Fan Ray Mequet Predicts Great Things for New Orleans Saints

PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 25, 2013

According to devoted fan Ray Mequet, the last few years have been nothing if not tumultuous for supporters of the New Orleans Saints. For many Saints enthusiasts, the thrill of the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl win is still a fresh memory. Then, just last year, the NFL's bounty crusade against the team--and the suspension of coach Sean Payton--left many fans wondering whether the team would ever scale those heights again. A recent report makes note of the many factors that could determine the team's prospects in the season to come--but according to Ray Mequet, fans have every reason to hope for something great.

Mequet--an engineering professional and long-time Saints enthusiast--has released a new statement to the press, commenting on the outlook for this year's New Orleans team. "This is a hungry team, a team that has gone from tasting victory to getting hit hard by the NFL itself," he says, in his press comments. "That alone will make them real competitors in the season to come."

According to the report from NOLA.com, there are further reasons for fans to feel cautiously optimistic about the outlook of the 2013 Saints. Payton has returned to his position as coach, and nearly all of the NFL sanctions against the team have been lifted. The article says that the team itself is "excited" and ready to move forward into a new, winning season.

The NOLA.com article also affirms that there are many wild cards, and that the future trajectory of the New Orleans franchise is very much up in the air. The report claims that the 2011 team was one of the best in the entire NFL, even better than the 2009 Saints lineup that won the Super Bowl title--but that last year's team was disastrously bad, and for reasons well beyond the NFL bounty sanctions. Specifically, NOLA.com cites the team's "implosion" on defense, saying it happened independently of the sanctions and betrayed a simple lack of talent and coordination.

NOLA.com also cites some problems with the Saints' offense--chief among them quarterback Drew Brees' high interception rate. The article notes that some of the team's struggles doubtless stem from the absence of Payton, but that ultimately they must stand as "real warning signs" about the team itself.

The article says that while anything is possible, it is likely that the 2013 will be somewhere closer to the glorious 2011 team than to the struggling 2012 incarnation--an assessment that Ray Mequet agrees with. "With last year aside, the Saints have been a superb team in recent years, and the Brees-Payton leadership is obviously something special," says the team's enthusiastic supporter.

"I predict that the Brees-Payton partnership will once again yield fruit in the season to come," concludes Ray Mequet.

ABOUT:

Ray Mequet is an engineering professional and an enthusiastic sports lover. Though he currently lives in Seabrook, Texas, and happily cheers for many of the Lone Star State's teams, he originally hails from New Orleans, and is a passionate Saints devotee. Ray Mequet's other interests include dirt biking and classic Corvettes.