Saints Show Improvement In Preseason Finale
WWL and NOPF's Kenny Wilkerson's take on Saints-Chiefs

posted September 1, 2006 - print me!
neworleansprofootball.com

Rookie WR Marques Colston

Read neworleanssaints.com's game story here.

There’s no doubt that in the past week the Saints have become a better football team. A work still in progress? Yes. A team still in need of better players? Yes. A team that looks like they know what they are doing? Once again... yes.

QB Drew Brees told me before Thursday night’s game with the Chiefs that he was positive the Saints were going to be a productive team. Afterwards, he said that this team is ten times better than they were a month ago and I would agree. They moved the football well with the first unit but they still were not able to finish drives. Considering what they looked like when this whole thing began, you have to be encouraged. Encouragement could turn to excitement if they start finishing drives with touchdowns.

For the first time in years we have witnessed a football team actually get better from solid coaching and transfer what they have done on the practice field to the playing field. So far, it is a credit to the coaching staff that they have taken what they have and made them better.

The defense has a much longer road to travel than the offense. After Thursday night’s game Charles Grant said this football team will show up next week in Cleveland with an attitude. Okay, I’m willing to take his word for it. And if his words hold true they just might have a little something going. Offenses need precision, defenses need attitude. Good football players also help and the Saints have shown in the past few weeks that they aren’t going to sit still with players that aren’t good enough. There have been enough trades to convince me that there will be more, and Sean Payton said that who is on the waiver wire next week will have a big impact on who is on this team’s final roster.

We learned from the outset that Drew Brees expects perfection from himself with everything he does. The team has learned that the head coach expects perfection with everything they do. Thursday night in Kansas City saw the coach take his temper to a new level with players who either did not perform well or made dumb mistakes. Payton was jumping on players right and left. At times when guys would make mistakes they didn’t even want to come off the field because the wrath of Payton they knew would be coming.

As we have said for a while now, you can’t get better until you admit to yourself that you aren’t good enough. I think Payton has made himself very clear about what he thinks about his team and what he plans to do to about getting this ballclub where it wants to go.

The future looks bright at this point. Don’t make postseason plans but look forward to a season ahead that could entertaining and not embarrassing.

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