If you're gonna win BFIG, you have to place your trust in a wide range of teams throughout the year. Just don't trust the Saints. (Part 1 of our "torpedoed dreams" series.)
I've been watching this gif for two straight hours.
It's incredible. It's hypnotic. It's terrifying. It's trust-inspiring. I feel like it holds the answers to all my Saints questions.
And Commish has a lot of damn questions. Because the Saints torpedo dreams.
2016 Update: 4-4 when picked; 96 wins against 81 losses.
The Saints torpedoed dreams in 2009, BFIG's inaugural season. Tobias Luong had won 15 straight games without picking the 13-1 New Orleans Saints.
The Saints had the 2-12 Bucs, at home, in Week 16. Tobias was on his way to BFIG immortality. There was no way the Saints could lose this game.
Tampa returned a punt 77 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown, Garrett Hartley shanked a 37-yarder at the gun, and the Bucs scored 20 straight to pull out a 20-17 overtime win.
Terrible break for Tobias. But it was just a blip for the Saints, right?
... right?!?!
In 2012, the post-Bountygate Saints lost their opener, at home, to the Washington Dumpster Fire. Four percent of the pool dropped out; the survivors were unfazed.
Week 2 brought the Carolina Panthers, who'd eventually start the season 1-6. Guess who they beat? A few more BFIG'ers dropped out, but the rest were still unfazed.
In Week 3, the Saints hosted the Chiefs - a team that'd go on to finish 2-14. Everyone knew the Chiefs were bad. There was no way the Saints could lose this game.
Cue the comments:
Bogdan Oaida (Saints): "The Saints have haunted this league for the past two weeks ... Could NO really go 0-3?"
Chris Broglie (Saints): "The Saints may be 0-2, but the Chiefs are a bottom 5 team in the NFL, right? Right?"
Danny Hibbard (Saints): "This is probably a dumb pick, but I want to see how far I can get choosing teams that haven't won yet."
Erin Cox (Saints): "Because Jambalaya sounds good, KC really is that bad, and there is no way Drew Brees goes 0-3"
Filip Niculete (Saints): "They cant really go 0-16"
Jeff Morgan (Saints): "because the Saints aren't the Aints again....are they? They have to be better than KC...right?"
Josh Jovanelly (Saints): "Drew Brees isn't going to let the Saints start 0-3."
Libby Simones (Saints): "Because they have to win and they are better than an 0-2 record!"
Michael Nagin (Saints): "I hear they let the cable guy back in the dome."
45 percent of the pool dropped out by picking the Saints that week.
By the time 2015 rolled around, we knew the Saints did this to us every year. But, they were still the Saints.
Maybe it's Drew Brees. Maybe it's Sean Payton. Maybe it's the perceived Superdome advantage. Maybe it's fond memories of pounding 27 Bud Light Limes in five hours on Bourbon Street and waking up with 104 beaded necklaces the next morning.
Over 1,000 BFIG'ers picked the Saints to beat the Bucs at home in Week 2. Jameis threw two picks, fumbled twice, and looked straight Ryan Leaf in his rookie debut a week earlier. The Saints lost at Arizona, but hey, the Cardinals were good and the game was fairly close.
There was no way the Saints would lose this game.
26-19 Bucs. Dreams, torpedoed.
The Saints have been picked 33 times in BFIG history - tied for 3rd-most all-time.
Some outsiders may look at that stat and say, "That makes no sense. Why would people do that?"
But upon further reflection, the answer it easy: There's no way the Saints could lose this game.
***
You can check out all five "torpedoed dreams" articles here. Truth be told, from a coldly rational, Barnwellian perspective, none of this stuff should matter. But it shouldn't have mattered in 2009-2016, either... Pick at your own risk!
And if you haven't gotten in for the 2017 NFL SZN, you have till Sunday (9/10) at 9:50am PDT. GET IN HERE!