Archive for September, 2009
The New Orleans Saints have displayed an amazing offensive output in their first 2 games this season, but they still aren’t getting much respect from the national media. ESPN.com’s weekly power rankings has the Saints at #7, which puts them behind such teams as the Giants and Colts (who both got lucky in their wins this week) and even the 1-1 Steelers, who lost to an Urlacher-less Bears. How many top-caliber teams will we have to beat before anyone recognizes we still play in the NFL.
The Saints blew out the Eagles on Sunday, solidifying their place among the elite teams in the NFC. Sure, the Eagles were without Donovan McNabb, but McNabb doesn’t play defense, and the Saints scored 48 points and an Eagles D that was supposed to be one of the best in football. Following Drew Brees’ dominance in week 1, the Saints held a #12 spot in ESPN’s Power Rankings. That’s not bad, but considering the Saints performance it was clear ESPN thought this team was a fluke. They’ll have to think a little harder for week 2 rankings, which come out later today. 7 of the 10 teams in front of the Saints lost this week. We should certainly rank higher than the Eagles, and it’s hard to believe the 0-2 Tennessee Titans are better than the 2-0 Saints. I really think the Saints have earned a spot in the top 5, along with the Giants, the Jets, the Ravens and the Falcons. That’s probably not the top 5 most would have predicted after week 2 going into this season, but it’s hard to argue against those teams right now.
The Saints play the Bills next Sunday, which should help them up the power rankings even more. After that they’ll really have to earn their spot, as they play home games against the Jets and the Giants, with a bye week in between.
Tickets for the game vs. the Bucs for under $30
The Saints will play their final home game of the regular season on December 27 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coming a week after the big Saturday game against the Cowboys, there’s a chance of an emotional letdown in this game. The Saints will need us in full force to get their energy levels up to play the Bucs as hard as I’m sure they’ll play the Cowboys. With just one more week left in the regular season after this, it could very well be a do or die game. Lucky for Saints fans, tickets for this game are selling on the secondary market for the cheapest of any Saints home game this season, with cheap seats going for under $30.
Q: Where can I find tickets for this game for under $100
Think the Patriots are the biggest draw in the NFL? Think again, the Cowboys are still king. The demand for tickets for this Saturday game against the Saints has been HUUUGE, far outpacing the prices the previous home game against the Patriots commanded. This will be a Saturday night game, but I don’t know yet whether or not it will be nationally televised. I would imagine it will be, or at the very least it’ll be available on NFL Network (available on Dish Network and from some cable companies that don’t suck, Time Warner in the northeast being one that does suck). Somehow I got stuck with Tony Romo on my fantasy team (damned autodraft), so I hope the Saints win this one with a shootout and the Cowboys score 35 points on 7 passing touchdowns and 500 total yards in the air.
Low-priced tickets for this game $70-$90
Tom Brady and the Patriots will make a rare appearance in the Superdome on November 30th for a Monday Night Football game against the Saints. This might not be the biggest game on the Saints schedule for Saints fans, but it’s certainly the one that will get the largest national audience as the returning King Brady faces off against Drew Brees and company. Tickets for this game are more than double the price of other Saints home game tickets on the resellers market, which shows how immensely popular the Patriots have become in the past decade. You wouldn’t have believed me if I told you in 1999 that the Patriots were going to be the big draw team of the 2000’s. They were a terrible franchise, but one player turned it all around for them. Maybe that can happen for the Saints in 2009 and the 2010’s (do we call it the twenty-tens, twenty-teens, or just the teens?).
Cheap seats for this game for under $35
The Carolina Panthers will visit their southeast rival in the Superdome on November 8. I think this game could be a pivotal point in the Saints season. They really need to rack up the wins at home, especially against a conference opponent who they could end up battling for a division title or wild card spot. This is a later afternoon Sunday game with a local kickoff time of 3:00. Some really good seats are for sale on the secondary market if you don’t want to sit in the $35 nosebleed sections.
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