NewOrleansSaints.com is proud to welcome a new addition to our staff in the form of veteran tight end Billy Miller. The 6-3, 252-pound Miller suffered an Achilles injury in the team's final preseason game of the 2009 season against the Miami Dolphins and needed season-ending surgery to repair the injury. Miller, however, has offered to lend his unique perspective of news surrounding the Saints in his weekly column entitled "Billy's Blog," which will run each Tuesday during the season. As one of the most well-liked and popular players in the Saints' locker room, Miller's presence on NewOrleansSaints.com will lend fans of the team a truly unique insider's perspective for a player's point of view.
Hey guys, I'm sorry there was no blog last week, but even an esteemed journalist like me needs a bye week.
What I'd like to do this week is touch on the Saints' journey thus far and recap the things that have gotten us to this point.
Five weeks into the NFL season and the Saints are sitting at 4-0! We have seen great plays by old faithfuls like Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas. But we've also seen the emergence of a great defense and players like Mike Bell, Darren Sharper, and Robert Meachem.
At the beginning of the season I remember sitting with Scott Fujita, Jonathan Vilma, and Will Smith and I said, 'If we can hold teams under 17 points, I don't think we'll lose one game.' Well, you can just call me "Prophet Miller," because both have come true.
The first two games we saw Drew Brees play out of his mind throwing 9 touchdowns and proving once again why he's the best quarterback in the league and we are the number one offense in the NFL!
By game 3 if you would've told me Drew Brees would not throw a touchdown the next two games, I would've guessed we lost pretty bad. But surprise-surprise, the pass happy Saints have a run game.
This four-headed monster of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Lynell Hamilton have given us the ability to control games and finish them out strong. The five guys you never hear about is our offensive line, led by John Stinchcomb, who have continued to protect Brees and dominate the line of scrimmage to open up gaping holes for the running backs. (Don't worry Saints Fans, we still sling it around the yard with the best of them.)
A healthy Marques Colston is once again playing like a future Pro Bowler and players like Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Lance Moore continue to produce highlights on ESPN.
Now for the biggest change from the past three years and the real reason we are 4-0 is our Defense. Now the obvious would be to talk about Darren Sharper and how he has picked off five balls in 4 games, two that he returned for touchdowns! But the fact is everyone on the field is playing incredible. Our corners Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer, and Randall Gay have shut down every big time receiver we've played. Even holding Terrell Owens to 0 catches. Up front the D-line and linebackers are holding opponents under 100 yards rushing per game. And, we all know if you can't run, you can't win.
So now where are we really? Sorry to say Saints fans, it's too early to buy your tickets to Miami just yet. There's a lot of football still to be played, with games like the undefeated Giants this Sunday, Cowboys, and Patriots, there's still a long road ahead.
Oh, by the way, we haven't even got into the NFC South yet.
Our bye week came at a perfect time. Giving the players an opportunity to heal, rest, and refocus. Some guys even got a chance back to check out their alma maters play.
So what does all this mean? We've had a great start and now we are focused on continuing the type of play that has gotten us here. No turnovers, no sacks, run the ball, and dominate on defense.
If we can continue to do all those things, this just might be the season that New Orleans has been waiting for and deserves!
My challenge is to all the Saints fans with tickets to the game this week. Let's make this the loudest and most passionate game of the season. The atmosphere was great against the Jets, but we can do better than that. The crowd started off strong, but the noise sort of toned down in the second quarter and third quarter. We need four strong quarters of the Who Dats! Be Loud! Be Proud!
