0

SportsBlog

Saints’ Winless Preseason Foreshadows Regular Season Failure

The New Orleans Saints ended the preseason doing something they haven’t done since 2006 and achieved something the team had never done in franchise history: It played quarterback http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000692443/article/saints-plan-to-play-starters-in-final-preseason-tilt">Drew Brees in the final preseason game for a series.

Brees hadn’t played in the final preseason game since 2006, which was his first season with the team. That year, he was coming off a shoulder injury and was trying to find his groove again.

As shocking as Brees playing might be, even more shocking might be the fact the Saints would go http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/09/new_orleans_saints_end_preseas.html">winless in back-to-back preseasons for the first time in franchise history. Before the 2015 preseason, the last time New Orleans went winless in the preseason was 1971.

When the Saints went winless during the 2015 preseason, they finished the year with a 7-9 record in the regular season. The 1971 team went 0-6 in the preseason and finished the regular season with a 4-8-2 record.

Every preseason you hear, “Don’t put too much stock in preseason games,” but you can glean certain things during these games, such as the fact that most teams that look bad and have issues in the preseason will have issues in the regular season.

When starters are facing starters, it’s another good indication of how well a team could be in the regular season. Plenty of teams win games in the third and fourth quarter of the preseason with players who won’t be on the roster when the regular season starts.

The scores don’t matter. Unless it is first- and second-string players, it is the look of a team that is worth the watch. This season, the Saints have given glimpses to several questions going into the season.

Can the starting and backups on the offensive line protect the quarterback and make holes in the running game?

Can the defense make tackles, stop the run and cover receivers in the passing game?

Can the team force and avoid turnovers?

New Orleans has struggled on the offensive line in pass and run-blocking. Overall, the offense has struggled to http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&offensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&role=TM&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-p=1&conference=ALL&d-447263-s=TOTAL_POINTS_GAME_AVG">keep drives going and score points.

If this team is going to reach the playoffs, the http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&offensiveStatisticCategory=TEAM_PASSING&role=TM&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&conference=ALL&d-447263-s=PASSING_SACKED">offensive line must play better. Brees needs the http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&offensiveStatisticCategory=RUSHING&role=TM&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-p=1&conference=ALL&d-447263-s=RUSHING_YARDS_PER_GAME_AVG">running game to help take pressure off him having to make every play.

The New Orleans defense wasn’t terrible in the first two preseason games. Then came the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-string offense, which took the Saints defense behind the woodshed.

Pittsburgh did whatever it wanted, for the most part, against New Orleans. The Steelers’ passing game torched the Saints’ pass defense.

New Orleans has http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&role=OPP&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-p=1&conference=ALL&defensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&d-447263-s=FUMBLES_TOTAL">forced http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&role=OPP&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-p=1&conference=ALL&defensiveStatisticCategory=TEAM_PASSING&d-447263-s=PASSING_INTERCEPTIONS">three turnovers but has committed 10 turnovers for a http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&offensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&conference=ALL&role=TM&season=2016&seasonType=PRE&d-447263-s=TOTAL_YARDS_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-n=1">minus-seven turnover margin. It is hard to win games in the preseason when you can’t keep the ball.

Still, winning at least one game in the preseason is a good idea.

Since 1990, http://www.footballgeography.com/winless-in-the-nfl-preseason/">49 teams have gone http://www.nfl.com/standings?category=league&season=2016-PRE&split=Overall&sort=OVERALL_WIN_PCT&order=asc&colSel=5">winless in the preseason. Of those 49 teams, 21 have gone on to have a record of .500 or 8-8 or better in the last 25 seasons.

Only 10 of those 21 teams to finish at .500 or above reached the playoffs. Of the two out of 10 that made the playoffs, only two reached the Super Bowl, and both lost.

The only time a team went winless in the preseason and won the Super Bowl was the 1984 Washington Redskins. The chances of a winning season and a playoff appearance is slim at best for teams that go winless in the preseason.

New Orleans needs to prove the preseason is truly meaningless with a quick start to the regular season. The Saints only have the newly resigned Brees for two more years and must make the most of these years.

New Orleans begins the 2016 season at home against the Oakland Raiders at noon on Fox. That is a noon start against a west coast team and typically favors the home team.

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment