I remember the day I saw the movie Transformers 2. Even though sequels are historically subpar to their originals, I still felt like the movie had all the components of a summer blockbuster. Non stop action, explosions, big name stars and a franchise that had been so popular for so long that there was NO POSSIBLE WAY that it could miss. The same actors had played these same roles before and played them great, so all they really had to do was pickup where they left off after the first movie. I mean, could it get any easier? It was like the bases were loaded for them, the relief pitcher was on the mound and all I had to do was sit back and watch them knock it out of the park. Then, I actually watched the movie. What unfolded right before my eyes was a sham, an embarrassment, a performance so poor that not even the sight of Megan Fox all hot and sweaty (again) could stop me from turning off that train wreck of a film less than an hour into it. And yesterday afternoon was like déjà vu’ all over again.
The defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, went into the game against Seattle yesterday with it all laid out for them. Yes, they had struggled at times this season, fighting injuries to their key players and winning in spite of interceptions from their All-World quarterback Drew Brees. But this is exactly what the doctor ordered. A first round playoff matchup with a sub-.500 team that they had blown out only weeks earlier. “Breesus” and the Saints would have no trouble carving up a team that won only seven games this year and had literally gotten blown out in all nine of their losses, right? Wrong. New Orleans gave up 41 points to the Seahawks en route to suffering one of the most humiliating losses in franchise history. I’m sure every NFL analyst in the country could do nothing but shake their heads in disgust at the way Matt Hasselbeck, playing with one hand, threw four touchdowns against a defense that was finished the regular season ranked 4th in the league against the pass.
How the Saints can score 36 points and still lose a playoff game to a losing team is something that I will never understand. I’m not sure, maybe this falls on head coach Sean Payton for not having his team prepared to show up for a playoff game. Or maybe it was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who didn’t come up with a solid enough scheme, and a veteran QB like Hasselbeck just took advantage of the opportunity. Or maybe, just maybe the blame should fall on the players. They obviously took this game and this team lightly. They were slow to the ball, easily fooled and the tackling that was on display during Marshawn Lynch’s back-breaking TD run was enough to make every high school football coach in America puke.
Disappointing? Of course. Every loss is disappointing for a team, especially in the playoffs. But this was downright pathetic. Who Dat Nation, meet the Transformers generation. Hopefully next time around we all will have something worth watching.
