Are the Saints going to beat the Chargers today at Wembley stadium? I think there’s a good chance. Especially since the Charger’s have such poor pass coverage. But it you’ve been watching the news lately, there’s a lot more to talk about than who’s going to win Sunday’s game.

All that’s been on the news lately is talk about the 3 Saints players to test positive for NFL banned substances. What an embarrasment! Here we are showcasing the NFL to the world in England, and everyone finds out our athletes have been “doping.” The worst part of it is - our athletes aren’t ”doping,” the positive tests were for a weight loss drug, a common diuretic. I think the NFL deserves whatever negative press it gets for embarrasing itself at such an inopportune time, and I’m sorry for the players involved and the Saints organization. Maybe they will have a review of their testing policies and banned substance list.

Do the players deserve some of the blame in this case? Yes, of course they do. They are responsible for knowing what’s on the banned substance list and for not taking those drugs. But this is a bad time for the Saints and the NFL to have to deal with this type of adversity.

As for the outcome of the game today, it depends on which Saints show up - just like last week. The Saints have not done well against talented teams this year, so my expectations are pretty low for most matchups.

Which Saints will show up today? The mistake prone team that played the Redskins, or the flawless champions who played Oakland last week?

The Saints’ defense has really come around in the past few games, showing me that perhaps I underestimated their ability and determination. On the other hand, one could easily say that the teams they were up against had a lot to do with the stellar performances. The success shown against Oakland was some of the best play all year, and the same could be said for the Saints’ offense.

Carolina is a different kind of team though. Their play is much more solid than Oakland and Frisco, and better opponents tend to “bring out the worst” in the New Orleans Saints. While it’s still early in the season, this is a critical game against a division opponent that could have a really good impact on the Saints standings. It will also show us how well the Saints can handle the adversity of a tough opponent.

Wow, what a difference a week makes… The real question here though is, did they make it look easy or was it easy?

Are the Raiders one of the worst teams in the NFL? They seemed totally flat, not playing with any enthusiasm at all. Something we’ve seen from our own Saints this very year (remember the Redskins game?). Raider fans, I know how you felt on Sunday. I’ve been there, too many times in fact. But hey, it sure feels better to be on the other side!

The defense gets my seal of approval for last week’s performance. It seems like they have been improving the past few games, so I’m getting hopeful. Any time you can hold a team to 3 points you’re at the top of your game. Even Jason David got an interception!

As for our new kicker… at least it’s a new one, the jury’s still out though.

After missing two critical field goals in the past two games, the Saints decided to bring in Taylor Melhaff, a rookie who didn’t make the cut in the beginning of the season.

I’m happy. This is the type of action I’ve been ranting about for years. Even if Melhaff sucks, the Saints made the right move. Accountability is the biggest problem with this team, and we’ve been suffering for years with professional players who don’t do their jobs and stay on the team, even in starting positions, like government workers sucking off the taxpayer teet. 

Olindo Mare hanging on all season last year was a prime example. Jason David’s legacy will go down in history as one of the NFL’s biggest charity cases ever, although it will never compare to the great Aaron Brooks, but we can blame that one on Sean Peyton now, can we?

I hope this is a trend we’ll soon start to see more of in our beloved club. People who don’t do their job, don’t get to play

Everyone watching last night said the same thing. “The Saints are beating themselves here tonight.” Here’s a list of key factors that caused the Saints to lose on Monday night. If any one of these hadn’t occurred, the odds of winning the 30 - 27 game would have been much more in the Saints’ favor:

• 11 penalties for 102 yds. against the Saints.
• 4 Saints turnovers
• 1 Blocked field goal attempt that was run in by the Vikings for a touchdown
• 1 missed field goal attempt
• A missed facemask penalty against the Vikings on a play that resulted in a Reggie Bush fumble
• A questionable “no fumble” call on an Adrien Peterson carry

Sean Peyton and the team need to handle up on the things that they have the most control over: turnovers and penalties. The Saints need to be more disciplined if they want success in the NFL. They are one of the worst teams in the NFL when it comes to turnover ratio, and that has got to change. There is also a problem with accountability on this team. Players who continually fail to perform are left in starting positions. This appears to be the case again this year with the kicking game. Hopefully changes will be made.

As far as the defense goes, last week’s optimism proved valid as we watched the Saints defense hold Adrien Peterson to 32 yds. rushing. I really hope they can maintain the kind of consistency that we’ve seen the past 2 weeks. The one thing they need to get better at is creating turnovers.