For “Diehard” Saints Fans: 4 Storylines to Watch as Season Closes
Oct 19, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) huddles the offense against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Lions defeated the Saints 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
With three games left to play, and the Saints out of playoff contention, it may seem like there is nothing left to play for. However, there is still a lot that needs to be resolved in 2016 — if New Orleans wants to be Playoff contenders next season and hopefully beyond.
As the misery that has been the 2016 Saints football season winds to a close, fans can be forgiven if they choose to divert their attention elsewhere come Sundays, to holiday parties or other things designed to lift spirits instead of the rather depressing Saints.
After all, it can be “soul-crushing” to watch the Saints find another infuriating and heartbreaking way to lose a close game that they could have won, the theme of the Saints season.
In fact, even I personally wasn’t spreading too much holiday cheer after that clunker of a game against the Lions.
More from New Orleans Saints
- New Orleans Saints: Three biggest questions heading into the offseason
- New Orleans Saints: Three positives to take from playoff loss
- New Orleans Saints: Bold predictions for Wild Card Round vs. Vikings
- New Orleans Saints: Complete roster breakdown vs. Minnesota Vikings
- New Orleans Saints: The one overarching reason why the Vikings will lose
However, even accepting the bitter disappointment that 2016 brought, there are serious signs for optimism in 2017. There’s no disputing that the Saints were better this year than they were last year, even if their final record winds up indicating otherwise.
The biggest improvement has come on the defensive side of the ball, under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. But the Saints recent struggles on the offensive side of the ball flash all the way back to the warning signs we saw in the pre-season, when the offensive line looked like a liability, and the defense largely seemed more in sync than the offense.
Clearly, there are some moves that the Saints need to make this offseason, both in the draft and in free agency to acquire some of these missing pieces.
But there’s still a while (NFL Free Agency begins March 9th and the 2017 NFL Draft is April 27th-29th) yet to go, before we get there.
So for those “die hard” Saints fans who will watch every game to the bitter end, there are still some interesting storylines to pay attention to as the season mercifully winds down.
If you have a few minutes to spare, and are looking for ways to get somewhat excited to watch the Saints on Sunday; please allow me to at least give you some reasons that might peak your interest.
Starting with arguably the most ‘entertaining’ reason of them all……