Why the Saints Season Sucked

They had good reasons you know.
And I won't call say "injuries" because, hey, every team suffers the hurts. It's the nature of the beast.
But the Saints had some devastating ones that absolutely killed their chances.
All-world receiver Marques Colston was left coughing up blood after some nasty hits against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.
To whom much is given, much is expected. And Reggie Bush had raised expectations tremendously after a hot finish in his inaugural season. He got roughed up pretty good too as the season wore down, ending in a mysterious knee injury
that may have been damaged weeks earlier.
Not to mention the injuries of all injuries this season, the end of Deuce McAllister's season.
Along the way, rookie and fan favorite Pierre Thomas got so savagely beaten that he had blood in his stool and a damaged kidney pierre_thomas_misses_practice.html toward the end of the season. He still put together the third-best yards from scrimmage by a Saint in team history in the season finale at Chicago.
Perhaps indemic of the season was the loss (torn ACL) of the best-playing defender, cornerback Mike McKenzie, the week before Christmas. And it's saying alot when Mckenzie is your best-playing defender, but without him the Saints secondary was little more defenseless than a baby in the jungle.
Saints coach Sean Payton never did like Pierre Thomas for some reason, and played him only out of desparation despite what he says. Thomas' start in the last game was actually cemented the week before against Philadelphia Reserve tailback Jamaal Branch suffered a broken leg on the opening kickoff against the Eagles and that crippled an already depleted running corps. That left the Saints with only Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas in the backfield. And shortly after, Stecker went down with a foot injury in the second quarter. At that point it was either Thomas or the trooper on the sidelines.
In any event this season was a referendum on Payton's true coaching abilities: He failed. Period. He failed to see early enough what he should have known. That the Saints have to have a plan D, plan Bs aren't good enough anymore (ask Arthur Blank, and dem Falcons). So, I leave you with that familiar refrain, and sigh: Maybe next year.