Saints and Chargers: Fair losses?

Saints and Chargers: Fair losses?

Ok, I KNOW some of you guys think I am trying to side with the Saints since I am a Saints (and Raiders) fan, but hear me out on this.

I know both the New Orleans Saints and the Sand Diego Chargers lost yesterday, but I want to make a case for both teams. I say this because after watching one of my favorite shows, PTI, I seem to think Tony and Michael have forgotten some important things about the next few days.

To recap, the Saints lost to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte by a score of 30-7, while the Chargers lost to the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo 23-14. The losses hurt both teams pretty bad because this drops the Saints to 3-4, with three of those losses away from home, while the Chargers fall to the same record, winning only one in four games away.

Why is this important? Why am I only trying to defend two losers? Because these same two teams have to play an away game in a whole different country! The Chargers are supposedly “AT” New Orleans in London, England, which I think is a terrible mistake for the NFL.

Now note, I am not saying it is a bad idea to have football in Europe, but it is highly unfair for two teams trying to make it to post season. And yeah, I know about the Giants, but that wasn’t this late in the season.

To me it is hypocritical that the NFL just dumped the entire World League after finding out that it does not work, but yet are trying to push our beliefs down their throats. When they try to bring soccer here, we shun it like the plague, but we expect them to embrace the “American sport”. But that’s a whole different blog…

But you have to really wonder if this got into both team’s heads. I mean, it’s one thing if you’re the Chargers, knowing that your next game is about 2000 miles away in a week. But what if it’s 5500 miles? That’s how far it is from San Diego to London. You can’t tell me that this does not have an effect on any player. The same goes for the Saints, and we’re not even talking about the major injury to Reggie Bush, and how it directly impacts the team.

I cannot buy for a second the idea that a player can play hard without these things affecting him. How many of you remember the World League and all the problems the US teams had when they traveled overseas? Their records were so bad, the NFL had to dissolve all the US teams, thus keeping the European teams (until recently). Heck, just last night the commentators were talking about how hard it was for Seattle to win games on the other side of the country…how much so for teams traveling to another country altogether?

I know these guys are professionals, but before they are athletes, they are human, and subject to some of the same things as all humans who travel. I personally think those losses came before they took to the field, knowing all the things about traveling overseas.

And let’s not forget the schedule the Saints have had thus far. Of the 7 teams they have played, 4 of them could be in the playoffs at the end of the year. Again, I don’t want to make it sound like I am siding only for them, but they have had a difficult schedule, with the Bush injury, and now traveling to another country in the middle of the season to play a game the desperately need to win…the NFL is asking a crap load out of these guys.

San Diego is in the same fix. Their benefit is in the fact that their division stinks, with Oakland and Kansas City at the bottom (yeah, I know the Raiders are my team too, but they DO stink, even with that win).

Where the Saints are at the bottom of their division, the Chargers are in second place, but they cannot afford to fall behind any more. Their previous games were just as hard as the Saints, and outside of the Raiders and Chiefs, the remainder of the schedule is just as difficult. Right now, the Chargers might be looking at 7 wins, maybe 8 at the rate they are going, so it is imperative that they get this win in London.

These are two teams that really, really need a win, and maybe in an ironic way, it becomes very important when they play in London. But somehow, I think they both got screwed for the benefit of the NFL and their bid to try to bring football back to Europe.

I don’t think it’s gonna work…if it did, they would not have dissolved the European teams before. Sadly, it’s gonna cost the Saints and the Chargers. I know they get the bye week after the game, but we’re gonna see if this trip was all it was cracked up to be.

Anyway, I gotta fly, if you missed my blog on Alabama and Penn State in the BCS, check out my blogs on blogspot.com. See ya later!

http://raidersaint.blogspot.com