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Super Saints Weekly 258

Super Saints Weekly 258

Why Football Is Important
One week ago I found myself having felt the sweetest of highs watching LSU win perhaps one of the best games I ever had the pleasure to watch as they defeated Florida, only to feel a horrifying low the following day as I watched my beloved Saints lose a heart breaker on a last second field goal to the Carolina Panthers. Looking back after the Saints game, I found it funny how in such a brief period of time my emotions could race on such a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. While thinking of this, I remembered a question that was asked to me the night before after the LSU victory. Sitting in a bar with friends, a stranger approached after the cheering had died down to a low rumble and asked, “Why does it matter to you and what makes you care so much?” My friend quickly shouted his answer, “Because it’s Tiger football!” and the crowd surrounding us once again cheered loudly because of his response. However, after watching the Saints go down in defeat to the Panthers, I took a little time to think about that question again and I believe I found the true answer.
I sat there that dark Sunday afternoon remembering the incredible high I felt after the LSU victory, only to feel a stomach twisting low less than 24 hours later with my Saints having lost yet another game in a season that began with so much promise for them and I asked myself, “Why is football so important?” The question echoed in my head as everything else around me seemed to take a backseat. Then it came to me, the answer to the question asked by a stranger the night before which I now couldn’t get out of my head, “Why is football so important?” While fans and the media can likely give you hundreds, perhaps thousands of answers to this question, many of which would probably be excellent answers, it seemed perhaps as if the obvious answer was one that was the most simple and true. There are many reasons why one could claim that football is important, but maybe the true reason for this is an answer that strikes close to the heart.
Since its creation, football has grabbed onto the hearts and minds of a nation. Those who love the sport embrace it and crave it year around, counting the days until the off-season stops and football season begins. Those who don’t follow the sport look on from a distance, shaking their heads wondering what makes the others believe that the sport so special. Perhaps what makes football so important and special in our hearts isn’t the game itself, but the effect that it has on us. Yes, there isn’t a football fan out there who doesn’t revel in the high that he get when his team wins or cringe at the thought of that gut wrenching feeling he feels when his team loses, but beyond that, football provides us with something much deeper and more important than that of any other sport.
Unlike most things in life, football does something that not many things can do, it unites us. Whether you are at home surrounded by friends cheering for your team or in a bar surrounded by fans of the opposing team chanting for your team’s defeat, football provides us with that one common bond. It provides us with the ability for everyone, no matter what sex, race, or religion, to have something in common to cheer for and love. It allows employees and their bosses to set aside work for a little while and just enjoy our passions for the game. It gives family members a common bond around the holidays to rally around and cheer for no matter what disagreements they may have. Football provides fathers and sons the common conversation that they can always turn to, no matter what disagreements they might find in other areas of life. Football gives us that unique ability to bond together with a mutual respect and understanding for one another’s passion for the game. It is because of this that we huddle around televisions hoping to see the underdog do the impossible or watch and hope for our team to do something extraordinary.
This is the reason for why we love the game and why football is so important. It goes beyond just being a sport by providing us with an avenue to bring our family, friends, and even strangers together in a way nothing else could. It’s a ride that can amaze us or demoralize us and while it might seem strange to those who don’t watch the sport, it is a feeling that anybody who follows the game understands. If along that ride our team loses and causing us that stomach twisting pain, we will accept it, knowing it comes with the territory. However, we will also cherish the victories that our teams deliver to us as we cheer for them, along with the incredible high that it brings to us, the fans. And week after week we will continue to ride this roller coaster of emotions as we cheer our team on and continue to love a game that not everybody understands, but that provides those who do with so much more than just a few hours of entertainment.

Player of the Game
This week’s player of the game for the Saints is David Patten. While this award could have gone to Reggie Bush also, it seemed in my opinion as if Patten turned in the most solid performance of any Saints receiver this year. Patten finished the game with a career high 8 receptions for 113 yards. This performance by Patten could turn out to be a crucial turning point for the Saints offense. So far this year it appears none of the Saints receivers has stepped up to take control of the primary receiver lead on the team. However, Patten stepped up this game and seemed willing and able to be the go to receiver that the Saints need for those key big plays and 3rd down plays. Hopefully he will be able to continue to help spark the passing game for the Saints, which should open up running lanes for Reggie Bush.

Saints vs. Falcons Game Preview
The Saints will be facing the Falcons this week in what hopefully will be another step towards turning this season around. With Vick no longer with the team, the Falcons are struggling and ripe for the picking. For the Saints to win this game, their defense will have to continue the trend they started last week of adding pressure to the quarterback and stiffening the front line against the run. On offense, the only thing that appears able to stop the Saints is the Saints. If the team doesn’t drop passes and can provide some protection for the quarterback, then they should be able to pull out a victory against the Falcons and continue their uphill climb towards competing for the playoffs.

Q & A
Q & A is the question and answer section. If you have a question you would like answered, email it to SuperSaintsWeekly@yahoo.com with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.
Q – I did not get to see the Saints last week; however, I did hear about the poor performance by the kicker. I know that the Saints tried out kickers this week, why didn’t they make a move? Mare has not got the job done and Payton needs to do something to shake up the team. – Walt Crawford
A – Walt, I must admit I agree with you. While I do believe that Mare has talent, in my opinion he has struggled this year and with the Saints trying to get things back together, you must have faith in your kicker. However, I guess the Saints decided to try and give him another chance, but I would have to believe that he is on a short leash.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.