The Saints have never been here before after nine games, and I am not talking about wins and losses. Their current 8-1 record stands second to the 9-0 start run off by the eventual Super Bowl champions in 2009, but that’s not the HERE I am talking about. At this point of the season, no Saints player has been the leading candidate for NFL Most Valuable Player. Not even during the magical Super Bowl year was QB Drew Brees given as much consideration for the honor as previous winners Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. 

“Best available” could mean Draft surprise for Saints 
  
I will admit that I am no different from you when it comes to an opinion on who the Saints should draft when the 2018 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night. All things being equal, I would pick a pass rusher or a tight end. Options will be available at both positions when the Saints are on the clock at No. 27 in the first round. However, the players still available at those positions might not necessarily be the best overall player left on the board.

BY JIM W. MILLER

We all know the lament, and some of us have been writing about it for almost four years. Will Drew Brees, one of the NFL’s all-time great quarterbacks, go down in history as another Archie Manning? Great player on an average team. Sure, Brees won a Super Bowl which puts him in kind of a purgatory of greatness. Certainly higher than Archie, who never enjoyed a winning season in New Orleans, but not quite the Beulah Land of Peyton or even Eli, if you’re counting championships. 

For the first ten years of his tenure as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton was focused on football. He did not give his political opinions and rarely granted interviews. In fact, he seemed to despise the media and consider all of the reporters to be fools. Unfortunately, in the past year, Payton has been the one who has looked foolish. This is not due to his unimpressive results as Head Coach, leading his team to three straight losing seasons and a 2-2 record in 2017. Instead, it is due to his decision to enter the world of politics.