At the quarter pole of the season, the worst team in the NFL is...

[RokSki]

...the New Orleans Saints.

The stats:


* Saints (0-4) PF: 51 PA: 119 PPG: 12.75 PPGA: 29.75 PPG (diff.): -17.0
* Rams (0-5) PF: 70 PA: 137 PPG: 14.00 PPGA: 27.40 PPG (diff.): -13.4
* Miami (0-5) PF: 97 PA: 141 PPG: 19.40 PPGA: 28.20 PPG (diff.): - 8.8


- The Saints are the worst in the league in point differential
- The Saints are 2nd worst in the league in PPG (Bills)
- The Saints are 3rd worst in the league in PPGA (Lions, Browns)


Depending on the outcome of tomorrow night's game, Buffalo could surpass New Orleans' NFL-worst points-per-game differential, but it would have to be a total whitewash for that to happen, something on the order of a 35-point Dallas victory.

So for Peter King, and Chris Landry, and Bill Simmons, and Sean Farnham of Fox Sports Radio, and all the rest of the New Orleans/USC/Reggie Bush/anti-Mario Williams bandwagon crew -- it's not a pretty picture right now.

I guess next week will be the week when New Orleans "busts out" on offense, and when Reggie Bush becomes the beneficiary of all the extra touches. That is, when he averages more than 4 yards per touch.

New Orleans seems to have no answers for the Cover 2 defense. If you play them in a deep zone and don't allow the home run pass, they seem unable to grind out drives, particularly with the stout McAllister gone for the season.

Sean Payton seemed to make all the right moves last season en route to winning the Coach of the Year award. But during this 0-4 start, Payton seems to have the "Reverse Midas Touch."

Oh, and a note to Saints receivers: You're supposed to catch the ball, not juggle and drop it.

As great as last year was for the Saints, this year has started with the same momentum, but in the opposite direction.

If they're not careful, the Saints could be heading back to the Bernard Diliberto/Aints days, symbolized by this fashion accessory:

For the citizens still coping with Katrina and for whom the Saints mean a great deal, let's hope things don't end up that bad.

Very interested to see King's MMQB tomorrow, and see if he is ready to formally bury the Saints' playoff chances and season. Just listening to Chris Landry on Fox Sports Radio (a HUGE Saints believer), he's not quite ready to give up, but he's almost there.

For a person who has invested as much in the Saints, King might be equally reluctant to give up on the struggling squad.

 

[Clever username]

Quarter pole means a quarter remaining, not gone.

 

[slappy4428]

Quarter pole means a quarter remaining, not gone.

Oops.

 

[Chi City 81]

Cleanup on Aisle 5. There's a white, milky discharge on Aisle 5.

 

[sportschick]

There's a reason some people aren't employed in this profession.

 

[slappy4428]

Cleanup on Aisle 5. There's a white, milky discharge on Aisle 5.

You sure? I thought it was clear?

 

[BYH]

I knew the answer to this before I even opened it up.

 

[AgatePage]

at least he knows how to use the bold and italic functions

 

[Clever username]

at least he knows how to use the bold and italic functions

And one day he'll come back from the bathroom without **** on his pants.

 

[RokSki]

Damn you, Allan Muir, for confusing me on the meaning of "quarter pole:"

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/allan_muir/11/27/quarter.awards/index.html

(paragraph 6)

It's amazing the stuff that sticks in my mind, like an SI.com NHL article from almost a year ago. I knew I shouldn't read so much.

My mom, ex-horse trainer, would be very disappointed in that reference. Sorry, Secretariat.

 

[slappy4428]

Is that your mom and your ex-horse trainer or your mom is an ex-horse trainer?
How does one train an ex-horse anyway?

 

[Chi City 81]

Is that your mom and your ex-horse trainer or your mom is an ex-horse trainer?
How does one train an ex-horse anyway?

By injecting them with Winstrall? I'm guessing Rok knows a thing or two about that drug.

 

[deskslave]

RokSki.

RokSki had ***** tits.

 

[BYH]

MA!!! THE MEAT LOAF!!! ****!!!!

 

[Bubbler]

What the hell just happened?

 

[markvid]

Oh, and a note to you RokSki.
You're not an NFL receiver, so I don't think they'll be taking advice from you.

 

[friend of a friend]

This has turned out far better than I expected.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I'd like to say the Saints haven't been this bad since I was playing, but that probably wouldn't be true ...

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Rok, I don't get your whole deal with the Saints, but the Bills belong in this discussion.

The league is so very weak this year. It's tough to identify the real dog**** teams since they'll still be hanging around in reasonable playoff contention much longer than one rightly should.

 

[RokSki]

These two stats courtesy Ed Staton of BayouBuzz.com:

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/Louisiana/Sports/Louisiana_Sports_Buzz__LSU_Tigers_Tops_New_Orleans_Saints_Bottom__4853.asp


Only the 1992 Chargers have dug out of an 0-4 hole to make the playoffs...The Saints are 0-4 for the first time since 1996 and next play on Sunday night at Seattle.


Those 1992 San Diego Chargers finished the season on an 11-1 streak. Anyone think that this year's Saints have an 11-1 stretch in them?

Historically speaking, if the Saints lose at Seattle to a team that will be looking to make amends for the rout it just suffered against Pittsburgh, bye-bye playoffs.

The "Curse of the Reggie Bush 'Flip TD'" seems to be in very good shape after one half (- 2 minutes, 40 seconds) of playoff football and 4 games of the following season.

And those 1996 Saints?

They finished 3-13. They were so bad that head coach Jim Mora resigned after the 'Aints started off 2-6. Mora had been the Saints' coach for more than 10 seasons. Mora's departure paved the way for the hiring of Mike Ditka as the Saints' head man the following season.

Even if the Saints were to match their worst franchise record ever of 1-15 (1980), there is little chance Sean Payton will be resigning. After winning Coach of the Year honors last season and taking New Orleans within one game of the Super Bowl, he seems a sure bet to be patrolling the Saints sidelines for years to come.

Fans of the team, though, are just hoping Payton is coaching the Saints, and not the 'Aints.