In a perfect world, Aaron Kromer would ride in on his white horse and rescue the New Orleans Saints from a rudderless demise.
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But the world ain't perfect. Neither are the 0-4 Saints, who are drifting toward NFC also-ran status by Thanksgiving. Kromer is trying to remain positive following Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
"No loss is easy to take, but you can see more positives, and so you would have more of a brighter outlook on the future," Kromer said, via The Advocate. "We really feel that we're on the cusp of getting on a roll."
These are the type of things coaches say when they start 0-4. If you dig through the NFL.com archives, don't be surprised if Jim Caldwell uttered a near-identical bit of coach-speak as the Indianapolis Colts tumbled into obscurity without Peyton Manning last season.
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The Saints have less of an excuse to be this bad. After all, they still have one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation in Drew Brees. Much of the blame can be put on New Orleans' defense, which has allowed a league-worst 463.3 yards per game.
Said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo: "The disappointment that I have is if we could have found a way to eliminate one score, or force one field goal in the red zone, that's how much of a fine line it is right now."
In the parity-mad NFL, almost every team walks that fine line. The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-1 but could be 1-3. The Miami Dolphins are 1-3 but could be 3-1. It's about execution -- particularly late in the game -- and a little bit of luck.
The Saints haven't had either in 2012.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.