Election day is a little less than 2 weeks away, but did you also know the 2020 NFL trade deadline is too? That's right! The 2020 election and the NFL trade deadline ARE THE SAME DAY! On Tuesday, November 3 we will be awash in NFL trade and Election Day rumors! Matt Ryan traded to San Francisco and leaked exit polls showing Donald Trump up 59 points in New York whispers will be RAGING on social media.
It might be one of the top five greatest days of my life. Right behind my wedding, birth of my kid, and that Christmas Eve where Marshon Lattimore intercepted Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons with his rear end.
Yes, the election is important and we need to take seriously who the next president of our country will be and yes you should care about who is on your child's school board, but having the election collide with the most insane day of the NFL regular season is going to be amazing.
I'm so excited, I made sure to vote early this year, so I won't miss any potential Saints news for those five minutes I would've been in the voting booth November 3. I might need to take a personal day from work so I can soak in all this craziness.
The best part? We all know the Saints are going to be at the center of NFL trade deadline day. Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton have a history of doing or trying to do big things. From trading for Eli Apple in 2018 to reportedly trying to trade for Cincinnati Bengals receiver AJ Green in 2019.
Don't forget kids, the Saints tried to use Cleveland Browns cap space in a trade so they could add Jadeveon Clowney. The Saints are all in for 2020 and the only limits to their madness is their imagination and the NFL office rejecting their trade proposals.
So, who might the Saints look to add on what I've dubbed Trad-lection Extravaganza? Pass rush. The Saints went all in for Clowney and six weeks later do you think they feel any better about their pass rush? Marcus Davenport is back, Cam Jordan is looking like his regular self, and we even have signs of life from Sheldon Rankins, but do you feel good about the Saints ability to pressure the quarterback? Me neither. Let's go shopping for some sacks, shall we?
Let's start with the wild ridiculous ideas first…
J.J. Watt
If we are going to dream let's dream BIG! Watt has two sacks on six quarterback hits, is the greatest player in Texans history, and probably doesn't want to be or even interested in getting traded.
The thing is the Texans are 1-5, traded away next year's 1st and 2nd round picks to Miami, and fired their head coach.
They are going to be starting a complete rebuild next year around quarterback Deshaun Watson and you can't rebuild without draft picks. If the Saints came calling with 2nd round pick or even their 2021 1st, the Texans would at least have to think about it.
Watt isn't the player he was but don't tell me if that breaking news alert hit your phone the Saints added Watt you wouldn't first pumping and immediately calling everyone you know declaring the Saints Super Bowl locks.
You probably say this is ridiculous to talk about, but I'll quote Langston Hughes...
'Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.'
I put no limits on my Saints dreams and neither should you.
Leonard Williams New York Giants
The Giants gave up a 3rd and 5th round pick to acquire Williams last season and he is playing on a 1-year franchise tag for $16 million. New York is 1-5 and is either going nowhere or one game out of first place in the NFC East -- depending on how you view things.
Williams has never lived up to his lofty draft status but he can play defensive end or tackle, and if the Giants had the chance to flip him for a 2nd round pick when he's most likely out the door next season, they'd be incredibly stupid not to. So of course, they probably won't. This has been Ralph's TED Talk on 'Why bad teams stay bad'.
Ryan Kerrigan Washington
Now we are getting into the realistic portion of this column. Kerrigan ,32, has 93 career sacks, including 3 this year, and has a reasonable $11.5 million dollar salary, so I'm sure Saints GM Mickey Loomis could wave a wand or do accounting tricks he does to make it work before he finishes his morning coffee.
The future of our country might be at stake on November 3, but so could the Saints Super Bowl chances. Throw in the fact that 2020 is completely off the rails in every possible way, and the Trad-lection Extravaganza is going to be a fitting close to the insanity that is 2020.
Saints Fan Mood and Meditation Music: Dance the Night Away --Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen died last week and while I'm a huge Van Halen fan I prefer David Lee Roth Van Halen to Sammy Hagar Van Halen. David Lee Roth Van Halen just ROCKS more. We all loved Teddy Bridgewater and his dancing, so this Van Halen song fits perfectly, but he's a Carolina Panther now and I wish him nothing but the worst Sunday. Why couldn't you go to a nice AFC team like the Colts so it didn't have to be this way Teddy? As Michael Corleone said in the Godfather "It's not personal, it's strictly business."
The Games
Last Week:1-4 Season: 12-13
New Orleans (-7.5) vs. Carolina: The Panthers have the 'Rona in their building so will this game be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or later in the year? As of now it's scheduled for Sunday. The Panthers defense is terrible with only 6 sacks all year and they give up 121 yards rushing so Drew and company should score lots of points. The Saints will have 3000 fans at this game so hopefully we won't have to be subjected to the fake crowd noise.
Teddy Bridgewater is having a decent start in Carolina and now that Robbie Anderson no longer has the 'Adam Gase' stink on him, he's good again.
Will Michael Thomas return? Sean Payton had as much interest talking about that as I do working out 5 times a week. This starts the soft part of the 2020 Saints schedule; they better get rolling. They will.
Saints 35-17
New York Giants (+3.5) at Philadelphia: If the Saints played in the NFC East they’d have the division clinched by Halloween. Eagles 17-14 Green Bay (-3.5) at Houston: If Drew Brees played like Aaron Rogers in Tampa, ESPN would demand he retire during the game because he’s so washed up. Packers 35-27
Atlanta (-2.5) vs Detroit: I believe the Falcons are currently in the 7-9 loop of sadness the Saints were in from 2014-2016. Changing head coaches won’t change this. Falcons 45-24
Los Angeles Rams (-6) vs Chicago: The Bears are 5-1. 2020 is wild.
Rams 24-13
Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com , find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the Saints Happy Hour Podcast.