Saints Report # 15 - Christmas Eve 2016

The Saints whipped a little Scrooge on the playoff hopeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Christmas Eve 31-24, greatly hurting the Bucs advancement chances.

It was the Saints 7^th win of the season and the 100^th Sean Payton coached victory for the Saints, counting 6 playoff wins.  He became the all-time winningest coach of the Saints, which lets be honest – is not saying much given the less than stellar list of coaches the Saints have had. 

The seventh win of a season is only as significant as the month it occurs in.  Get your seventh win in October – terrific, in November – good, in December – not too good, in the holiday season – well not good at all.  December has become a bad habit.

Jarius Byrd was the star of this Christmas Eve show with two interceptions, which in his third season with the Saints means he averages about one every 24 games or so, or about $20 million per.  Maybe the bust has shaken off the rust.  The defense is certainly competitive.  Drew Brees made up for his Tampa debacle with a typical Superdome track meet.  Brees, despite a Pro Bowl snub should go over 5000 yards for the 5^th time.  No other quarterback has done it more than once.  And no quarterback has been more underappreciated by the national media.  What would the Saints be without Brees?  Well, the seventh win wouldn't come until April without him.

So, let’s look at the ifs:

IF the Saints beat Atlanta in the season finale they will finish 8-8, certainly an improvement over the previous consecutive 7-9 seasons, but only the slight improvement you might get in miles per gallon if you never turn on your air conditioner, and about as satisfying.

IF the Saints beat Atlanta they will have split with all their division opponents – a worthwhile effort.

What makes the season baffling is that they scalded the well respected NFC West 4 – 0, but laid a 1-3 egg against the AFC West, and lost to the Lions and Giants to complete the package.

And IF they could have run the ball more – well get a load of this stat.  In the Payton era the Saints are an astounding 42 – 4 when they have 30 rushing attempts in a game.

So, the Saints continue their playoff drought.  Will changes be made?  The fan base is not satisfied with the ghosts of Christmas past.  Is the ownership?  Stay tuned to your twitter feed.

 

Saints Report # 14 - December 18, 2016

The New Orleans Saints went to Arizona, and put the bread on top of their 4 week poboy.

Or do you think this isn’t a sandwich?
48
11
13
49
That’s the scoring production over the last 4 games against 4 of the best defensive teams in the NFL. 
Predictable only in their inconsistency, the Saints offense hung 48 points on the #1 rated defense in the NFL in the desert. 
You figure it out.  I sure can’t. 
Drew Brees picked apart the Cardinals like they were standing still.  The offense hit on all cylinders as the Saints never punted.  Brandin Cooks had a career-best 170 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns.  The Saints brought their record to 6 – 8, seemingly determined to finish 7 – 9 for a third straight season.  Had they been able to convert early-season kicks, the Saints would be 8 -  6 and in the thick of the playoff race. 
But, the ability to win enough close games is something that has eluded the Saints during this 3-year descent into mediocrity.  They will almost certainly miss the playoffs again, and winning the last 2 games would bring them to .500 but that is not enough to satisfy Saints Fans, given the talent at Quarterback.

Drew Brees won his 100th game in a Saints uniform.  

He is the all-time NFL leader in so many passing categories that the only question about his eventual Hall of Fame entrance is how many rings will he be wearing?

Right now it looks like the answer will be One and that's not going to satisfy the Fleur-De-Lis faithful either.

It would seem that some coaching changes may hinge on the last two games.

There's a world of difference between 6 - 10 and 8 - 8 and who can predict how the last two weeks of this inconsistent season will go.

I certainly can't.

Saints Report # 13 - December 11, 2016

Hibernation. 

We’ve heard about it.

The last thing we expected was to see the Saints offense go into it. 

In a stunning reversal of fortune, the Saints have pivoted themselves unlike any other time in the Brees/Payton era.

Oh, we’re used to getting outscored in shootouts.  It’s been part of the expectation that occasionally that is going to happen.  But not a 16 – 11 loss to Tampa Bay.  Not another no-show by the offense.

Yet for the second game in a row the offense was participating in a sleep study.  This time they could only manage 3 field goals.  While Drew Brees has been far from sharp, throwing 3 interceptions in each of the last 2 games, in this game he was victimized by two dropped touchdown passes, a running game that has completely vanished, and the Tampa defense which was content to sit back in zone coverages and jump routes.  The Saints offense set a record for futility by gaining only 11 yards in the first quarter.  Zzzzzz.

What makes this especially aggravating is that the defense is actually improving.  First round draft pick Sheldon Rankins is the real deal.  Daneel Ellerbee has gone a couple of games without an injury.  Vonn Bell looks good.  Coach Dennis Allen has turned the defense into a respectable unit.

The offensive hibernation is mystifying, coming after the Rams massacre.  Mired at 5 – 8 with even a .500 record a long shot, could it be that the Saints are headed for their third straight 7 – 9 finish?  At this point that would be a surprise.   

The winless Cleveland Browns would like to play the Saints.  

That’s how bad it is.  Wake me when it's over.