The Saints are STILL marching..

New Orleans 35, Atlanta 27.

The game that wouldn’t end. In what looked like a blowout in the last minutes of the 4th quarter the Saints managed to allow the Falcons to turn the last 3:00 minutes into a barnburner.

I had little hope for the Saints in early moments of last night, firstly because every talking head for ESPN picked them for the win. Rules of the general universe are that individuals who get paid millions of dollars to prognosticate sports outcomes are generally always wrong. Life’s a bitch that way, for you and your beloved team…ultimate kiss of death.

Kudos to the team from Cajun land especially goes to the WR corps…who made one acrobatic catch after another last night. Most impressive overall was Marques Colston, but a one handed grab by Jeremy Shockey during a critical fourth quarter scoring drive was definitely a highlight!
Side note: I am astonished by this rebirth of Jeremy Shockey, the Saints have managed to make him an almost likeable football player (take notice I did NOT say human being). He's also become a rather consistent and effective catcher, shocking, as with the Giants he only truly effective at catching Chlamydia or alcohol poisoning.

The Saints defense lead by Fresh Prince of the French Quarter (Will Smith), Darren Sharper, and Jabari Greer - managed to keep Matt Ryan on the ground and/or turning the ball over (19-24 with 3 sacks and 3 INT’s).

Surprises?

• Drew Brees struggled at times, and the Saints found ways to overcome
• The Saints 3^rd down defense / Falcons horrific 3^rd down completion rate, 3-11
• Falcons defense putting point on the board for the first time this season
• John Gruden’s omage to Heath Leger*

* Note- not a good surprise. Do not click unless you want to have your dreams haunted forever.

Not Surprises.

• Nasty New Orleans defensive secondary
  
• Obligatory Katrina references throughout ESPN’s broadcast (what? A hurricane? When did this happen?)
• Drunk, insane, yet heart warming Saints fans (yes that photo is probably the BEST and worst example!)
  
• John Gruden’s insanity and useless cliché diarrhea of the mouth

Fear not Atlanta fans.

Although week 8 is in the books, it seems Michael Turner has realized that the NFL season has started- SO turn those frowns upside down!

Turner put forth his best stats of the season, but a far cry from the 17 touchdowns and almost 1700 yard he racked up in 2008.

At 4-3 overall, the banged up Falcons squad need Turner to have last night’s consistency (at the very least) going forth. Maybe try running on short yardage 3^rd downs? Maybe?

Onward for America’s team.

The black and gold are 7-0. No matter who you are at this point, resisting the Saint’s charm is futile, its impossible really to NOT want to see them carry their city to a Super Bowl. I know, cheering for undefeated teams is for frontrunners, but it seems even the coolest ( read: douchiest) of fans are jumping on this bandwagon.

Why? Because unlike the 2007 Patriots, the Saints are ACTUALLY like able. Also I think the greater football fan society (outside of New England, so you know, the uneducated part of the country) would cheer for a team of terrorists before EVER cheering for the Pats.

What I know about the NFL week 8…which is not much

Philadelphia Eagles 40, New York Giants 17

The Giants downward spiral now ties the Cincinnati Bengals as my favorite 2009 NFL storyline.

The train wreck known as the Dallas Cowboys 2008, 2009 (and perhaps 2010) seasons previously held the honor.

All this winning and overall Philadelphia sports-ness makes me uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure Dante was inspired by the city an its sports franchises when creating his inferno. It’s citizens? Fra Alberigo and Branca d’Oria.

Forgive me if the Eagles winning and Phillies playing in the World Series feels kinda wrong. Success, like all that is unfamiliar, makes me uneasy.

Miami Dolphins 30, New York Jets 25.

Beat me once, shame on you, beat me twice, I have your number.

I have no explanation for how the Jets managed to lose to the Dolphins, twice. But hey, why is the sky blue? Sometimes there are just mysteries in life, and I’m okay with that.

Chad Henne being a competent NFL quarterback? Now that’s just creepy.

Baltimore Ravens 30, Denver Broncos 7.

Although a Philadelphian born and bred, I have loved the Baltimore Ravens as my team since 2003.

I know I shouldn’t, when people decide to adopt a new team as their own (which is really the 8^th deadly sin in and of itself), they do not, DO NOT pick the Baltimore Ravens.

Every time I admit this out loud and in public shame pulses through my body, but if loving the Ravens with blind and borderline psychotic passion only demonstrated by the truest of football fans is wrong – I don’t want to be right

I love the toughness, dirtiness, and sheer violence the Ravens defense is notorious for (although these qualities currently seem to be bleeding out of this aging unit like a) I love Joe Flacco for being the most boring, unassuming, underrated and under-recognized quarterback in the 2008 draft class, and possibly the league (and No, my being a UD alum has nothing to do with it). I love Ray Rice, Haloti Ngata, Michael Oher, and I even love that crazy little pregame dance Ray Lewis does…THERE I SAID IT.

I’m told admitting you have a problem is the first step….

If it's any consolation though, I still find purple camouflage to be unacceptable and a danger to society.

‘Everybody loses’. Dr. Gregory House says ‘Everybody lies’, which to an extent I really believe makes House the most refreshingly honest show currently on the air (suck it reality television). In the NFL, aside from the 72’ Dolphins, ‘Everybody loses’.

The Broncos were going to lose, and now freshly exposed, I believe they will continue to lose a few more. The Saints will lose and so will the Colts.

How exactly the Colts (the most boring undefeated team in the history of EVER) will suffer defeat remains a mystery to me. Probably have to ask Peyton Manning –my television tells me he knows everything, or Tony Dungy, as I am starting t believe that man really DOES know everything!!!

Although I only see 1 of the undefeated going down this week, the Falcons could very well crush the American dream known as the New Orleans Saints 2009 season, and it wouldn’t shock the shit out of me. I am holding a pilot light of optimism and hope for the black and gold, and trying not to be such a sarcastic and jaded sports blog cliché.

Minnesota Vikings 38, Green Bay Packers 26

My heart hurts for Aaron Rodgers, it really does.

Midwesterners simply can’t pull off the hostile, drunk, violent, and self-loathing fan base. A true angry mob throws batteries and boo’s Santa. Come on Wiscons-onians, slaughter a goat, stab someone in the parking lot…

Brett Favre live stream, courtesy of NFL.com = sign 999,999,999 of the apocalypse. I get this new era, I do. We live in a world where the League, ESPN, and other various powers that be can verbally fellate a player in public without arrest or even citation for public indecency.

But let me tell you, we are one more barnyard animal virus outbreak and On Air personality sex scandal away from a scene strait out of I Am Legend.

...Oh, and the Rams won, good for them! I prefer a season without an 0-16 team, no losers here! Even if your only win is over Detroit.