There have been many extraordinarily disappointing losses
for the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome.
Sunday, Ryan Fitzpatrick joined
the ranks of Anthony Carter, Joe Montana, and Kenny Stabler in the Heartbreak
Hotel. Optimism for a new season drained
away with each Fitzmagic bomb.
The 48-40 smackdown that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on the
Saints was as surprising as an opener can be.
Nobody saw this coming.
Journeyman Fitzpatrick may have relegated suspended Quarterback Jameis
Winston to a career of bagging crab legs. Fitz picked over the
rumored-to-be-great Saints defense like a werewolf does a carcass, which is ok, since he looks like he is in mid-transformation and you half expect Kate Beckinsale to be chasing him. (Insert joke here about how she would've done better....) Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson were toasting
the cornerbacks like they were in an Easy-bake oven. Patrick Robinson played exactly the way he
played when he was here before, Marshon Lattimore proved to be mortal, and
Kenneth Crawley was last seen running with his back turned, and it might as
well have a target on it. Every offensive coordinator in the league is
licking his chops, promising Ken ample action.
But it wasn’t just them, the defensive line bunched up in
front of the quarterback, and the only time they touched him, they did it roughly, drawing flags
of celebration from the zebras. Not only
did they not hurry Fitz, they couldn’t keep him in the pocket, making him look like
a 21 year old Randall Cunningham. But
even when he, or a running back, were running loose, the Saints linebackers
were….wait where did they go? Sorry, the
linebackers still look like the weakest link to this defense, as they have been
since the Super Bowl, which seems a long time ago.
Yet the amazing Drew Brees, he of dubious arm strength, exploited the Bucs to the tune of 40 points, which should be enough to
win. Bringing the Saints back from a
48-24 deficit was exciting and the Saints are never out of a game with
him. But alas, the Saints abandoned the
running game early and decided that a shootout could be fun. It wasn’t.
The ground support gone, Brees threw and threw. For the Saints, a shoot out is at best a
50-50 proposition. Shock and Awe is not a great football strategy. Running the ball
controls the clock and leaves our defense on the bench, sucking oxygen, which is preferable to just sucking. Let's not overlook how terrific Michael Thomas (16 receptions - a Saints single game record) and Alvin Kamara were. They just couldn't play defense.
While Aaron Rodgers was bringing his team back, and Drew
Brees was running out of time to do a similar comeback, I was posing questions
to Sean Payton, that of course he will not have to answer:
1. Sean, why did you bring in Mike Gillislee, a
fumblerooski running back? He never
carried once for the Saints in the preseason, and it was the
not-exactly-running-back-rich Patriots who cut him. Draft Pick Boston Scott looked
good enough to be the back up to Alvin Kamara.
Gillislee’s fumble that was returned for a touchdown was the biggest
mistake of the day.
2.
Sean, you’ve lost 5 openers in a row. It might be time to do something different,
like play some starters in the final preseason game. Shouldn’t we try something different to get off to a fast
start? Training Camp in Wisconsin? You could start the pre-season by telling them not to eat the cheese.
3. Sean, why didn’t you onside kick with 3 minutes
left? After having to burn a timeout for
a 2 point conversion attempt, the Bucs only needed one first down to run out
the clock, which they did when Steve Young scrambled for a first down. Oh, I forgot to mention him as a tormentor.
4.
Sean, with Tom Benson gone, maybe I can host the post-game review, huh?
No one expected Ryan Fitz-average to have his best day ever
as a pro. The Saints have a history of
making stars out of quarterbacks, but this "star is born" was just too much. Especially when some knowledgeable and
revered prognosticators had you pegged for 19-0. The early schedule was supposed to be stepping
stones to a great season. Instead, the
Saints are back in their early season quicksand.
At least they weren't around for that playoff
game. Most Saints were not born yet. Although they do have their own Viking
playoff game nightmare to remember. Fortunately, Brett and Adrian are sandwiched in between.
Next come the high flying Hard Knocks crew from
Cleveland. For 2 years they’ve been a
cure for what has ailed teams. Will that
continue, or will the Saints lay a game 2 egg?
This was either a wake up call, or a tap on the snooze button. Saints fans are scared to find out which.
Meanwhile, clap for the wolfman.
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