the league
SF - 30th in the league

Defensive RZ efficiency:

GB - 7th
SF - 9th
NO - 31st

That gives validity to some common perceptions. First, that GB is an "opportunistic" defense. Second, that the 49ers offense is terrible in the redzone. But more importantly, that NO, indeed, is another team outside of the Superdome. They go from being the 4th best redzone offense at home and 6th overall, to being 26th. We saw that quite clearly in GB, where the Saints ultimately lost the game because they were unable to convert in the RZ. And their defense is second to last.

All that to say that I like our chances very much. Any given Sunday, and there's no questioning the Saints' talent. But if both teams are able to move past their divisional opponents and reach the NFCC game at Lambeau, the Packers are much more probable to force a turnover than the Saints are, and the Packers are much more probable of holding the Saints to FGs than the Saints are.

As for the Saints x Lions game, I can't see how the Lions can even compete with the Saints, after watching them play against our backups. I had that notion even before, but it only got stronger after sunday. Like I said before, any given sunday, but I expect the game to get out of hand by the middle of the 4th quarter.

 

[AmishMafia]

When I went to a Saints game I became a fan. Not really of the team, but of the fans. Great Fan! I mean 'fans'.

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[Croak]

When I went to a Saints game I became a fan. Not really of the team, but of the fans. Great Fan! I mean 'fans'.

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Please don't let Favre see this!

 

[NelsonsLongCatch]

For Detroit to beat New Orleans, the defensive line is going to have to play HUGE. Suh, Avril, Fairley, Williams and Vanden Bosch are going to have to put heat on Brees from the first snap. The Lions also need to work Pettigrew and Scheftler over the middle against those below-average Saints linebackers.