New Orleans Saints

2005 Stats

2005 Season Summary

After producing and 11-5 playoff season as a rookie head coach in 2000, Jim Haslett barely survived the 2004 season as the New Orleans Saints rallied from a disastrous 4-8 start to bail out with an 8-8 final record. This came after a semi-mutiny by many players against Haslett, making the comeback all the more incredible. The season also served as a perfect metaphor for what the Saints were under Haslett, an up and down .500 team that was a very difficult read for even the most savvy of pro football gamblers. After that promising initial season under Haslett the Saints were a dead even 32-32 under his watch entering what nearly everyone touted as a make or break season.

Taking the dog in preseason

Entering preseason play, there was a simple approach for gamblers to take and that was the dog. Puppies in New Orleans ' preseason games were 13-6-1 . The Saints were also just a 25% ATS play as a preseason host while a solid 60% play as a preseason visitor.

The exhibition opener at the Superdome at the home standing Saints installed as 3.5-point chalks against Seattle , who was a notoriously weak preseason traveler making the handicapping trends a wash. New Orleans was embarrassed 15-34 and fans wasted no time in calling for Haslett's head in the Crescent City .

The “dog theory” once again held firm in New Orleans ' next game at New England as they beat the Patriots 37-27 as 3.5-point pups.

The Saints returned to the Superdome to face Baltimore as 2.5-point chalks.

The dog in New Orleans games was now 15-6-1 ATS and Baltimore was a 60% play ATS in exhibition play when coming off a straight up loss. All trends held firm as the Ravens prevailed 21-6 in what would turn out to be the final football game at the Superdome for 2005 as Hurricane Katrina came calling soon afterwards.

Shell shocked after Katrina

The Saints were shell shocked entering the preseason finale at Oakland as Katrina ravaged their homes and disrupted their families. Many players worried anxiously for word on relatives who were missing and out of contact. The Saints showed up at Oakland but their minds were back home as they lost 6-13 as 6-point dogs to finish preseason 1-3 both SU and ATS.

“Conventional Wisdom” fails…again!

The regular season opener was at Carolina against a Panthers team that had stumbled badly out of the gate in 2004, which ruined their season. The Panthers were primed to not allow another slow start to ruin their 2005 season that they vowed to make a playoff year. As the hurricane ravaged Saints entered Carolina it stood to figure that the game was Carolina 's for the taking. This was a classic lesson in the pro football betting perils of “conventional wisdom,” which is an oxymoron with the emphasis on moron. Another way to look at this lesson in betting is that if you cannot see something coming you stand a good chance of getting blindsided. New Orleans rallied together for an inspiring 23-20 win as 7-point dogs to help take their fans' minds of their misery, at least temporarily.

The NFL screwed New Orleans

The NFL screwed New Orleans big time the following week, however, as they rescheduled what was to be the Saints home opener against the Giants for a Monday Night at the Giants home stadium, although the Saints were designated as the home team! How disgusting. And the Saints players agreed with that assessment with vocal protests against the arrogant powers that were in the NFL offices in, uh, New York . As 3.5-point dogs, the Saints lost to the REAL home team, the Giants.

Next came a road game against the reeling Minnesota Vikings, who were installed as 4-point chalks despite their woes as it was obvious that the Saints had even more serious issues that were interfering with their performance. New Orleans fell 16-33 as they prepared for their first true “home game” of sorts at the San Antonio Alamodome against Buffalo .

Successful “home” opener

New Orleans was installed as a bargain 1.5-point chalk for their first game with a friendly crowd. It stood to figure that the Saints would play inspired ball in their debut at their temporary home against a Buffalo team that was coming back down to earth after a hot finish to the 2004 season. New Orleans won 19-7 to even their record at 2-2 SU and ATS with 3 of the games going under the total.

Shattered into oblivion

If there was anyone that believed in the Saints at this juncture that faith would be shattered into oblivion the following week at Green Bay as New Orleans met up with the winless Packers, who were injury battered and playing their worst football in years. Green Bay was so down and out that they were a weak 3-point chalk but they rallied for their best performance of the season in a 52-3 annihilation that proved to most pro football gamblers that the Saints were not going anywhere in 2005.

The next game at the Alamodome was a great lesson in how never to overreact when betting pro football. The highflying Atlanta Falcons came calling and were a hefty 6-point road chalk against the humiliated and displaced Saints. The line was a direct reflection on how New Orleans was abandoned by the general betting public. Ignored in all of this was the fact that these two teams have a rivalry that produces nail biter type games as was the case again here as Atlanta barely escaped with a 34-31 win, with the Saints getting the cash. In reality it was this heartbreaking loss to Atlanta , rather than the slaughter in Green Bay , that proved to be the end of the Saints.

New Orleans traveled to St. Louis out of energy and with little spirit remaining but since the Rams were struggling and in the midst of a coaching controversy, they were installed as a light 3-point chalk and easily covered 28-17.

A successful homecoming for visiting coach

The Saints returned to Louisiana to play in LSU's Tiger Stadium against Miami . Some counted on a solid effort by the Saints in their home state return but Miami was improving under former LSU coach Nick Saban, who obviously wanted to show well in this unexpected trip back to his old home where he won a national championship. Miami won 21-6.

Up and coming Chicago visited Tiger Stadium next and beat the Saints 20-17 as 3-point chalks for a push in front of less than 33,000 fans. The Saints entered the bye with a mark of 2-7 SU and 3-5-1 ATS.

Rejuvenation followed by collapse

The Saints looked rejuvenated after the bye as they covered as 8.5-point dogs at New England in a 17-24 loss and then defeated the struggling Jets at New York 21-19 as 2.5-point dogs. They were now a break even 5-5-1 ATS and gamblers began to give them a second look.

Now that they attracted some looks, however, the Saints value was shot again and they collapsed down the stretch going 0-5 both SU and ATS to finish 3-13 SU and 5-10-1 ATS. All of the negativity simply proved too much for the Saints to overcome and it cost Haslett his job. The 2005 Saints proved to be a unique challenge for pro football bettors and how they respond to their return home under a new coach will be interesting.