BYE BYE LOVE, BYE BYE POSTSEASON

OK. I'll admit it. The Saints had my hopes up again heading into this week's game against those rival Bucs. All week, I thought if they can use the momentum from Monday night and find some way to win this one, then they were right back in the playoff hunt. (Instead, they found several ways to lose it.)

With three wins in a row going for them, I figure the Saints would then win both home games, destroy the Lions and possible beat the Bears. But at worse, they would finish 10-6 and hope to win a tiebreaker for a postseason berth.

Now I'm officially ready to lay to rest this 2008 season. Join me. We'll have last rites and everything. I still can see them winning nine games for a hey-that's-not-so-bad season. Remember the last place team in this division always rises up the next year.

Notes on the game.

1) Saints record when I'm there: 3-0.
Saints record when I watch alone: 2-0.
Saints record when I'm at work but Lopes isn't: 1-0.
Saints record when Lopes and I are both at work: 0-2.
Saints record when I watch with Paul: 0-4.

Saints record against teams over .500: 1-6.
Saints record against teams below .500: 5-0.

2) The defense played well Sunday. Sure, they gave up two touchdowns in a row to start the third quarter, but those were both on short fields. Garcia completed well below 50 percent of his passes. That being said, they let him scramble too much, though that was mostly in the first half. Bottom line: The D kept 'em in the game.

3) Red Meat had more rust on him than a nail left out in a flash flood. He made one good move on a second-and-15 in the second quarter. And that's it. He dropped (a team-wide problem) two balls and lost yardage on punts. As Jelly said, he was just like Shockey and Colston when they first came back from injury. Let's see how he responds next week.

4) The Saints and Bucs sure do play some close games. I'm sure JRap can just skip to the next section, but check out some of these scores since the teams joined the NFC South.

Sept. 8, 2002: Saints 26, Bucs 20, OT
Dec. 1, 2002: Saints 23, Bucs 20
Nov. 2, 2003: Saints 17, Bucs 14
Oct. 10, 2004: Bucs 20, Saints 17
Dec. 19, 2004: Saints 21, Bucs 17
Oct. 8, 2006: Saints 24, Bucs 21
Dec. 2, 2007: Bucs 27, Saints 23 (REVERSE!)
Sept. 7, 2008: Saints 24, Bucs 20
Nov. 30, 2008: Bucs 23, Saints 20 (I bet you remember that one.)

So, out of 14 games in the NFC South, eight have been decided by four points or fewer, plus one in overtime. Mostly around that low 20s, high-teens range. I didn't even put down the two games decided by a touchdown.

5) As usual, the Saints got a little too pass-happy. There were times in the second half where I thought they were getting a good balance going. But for the most part ... Here's a key example. The play calling on the drive after the Bucs took a 20-10 lead: run, pass, pass, run. Fine. That's a balance. Then, pass, pass, pass. Now, this was a successful drive, putting the Saints at the Tampa 20.

I yell at the TV at the Fox & Hound: "Now, run the damn ball, dumbass." What happens? Throw. First interception. It was second-and-2. The Bucs were thinking throw. How bout a straight run or a swing pass or a counter running play?

6) Brees is making me real nervous. So nervous I'm thinking about cheering for the Panthers to give him a small injury in the season finale. This passing Marino's last big-time record business isn't set in stone, though. Brees has to average more than 300 yards a game. That ain't easy. Keep in mind, two more 300-yard games for Brees ties the record for most 300-yard games in a season. He's in uncharted waters, folks.

One record I am cheering for Brees to get is most touchdowns in a season in Saints history. Brees currently has the record at 28. That's right. 28. I would like for a Saint to have a 30-touchdown season. Brees is now at 24 with four games remaining. Keeping the two-a-game average gets him to 32, which would also get him to third in career touchdowns in Saints history.

7) All right, enough of the history lessons. Let's get to the three (in chronological order, all in the fourth) big plays that cost the Saints the game Sunday. Before that, I'd like to say that the 10-point comeback was awesome. Really showed some heart. In the end, however, all that fighting and clawing just made these plays tougher to swallow.

a) 10:58 left. Bucs up 20-17. Bucs ball. Third-and-5 at their 30. Fumble.

After VILMA!!! caused the fumble, the crowd at the F&H let out a big roar. I jumped out my chair. An unlucky bounce later, the Bucs recovered. I was left sitting on the floor staring up in disbelief with my elbows wrapped around my knees and two fingers from my right hand clasped in my left hand. What a tease.

If the Saints get that fumble, they have all the momentum in the world and then some. They punch in the touchdown and take the lead. Instead, they went three-and-out after the Bucs punted and tied it on the possession after that. That tying field goal could have given them a touchdown advantage at 27-20.

b) 5:46 left. Bucs up 20-17. Saints ball. Third-and-8 at Bucs 25. Incomplete.

After this incompletion, the Saints kicked a field goal to tie the score at 20. If this third down is picked up, however, the Saints probably punch in a go-ahead touchdown and seize full control. They were set up on the drive in Bucs territory by a band punt. They got 21 yards on the first play. You have to take advantage of these chances.

On the play, Brees threw to the left corner of the end zone for Colston, who was double-covered. Colston had to make one helluva (does this need to be helluvan because the next word starts with a vowel?) effort just to prevent an interception. Both defenders were in perfect position.

Why did Brees throw that pass? Was that the only option? I think he had time. I thought that was perfect Shockey (who was playing pretty well) territory. How about another swing pass to Pierre Thomas? Slant to Devery?

c) 2:33 left. 20-20. Saints ball. First-and-10 at their 17. Interception.

The Saints had a chance here to drive down for the winning points as time expired. They had just picked up a first down. I think Brees was a little too excited or something. I know you already knew this was the biggest play.

8) It's good to see that the short-yardage problems still exist for the Saints and that Payton has learned his reverse lessons against Tampa Bay. You know, because this time it was just an end-around on fourth-and-1. Are you kidding me? Was that some kind of sick joke? Because I'm not laughing. Just staring blankly at the screen.

9) Is it in Jammal Brown's contract that he commit at least one penalty and get beat by his man once every game?

10) Let's go out on a positive note. How bout those new special teamers? Those boys can kick, eh?

THE TINA CURSING CORNER

My mom is cleaning the house. She doesn't like the way I organize my stuff. "Your piles are getting worse. A pile here. A pile there. They're all fucking receipts. You want to keep them all, put them in a fucking shoe box."

I CAN GIVE YOU A RANGE

The most frequently asked question I get is: When do you get off? (Of work, people. Get your heads out of the gutter.) I hear this question at least three times a week. Peeps always be wanting to hang with me after work and all, yo. I can't tell you the last time a weekend went by without me hearing that question. Not that I'm complaining.

The problem is I never really have an answer. There's no set shift length, and we have like four different times the final deadline can be. But that's the only time I can offer a person asking this question.

There's no telling when I will actually be off work. It can be before the deadline, at the deadline, right after the deadline or a while after the deadline. There's no traditional 5 o'clock time-to-go-home buzzer or anything like that.

Sometimes, I'll guess the time to the inquiring mind, but I'll end up being off by 45 minutes. It might feel like an early night, but then, wham, I'm here thirty minutes past when I expected to check out. Plus, I get caught up talking to co-workers after the shift, and who knows how long that can take.

PARTING SHOT
I explain to Liam that if Jacksonville wins against the spread, I tie him for fourth this week in the T-P NFL picks pool, but if Houston wins against the spread, I finish eighth.

Liam: In the end, it doesn't really matter. The queen (Jelly) is running away with the crown.
Me: I know, but I'd like to finish in a respectable position.
Lopes: That's what she said.
(Laughter.)
Liam: Come on. That was an easy one.
Lopes: But it had to be said. Agreed?
Liam: The Russian judge went really low on that one.
Liam and me: That's what he said.

THE DAILY TOP LIST
My top five moments of November.

5) Molly Ringwalds concert.
I went last night. More on that tomorrow.

4) Playing football.
The soreness is just now going away. Hopefully, we play again in December.

3) Hornets home opener.
Remember when I infamously called the Cathedral a castle? Yeah, good times.

2) Watching Top Gun.
I popped my Val Kilmer cherry. But I've got a new one now. I've never seen a Heath Ledger movie.

1) My birthday.
Here's to the next quarter century.