Defenseless in Seattle

After Saturdays's embarrassingly humiliating loss to the worst team ever to host a playoff game, all Drew Brees could say to the world was"it's hard to win a playoff game".  Really? Really, Drew? Gee why didn't I think of that.  Afterall it was just a year ago that it looked pretty easy winning a  playoff game. You did it against the Arizona Cardinals, a team one year removed from losing Super Bowl XLIII in aganizing fashion to the Pittsburg Steelers. You must remember the 45-14 skulling that day.  That wasn't so difficult.  So what was the difference between those Saints and the Saints of January 8, 2011? 
Two words.
"DEEE Fense!" boom boom "DEEE Fense!" boom boom
In January, 2010 the Saints defense beat down and suffocated a 10-6 NFC West winning Arizonna offense featuring a hall of fame QB, pro bowl WR's and  a solid staple of RBs averaging well over 4 yards per carry. In other words, the offense that gave the Steelers fits in the Super Bowl and came within seconds of winning it. Remember , it was an TD interception return of 95+ yards just before haltime that flipped that scoreboard  in the Steelers' favor. Otherwise, it would have been the "defending champs" getting that beatdown last January. In that game the Saints defense was intense, opportunistic and brutal.  So brutal that Kurt Warner called it a career after being knocked out by a variety of "remember me" body shots culminated by the kill shot by Saints DE Rodney McCrae on an interception return.
The very next week, the Saints defense pounded Viking's QB Brett Favre so bad that instead of running for positive yards and getting his team into field goal position in the wanning minutes of a tied NFC championship game, he threw the interception heard around the world.  Earlier, Favre had been so badly beaten up, his family couldn't bare to watch as he lay on the field in agony.  That interception, which ended Favre's season and for all practical purposes his carrer, was a result of the relentless assault from Greg Williams' defense.
Where was that defense last Saturday?  Certainly not in Seattle. No intensity! No guys flying to the ball.  No remember me shots to the QB. No turnovers created. No big stops. NO. NO.NO.NO!
But yes, there was Roman Harper being fooled not once, not twice but three times by an offense boasting  the 28th ranked QB in the NFL with a 73.2 rating.  Yes, there was Darren Sharper, who's been seen more in the TV studio than in the film room this season, taking a bad angle on a seam route to get burned by a WR cast to the NFL scrap heep two seasons ago.  Then, yes,  there was Scott Shanle filling the hole, hitting then losing Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch, the 35 ranked RB with a 3.5 average to make a key stop on second and 10, forcing Seattle to either throw and risk stopping the clock or a turnover or run then punt to Drew Brees with time and time outs.  Instead, Lynch broke seven more tackles in route to a 65 yard back breaking TD run.  A play that will be shown over and over and over and over again on every sports highlights reel across the universe.  A play that will win an ESPY for best run of the season.  A play that will win an ESPY for worst effort and takling of the century.  A play that will haunt Saints fans forever!
Silly me, I thought it would have been the offense that suffered due to their rash of injuries.  I figured the 4th ranked defense in the NFL would shut down Seatte's 28th ranked offense and the Saints 3rd ranked passing offense would score enough to pull off a workman like two score victory.  I was thinking 21-10, 24-14.
Well Brees and comany more than did their part. Scoring 36 points which could have easily been 50 by a one legged offense with zero running threat would have sent a message throughout the NFL that the Super bowl champs are here and pissed and ready to repeat. They displayed the heart of a champion.
Little did we know the defense was making plans for the offseason.