Saints Report # 15 - December 27, 2015

The New Orleans Saints began their playoff run and march to the Super Bowl with a 38 – 27 spanking of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Superdome on Sunday.  Next up are the Atlanta Falcons whom they should handle handily, and they’ll be back in the Superbowl.

That, ladies and gentlemen is what we call fantasy football.

Back on planet earth, Drew Brees mimicked Superman with one of his near-perfect games.  Just when you thought he might sit down for the year due to an injured foot, he rattles the dome with 412 passing yards, and staked the Saints to a 24-0 lead.  He now has 4546 yards passing for the year, and with one game to go would surely be staring at another 5000 yard season had he not missed a game.  All the more remarkable in that Marques Colston was inactive due to injury, and Ben Watson was hobbled.  He got support from Brandin Cooks, who had a big game while going over 1100 yards receiving for the year, and Tim Hightower, who broke the 100 yard rushing mark, the rarest of achievements in this offense.  Hightower fortunately looks more like Pierre Thomas than Mark Ingram and hopefully management is noticing.  Traveris Cadet, back with the Saints this week, got action over CJ Spiller, whom it looks like Payton has sat down for the year.  Spiller apparently has never fully recovered from knee surgery, which is a condition I fully understand. 

The defense played well at times, with Delvin Breaux standing out, but they still set an NFL record for touchdown passes allowed with 43.  With one game to go, they may set a record that can never be broken.

For the Jaguars, they couldn’t even induce a penalty out of Brandon Browner, although they did beat him with a bomb.  Bombed and booed, Brandon Browner looks bamboozled.  Bummer.

So with only the Falcons left, who got Mercury Morris drunk again when they upset Carolina, the Saints look to the future.  Rumors are rampant about Payton and Brees, while idiots in the media implore Tom Benson to sell his teams.  Hey, Tom, please dump your $2 billion worth of businesses because I said so. 

Try Craig’s List.

See you in Atlanta for the Fed-Ex Going Nowhere Bowl.  It will be the official start of the wait til next year.

Saints Report # 14 - December 21, 2015

Are you ready for some football?

Well - you're going to have to wait.

The New Orleans Saints began to apply the finishing flourishes to their season of mediocrity on Monday night by taking it on the chin from a team thought to be more hapless than them.  Nope, the Detroit Lions beat the tar out of the defenseless Saints 35-27 and it wasn’t that close.  Only a dramatic late comeback led by a hobbled Drew Brees made it seem close. 

The Saints found new ways to lose.  They spotted the Lions a 28-3 lead by playing a first half of defense that can only be described as token.  The end result was something they had never done in the BP era – they lost a game when they didn’t commit a turnover.  Previously they had been 30 – 0.  Is this rock bottom?   Maybe their previous record of invincibility in nationally televised night games evaporating is rock bottom. 

Brees tore his plantar fascia during the second half and should close out the year on injured reserve.  Rookie Garret Grayson should be allowed to gain valuable experience by starting the last 2 games.

Forgetaboutit.

That’s not the way the Saints operate.  It would be logical.

And that’s all you need to know. 

 

Saints Report # 13 - December 13, 2015

Saints fans are still waiting for his first end zone dance.

But he won’t dance.  Don’t ask him.

Marques Colston caught 2 touchdown passes from Drew Brees in the Saints surprising 24-17 victory in Tampa.  It brought to 71 the number of times they have combined for a touchdown.  That puts them 5th all-time.

Drew Brees threw his 421^st career touchdown pass, as he moved into 4^th place on the all time list, with only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre ahead of him.  It’s impressive company and the headlines will say that Brees led the Saints to a workmanlike win.  Another story will be on Tim Hightower who came out of retirement this year and looked better than a lot of higher priced running backs the Saints have on their roster, and there’s no reason to beat that horse any deader than it already is.

The defense played easily their best game of the year by rendering Jameis Winston ineffective and holding Brandon Browner to only one penalty, although Kyle Wilson tried to step into the penalty role with three.

But, my focus is on the Quiet Storm. 

Colston came out of Hofstra and the Saints saw something they liked and picked him in the 7^th round of the 2006 draft.  His chemistry was immediate with Brees and for 10 years they’ve been the Saints most reliable combo.

No one could have forseen what Colston would mean to the team and its fans. 

He is now the Saints all-time leader in touchdowns, receiving yards, and receptions.   

He’s in the twilight of his career now, as he approaches the 10,000 yard mark.  This year there have been more drops than usual, but as the season progressed it seems that he has taken a few sips from the fountain of youth.  Brees is looking for him in the clutch again, and he has responded with several critical catches, just as he did on a 3^rd and 11 Sunday.  He famously sleeps in a hyperbolic chamber to take care of this body, and Sean Payton gives him a day off now and then from practice to heal. 

Colston has made his living roaming the middle of the field, taking shots and fighting for yardage after a catch in heavy traffic.  A drop now and then is understandable.  Name another receiver like him who has lasted this long while jumping up exposed to catch a ball in the seam. 

Here are the quarterback/receiver combinations just ahead:

Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison 112

Steve Young to Jerry Rice 85

Dan Marino to Mark Clayton 79

Phillip Rivers to Antonio Gates 73

There you have something to root for in a lost season.  Sure, the Saints could win out and finish 8 – 8, and technically they haven’t been eliminated.  I’ll be rooting for The Quiet Storm to finish strong and maybe squeeze one more year out of his aching body.

There’s an old saying that I really like.  It is “when you get in the end zone act like you’ve been there before.”  That’s been a habit of Colston’s since day one.

Unselfish. Unrecognized, unflappable, underappreciated.  He has done everything you could ask a receiver to do.

Except dance. 

He's been in the end zone before, and he'll be there again, giving the Saints a touch of class on and off the field.  #12 - the Saints all-time leading receiver.

Saints Report # 12 - December 6, 2015

One of the arguments for gun control is that there are an excessive number of accidental shootings.  Anyone who has watched the Saints shoot themselves in the foot time after time this year already knows that.  Principal shooters are usually Brandon Browner and men in striped shirts. 

The Saints fell to 4-8 Sunday with their 41- 38 loss to the undefeated Carolina Panthers.  Given the Saints roster failures, can there be a scarier development than the Saints playing so poorly that they will have a high draft choice? 

Sunday the Saints started with the momentum they were going to need if they wanted to pull an upset.  They had an early 7 – 0 lead after a nice drive.  Rookie Delvin Breaux swiped a pass, and Rookie Stephon Anthony swiped a ball and ran it in, and they were up 14-0. 

The Saints however were up to the foot-shooting challenge, as Kenny Vaccaro was cocky enough to taunt the Panthers after another great Breaux play.  Carolina got their momentum back, aided by a long 4^th down run by Newton, which the Saints oddly never saw coming, as they offered no containment, a concept that has been foreign to the young Saints.

With three first half take-aways the Saints were primed to take a big lead, but the offense stalled.  Then in the second half, the offense rolled, but the defense couldn’t tackle or cover.  It’s conceivable that no defense has ever played worse than this team's. 

A pass rush can conceal a variety of ills. 

There’s no pass rush, so there’s no way around it.

The Saints secondary is a mess.

Keenan Lewis’s season is over after hip surgery.  He was the best defensive back.

Delvin Breaux exited the game with a leg injury after making several good plays.

Damian Swann, who has shown great promise, can’t get back on the field after 2 concussions.

Jabari Greer is retired.

Malcolm Jenkins is running back interceptions for the Eagles.

Johnny Poe is long gone

Tommy Myers is not interested.

Dave Waymer is deceased.

Jason David is banished.

Which leaves the Saints with Brandon Browner, who fires more shots than any other, and Jarius Byrd who disappears.

The Saints play a man to man defense with a single safety.  It’s an odd choice for a team that can’t cover anyone one on one.  The Panthers, not known for their receivers, embarrassed the coverage.

It was so obvious as the game developed.  Brees is throwing into tight coverage, often double.  After attending the game, I watched it again at home just to be sure about this – but the Panthers threw 8 passes to receivers who were wide open – no one even close.  Fortunately, Newton missed some of them, or the score would have been in the 60’s. 

Meanwhile the Saints execution failed at key times.  I counted 3 drops, but none more important than Brandon Coleman’s on the next to last play of the game, which could have gotten the Saints in position for a long field goal attempt to tie.  It wasn’t a perfect pass, but catchable.  Unless you’re afflicting more wounds.

So, the Saints would now have to win out just to finish at .500, and that’s not going to happen.

When’s the draft?

The Saints have to face their many organizational deficiencies and roster mistakes that have put them in a salary cap hole that is going to take more than this year to dig out of. 

Here’s reality:

Carolina has won the division 3 years in a row, a feat that seemed impossible just a few years ago, and Cam is there for 10 more years.

Tampa Bay is 6 – 6 and has Jameis Winston whom we will be looking at probably for the next 15 years.

Atlanta is 6 – 6 and Matt Ryan will be around for 6 more years.

Meanwhile Drew Brees has probably 2 years left and is taking a beating, as he nears 37.

I’m scared that they will trade him to a team that seems to be only a QB away, like the Rams.  If the Rams are looking to make a big splash with a move to LA, it would be a perfect fit.  

Watch for them to make an offer. 

It’s the Ralph Kiner principle.  In the mid 50’s the Pittsburgh Pirates were awful.  They had one star, home run hitter Ralph Kiner, who they famously dispatched in a hugely unpopular trade, telling him, “We finished in last place with you, we can finish in last place without you.

It was years before the Pirates recovered.

I’m holding my breath, listening for a last gunshot. 

At the Cinema - November 2015

Spectre – 8

James Bond has become a measure of time, and I’ve been married for 11 installments.  We’ve seen them all.  You can usually count on some good stunts, a ridiculous story, a couple of Bond girls, at least one martini, and an ending whereby the world has been saved again, all in a movie that goes on about a half hour too long. 

One other thing you can count on with the current Bond, Daniel Craig.  He is the most clean shaven dude in the history of cinema.  A que ball would be jealous.  He looks like he has had every facial hair surgically removed.  A five o’clock shadow must be a matter of national security.  I found myself saying throughout the movie, “man, did he shave again?”  Of course, when I go to a George Clooney movie I enjoy watching his stubble change from scene to scene.  So, there’s that.

Spectre delivers on the tried and true 24 picture formula.  After the heaviness of Skyfall, which I did not terribly enjoy, I was not expecting much from 2^nd time director Sam Mendes.  In fact my thinking was that with the additional seriousness of Skyfall, there was nowhere to go, from a story telling standpoint.  Bond’s past had been revealed, dissected, and resolved, so now what?

Well, spoiler alert – what’s love got to do with it?  Yes it had appeared that Bond had done some serious relationship time in the past, but leave it to Mendes and Craig to surprise me.

The villain here is played by Quentin Tarantino go-to baddie Christoph Waltz who is as convincing as he is conniving.  The Bond Girl here is played by Lea Seydoux and she brings something extra to the role, and I’m not the only one that noticed – Bond notices too, and when the damsel is in distress, Bond ramps up his intensity.  Maybe that’s why he keeps shaving.  So, in a plot that is almost identical to Mission Impossible 5, it’s soon them against the espionage world, and the world doesn’t stand any more of a chance than stubble would.

Truth – 8

This is an often fascinating portrait of CBS 60 minutes producer Mary Mapes and anchor Dan Rather, the team that tried to tell the story of George Bush’s alledged AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard.  Mapes was fresh off breaking the atrocities of Abu Ghrabi, so she was a hot journalist looking for her next Pulitzer.

There’s a 2 part allegation here.  The first is that Bush got preferential treatment in being allowed to enroll in the Texas Air National Guard rather than be subject to the draft and a Vietnam tour. 

The second is much worse.  It alleged he went AWOL for a long period.   The second part falls apart under scrutiny after Rather breaks it on the evening news.  The shaky nature of the research eventually costs Mapes her job, and Rather is soon ousted from CBS after a long and distinguished career. 

The movie tries to be a great journalism expose like All the President’s Men, but it falls well short of that masterpiece.  The movie leaves you with the impression that Bush probably did something wrong, but we didn’t really know what.  It’s an interesting part of American history that doesn’t get solved here, probably because only one man knows the truth, and he’s not about to talk about it.

On a personal note, I was never a Dan Rather fan until about a month ago, when I discovered his show on AXS (Mark Cuban’s channel – 340 on Directv.)  It’s called The Big Interview, and he does 1 hour sessions with a wide variety of famous people like Carlos Santana and Aaron Sorkin.  He asks the questions I would ask, so naturally I like it.  Certainly a better way to go into the sunset than his expulsion from CBS.

The Hunger Games – Mockingjay part 2 - 3

Finally, it’s over.  In a finale that is as excruciating as having your wisdom teeth put back in, just so you can have them pulled again, the 9 lives of Katniss Everdeen comes to a merciful end.  I will, and I suggest you do as well, equate the 8 hours or so that you may have invested in the Hunger Game series as just a day at the office, one that went from bad to worse, and by the end of the day you were ready for several of James Bond’s martinis.  Just one of those horrible work days that will fade from memory, after it sits in the pit of your stomach for a few days.

The series, which was mildly interesting at first, jumped the moat when the money grubbers decided to split the finale into 2 parts, effectively stretching one movie into two so that they could dip into the wallets, well mostly purses, of the gullible public just one extra time and enhance the stock price of whatever studio funded this repetitive repetition.

Even Jennifer Lawrence, who became a star over the course of the series, looks bored by the elongated end.  She should get not an Oscar for this, but some kind of lifetime achievement medal of honor, for giving so much time and effort.  And poor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  He’s still appears in this blotation device, even though he’s been dead for years. 

So, what’s so bad about this installment?  First, the ending of the movie is obvious in the first five minutes.  If you don’t see the ending arrow coming a mile away, well you don’t get out much.  Secondly, halfway through the movie, a new species (I think – it all kind of runs together) is revealed, turning it into a horror movie.  It’s like we were suddenly transported into a different movie, Night of the Living Halloween Evil Dead.  I wanted to run for my life, into another movie, any movie.  The only thing like it I’ve ever seen was when the Ark of the Covenant was opened in Raiders of the Lost Ark and it suddenly became a supernatural movie.  Not that I’m comparing this to Raiders, oh no.

Now I was assured by a woman of the female persuasion that the book was great, and I’m sure it was.  But I’ve never cared a whit about how a book compares to a movie, and all I can say is I’m glad it’s all over.  Hats off to a terrific cast that performed diligently as the script(s) unraveled.  Now let’s go to the dentist for some real fun.

Brooklyn – 9

Movies are best when they do just a few things well.  Transport you to a different time and place, tell a simple story well, and stay on the appropriate pace.  Check, check, and check on this beautifully crafted story of an Irish immigrant in the 1950’s who has a job waiting in Brooklyn.

In a time when immigration is a most volatile word, we sometimes forget the simple reason our great nation was built with immigrants.  They wanted to leave where they were and come to America for a better life.  That was the goal.  Just a better life.

Eilis Lacey, played impeccably by Saoirse Ronan, (and the whole cast is perfect) is a young girl who will find love as she comes out of her shy, homesick shell while she adjusts to her new home.  The conflict will be when she has to return home for family reasons.  Does she commit to her new life in America, or retreat to the comforts of home?  This is a gentle movie, a real movie that bears no resemblance to the video game clones in the other stalls of the Cineplex.  My suggestion would be to go see this on throw-back Thursday.  That would be perfect.  It will return you to a simpler time, when immigrants believed the inscription on the Statue of Liberty was sincere, and movie makers believed you could tell a good story without computer assistance.  

Saints Report # 11 - November 29, 2015

The New Orleans Saints came off their much needed bye week with their batteries recharged, their legs rested and their psyche refocused.  So, they zipped over to Houston and promptly delivered a performance even more lackluster than their last.  The Houston Texans spanked them 24-6, a punishment that was fully deserved.  It moved the Saints into a “lost season” mode that they haven’t experienced in November in a very long time.  Can you say wasted December?

If you had told me that after 12 weeks the Saints would have more wins than only 6 teams I never would have believed you.  I’ve listed the things the Saints can’t do.  Now let’s list the things that they CAN do.  …………………………

In this disastrous loss, the Saints failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 155 games, ending the second longest streak in NFL history.  Drew Brees also had his streak of 45 games with a touchdown pass snapped.  At this point the Saints are inept.

So, while there are many problems with the Saints, here’s one more that I will mention before I retire to watch some real football.

Saints depth chart at wide receiver:

1.

2.

3.  Brandin Cooks

4.  Willie Snead

When a tight end, Ben Watson, is your most reliable threat, it’s time to go after some wide receivers.  Of course they have needs just about everywhere on both sides of the ball.  They are like the guy that walked up to the airline counter and said, “Give me a ticket.”  The desk agent said “to where?”  He replied, “Doesn’t matter, I’ve got business everywhere.”  Which is exactly where the Saints have problems.  

Saints Report # 10 - November 15, 2015

The 2015 version of the New Orleans Saints travelled to the nation’s capital Sunday and got humiliated 100-14.  It was as if Louisiana hadn’t been purchased yet.  They fell to 4 - 6 in their worst loss of the era, and comparable to their bygone era.  The real score was 47 - 14.  

I’m not sure when the Brees/Payton era officially ended. 

Maybe it was when the Saints traded Darren Sproles. 

Maybe it was when they signed Jimmy Graham to a contract that they could not possibly live with.  Maybe it was when they established the defensive coordinator position as a rotating door. 

Maybe it was when they blew several drafts in a row.

Maybe it was bountygate.

Maybe it was when they decided to not bail out Darren Sharper.

Maybe it was when they thought the Buffalo Bills would be a great source of free agents.

Or maybe it was in the fourth quarter when Drew Brees officially took over the decision making from the coaching staff.  I don’t know if this will be a big story or not.  The press corps that covers the Saints appear to be somewhat intimidated by Coach Payton, and nobody asked him about it in the press conference.  But, they sure asked Drew Brees, who had apparently noticed that the Saints were down 30 and punting would be kind of pointless.  So, he waved the punting team back to the bench, to attack a 4th and 4 backed up to their own end zone.  I wonder how much discussion there will be on Brees’ action.  It didn’t appear that Payton was too happy, but he wasn’t so unhappy that he called a timeout to force the punt.  Brees apparently failed to inform Mark Ingram to run a route beyond the 1^st down marker, and his pass fell incomplete.  The Redskins took over inside the Saints thirty, and the Saints held them to a field goal.  I’m with Brees on his decision.  There is really no reason to punt for the rest of the year.  This time it wasn’t a nail in the coffin.  It was just salt on the open wound that the announcers kept liberally referring to as a “defense.” 

There’s not much more that can be said about the Saints defense.

They can’t cover.

They can’t tackle.

They can’t stop the run.

They can’t pressure the quarterback.

They can’t play off blocks.  Their defenders are the most easily blocked players in NFL history.  What stood out Sunday is that the evasiveness of the Saints could be rated zero. 

When the opposing offense is in the film room studying, well, watching the Saints defense, Pavlov’s dog would take a back seat to the salivating that must go on.

They know that every play they will run will go exactly the way it is drawn up, as if it were a video game.

They know that if the Saints make a big play on defense, it will immediately be wiped out by a yellow flag.

They know that their quarterback will sit back in the pocket and survey his field of dreams.

They know their offensive records may fall.

They know the only defensive player that can hurt them is a new one they have never heard of.  Sunday, some dude named Obum Gwacham got the Saints only sack, and I immediately commissioned an investigation.  Questions abound. 

Who is he? 

Where did he come from? 

How did Rob Ryan let him in the game? 

How much longer will Rob Ryan keep his job? 

Outside of those girls in The Shining, has there ever been a more disappointing set of twins than Rob and Rex Ryan?  

Could Rob Ryan himself be a set of twins?

What's he hiding under that sweatshirt?

His resume, I hope?

For a long time Saints fan, keeping perspective is difficult.

For most of the Saints history the Saints have been a well below average team.  Those of us who endured that era, do not take the Saints last 10 years for granted, because for much of that time, the Saints have been above average.  Right now they have fallen back to below average and sinking. 

Recent fans who have been spoiled by the Brees/Payton run of success may as well learn the new reality.  1) The party is winding down.  2) we all need a week off.

Saints Report # 9 - November 8, 2015

I give up.

I can’t figure them out.

The Saints are like a girlfriend you’ve been having a great time with for a few weeks, and she walks in and announces that she’d like to see other people.

In a game that should have had a degree of difficulty of about 0, the Saints managed to cough up a game to the single-win Titans 34-28, in overtime.  Overtime was a mercy rule for the Saints, as Tennessee would have kept right on rolling to a 56 – 28 win if allowed to continue.

Oh, the Saints picked up where they’d left off last week, as they scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, and Brees was having his way.  It was then that the Titans made a fateful decision.  They decided Brees could not throw from the ground.  The Saints protection began to collapse and the Titans took control.

This was the kind of defensive adjustment that evades the Saints, right up there with tackling and coverage.  Quarterback Marcus Mariotta was given a ticket to ride all day long, as the Saints front four never laid a hand on him.  He stood back in the pocket, and said, “wait, is this the NFL?  Where’s that Cameron Jordan I’ve been hearing so much about?”  Maybe Marcus is a future star.  As usual, the Saints did their part to accelerate the young quarterback’s progress.  It’s a fleur de lis tradition.

The Saints secondary, which was showing so much progress just a few weeks ago, was in complete disarray as Jarius Byrd doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of “safety” and Brandon Browner can only grasp.  Of course, they get no help from a pass rush, and there is one sure way to win in the NFL, and it’s with a pass rush,

You will find here a list of players who effectively rushed the passer:  ……………………….

Then there’s the list of players who can consistently run the ball: ………………………

That’s right.  The Saints still can’t rush the passer and can’t rush the football. 

Good thing they're not a fraternity dependent on rush.  They'd be extinct.

Yes, there was some luck involved.  What should have been a routine interception was bounced up and turned into a long touchdown pass for the Titans.   The Saints had a potential game-winning field goal blocked.  Marcus Murphy fumbled his 2^nd punt in his last 3 returns early in the game.   On paper, this should have been a blowout with the Saints doing the blowing.  Instead, they got blown, in a bad way.

So the Saints, after battling so hard to get back to .500 have sputtered back to 4-5.  They have eliminated any room for error they might have had to make the playoffs. 

They may be headed for an ugly breakup.  Just when we were thinking about a promising future together.

Saints Report # 8 - November 1, 2015

In recent news:

October 21^st – ESPN lays off 300 people

October 29^th – ESPN says a trade of Drew Brees to the New York Jets for a 3^rd round draft choice is a “trade they’d like to see.”

October 30^th – ESPN shuts down their prestigious web site Grantland.

November 1^st – Drew Brees goes 40 for 50 for 511 yards and an NFL record-tying 7 touchdowns.

A credibility deficiency for the World Wide Leader?

It was an all day, all Saints Day party as the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants played a classic in the Superdome.  You don’t see many 52 – 49 games that don’t include Baylor, but if you were lucky enough to be in the dome Sunday, you saw it, and you won’t forget it.  It was more exciting than the final score would indicate, if that's possible.

It was like 7 on 7 drills as Brees and Eli Manning (6 touchdowns) put on a passing display that may never be matched.  Their 13 combined passing touchdowns set an NFL record.  Back and forth the teams went up and down the field.  It was an amazing show of offensive firepower. 

Non – quarterback Key players – Willie Snead, who went from hero to goat to hero.  He caught Brees’ first touchdown pass on a flea flicker in the first quarter.  His fumble after a vicious hit was returned for a touchdown that temporarily put the Giants ahead 49 – 42 in the 4^th quarter.  Then on the final punt of the game he saved the day by grabbing Marcus Murphy’s potentially disastrous fumble.  The punter grabbed his facemask for a 15 yard add-on to set up…..

Kai Forbeth, the kicker who was perfect on 7 extra points (no mean feat in today’s NFL) and the 50 yard game winner as the clock ran out.

Marques Colston who scored his first touchdown of the year, his record 69th for the Saints.  He had 8 catches for 114 yards,

Brandin Cooks, who looked for the very first time like the receiver the Saints say he is with 6 catches for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Benjamin Watson.  9 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.  Jimmy who?

It was a less than spectacular performance by the defenses as Brees and Manning were under little duress and both secondaries got toasted like stale bread throughout the game.  The game winning field goal was an abrupt end to a game that seemed to be headed for overtime.

The Saints move to 4-4 with the victory and back into the playoff conversation. 

Remember early in the year, when the pundits were saying Brees was through?

Well, he’s hot now and the receivers are improving. 

The Saints have reestablished their dome field advantage.

They’re rolling.

Now, as long as they don’t listen to ESPN. 

At the Cinema - October 2015

The Martian – 10
Rarely are big budget movies as well constructed and crowd pleasing as The Martian.  Screenwriter Drew Goddard has crafted a film that blends humor and urgency.  He won’t win an Oscar for Adapted Screenplay, but I’ll be rooting for him.

Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, an astronaut left for dead on Mars after a storm cuts a mission short.  His crew is on its way back to earth, and NASA gets busy trying to mount a rescue.  With supporting stars like Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, and Kate Mara, this resembles a sports movie.  You end up rooting for the home team to come back and win the game by rescuing Rudy, I mean Matt.

The attention to detail that has been employed is terrific, and seems plausible and within reach of the audience’s grasp.  That’s an impressive achievement.  It may be the most fun you’ll have at the movies this year.

The master stroke of this movie is in getting the whole world involved in the rescue.  The world-wide interest in bringing Matt home is displayed in huge crowd scenes that look like New Year’s Eve.  It’s cool as hell, and if you’re not swallowed up and engaged, something’s wrong.  Go and have some pure escapist fun.

Bridge of Spies – 10

Non-Fiction movies are just the best.  Like last year’s The Imitation Game, Bridge of Spies opens up a history book to an audience that has no clue.  I certainly didn’t.  I vaguely remember the story of Gary Powers, but I had never heard of James Donovan, just like I had never heard of Alan Turing in Imitation Game.  Donovan, played with great resolve here by Tom Hanks, as it turns out, is a great American hero. 

He was an insurance lawyer recruited by the FBI to put on a showy but ultimately impossible defense of accused Russian Spy Rudolph Abel.  Later he is called upon to negotiate a prisoner swap with captured US pilot Francis Gary Powers.

Director Steven Spielberg does his best work in years, as he avoids the heart-tugging and loud flourishes.  They aren’t needed.  The story stands on its own and needs no embellishment, although I don’t know how true to the facts it is.  There is a very odd disclaimer as the movie opens – “This story is based on true events.”  Isn’t it usually “actual events?”  I hate to split hairs, but what exactly is a “true event?”

Like all great historical movies, it made me want to start researching and learn more.  But, the movie serves an even grander purpose.  Young people today don’t remember the cold war, and it may be laughable to them, but the portrayals here of the smallest details, from classroom preparations for an atomic bomb, to the Berlin Wall’s erection are amazing.

I love a movie that perfectly captures a different time and place, even different values and judgements. This will be an Oscar contender, but will also go down as a beloved movie that will not only be watched forever, but will be sending viewers to history books, or at the very least Wikipedia to learn more.

Black Mass – 9

I really didn’t have any interest in seeing the story of Whitey Bulger, the notorious Boston mobster who was captured in 2012 after 12 years on the run.  Then I heard it compared to The Departed.  Then I found out he was the mobster that Martin Scorcese based The Departed on.  Had to see it.  In a movie like this you either totally buy it, or you don’t, and I felt like I was watching a violent sociopath in Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Bulger.  It’s the first Depp role in years that is more than a caricature.  He’s terrific.

The best part of the movie was actually in the portrayals of Bulger’s henchmen.  They are featured in interviews telling the story, and their deadpan reaction to unspeakable crimes is what will make me see this movie again. Joel Edgerton plays the boyhood friend turned FBI agent who uses and gets used by Bulger.  Expect some Supporting Oscar buzz for Edgerton, who has had a very good summer.  (He was the director of The Gift.)  But, it is Rory Cochrane as a Bulger hitman who I would like to see get some recognition.  He is riveting in several chilling scenes as a spectator and an active participant.  Yep, the supporting players elevate this movie to a must-see, and only a true story could be this far-fetched.  Let’s just say Efram Zimbalist Jr. is rolling over in his grave over what the FBI was doing.

Steve Jobs – 7

So far the most action-packed movie of the year has been Mad Max:  Fury Road.  Steve Jobs is second, and the far less credible of the two.  Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin takes a huge risk by trying to encapsulate a biography into virtually three scenes – 3 product launches.  Steve Jobs excelled at getting on stage and firing up an audience, even about sub-par products, and we don’t get to see the actual presentations, but we assume they were great.    

Sorkin and Director Danny Boyle attempt to bring every other piece of Jobs’ life drama into the 30 minutes before each launch.  That contrivance, involving walking and talking, and a whole lot of confrontation is unconvincing versus doing just a standard biopic.  Are there some great confrontations?  Yes.  Is the dialogue often brilliant? Of course, although there’s no “You can’t handle the truth.”  Is the acting great?  Yes, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslett, and company are terrific.  There’s much to like, but the structure is more irritating than Jobs himself.   

Here’s what I suspect.  Maybe the movie will improve upon each viewing, much like Sorkin’s other movies have.  Maybe, it really is “an American Classic” as is quoted on the advertising.  Maybe upon repeated viewings the layers will be revealed and the movie’s complexity will be more easily appreciated.  That’s a whole lot of “maybe’s.”

Sicario – 6

Well done, but so dark it is depressing, this movie continues the star-making of Emily Blunt, but does little else but portray the U.S./Mexican border as a horrible place that I wouldn’t want to visit, and wish I hadn’t made a virtual visit.

Blunt plays an FBI agent in over her head in the dark world inhabited by Benecio Del Toro and Josh Brolin.  To say they bend the rules of law enforcement in trying to slow the drug trade would be the understatement of the year.  If this is Donald Trump’s reference point for his assessment of immigration, it’s easy to see why he wants to build a wall, although the movie makes clear that there’s little to stop the drugs that flow in to the US.  You might stop the immigrants.  You’ll never stop the drugs.

Crimson Peak – 5

Lovely to look at, unable to hold,

Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most imaginative directors working today.  His Pan’s Labyrinth will go down as a classic, and The Orphanage is not far behind.  He can paint a picture with the great artist.   In Crimson Peak the sets and atmosphere are incredible as he takes us into a truly chilling haunted house.  Unfortunately, the plot can’t keep up.  It is a predictable and obvious story that may have been shocking 30 years ago, but falls flat in 2015.   Mildly engaging, no cigar.

SCANNING THE SATELLITE

Compared to What – The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank – 9

This is a terrific documentary available on Showtime.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s full of controversy as it describes the 40 year political and personal experience of a US Representative that had a huge impact on governmental policy.  The best thing is it explains how we’ve gotten to where we are today in the gridlock of Congress.  Fascinating and disturbing, in different ways for different peoples

Fargo – After three episodes of the second season, this FX series continues its rise to the top of the television heap.  Great stuff.

Saints Report #7 - October 25, 2015

A tale of two halves.  It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.

The Saints went to Indianapolis for a rematch with their lone Super Bowl opponent and held on for a 27-20 victory.

They completely dominated the first half and even ambushed the Colts with a fake field goal.

A McCown to Watson pass put the Saints in business close to the goal, and Khiry Robinson jammed it in for the first of his two touchdowns.  Mark Ingram had a career first half as he ran wild.  The only down side in the first half was a missed extra point and a faux goal line stand when the Saints got down close after a long Ingram run.  From the two yard line, although they’d been dominant in the running game the Saints decided to pass.  An offensive pass interference, followed by a Brees' interception can only be explained by the possibility that Sean Payton believes passing touchdowns count for more than running ones.  They could have led by 4 touchdowns at the half.

But the Saints led 20 – 0 at the half and pushed it to 27-0 in the third quarter before the offense went into hibernation.

Some teams can’t stand prosperity.  The Saints despise it. 

Heralded cornerback Delvin Breaux fell down twice on long touchdown passes to Ty Hilton.  The Colts closed to within 27-20, but a clutch onside kick recovery by Marcus Murphy allowed the Saints a last possession.  With the game on the line Brees went to the most interesting receiver in the world for his only catch of the day.  Marques Colston doesn’t catch many these days, but when he does, they’re important.  His catch insured that the Saints would run out the clock

The bottom line.  The Saints played spectacularly well and got their first road win since Donald Trump had a haircut.

The defense continues to improve and Cam Jordan is leading the youngsters.  It’s not surprising that the game tightened up because that’s the way the NFL is built.  The onside kick is the only make-it-take-it rule in sports, and it almost was a “paybacks are hell” incident for the Saints.

The Saints improved to 3-4 and if they win the next three, Giants and Titans in the Dome, then the Redskins on the road, they could be 6-4 at the bye.  The way the season started, that would be an unexpected and relative prosperity. 

Saints Report #6 - October 15, 2015

In a strange turn of events the New Orleans Saints offense, defense, special teams, and boisterous crowd all showed up on a Thursday night and stunned the previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome.  The result was a decisive and surprising 31-21 victory by the much maligned, but perhaps prematurely buried Saints.

I’ve had a few favorite all-time Saints players.  They were typically massive over-achievers who willed their way into my fandom. 

From 1969 to 1971 it was a wide receiver/kick returner named Al Dodd.  What about Al?  Tom Dempsey is not a legend without Al Dodd, because in the two plays preceding Dempsey’s 63 yard field goal, Dodd sets it up with a 30 yard kick-off return and a spectacular stop-clocking catch. 

From 1977 to 1983 it was a similar player named Rich Mauti.  He fought for every yard after his catches and punt returns.

And of course there’s Pierre Thomas who typified the early guts of the Payton/Brees era.

Memories of Dodd and Mauti returned this pre-season when the Saints traded with the Vikings for Rich’s son Michael, a Mandeville, LA native who was supposed to be a special team demon.  I took notice, largely because I was thinking, geez I’ve been following the Saints for a long time.  Before the game I wondered aloud, because I was standing there without a program, if Michael was on the team.

Before the first quarter was over Mauti would answer by electrifying an already well-lubricated crowd with a punt block and touchdown to give the Saints a 14-0 lead.  With Steve Gleason in attendance it was much like that night in 2006.  The Saints were off and running and the momentum carried them to victory.  

Here’s what I took away from this surprising game:

The Saints apparently figured out that the Falcons can’t cover the tight end and deployed Ben Watson to a career game – 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown, dare I say Graham-like numbers. And it could have been even better if a late first half pass from Brees hadn’t been a little high – it looked like it would have gone for a touchdown too.

The Saints signed Brandon Browner because they desperately needed a corner to play opposite Keenan Lewis.  They got one, but it isn’t Browner.  His name is Delvin Breaux and he’s improving every game.  He spent much of the game shadowing all-world Julio Jones and fared about as well as a corner can against Jones. 

The Falcons are a superior ground team.  They stopped the Saints and ran easily on them.  The Falcons plowed huge holes, and the Saints had none.  However, three fumbles by the Falcons effectively wiped out that advantage.

To Payton’s credit he stuck with the ground attack to shorten the game, keep the clock moving, and rest the defense. 

Reports of Brees’ demise have been greatly exaggerated.  The offense had great tempo, and Brees played a near-perfect game, to the point of making some phenomenal throws.  Yea, let’s run him out of town.

Brandon Coleman, the highly touted wide receiver playing opposite Brandin Cooks has been a complete no-show for the season:  6 games, 9 catches, 113 yards - about what a starter should have in one game.  

Rob Ryan said before the game the Saints defense was on the verge of a breakthrough.  He got it, at least in the red zone, as while the defense gave up some yardage they stiffened in the red zone.

I doubt there will be a game with more quarterback roll outs all year.  Brees, and to a lesser extent Matt Ryan, were running around like they had visited the fountain of youth.

Finally, the Saints pass rush showed up.  While getting gashed on the ground and leaving those tackles to Daneel Ellerbe (13 unassisted tackles – he was all over the field making the Kenny Stills trade look palatable) and Stephon Anthony, they put pressure on Matt Ryan on most of his drop backs, and Cameron Jordan sacked Ryan 3 times in the 4^th quarter.

It was exciting.  Sean Payton was aggressive all night.  The only time that hurt the Saints was when they tried 2 long field goals.  That is something that Zach Hocker does not appear to have in his repertoire.

If this team shows up, let’s say 8 more times this year, it could be a respectable year after all.  Hopefully all those suggesting we “move on” from Payton and Brees will keep that to themselves for a few weeks.  

Saints Report # 5 - October 11, 2015

Is your team a disappointment, stuck on the cusp of irrelevance?

The Saints have the tonic.

Been unable to get your up-tempo offense un-tracked?  We will offer little resistance.

All your dreams will come true.

Got an expensive running back who hasn’t been able to get rolling?  We will clear the lanes for him.

Is his confidence lagging?  We will supply the arm tackles that can build his confidence.

We offer a 100 yard guarantee.  Additional yards are extra.

Trouble protecting your fragile quarterback?  We will look at your offensive backfield as a wildlife preserve and not penetrate it.  Your ragtag offensive line's confidence will grow with each play.

Is your quarterback having accuracy problems?  Not a concern – we promise receivers so open a Russell Cunningham could come out of retirement and hit them.

Need to build a little character?  We may even pick off a few passes in the first half, but trust me, by the end of the game we’ll be running around more confused than Ben Carson. 

If you choose our “easy pickings” package we can put you over the 500 yard mark.

And that’s just what we offer your offense.

Defense need takeaways?  We will offer up 3 to 4 – guaranteed.

Trouble tackling?  Our running backs will run directly to your player for easy takedown. 

The lack of elusiveness and speed will turn even your average defensive players in to tackling machines.

Just to be sure, we will hold out our “quick” back until the game is almost over.

Defense having trouble against the run?  Our virtual offensive line will come to the rescue to help you stuff all lanes.

Defensive backfield slow to cover?  We’ll wait.  Will a few dropped passes help?  We won’t make any big plays to demoralize your backs.  Our receivers will stick with your backs.  We will also supply you with enough easy-to-read 1 yard passes to give you plenty of opportunities for “negative yardage” morale-builders.

Defensive line not rushing the passer like you’d like?  By the end of the day we’ll offer up enough sack opportunities to turn your defensive ends into Pro-Bowlers.  We may even give you the chance to kill the best player in our history.

Final result?  Your Eagles will win by a substantial score, something like 39-17 on your home field. 

We’ll get your fan base off your back and buy you some time, with no regard for the fact that our own clock is ticking, and it will be our most embarrassing loss in years.

We offer a turnover-back guarantee, and just enough resistance that your team won’t look at us as a laydown. 

Save your season – play the Saints.  

Saints Report # 4 - October 4, 2015

Suddenly, Drew Brees.

With the Saints in danger of a premature burial of their season, Drew Brees led the Saints on two picture perfect drives at game’s end to dispose of the visiting Dallas Cowboys 26 – 20 in overtime.  His 80 yard touchdown pass to CJ Spiller was the game winner just 15 second into overtime.  His previous drive ended in a doinked field goal attempt by new kicker Zach Hocker that would have won the game with 15 seconds in regulation.  No matter.  It didn’t phase Brees and the Saints, whom I guess have seen it all.

It was the fastest overtime victory in a regular season NFL game, and it moved the Saints to 1-3.  

The game winner was Brees’ 400^th Touchdown Pass, making him one of only 5 quarterbacks to achieve that number.  With a sore arm, a porous line and little running game support, Brees threw for 359 yards and, particularly as the game wore on, he put a scapel to the Cowboy’s defense.  It was a gutty performance, and it enhanced the BP era’s stellar record in nationally televised night games.

Now a word about the negatives.  The kicker.  I knew we had kicking problems the first time we lined up for an extra point.  Rather than kicking the ball from the middle, down the middle, our kicker wants to try the new longer extra point from the hashmark.  Who would do that?  So, with the game winner to hit from the 30, from the same hashmark – doink off an upright.   This week will be spent with Payton looking at kickers.

So, as for the rest of the team, don’t look now, but the defense is coming along.  Injured players like Jairus Byrd, Keenan Lewis, and Dannell Ellerbe have returned.  Rookies Hau’oli Kikaha, Stephone Anthony, Bobby Richardson, Tyeler Davison, Damian Swann, and Delvin Breaux all are contributing and look like solid NFL players.  Against an admittedly beat up Cowboy offense, the defense held its own and for the first time put a little pressure on the opposing Quarterback.  Don’t get overly excited – the reality is that if Tony Romo had been on the field, the outcome would have been different.  But, it’s a victory, and the Saints will take it. 

As for the growing pains, they’ll take them too.  As any Cowboy fan will tell you, it's a war of attrition in the NFL, and the Saints look healthier for the next quarter of the season. 

At The Cinema - September 2015

Inside Out – 10

I gave in.  For the first time since I was a kid I went to an animated movie.  Why this one?  Because this one is getting such universal acclaim (48 out of 48 positive critical reviews on metacritic) it may even be in the Oscar Best Picture race.  I thought I better check it out.

This is the story of Riley, a happy young school girl who has been uprooted from her Minnesota home to San Francisco when her parents relocate the family.   The swirl of emotions that comes with a new school and new surroundings is portrayed in the form of inner characters like Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) who live in her emotion headquarters. 

Animated and voiced to perfection, you get more involved then if the characters were flesh and blood.  Directors Pete Docter and Ronald Del Carmen pull all of this off in exactly 94 minutes of rich, beautiful story telling that I hope Judd Apatow has watched.  Brevity and humor can go hand in hand, and when it works like this, it doesn’t even test your bladder.  Obviously destined to be another Pixar classic, adult, child or curmudgeon – if you don’t enjoy this movie you have problems I can’t help you with, (although I can see it being a little harsh for a very young child.)  My primary thought on leaving the theater was that I wish I had their imagination.  

Brilliant – and it made me wonder what’s going on in my own brain.    

The Visit – 8
M. Night Shyamalan’s classic was The Sixth Sense almost 20 years ago.  I’ve often contended it ruined movies, in that the ending was such a great shock that for the next 20 years movie makers have been trying to top it, match it, or copy it.  They are rarely up to the task.  Shyamalan himself has fallen short of it, and seems to get further and further from the rarified air of that first movie, to the point of being the butt of jokes.

Until now.  Finally he has gotten close, with The Visit.  No, it’s not a classic, but it is compelling story telling, with chills and jumps and a nice twist at the end.  I don’t want to give too much away.  A mother (Kathryn Hahn) has been estranged from her parents since the day she left as a pregnant teenager to run off with her boyfriend.  They married and divorced, and mom has finally agreed to let their 2 kids visit her parents for the first time, although she wants no part of the visit.  She goes off on a cruise. 

It’s often just the generation gap that makes our grandparents seem a little crazy.  Here it may be just a little more.  They occupy one of those old farmhouses and exhibit a tinge of crazy, especially when the kids are sent off to their room at 9:30 each night and the lights go out.  Do you hear strange noises at night?

Becca (Olivia Dejonge) is 18 and an aspiring film maker, and her brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) wants to be a rapper, and naturally they are going to film their week-long encounter, assuming they survive.  It’s a Blair Witch kind of gimmick and it serves the story well.  You’ll jump, you’ll scream, and you may even rejoice that Shyamalan is on his way back. 

The Intern – 8
Robert DeNiro is the gentle-bull title character, 70 year old widower Ben Whitaker, who eschews the boredom of retirement to return to work as “senior” intern for Jules’ (Anne Hathaway} upstart dotcom.  That’s the gimmick and it’s a good one, as her exploding firm and her hectic personal life could use the steadying hand of a little maturity.  Ben is just the man.

Director Nancy Meyer’s films are usually a little antiseptic and white bread, but that’s ok because she usually picks a great cast.  This movie is no exception. Other than one breakneck break-in scene which I thought was really out of place, it seems she captures the challenging pace of the dotcom life.  Your web site could be a hit today, and gone tomorrow.  Better make hay while your internet shines.

De Niro actually plays a real character for the first time in years, instead of a variation of himself.  Anne Hathaway is like a supernova.  The camera drills in on her face and her body language, and she nails every aspect of the character.  When your face is 10 feet tall on a movie screen there’s no place to hide, and the way she carries the movie reminded me of Annette Bening’s brilliance in The American President.  Anne will win no awards for this performance - it's not that kind of role.  But it doesn’t make it any less convincing.  It will be underappreciated, and that’s a shame.  I don’t get the Hathahaters, if they really exist.  She’s an American treasure and while I’m still waiting for her to portray Judy Garland, a movie a year like this will do until then. 

What I really liked about the movie was there were really no villains – just a lot of good people trying to adapt to change.  This is a perfectly pleasant 2 hour diversion.  

Saints Report # 3 - September 27, 2015

The NFL season is 3 games in, and before any more quarterbacks get hurt, I move we proceed immediately to the Super Bowl with New England and Arizona.  It would be entertaining, and would feature the two teams that are playing really good football.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints continued what looks like is going to be another lost season, falling to 0-3 with a 27-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers.   The Saints were in position to win on the final drive, but that position evaporated with 4 dropped passes and one of several poor coaching decisions which ended up as an end zone interception.

Luke McCown, filling in during Drew Brees’ first game missed due to injury since high school, operated the short passing game very crisply as the Saints, despite the usual lack of running game, moved the ball fairly well all day.  Then, with a chance to win and possession of the ball with 3 minutes left, Willie Snead missed a pass, followed by Marques Colston dropping three.  Inexplicably Sean Payton decided to go for a touchdown prematurely and McCown threw his only bad pass of the day, a lob to 5’10” Brandin Cooks resulting in an end zone interception.  There was 1:15 left on the clock and Carolina had no timeouts.  It’s 3^rd and 4 from the 24, we’re moving the ball, we’re chewing the clock on a potential game winning drive – yep a perfect time for a pass into the end zone.  That was Payton’s second bad coaching decision of the day.   With two timeouts remaining, it was an ideal time to take 2 shots at a first down and continue the march.  Payton’s impatience was front and center. 

The Saints jumped off to a 10-0 lead in the first half, but when the Carolina pulled within 3, Payton made his first poor coaching decision.  Knowing that the Panthers would be getting the 2^nd half kickoff, the Saints had driven to their own 39 with 6 minutes left in the half.  They were victimized by a very poor spot by the referees, and facing 4^th and one, the Saints punted when they should have gone for it.  Had they been successful, and driven for a touchdown they would have gone ahead 17 – 7.  Instead they punted, and Carolina drove the ball to a tying field goal to go in to the half 10-10.  Punting is the enemy when you have a sub-par team.

In the second half rookie Marcus Murphy bailed this decision out with a 74 yard punt return for a touchdown leading to the question, why isn’t he part of the offense more?  He could be spelling “hit the wrong hole” Mark Ingram, and add a little quickness to an offense that can’t run the ball.   Does anyone else get the feeling that the personnel “packages” are tired and predictable?

Meanwhile the Saints fans still moan about players that aren’t here, especially Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles.  Such is life in the salary cap NFL.

Patriot fans miss Vince Wolfork (although not much).  The Patriots have never hesitated to cut loose a player a year early.

Eagle fans are complaining that DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, and Nick Foles are gone.

Ravens fans complain that Torrey Smith is gone.

Denver fans complain that Julius Thomas is gone.

Dallas fans complain that DeMarco Murray is gone.

Carolina fans complain that Steve Smith is gone.

And so it goes.

There are actually positive signs for the Saints.  Swann and Breaux look promising at defensive back.  Anthony looks promising at Linebacker.  The National Media is calling for the Saints to be blown up.  Got news for them.  It’s already happening.

 . 

However, it’s important to note there are some things the Saints can’t do:

They can’t run the ball.  This is the biggest deficiency They can’t pressure the opposing Quarterback.

 They can’t keep the opposing Quarterback contained in the pocket. 

 They can’t blitz

 They can’t cover speedy receivers.  At least Brandon Browner can’t, and it’s a coaching problem that  he’s been matched up with them.  The thinking was he would be covering the Vincent Jacksons, not  the Ted Ginns

 They can't avoid penaltie
 They can’t win the turnover battle.  They can giveth, but they can’t taketh awayeth. 

 They can't avoid penalties 
 They can’t catch the ball.  The receiving corps has been underwhelming to say the least.

 They can’t convert 2 point conversions and they’re not automatic on 1 pointers, as they missed one of each.  They’re still running the Lance Moore 2 point conversion play from the Super Bowl and it hasn’t worked since the Super Bowl.

   

So, where do we go from here?  If the Saints can turn the corner on injuries, like getting Jairus Byrd on the field, or Keenan Lewis, and continue to improve on defense, about mid-year they may turn the corner.

However, Rob Ryan has to find a way to pressure the Quarterback into some mistakes, and I frankly don’t know how he’s going to do it.  The defensive line is young and clueless.  Someone wrote that Sunday the Saints had $78 million in contract money not on the field. 

That’s not a quick fix, it’s a mortgage that needs a long term loan.  

Saints Report # 2 - September 20, 2015

The New Orleans Saints are streaking.  Backwards.  They haven’t won this year.  They stumbled and bumbled and fumbled their way to a 26-19 loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday.  That’s their 6^th straight home loss, after 20 straight home wins.  Drew Brees has always talked about his tennis days as a foundation for his footwork.  Well suddenly the Saints can’t hold their serve.  They took on a team that they had beaten 7 times in a row.  That streak is over. 

We know this.  The Saints have a proud tradition of making stars of new quarterbacks and Sunday they worked their magic on rookie Jameis Winston, who put on a horrible display last week.  I truly believe the Saints lost this game the day the Bucs picked up Ryan Griffin off waivers from the Saints.  For most of the game the mediocre Buc defense seemed to have the Saints play calls sniffed out.  I’m thinking the Bucs gave Griffin a game ball for his garbage dump of information.  In addition the Bucs were an embarrassed team after week one.  Danger, you could see this coming from a mile away. 

Meanwhile, I think there are 5 things critical to winning football:

1    1) Protect your Quarterback.  The Saints can't do it.  Brees was under constant duress, and there’s one thing we know about Brees at this point – He needs a good foundation to throw from, and he was dancing with the stars all day.  He also got hurt early and it affected him to some extent.  He was under duress, and off target most of the day. 

2.  2)  Pressure the other team’s Quarterback.  Can't do it.  Despite 2 sacks, they really provided little pressure and Jameis Winston sat back in the pocket and got a good look, a really good look, and knew what to do with what he saw.

     3)  Stop the Run.  Can’t do it.  Where’s the beef?  It’s there, it’s just frozen.  That big girthed defensive line got chewed up all day.  

     4) Run the Ball.  Can’t do it.  There’s a couple of reasons for this.  First, the line is not opening holes.  Secondly, it’s time to accept the fact that Mark Ingram is not an NFL running back.  Not only is he averaging a whopping 3.1 yards a carry, he threw in a critical fumble that killed the Saints in the 4^th quarter.  Meanwhile Khiry Robinson who is averaging 5.2 YPC ignited the team on several occasions with some dynamic running that got the Saints rolling in the second half, only to be replaced by Mark Mediocrity. 

5   5)  Win the turnover battle.  Besides a muffed punt, the Saints threw in the two fumbles to match the Buc’s number as the Bucs were trying to desperately fumble the game back to the Saints.

There are other problems.  The Saints receiving corps was not getting open, and this may be due to The Ryan Griffin effect, or it may be that none of them should be in the NFL.  Colston still knows how to get open, but when Brandin Cooks, who looks like a great slot receiver, is your ace, you’re in trouble.  As the rarely coherent Bobby Hebert pointed out on his radio show, can you name another team on which Cooks would be the number one option?  What if the Saints had drafted one of the 4 wide receivers who came after Andrus Peat in the first round, instead of Peat?

I can’t help but look at the last two drafts, and think what might have been.  Neither Peat nor Grayson are going to help anytime soon, although it’s possible that Zach Strief, who gave up 3 sacks and played his worst game ever, may be replaced by Peat soon. 

Throw in a questionable decision by Payton to go for 2, a blocked extra point, a missed field goal, and missed tackles in the hundreds, an interception, and this is a team this is more out of sorts than Hillary Clinton.  There are a lot of new bodies on the field and it’s more jammed than jelled at this point.  It was a miracle the Saints could have tied on the last play of the game.  But, it was a miracle that the Saints didn’t deserve and so they are now 0-2 and travelling to 2-0 Carolina next weekend.  That doesn’t bode well.

Saints Report # 1 - September 13, 2015

The New Orleans Saints opened the NFL season by taking their 25 new faces on a field trip to the desert, so that they could learn one of the Saints traditions – bad trips west.

The Saints lost to the speedy Arizona Cardinals 31-19.  They showed a little promise and a lot of vulnerability.

Offensive Summary

The Good News – Drew Brees was fairly sharp, going 30 – 48 for 355 yards with one interception on a ball that Marques Colston popped up into the air. 

The Bad News – throwing 48 passes in a game is not a recipe for success, especially on the road, and much of the yardage came on a few long runs after catch. Otherwise it was dink and more dink.

The Good News – The offense produced some big plays.   Ingram had a long run with a flair pass that he should have taken all the way, and Willie Snead’s only catch went for over 60 yards.  Most of the passes were dump offs with the hope they would be converted to something more.   Running Backs accounted for 14 completions. 

The Bad News – The offense never found a real rhythm and the new receiving corps is not going to make anyone forget the Super Bowl run just yet.  The Saints throw an awful lot of screen passes, and it appears the league has noticed. 

The Good News – Payton tried to call running plays

The Bad News – Mark Ingram is still the featured back, and his next juke will be his first.  Khiry Robinson showed some fight, but overall the running game was terrible.  As usual.  The running plays just appear to be slow to develop.  The Saints were outrushed 120 – 54 and averaged 2.7 yards per carry, which is a slow train to nowhere, which is apparently where Pierre Thomas is lounging, thinking about his career average of 4.5 YPC.

The Good News – the Saints got into the red zone 5 times.

The Bad News – they settled for field goals 4 of those times.  Yes, Jimmy Graham would have helped, but it doesn’t appear that Brees has any confidence in throwing into the end zone with this group yet, so if you like swing passes (that get stuffed) this is the team for you. 

The Good News – the offensive line protected Brees pretty well.

The Bad News – the offensive line didn’t open any holes for the runners

Defensive Summary

The Good News – the many youngsters on defense played fairly well, showing speed and pursuit

The Bad News – they got torched on a few plays

The Good News – the defensive backs made some good breakups. 

The Bad News – they made it rain yellow flags too

The Good News – the defensive line showed signs of a pass rush.  They put a little pressure on Carson Palmer

The Bad News – they did not control the Cardinals’ running game.

Couching Summary

The Good News – The offense accounted for over 400 yards. 

The Bad News – And I really hate to say this but Payton’s offense is getting stale and predictable.  He relies on run after catch, instead of throwing the ball over the down marker or into the end zone.  Is he feeling burned by last year’s interceptions?  Has he lost his nerve?  Has the NFL caught on to the route tree?  And the really bad news is that with only 4 wide receivers on the roster, there are a couple of problems.  Brandon Coleman may eventually be the red zone threat to replace Jimmy Graham, but there’s no confidence there.  Brandin Cooks is obviously our only threat, and defenses are going to double team him all year.  Willie Snead looks good, but contributed a drop.  And the worst news is that Marques Colston does not look good.  He didn’t play much in preseason, and either is not being counted on, doesn’t appear ready for the season, or has lost another step which he could ill afford.

Let me sum up by saying that this is a very young team with a lot of talent but lack of discipline.  There are new bodies everywhere, and you can’t teach experience, you have to get it.  There were several times during this game when the Saints could have gone for it on 4^th down, but instead played it safe.  Kicking the ball away when you are behind and there's less than 2 minutes on the clock, as they did, is a gamble that only a dominant defensive team takes.  The Saints definitely aren't that.  For the Saints to win while gaining experience, they are going to have to turn up the gambling quotient.  They’re going to need to go for it on 4^th down, onside kick now and then, and just go for broke a few times.  Reliance on the screen pass, which Brees throws as well as anyone, is not going to advance the cause.

Also, not to be forgotten is that the Cardinals are a playoff caliber team that would have been top seed in the NFC had they not lost Carson Palmer to injury last year.  A much better measuring stick is next Sunday, when a rebuilding Buccaneer team comes to the dome.  The game is critical, as an 0-2 start to the season would be a disaster to rival the Presidential campaign.

The tide will turn, or a tsunami will ensue. 

NFL Preview

February 7, 2016 Super Bowl 50

The St Louis Rams, in their last official game with that title, celebrated their upcoming return to Los Angeles after a 20 year banishment, by smothering their Super Bowl opponent Indianapolis Colts, (who are no threat to return to Baltimore) by a 20 – 17 score.  The Rams, who set an NFL record for sacks in a season, with 96, slammed NFL MVP Andrew Luck to the ground a record 8 times, invoking Super Bowl defensive domination memories of past Ravens’ (still in Baltimore) and Buccaneers’ (still in Tampa) victories.  A furious Luck rally of two fourth quarter touchdowns fell short when he fumbled on a late Nick Fairley sack.

The two league championship game upsets – Rams over Seahawks, and Colts over Bills, were predictors of the outcome, as all 3 games ended in the same 20-17 score.

In the latest off-season embarrassment for the league, a Super Bowl winning parade will actually be held in both St. Louis and Los Angeles.  The LA event will recycle Rose Bowl floats as well as 2016 Grand Marshall Keanu Reeves, and many would say it is a perfect embodiment of California culture to celebrate a fantasy.

So, now you know how the season will turn out.  Don’t you wish you could still place a bet?

None of this could top last year's Super Bowl, probably the most exciting ever, featuring “the call.”  In the game, Seattle was victimized by an incredible interception by New England cornerback Malcolm Butler.  While many blamed Pete Carroll for not just handing the ball to his beast running back, in actuality this was simply Karma doing some payback work.  Seattle was there by virtue of its incredible comeback victory over Green Bay in the NFC championship game, which broke the hearts of cheeseheads everywhere.  New England seemed on the verge of a 3^rd crushing Super Bowl upset featuring improbable receptions.  Instead, all football related Karma accounts have been squared except one.

Roger Goodell.

Saints prediction - the Saints will go 10-6. How did I build that prediction?  Start with a 1-1 split with the 3 division opponents, so that makes us 3-3.  The other 7 wins will be against Arizona, Philadelphia, Tennessee, Washington, Houston, Detroit, and Jacksonville, while the 3 additional losses will be Dallas, Indianapolis, and the New York Giants.  The Saints will win the division but get pounded in the first round by eventual champion Rams.

I know, it almost makes you not want to watch the season now that you know what’s going to happen.

I thought it would be fun to go back and look at my past prediction record.  It wasn’t. 

But, I’m man enough to own up to it, especially given that my den has been a recovery room after my knee surgery, so I’ve got nothing but time on my hand:

Season	Prediction			Actual
	Winner	Loser	Score	Winner	Loser	Score
2015	Rams	Colts	20 - 17
2014	Saints	Patriots	48-45	Patriots	Seahawks	28-24
2013	49ers	Broncos	17-16	Seahawks	Broncos	43-8
2012	Lions	Texans	28-24	Ravens	49'ers	34-31
2011	Saints	Texans	38-21	Giants	Patriots	21-17
2010	Saints	Texans	34-31	Packers	Steelers	31-25
2009	Saints	Chargers	42-38	Saints	Colts	31-17
2008	Saints	Patriots		Steelers	Cardinals	27-23

This takes me back to the beginning of the BP (Brees/Payton) era when I got out of the restaurant business to become a full time gambler on football, working out about equally well.  And you can see why, as I’ve only picked 3 of 14 Super Bowl participants during that time, although my pre-season prediction of the Saints to go all the way in 2009 made me famous, until everyone sees this chart which puts that prediction in the blind squirrel category.  History tells you that picking the New York Yankees to go all the way every year could be a reasonable bet.  Picking the Saints every year is just delusional.  Who would do dat?

Anyway, here’s my in-depth breakdown of the 2015 Saints, as formulated in several hypothesis both negative and positive.

Hypothesis #1 – It’s all about #9.  Drew has hinted now that he wasn’t healthy last year, thus the occasional “diminished arm strength” chorus, which I didn’t subscribe to.  But here’s why Franchise QB’s are so essential, and that when you look at the list of Super Bowl teams above, only Russell Wilson was not considered “elite” when he first appeared.   My definition of elite?  Forget all the stats.  At least half of all games will be undecided with 5 minutes left.  Mr. Elite is going to win you 5 to 7 in that final drive.  Last year Drew made mistakes in those situations several times, but he’s been very reliable since he arrived in New Orleans.  Expect a big year from Brees, and that alone improves the record over last year.

Hypothesis #2 – The Pre-season and Training Camp are of limited value when conducted the way the Saints do it.  In getting down to the 53 man limit and Practice Squad of 10, the Saints looked at about 100 players during the 6 week period, only to reject better than half of them and sign numerous rejects from other teams.  Watching the waiver wire is one thing.  Counting on it is another.  As of this moment 4 of 60, about 7% of the team, hadn’t seen a playbook until September.  It appears that about 19 players will be on the roster or practice squad that weren’t there last year – 30% of the personnel.  That is an indictment of the past, while also a commitment to change.  The question is, how fast can they mind meld into a cohesive unit?

Hypothesis #3 – Play within the division rarely determines the division winner.  Since all 8 divisions are 4-team now, familiarity breeds contempt in the form of a split.  The teams would seem to game plan daily, as well as draft to combat what they see in the division.  Tackle Cam Newton anyone?

Hypothesis #4 – Because of Hypothesis #1, the Saints are chasing SAQT (pronounced “sacked.”)  The Holy Grail is the Superstar Aging Quarterback Transition, SAQT.  Sure you hope you can duplicate Montana to Young, Favre to Rogers, or Manning to Luck, but chances are you won’t.   Chasing that grail is what lead the Saints to make one of their worst draft picks this year when they took Garret Grayson in the 3^rd round this year, depriving the Saints of a 2015 draft pick that could have been spent on a much-needed defensive player.  It was essentially a 2017 pick, as Brees probably is good for at least 2 more years.  I say this acknowledging that Grayson looks good and may be the eventual Brees replacement.  But remember Rodgers sat behind Favre 3 years, who left Green Bay and played 3 more years. And let’s say Favre had instead had another offensive or defensive weapon for those 6 years.  Ask Favre what he thinks.  Ask him what he could have done with Heath Miller, or Roddy White, who were drafted right after Rodgers.   It could be argued that Green Bay spent a draft pick on a QB 6 years too early!  Did the Saints just do that?  Well, here’s what they did do.  They speculated on a player that they really didn’t need, because they had a serviceable 3^rd stringer in Ryan Griffin, who instead they lost on waivers to Tampa – taking extensive playbook and organizational knowledge.  Now Tampa has a guy who knows too much about Drew Brees, how he thinks, how he practices, what he looks for, how he audibles – need I go on?  This greatly puts Hypothesis #3 at risk – it would be devastating to lose both games to Tampa.  This pick was a no-brainer, and the Saints had no brain, unless you are willing to make the argument that Green Bay knew Aaron Rodgers was going to be a league MVP, and you know the same about Grayson.  Tampa Bay is the home opener.  Yuk.

Hypthesis #5 – Maybe the draft isn’t that important since it was cut from 12 to 7 rounds.  The draft might be where you gamble on athletes.  It is now easy to write off the Saints 2014 draft last year as a complete loss, as only first rounder Brandin Cooks is left, after Stanley Jean-Batiste was cut Saturday, probably a year too late,( because it is not nearly as embarrassing to cut a 2014 in 2015 as it would have been to cut him in 2014.)  I call it a whiff, although they will say they were trying to develop a raw talent. 

But wait, there’s more to the story.  Let’s look at the Total Free Agent Class of 2014:

Safety Julius Byrd was the big free agent signing.  Since Sean Payton is stealing a page from the Belichick playbook and won’t discuss injuries, even his own, we’ll be generous and say that since Byrd is apparently in witness protection the jury is still out.  They’ve left him on the roster, so they are optimistic he can contribute to the Christmas Fund.  (And this year so far CJ Spiller is MIA – what is it with these Buffalo guys?)

But, undrafted Free Agents are a little more impressive.  It looks like Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman are going to start on offense, and 4 more players from last year’s undrafted free agent class are still around, making the team or the practice squad.

One more note.  The best NFL roster is probably the Seahawks and half of them are 7^th round or undrafted free agents.  So, maybe the draft isn’t that important anymore.  Particularly, when the offense is so hard to learn, if you are a receiver you will spend a year learning it (See Robert Meachum.)

Hypothesis #6   - The Saints are trying to use their keen eye for offensive talent and turn it into some equality.  Free Agent gem Chris Ivory was traded.  Crowd Favorite Darren Sproles was traded for a draft choice.  And most controversially, Jimmy Graham was traded for an offensive stud at center, and a draft choice turned into defense.  GM Mickey Loomis figures that the offense is always going to be top ten with Drew Brees and these moves dropped us from say 25 points a game to 22.  Neither win if we are constantly giving up 38.  Defense had to improve.  The running game has to improve so the defense is on the field less.  (Anyone sold on Mark Ingram yet?)  It looks like they are hoping Brandon Coleman at 6’6” will be a Graham-like end zone target.  So, my hypothesis is that Coleman will be 62% of Graham and Marcus Murphy will be 86% of Sproles.  I’m betting Murphy is the impact player of this draft class, and he’s taking meaningful backfield snaps by mid-year. 

Hypothesis #7 – In the first game it will take about a half to determine if the Saints will have a better year by counting how many times they’ve hit Carson Palmer.  The Saints are so desperate for a pass rush, that 7 of 11 listed on the defensive line are new to the team.   For the Saints to move up, a pass rush is the key, and I don’t mean Rob Ryan’s propensity to “send the house” on the pivotal plays of a game, to disastrous results.  I mean front four pressure.  Unfortunately there’s rustling in the wind about Cameron Jordan’s role in a local disturbance, and that is the last thing the Saints need right now.  If the Saints can start 2-1, they can have a decent year.  If not, hunker down, the football levees could break like they have 2 of the last 3 years.

But, I'm still going with 10 - 6.  In BP we trust.