The Saints season is unfolding exactly how Bill Belichick predicted

It was all good just a week ago. The New Orleans Saints were 2-0, with two blowout wins and hopes were high for the franchise. Unfortunately, things have taken a sharp turn since. New Orleans lost a close game to the Philadelphia Eagles, and several of the team’s key players were injured.

Starting center Erik McCoy being sidelined with a groin injury that required surgery was the most severe injury, but guys like Alvin Kamara, Demario Davis, Cesar Ruiz, Derek Carr, and Alontae Taylor were all on Wednesday’s injury report. It’s only Week 4, and there’s a chance all these guys could suit up and play Sunday, but this could be a sign of what’s to come for New Orleans this season.

When everyone was celebrating the Saints for their impressive 2-0 start, legendary coach Bill Belichick tried to warn everyone of what could be around the corner for the team. In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Belichick praised New Orleans for its start, and credited the team’s early execution to them being a veteran squad. However, he acknowledged that strength could eventually become a weakness for the team.

Belichick said the Saints’ age and experience is great now, but it brings in the question of how they’ll hold up throughout a long season, and if they can sustain or if they’ll wear down. Just three weeks in, it seems like the wear-down process has started.

Bill Belichick knew health would be a factor for the veteran Saints team

It’s no secret New Orleans is an old football team; it was the oldest team in the league last season. Many of the Saints’ key players are deep into their careers. Demario Davis and Cam Jordan are 35, Taysom Hill is 34, Derek Carr is 33, Tyrann Mathieu is 32, and Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore are 29 and 28, respectively, and both in year eight.

NFL seasons are already a war of attrition, with champions usually being the team that could remain the healthiest, so New Orleans being an older team isn’t the best recipe for success. But, that’s what the Saints had to work with. Now they must figure out how to keep their veteran stars healthy, while also relying on them to win games.

It’ll be a hard challenge that head coach Dennis Allen has been preparing for all offseason, but a challenge the team must conquer if they’re going to have success. The best solution would be New Orleans’ younger players emerging and easing the load the older players have to carry, but that hasn’t happened across the board yet.

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