Saints Report #8 - November 3, 2013

As the Saints were getting manhandled by the Jets in their 26-20 loss Sunday, many fans were probably cringing as Saints castoff Chris Ivory ran wild.  Not me.  I was happy for him.  You see he’s landed on a team that is committed to power football and the run.  If Chris Ivory were still playing for the Saints he’d be standing on the sideline watching the Saintsations.  The Saints already have some good running backs that they don’t know what to do with.  The Saints could have Jim Brown, OJ Simpson and Walter Payton and they’d be fresh as a daisy because they’d each be getting 5 carries and picking up blitzes. 

No, it’s not Ivory I was missing.  It was guys like Carl Nicks, Jermond Bushrod, and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.  I was reminded of one of Jim Mora’s famous rants when he said “we couldn’t run the ball, we didn’t try to run the ball.”  That would describe this year’s Saints and Sean Payton who continues to call plays like it’s a video game.  I understand.  We have a great quarterback.  But he needs a little help now and then.    

Coach Payton, yes you have to outsmart the other coach with creative play calling.  But football is still a game of power, and sometimes you just have to line up and smack the other team in the mouth.  That’s certainly what the Jets did Sunday.  They overpowered the Saints on the line of scrimmage.  Low points included a 3^rd and 1 two-play sequence where every team in America would have handed it to their fullback and just pushed.  The Saints did, but the Jets had called time-out.  So, did you think they’d just try that again?  Ha.  A dropped pass and a horrible reverse blew that opportunity.  Trying to be too cute.  As Amanda Shaw would sing, “Pretty don’t last.”  Dropped passes and crucial penalties made matters worse. 

Here’s the scoop.  As the weather cools, it becomes more important, especially on the road, to go out and play a little power football.  Run the ball, control the clock, establish a power superiority, take the crowd out of it by grinding it out, jam the ball down the other teams’ throat, demoralizing them.  We saw that on Sunday, but we saw it from the Jets.   The Saints act like they’re allergic to the run. 

The bad news is, at the half way point the Saints are 6 – 2, with injuries mounting, and the schedule about to turn nasty.  Dallas and the 49ers are coming to visit, and two games remain with the surprising Carolina Panthers who have to be smelling blood at this point.  Then there’s the biggest matchup of all, with the Seahawks, who will be waiting in Seattle.  Most of these are power football teams.  The Saints need to solve their offense line problems or we’re going to see too much of Brees running for his life, running backs not running, and a steady parade of 3^rd and 18’s.

It can’t be pretty.  It won’t be pretty.  It doesn’t need to be pretty.  Pretty don’t last.  Power does.