Destiny Decided To Go Favor the Saints
| 9
|
by user Leslie Monteiro
Destiny has been very good for the Eagles and the Saints this season. Both teams have had magic carpet rides heading to the divisional playoffs. Everything has just went right with them.
The Philadelphia Eagles has gotten some magic when Jeff Garcia filled in for Donovan McNabb, who was done for the season with an unfortunate hamstring injury. Eagles rally to win six in a row to get to the playoffs and then they won a wild-card playoff game under Garcia's play.
Good things have happened to the New Orleans Saints this year. They were able to get Reggie Bush in the draft as the Texans were dumb enough to draft Mario Williams never mind they needed a guy on offense like Bush or Vince Young. They hit a home run by hiring the NFL's Coach of the Year, Sean Payton. They were able to get an efficient Drew Brees in the free agent market. They were able to play their games at home this season after playing at San Antonio. They even got a star in rookie Marques Colston, who was a seventh round pick of Hofstra University. There was a thought that they played their last game at the Superdome and at New Orleans, but that was proven folly. They just had a season to remember.
It is unfortunate that one good story had to end. Destiny decided to side with the Saints. Saints were able to get all the good bounces, good plays, and scoring opportunities in this game. As a result, they will be advancing to the NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Saints got very good production from their running back duo, McAllister and Bush. Those two helped led the way to a ticket to Chicago. The Saints gave the Eagles a heavy diet of those two running the ball. to the point that it became predictable. The NFC East champs could not wear them down.
Give Coach Payton credit for sticking to his guns and running the same plays. It seemed to work. It would have been nice if the Saints use the passing game a lot because that wins games come playoff time, but to their credit, they won with they believe. Also, he deserves accolades for finding a way to make it work with his runningbacks. It has to be tough to have two good runningbacks because one will not be happy if he does not get enough carries. He has found a way to make them happy.
McAllister and Bush also should be commended for handling their role with grace. They have made it work which is not an easy thing to do. There is a reason why coaches always have one primary running back because he does not want to risk chemistry problems within the team with two running backs.
Bush made his impact in the first half. He put the Saints in a position to score when he ran in scoring territory. This helped John Carney to kicked field goals. His big play was when he ran for a touchdown to give his team a 13-7 lead. It was a very beautiful move to the endzone based on him sneaking his way to the right and scoring after it almost looked like he would stop in the middle.
McAllister stepped up in the third quarter which is why the Saints were able to be in a position to score. After the Eagles led 21-13 on a Brian Westbrook's touchdown, Deuce responded by scoring a touchdown of his own to cut the Eagles lead to one at 21-20. Then, he put the game away when he caught a pass from Brees and then ran to the end zone to give the team a 27-21 lead. The way he was playing, he wanted to carry this team to a victory.
The highlight of this game really was the Saints fans. The Louisana Superdome was like a festival out there. The fans in attendance was having fun and enjoying this. Great moments like this do not come often for a star-struck franchise like the Saints. They were enjoying the fact that they can watch a football game and that seeing their team in the postseason was a priviledge. It is also nice to see the home team really appreciate the great support from the fans. One can sense a bond between the fans and the team like he or she sees at Green Bay with their football team. This does not happen often in other cities.
When football fans see and hear the crowd at the Superdome Saturday night at sports bars or in their living rooms, they should realize that this is a team worth rooting for. They are a likable team. The head coach is so fun to root for. New Orleans can use America's support while they continue to recover from that natural disaster from last year. Considering the rest of the remaining playoff teams are not likable, the Saints would be the wise choice for people to root for.
The Eagles have nothing to be ashamed of. They played well. Westbrook did all he could to help them. Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia did the best he could. He tried to make plays. He tried to run the offense as well as he could. It just did not work out. They had a great season. To get to the playoffs and win a playoff game without their best player, Donovan McNabb says a lot about the players on the team and the great coaching staff led by Andy Reid, the team's head coach. There is no question that they are going to back and be better than ever.
It is just that it is the Saints time. Those fans, the city of New Orleans, and the organization deserve all the good things after what happened last year with Hurricane Katrina.
[[Category: New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles Opinions]]
