You know how longtime married couples sometimes finish each other’s sentences and sometimes take on some of the personality of their spouse? What if NFL fan bases do the same thing with whoever the team’s head coach is?
As the 2018 New Orleans Saints continue their season of posing for pictures after creating a turnover, eating candy on the sidelines, using props to celebrate touchdowns, and generally having as much fun as they damn well please, I’ve begun to wonder if by extension the fanbase has taken on the personality of head coach Sean Payton.
It certainly seems like it. Yes, every NFL fan base has members who are insufferable, obnoxious, funny, cruel, etc., but in general Saints fans seem to have taken on the cocky with a smile personality of Sean Payton.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but not every fan base of winning football teams have the fun we do.
The University of Alabama fans mostly seem intent on treating the greatest team in college football history as a joyless march to perfection. The exact same outlook Nick Saban takes to football. The week the Crimson Tide played LSU, multiple Alabama fan websites were legitimately upset LSU head coach Ed Orgeron had the audacity to think LSU would win. You’d think a fan base about to go 15-0 would simply point and laugh at an inferior team talking noise leading up to a big game? Nope. Football is super duper serious at ALL TIMES. Nick Saban says so, so act accordingly.
The Saints meanwhile have won 10 straight games and Sean Payton isn’t just allowing the celebrations around him to continue, it feels like he’s conducting them. Alvin Kamara is eating candy on the sideline and Michael Thomas is doing Joe Horn tributes and Sean Payton’s attitude seems to be, “As long as you perform on gameday, go have as much fun as you like.” Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram might as well be doing a standup comedy routine during post-game interviews after the Saints win.
"We've been telling you this; he's the GOAT, man," Mark Ingram said after the Saints 31-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons.
Alvin Kamara added about Drew Brees throwing 4 touchdowns to undrafted players "undrafted, drafted, it don't matter."
The only thing missing was an audience of paying customers laughing at the joke. You think Bill Belichick would allow such enjoyable nonsense in his locker room? The man once benched Wes Welker for giving a hilarious interview poking fun at then New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan.
All of this caring too much about sports is silly but we do it so embrace all the ridiculousness of it. Winning is always fun, but when the head coach and the players join in 100 percent on the fun the fans are having, it’s even better.
Saints Fan Mood and Meditation Music: Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys – Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
Ed Bruce originally wrote the song but the Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings version is the one we all recognize. It’s about time our Saints music selection got a little country don’t you think? I’d say don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys because they’ll just lose playoff games and be laughed at by America, but that’d be mean, so I won’t.
The Games
Last Week: 3-2
Season: 32-23
Dallas (+7) vs New Orleans: I keep picking against the Saints because these Las Vegas lines get more preposterous by the week. The only thing keeping the Saints from being a 10-point favorite is probably lots and lots of people bet the Cowboys regardless of how good they are, and Vegas has decided tons of people betting Cowboys +10 is bad for business.
The Saints need to beat the Cowboys to spare America from 24/7 coverage of ‘The Cowboys are BAAACK’ which we are sure to get if Dallas wins. ESPN’s ‘First Take’ will just be a Cowboys to the Super Bowl infomercial. The thought made me black out.
This will be an interesting game because the Dallas defense is fourth in points allowed (19.4) and eighth in yards (331.1). So it should be fun test for Saints offense.
Did you know the Saints haven’t trailed in a football game since the second quarter of Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings? How is that an actual thing that is happening?
The one thing the 2018 season hasn’t had yet is the great Drew Brees comeback magic show. The Saints trailed by 10 in Baltimore ever so briefly, but I’m talking major miracle come from way behind win. Think Miami Dolphins game in 2009 where Saints trailed 24-3.
Thursday is going to be where Drew undertakes a Dallas come from behind miracle, wins a game the Saints have no business winning, locks down the MVP, and gives America the joy of seeing sad Jerry Jones look like he saw a ghost as Cowboys squander what felt like an insurmountable lead.
Saints 31-28
Tampa Bay (+3.5) vs Carolina: It’s possible we can all preorder our ‘2018 NFC South Champions’ merchandise Sunday night. Good times.
Bucs 35-31
Cleveland (+4.5) at Houston: I’m still not over the travesty that was LSU-Texas A&M, and I want every football team in the state of Texas to suffer for it.
Browns 25-21
Arizona (+14) at Green Bay: If the 4-6-1 Packers are 14point favorites over the Cardinals, what would the Saints be? -30?
Packers 27-17
Los Angeles Rams (-9.5) at Detroit: The Rams are going 15-1 because their remaining schedule is a layup line. Matt Patricia looks like a man who does drywall poorly.
Ralph Malbrough is a Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SaintsForecast or download his podcast at Itunes