Coming Back Stronger Part 14

We methodically worked the ball on the first drive, and I hit Marques Colston for a fifteen-yard score. Their quarterback Kevin Kolb answered with a seventy-one-yard touchdown pa.s.s to DeSean Jackson to tie it up. (Kolb was starting that game because Donovan McNabb was out with a rib injury.) The first half we kept going back and forth like that. Both teams scored points in the last two minutes of the second quarter, and we went into halftime up 1713. We'd played pretty well, but not great. We knew we could do better.

In the third quarter we opened up on them and scored quickly. We had to kick off to begin the second half, but our special teams forced a fumble and gave us a short field for a quick touchdown. Two plays later, we intercepted a pa.s.s and our offense came in and scored again. Later, Reggie Bush had a nineteen-yard touchdown run. Darren Sharper ran an interception ninety-seven yards for a touchdown. We were putting points on the scoreboard at will.

Toward the end of the game we were deep in our territory on our half yard line. It was fourth down, and we were up 4120. There was really no way Philadelphia could come back unless we did something stupid. But statistically a team that punts out of their own end zone usually gets scored on quickly.

I went over to the sideline and said to Sean, "Coach, let's take a safety. We don't want to kick out of our own end zone."

Joe Vitt, our a.s.sistant head coach, has been around the league for thirty-one years, and he's Sean's trusted adviser. Joe headed over, and the three of us talked. We agreed that taking a safety was the smart thing to do, so I took the snap, ran along the back of the end zone, and tossed the ball out-of-bounds. We gave up two points but gained thirty yards of field position, and now there was no way they could block our kick and score quickly. I appreciated Sean's willingness to accept my input on plays and situations like this one. I just know that if I do recommend something, I had better make it work. Sean and I communicate very well together, and I would love it if I never had to play for any other coach.

We felt really good about the way we'd played on both sides of the ball. Only two games into the season, we had already scored ninety-three points. If we kept that up, chances were we were going to win a few games. But that wasn't our focus now. We weren't thinking about the Super Bowl. We just kept marching ahead to the next Sunday.

The third game we beat Buffalo by twenty points. In the fourth week we won 2410 against the Jets, who had come onto the field unbeaten. Even so, I didn't feel like we'd even scratched the surface of our potential. I also knew we hadn't really faced adversity yet. We'd won every game up to that point by a double-digit spread, and we hadn't been forced to come up with a big defensive stop at the end of a game or run a two-minute drive and kick a last-minute field goal. We had finished the games we'd been in, but we hadn't come close to losing. What would happen when we did?

Battle of the Unbeatens.

We were four games into the season, and so far we were undefeated. Every time we stepped onto the field, we had a vision that we could win. We would win.

In our fifth game, the week after our bye, we faced the New York Giants. Five games in, they were also undefeated. They'd won the Super Bowl in 2007 and had been the number one seed in 2008, and this year they were at or near the top of the NFC in every category. They had the number oneranked defense going into that game as well.

In each of the previous three seasons we had lost after the bye week. We decided that in order to get a result we'd never had before, we had to do something we'd never done before. Sean shook up the schedule and actually allowed the players more time off to refresh our bodies and minds. He was treating us like professionals, and it was our job to act accordingly.

The extra days off fueled the focus and intensity we put into preparation when we returned from the bye week. Plus, we had the added motivation of the Giants' vaunted defense, their impressive history, and their undefeated record. Additionally, Eli Manning was coming back to play in his hometown for the first time since he had entered the league. And there was also the drama of one of our players meeting up with his old team. Jeremy Shockey had been drafted by the Giants and had been on the team that won the Super Bowl in 2007. However, an injury to his left leg and ankle prevented him from playing in the postseason, and things turned sour with the team after that. He was traded to the Saints in 2008, and this was his first matchup against his old team.

Until Jeremy came to the Saints, we didn't have any players who really wore their emotions on their sleeves quite like he did. His personality was just what our team needed-someone with confidence and a little swagger. Jeremy was vocal. He was bold. He could get pretty fired up at times. And he had the att.i.tude that if a ball was thrown anywhere close to him, it was his. He didn't care about getting hit; he was going to get that ball. There's a zone that Jeremy gets into-a certain frame of mind-and when he's in his element, he can't be stopped. There's no linebacker or safety in the league who can cover him consistently. Someone might stop him here or there, but Jeremy is going to come back the next series and make a play. Guaranteed. I know that it can be tough changing teams, especially the day before training camp, which is when we acquired him, but he quickly bought into our philosophy of spreading the ball around and sacrificing for the good of the offense. His overall statistics have suffered because of it, but our success has risen to an all-time high.

Getting off to a quick start in this game was important to set the tone. Our philosophy was that the Giants may have had the number one defense in the league on paper, but they hadn't played anyone like us yet. We wanted to get the crowd involved from the start and then take over the game. That's exactly what we did. We scored thirty-four points in the first half on our way to a 4827 win. We had stunned them. And with a touchdown catch and victory in the bag, Shockey had his revenge.

We were 50, and already people were looking ahead and talking about the Vikings and Saints. I knew it was too early to be counting any of our chickens, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, Get ready to play those guys in the NFC champions.h.i.+p.

On the other side, in the AFC, we were watching the Colts go undefeated. They had some close games, but they were finis.h.i.+ng them and winning. Get ready to face the Colts in the Super Bowl, I thought. Every time something came on TV about the Colts, I looked at it like a boxer at a weigh-in, where you stand nose to nose. That's how I envisioned the season playing out. We were going to win home field advantage, and the Vikings were coming to New Orleans. Then we would beat Indianapolis in Miami.

Rarely do things play out as projected because there are so many variables in this game. A wild card team might make a run, or the favored team goes into a late-season swoon. But I could envision that scenario playing out, and if it did, I was going to be prepared.

Remember This Place.

Next up was a road trip to Miami, and it was there we faced adversity for the first time all season. I knew we'd eventually have to be tested, and I was looking forward to it. You know it is going to come, so you might as well embrace it. I was anxious to see how we would respond. To that point, we had overwhelmed our opponents with scoring and defense. Miami proved to be a big challenge.

There's only one way to find out what's deep inside, only one way to forge your team's ident.i.ty. That's through the tough times. When things don't go your way, how will you react? Will you give up? roll over? Or will you fight? All week long the buzz from outside the organization was that the Saints were good when we scored, but we couldn't win the close game. What would happen in a nail-biter? or when a dome team played in the heat of Miami?

One of Sean Payton's greatest strengths as a head coach is finding a way to give his players a simple yet concise motivational message when they're preparing for a game. That week he told our team that we would need every bullet in our gun-every weapon in our a.r.s.enal-to win this game at this moment in the season. "Expect to play the toughest game of the year on Sunday," he said.

We played as terribly as we possibly could at the beginning of the game. Early in the first quarter I made a bad decision and threw an interception when we were backed up in our own territory. Another one came a little later as a ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Those two interceptions turned into fourteen points for them. Penalties stopped drives, and missed a.s.signments resulted in a barrage of negative plays. With every stop they made, the Dolphins defense got tougher to handle. At one point midway through the second quarter, I looked up at the scoreboard to see us trailing 243. We had violated all the rules about protecting the ball. Plus, we were playing on the road against a wildcat offense, meaning they can run and pound you all day and chew up the clock.

Late in the second quarter the Dolphins were driving, and our defense came up with a big turnover. We got the ball at our own forty-nine. We ran a couple of plays and made it to the twenty-one yard line with seventeen seconds left before the half. We had no time-outs. I couldn't take a sack, and any throw I made needed to be in the end zone or out-of-bounds to stop the clock. We could not get caught in-bounds, or else the clock would run out and we would miss our chance at a field goal.

We needed something good to happen. We needed some momentum. And soon. I took the snap from the shotgun and surveyed the defense. I saw Marques Colston up the seam just inside the five yard line. I had a quick decision to make. He wasn't technically in the end zone, but I felt like there was a place I could throw the ball where he could adjust his position to catch it and then reach across the goal line for a touchdown. It was worth a chance. Plus, I trusted the big man to make a play. I turned the ball loose, and he caught it at the two yard line, spun around, and thrust the ball toward the goal line. The referee signaled a touchdown, with five seconds left on the clock.

It wasn't time to celebrate yet, though. The review booth took over, and as we watched the replay on the JumboTron, it was clear that Marques came up inches short of the touchdown. Without any time-outs left, we used the review time to strategize. We were in a predicament because as soon as they determined it wasn't a touchdown, they'd set the ball, the clock would start, and we'd have to be ready to snap the ball. A conservative coach would have attempted a field goal. Take the three points and head into the locker room. But the way I saw it, there was a huge difference between going into the second half down 246 as opposed to 2410. On the other hand, if the Dolphins stopped us, that would be a huge momentum factor in their favor.

I was standing next to Sean as he went through the scenario, and he decided to send the field goal unit on.

"Coach, I'll get it," I said. "We need a touchdown here. I'll get it."

That's all I said, and that was all I needed to say. He knew exactly what I meant: I would sneak the ball over the line for the touchdown.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll get it."

Joe Vitt came over and joined the discussion. Sean trusts him like n.o.body else. Joe nodded at Sean, then looked me in the eye. "Do it."

"All right," Sean said. "Explain to the guys what you're doing."

He got the field goal team off the field and sent the offense back on. We huddled quickly, and I said, "Okay, we only have a few seconds left. We have to score. No false starts. I'm going over the top with the ball."

Miami had called a time-out previously to make sure they knew the situation, and now they were bowed up, ready for a goal line stand. We snapped the ball, and immediately I went airborne. Normally I could dive into a gap between one of the guys, but they'd filled all those gaps. There was no place for me to go but up and over. I broke the plane of the goal line, reaching out with the ball before the Miami defense engulfed me.

As crazy as it sounds, I knew as soon as we scored on that play we were going to win the game. I don't score many touchdowns, and when I do, I'm typically not emotional. I like what Bear Bryant said about "acting like you've been there before." But that day the emotion swept over me. I ran into the end zone and spiked the ball, and the crowd booed. They knew what I was saying to them: This is the first of many. We are not done here. We'll be back soon.

That touchdown was just what we needed. As we headed off the field, it almost felt as if we had the lead. The momentum s.h.i.+ft was that big. Even though we'd played poorly much of the first half, we were into the game now. We knew we could use the adversity to propel us.

On the first series in the third quarter, Darren Sharper intercepted a pa.s.s and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. We traded a couple of scores and then rattled off a series of touchdowns. We scored twenty-two points in the fourth quarter and won 4634.

I'll never forget the feeling of walking off the field after that game. We probably had about ten thousand Saints fans there, all of them decked out in black and gold and Mardi Gras beads. Once again they proved to be the difference in s.h.i.+fting the momentum to our favor. We greeted them after the game along the inner bowl of the stadium with high fives and appreciation. It was an awesome sensation.

All season we'd been hearing about our lack of a test and how we couldn't withstand a pressure-packed game. We had proved the critics wrong. And just as important, we'd come back from a twenty-one-point deficit. Winning like that on the road reaffirmed we had something special. As we headed into the locker room afterward, Coach Payton turned to us and said, "You'd better remember this place and the way you feel right now. We're coming back here in February, and we are going to have this same feeling then."

You can never rest on your previous performance and let down your guard for the next game, but there's nothing that can compare to that feeling on game day after a win. Those are the moments every retired player says he misses the most. After all the preparations, the training, the b.u.t.terflies and jitters, there's nothing quite like sitting in the locker room with the guys you've been in the trenches with. We made it our goal to get back to the Miami locker room in February and have that same feeling after the Super Bowl.

Fighting Back.

The game against Atlanta was Monday Night Football at its finest. We were 60 and on the heels of an emotional, come-from-behind victory. I always worry about how we'll bounce back from games like that. As much as adversity tests you, success will as well.

Atlanta was 42. They were a divisional opponent who had been to the playoffs in 2008. It was a big game because if we won, we'd take control of the division. If we lost, Atlanta would be just one game behind us. We knew what was at stake.

Atlanta struck first and kept the pressure on. I was sacked and fumbled the ball deep in our territory. They returned it a few yards for a touchdown. Another bad start.

However, in the second quarter we came back with three touchdowns. We were ahead 2814 at the half. It turned into a wild finish with an onside kick recovery by the Falcons at the end of the fourth quarter. We didn't finish the game as strong as we wanted to, but it was a solid performance and we did what we needed to win.

Coming up against Carolina, the coaches wanted to keep us focused on the future and not our past accomplishments. Carolina had won our division the previous year and had been the number two seed in the NFC. Since I had signed on with the Saints, we had not beaten them in the Superdome. Two of those losses were on last-second field goals. The Panthers had no respect for our home field. We needed to instill a little fear and get back some respect.

But once again we didn't get things off to a very good start. Right off the bat they scored two unanswered touchdowns. I threw an interception and had a fumble that they recovered. All we could muster before halftime was two field goals. We were down 176 at the half, and the mentality very easily could have been Here we go again, losing to Carolina at home.

The Saints had never been 80 in their entire history, so winning that game would mean a franchise record. Things weren't looking promising at halftime. At the start of the third quarter, though, we scored a quick touchdown on a four-play drive that included a sixty-three-yard pa.s.s to Devery Henderson. That's when the tide turned. Our defense stopped Carolina deep in our territory on a crucial third down, allowing only a field goal. We got the ball back and scored another touchdown in the last seconds of the third quarter, tying the game 2020.

We were down to the wire with another game that could go either way. But on our wrists were these rubber bracelets that said, "Finish Strong."

We got the ball in the middle of the fourth quarter and drove into their territory. We kicked a field goal for our first lead of the game. A few plays later, Anthony Hargrove forced a fumble and jogged in for a touchdown, making the final score 3020. For the first time ever, the New Orleans Saints were 80. We had set the franchise record.

Once again we'd fought back from a fourteen-point deficit, and we were proving to our opponents and ourselves that we weren't going to accept defeat. Every time we stepped on the field, we expected to win, no matter what the situation. That three-game stretch-Miami, Atlanta, and Carolina-was a turning point in our season. It solidified our winning mentality, and I believe it set us up for everything we would accomplish later. We had found a lot of ways to win, but the common thread was that we had to overcome significant adversity in each game. In Miami it was the twenty-one-point comeback in the fourth quarter. Against Atlanta it was equaling our emotion from the week before on a national stage against a divisional opponent and grinding out a win. And with Carolina we came off a short week to face an opponent that historically had our number at home and then fought back from a fourteen-point deficit to set a franchise record for consecutive wins. Now we were battle-tested and ready for any challenge that lay ahead.

Any Given Sunday.

The next week was one of those notorious games where you know on any given Sunday any team can beat any other team in the league. On paper it should have been a blowout. We were 80; the Rams were 17. But no team is ent.i.tled to a victory simply because they show up. Sure enough, as the game began, we weren't clicking. Their offense did a great job retaining possession of the ball and keeping us off the field. It was an ugly first half, and after only four offensive possessions, we were tied 1414 going in at the half.

In each game so far that season, it seemed like someone different would step up and create momentum for us. One week it would be a defensive stop; another time it would be a special teams play or a touchdown reception; and in another game a big run seemed to open the floodgates. But against St. Louis, things were just blah. The offense wasn't flowing, and we needed a spark.

That spark finally came in the form of Courtney Roby and his ninety-seven-yard kickoff return. It was exactly what we needed to start the second half, and that run electrified our sideline. We led for the rest of the game, and at the end, when they had a chance to win, our defense held tough. We won 2823.

It was certainly not a perfect game for us. Sometimes you have to grind your way through and find a way to win. They aren't always pretty, but a win is a win is a win, as we like to say.

In the week leading up to the Tampa Bay game, the coaches put it on the line. Sure, we were 90, but our last few games were nowhere near the performances we'd had earlier in the season. It had been weeks since we'd put together offense, defense, and special teams in one game. Offense had been turning the ball over and getting off to a slow start. Defense had been giving up too much yardage. Special teams had a big play in St. Louis, but we needed more consistency. Tampa Bay was a big rival, and they didn't fear us. If we wanted to win, we'd have to go in and play our most complete game of the season.

The Bucs went down on their first drive and scored seven points, but that was their last score for the rest of the game. Our defense forced four turnovers. Offensively it was a slower start again, but we finally got rolling and won the game 387. We'd finally put everything together again. Just in time too. We needed the momentum because New England was up next.

Brady and Belichick.

People around the country had been asking, "Can the Saints stand up to a really good team like the Patriots? Can they beat Brady and Belichick?" This team knew how to win. They'd proved that with four trips to the Super Bowl-and three World Champions.h.i.+ps-in the past decade. They had an excellent quarterback, a defensive guru as head coach, and great personnel all around. It was clear we'd need our best game to beat them.

They were 73, but they had experienced some tough breaks along the way. They'd been ahead seventeen points in the fourth quarter against the Colts, and then came the infamous fourth-down play in their own territory late in the game. Our record may have been better, but there was no question this was a tough team.

We didn't need a motivational talk for this matchup. When the big games come around, we eliminate distractions and ignore the peripheral stuff, like the question of an undefeated season or the comparisons of Brees vs. Brady. More than anyone else, I knew this wasn't about me or a quarterback rivalry. It was our team against their team, our offense against their defense. It also wasn't responding to the media as they descended and tried to get us to give bulletin board quotes for the other team. "How are you going to stop Moss? Can they stand up to your receivers?" I understand they're just doing their jobs, but my job is to try to focus and prepare and not say anything that could be used to motivate the other team.

Our first priority was turnovers. Period. We had to better take care of the ball on offense and do whatever we could to take away the ball on defense. We hammered away at those fundamentals. Even at 100, we felt like we still had something to prove. We wanted to show everyone that we belonged in the upper echelon of teams. We wanted respect, and the only way to get that was to earn it. And the only way to earn it that week was by beating the Patriots.

The night before a game, our team always gets a recap of the keys to victory and a motivational story or speech from Joe Vitt, our fiery and pa.s.sionate a.s.sistant head coach. These moments with Coach Vitt have become legendary, from his talks about teams he has coached in his thirty-plus-year career to highlight clips from Rocky, Gladiator, Goodfellas, or our own season. On this occasion, Coach Vitt charged us to think about all the people in our lives who had brought us to where we were right then. He encouraged us to think about how much they'd taught us, believed in us, and loved us. There was a moment of silence as we all reflected on those individuals. Coach Vitt then said, "Guess what? They will all be watching you Monday night." That set the tone, and we never looked back.

The first play of the game made a statement: I sent a deep ball down the sideline to Devery Henderson for a huge play. This was our night. We scored on all but one possession in the first half and continued the onslaught into the second half on our way to a 3817 victory. We also set a club record for average yards per play, which may not seem like a big deal, but averaging ten yards per play is a ton. Our aggressive mind-set served us well as we put together a complete team performance, and it was also the game that finally caused people to believe in us. In their minds, we weren't for real until we beat a team like the Patriots.

At that point in the season, there were two teams at 110: the Saints and the Colts. We were flying in the locker room. We knew we had achieved our goal for that week. But an emotional win on Monday sometimes means disaster on Sunday.

Steep Hills Yet to Climb.

The Was.h.i.+ngton Redskins played an amazing game against us the next week. When you're 110, you know every time you step on the field, you're getting the opponent's best because they would love to knock off the undefeated team. The scariest teams to go up against under those circ.u.mstances are those you think have nothing to lose. Teams that are out of playoff contention are often the most dangerous because this game is their Super Bowl.

Once we were past New England, it felt like we were in the homestretch. An undefeated season was within our grasp. But our coaches warned us in advance that the game in Was.h.i.+ngton would be hostile, cold, and physical. The Redskins would try to take away our perfect record. Sean emphasized that in some cases, like the New England game, the hill to climb wasn't as steep as you'd originally thought. But he warned that this hill in Was.h.i.+ngton was going to be treacherous. He was right.

Almost immediately they went up 100. Another bad start. We came back and tied the score. Their offense stayed on the field and kept pus.h.i.+ng, driving, and before we knew it, we were down by ten in the fourth quarter. We kicked a field goal to close the gap to seven. With the clock winding down, they had a chance at an easy twenty-three-yard field goal. The ball missed to the right. That would have sealed the game for them, but we now had an open window.

This was our moment to finish strong. It took us thirty-three seconds to drive eighty yards in five plays and score the tying touchdown. In overtime we recovered a fumble and hit an eighteen-yard field goal to end the game. We could finally let out a sigh of relief. We were undefeated in twelve games. We had finished strong.

A week earlier, people had been wondering if we could beat a team like the Patriots. Now they were saying the only team on our schedule that had a chance to beat us was the Cowboys. But Sean Payton was clear about Atlanta. Divisional games on the road are always tough. There are no gimmies, no matter what the team's record or standing. The most important game of the season is always the next game.

All year we had been playing with confidence. When we walked onto the field, we felt like we were going to win. We believed somebody on our team was going to make a big play, and no one was sitting around waiting for it. We all wanted to be that person.

The game against the Falcons was pretty low-scoring by our standards. Our defense did a great job of holding them to field goals in the first half, but we didn't get many opportunities offensively. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, we were tied 2323. We drove down and kicked a field goal to take the lead, chewing up over eight minutes on the clock along the way. With a little over a minute to go, our defense came up with a big fourth-down stop. We took a knee and won the game 2623. It was one of those wins we really had to sweat for. The kind that made us feel like we were being prepared for something. And maybe we were. Dallas was coming the next week.

Letdown.

Heading into the Dallas game, we had a lot going for us. We were 130, and they were 85. We had the home field advantage. And all week we'd been hearing about how poorly the Cowboys play in December.

But even with those factors in our favor, we knew how talented the Cowboys were. They also had something to prove from the game in 2006 when we went to Dallas on a Sunday night and beat them badly. Whatever the outcome of this game, it was possible that we could face them in the playoffs in the near future.

They took a 140 lead quickly, and it was 173 at halftime. In the third quarter they scored again, making it 243. We nailed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull to 2417. When their field goal attempt bounced off the upright with a little more than two minutes left, I thought we were on our way, just like in the Was.h.i.+ngton game. I was going to throw a Hail Mary, and then we would score and win in overtime. Instead, I got sacked and fumbled the ball. Time ran out.

The undefeated season dream was over, and we were all extremely disappointed. It was a tough day in the locker room because you don't get many chances at perfection in the NFL. Only two teams have accomplished that feat in the regular season: the Patriots and the Dolphins. To go so far-three games shy of a perfect regular season-and come up short was a big blow. Now that dream was gone . . . and we'd lost to a rival team.

It was too early to throw in the towel, though. While we played and strove for a perfect season, that loss to Dallas might have been the best thing that could have happened to us in the long run. In many cases, disappointment is what prepares you to achieve greatness in the future. This loss also identified some glaring problems that had been swept under the rug for some time. You see, as long as you're winning, you are much more apt to let the little things slide. Winning cures everything in our business. We were due for a wake-up call. There were too many little things that were beginning to catch up with us. Fundamentals and details were lacking on both sides of the ball and needed to be corrected. Whether it was a blocking scheme or a route concept on offense or a coverage scheme or a blitz adjustment on defense, we weren't as sharp as we'd been earlier in the season. It was true that we had quite a few injuries and young players who were thrust into the lineup, but no excuses. Sometimes a loss allows you to recognize your weaknesses and make corrections, and in the end you'll be better off for it.

Home field advantage was on our minds the next week against Tampa Bay. But we faltered again-this time in overtime. Going into that game we talked about our slow starts with Atlanta, Was.h.i.+ngton, and Dallas, so the coaching point was a fast start. We must have listened well because after three possessions, we were leading 170.

However, our offense would not score any more points that day. The Bucs, on the other hand, converted a field goal and two touchdowns to tie us with under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter. We drove down the field, and with time running out, we set up for a thirty-seven-yard field goal from the right hash mark. Garrett Hartley lined up for the game-winning kick, but his attempt sailed wide left. He was crushed. But the game came down to a lot more than that one play-we simply didn't finish well. We went into overtime, and they won the coin toss, drove into our territory, and kicked a forty-seven-yard field goal. Game over. We lost, 2017.

If you ever wanted to see a textbook case of "losing by inches," this was it. There were three drives where we missed getting a first down by six inches or less. When you're winning, certain things might go wrong, but you brush over them. Suddenly, those little things-those inches-were costing us games. This was the end of our season, when we were supposed to be peaking. We weren't even close.

We played Carolina in the final game of the regular season. That game was supposed to determine home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but Minnesota had also lost their last two games and already had four losses, so we had the number one seed no matter what. Before the game Coach Payton called me into his office. I knew he would probably be asking me to sit out the last game to avoid any potential injuries, so Flutie's mantra was running around in my head: "Never let your backup see the field." But after we talked, it was clear to both of us that the best thing to do was to rest certain guys and for our team to get healthy and ready to go. We wanted all the weapons in the a.r.s.enal going into the first playoff game. I was excited to see Mark Brunell get to start under the circ.u.mstances. He deserved it.

We ended up losing to Carolina, 2310. That brought us to three losses in a row to finish out the season-not exactly how you want to go into the playoffs. The questions started flying. "How are you guys going to be ready to play? Which Saints team is going to show up? Is it the 130 Saints? Or is it the team that finished 03?" It was true-we really hadn't played a complete game in about five tries, going all the way back to New England. We also knew that the teams who tend to do the best in the playoffs are the ones on the rise. They're hitting the playoffs on a five- or six-game winning streak as opposed to a three-game losing streak. But none of that was about to stop us. One of the strengths of our team is our ability to ignore the critics, disregard the media, and block out any distractions. We try to focus on the process and trust the plan.

One of my mentors, Tom House, calls me every Monday after a game-something he has done since 2006. It's helpful to have someone who's an outsider looking in, and almost without fail, he offers me one observation that hits the bull's-eye. He called me after the Dallas loss and said something that stuck.