Saints Report # 12 - Thursday, November 28, 2019

It was a typical ugly Thursday Night NFL game, but the Saints came away with a 26-18 win, to give New Orleans their third straight NFC South title, and maybe more importantly a redemptive win over the hated Atlanta Falcons, who embarrassed the Saints just a few weeks back.  

We will remember that we got the win, and we’ll try to forget the profanity filled 4^th quarter when the Falcons, seemingly dead at 26-9, recovered two onside kicks (the football version of make it, take it) and made a game of it.  In the end it was the relentless defensive line pressure, particularly by Cameron Jordan (4 sacks) that put the game away with less than a minute remaining.

While Wil Lutz was pounding home 4 field goals to bail out a rather anemic Saints offense, for the second straight week the Saints benefited from the short-range ineptitude of the opposing kicker who missed a short field goal and an extra point.  As far as I’m concerned if you line up to kick an extra point from a hashmark, you deserve to miss, and we’ve seen that in these last two games, a lot.

The Saints had jumped out to a big lead on the backs of Taysom Hill, who blocked a punt (a Saints vs. Falcons tradition), caught a shovel pass for a touchdown, and sprinted 30 yards for the Saints other touchdown. 

The Saints won the turnover battle, with a fumble recovery by Vonn Bell, and interceptions by rookies Shy Tuttle, and CJ Chauncey-Gardner who has shown a penchant for “Being There.”  It must be said that Cam Jordan also diminished an interception with another stupid penalty, this one a block in the back.  The Saints also continued to be heavily penalized, particularly on pass interference calls, and they dropped numerous passes.  Ted Ginn and Jared Cook missed end zone passes that could have put the game away, and even Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara had drops.  But having watched Matt Ryan for what seems like a century, his penchant for holding the ball too long makes him a feast or famine passer of the football.  The Saints re-found the pressure they lacked in the first meeting and held Ryan in check. 

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So, this game was sloppier than my Thanksgiving plate of food, and while the Saints didn’t look like a team ready to challenge for the Super Bowl, the 4^th quarter of the season starts now.  The Saints are 10-2 and have a big matchup on December 8th with the San Francisco 49’ers, whom any reputable Saints fan hates as much as the Falcons.  We’ve been tortured by Montana, by Rice, by Young, and even by Alex Smith.  The Saints do not at this moment look like a team worthy of first seed in the stacked NFC, but December tells the tale.  They get the 49ers, after a little longer rest, in the dome, although Sean Payton may take a day to just practice recovering on-side kicks.  Then, another extra day of rest before playing the Colts in the dome on a Monday night.  Win those two, and it's on to the trap games.  The last two games are at Tennessee and at Carolina. 

So the last 4 games are winnable but if we learned anything watching these Saints, they’re also lose able.  It’s the ground game that wins in December and so far the Saints running attack has the consistency of cranberry sauce.  It can lead to bouts of profanity.  

Saints Report # 11 - November 24, 2019

When the Saints play, There Will Be Blood Pressure. Sunday was no exception, as the Saints raced out hare-like to a 14-0 lead only to see tortoise-like Carolina come all the way back to tie, and line up for a chip shot game winner.  Fortunately, new kicker Joey Slye seemed befuddled at short distances, as he missed two extra points and then the short kick that would’ve won it.  Surprising, as he had blasted two long field goals.  

The two minute door was left ajar, and Drew Brees, NFL MVP Michael Thomas (I don't care what they say), and Alvin Kamara put together another signature drive to set up Wil Lutz’s game winner and the Saints escaped with a 34-31 victory in the Superdome to move to 9-2.

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the Saints will be staring at a very proficient Carolina quarterback named Kyle Allen, for possibly 20 years.  Here’s my new rule of thumb for drafting quarterbacks in the NFL.  Go ahead draft a running quarterback (Cam Newton, RGIII, Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick) and get maybe 10 years out of the them, and bet on the fact that they are going to get hurt.  Or, grab a pocket passer, like Allen, and he’ll be good for 15-20 years (Brees, Brady, Rogers.)  Looks likes Cam Newton is going to move on, and Kyle will be there.  I don’t think it’s going to be all that enjoyable for Saints fans.  

The New Orleans Saints navigated a ridiculously difficult first quarter of the season, emerging with wins over the Texans, Seahawks, and Cowboys, with Teddy Bridgewater leading the Saints to a 5-1 start.

They have had a much more difficult time navigating the NFC South.

The Saints survived even more than the usual adversity.  Zebras actually called a pass interference on a challenge flag against the Saints that led to that missed Slye field goal.  Enough Irony for you?  Cameron Jordan committed a horrible penalty on a sack by Demario Davis that probably would have sealed the game, turning a 4^th and 25 into a 1^st and 10, saving a Panthers' drive.  The Saints came in with one of their “pass first” game plans that always seem to result in a critical interception, and it did this time too.   They again were victimized by excessive field laundry and questionable calls that raised blood pressure to dangerous heights in the house where I was watching.  Jared Cook had a great game, giving the Saints a third elite weapon to go with Thomas and Kamara.  Brees is gaining confidence in him, so he is willing to go to Jared.  Ted Ginn continued his torrid pace of catching a ball a game, dropping one, and there was a Tre’quan Smith sighting for a touchdown.

Make no mistake, the Saints have some issues.  The Panthers were in a position to win, and should have won, but for the fact that Graham Gnoe is spending the year on the injured list.  As he does several times a year, Drew Brees executed what he had practiced.  With the game on the line in the 4^th quarter, don’t doubt it for a minute – his straw is long, and he will drink your milk shake. 

Next up, the tough task of traveling to another Mercedes Benz stadium – to meet the Falcons who just came down to earth after a couple of surprising weeks, including one where they embarrassed the Saints.  Thanksgiving blood pressure will be on the line.  Not to mention digestion.  

Saints Report #10 - November 17, 2019

Hurricane Sean worked its way through Louisiana Sunday.  The wind was Saints fans letting out a cumulative sigh of relief as the Saints returned to form with a double up victory over their divisional rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-17.  In truth, the Tampa rivalry has been rather one-sided during the Payton/Brees era, as it has been less compelling than the Hallmark vs. Lifetime rivalry for Christmas Movie supremacy. 

This time of year, it’s about depth, just as December turns to the ground game to see which team can run the ball in the bad weather.  The depth for the Saints paid dividends Sunday as Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill filled in capably in the return game for an injured Deonte Harris (hamstring).  Veteran free agent Nick Eason, whom has been MIA all year, suddenly materialized and filled in for Andrus Peat (out 6 weeks with a broken arm) at left guard.  Fullback Zach Line, whose absence was felt last week in pass protection, reappeared and had a solid game.  The secondary shuffled around in the absence of Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) and picked off strong armed Jameis Winston 4 times, including a Marcus Williams (he of the Minnesota incident) pick 6 that was the final score of the game.  The Saints defense joined the offense in the “return to form” category, with Demario Davis leading the emotional charge.  I hope these Saints show up for the rest of the year.  It will make for a nice playoff seeding, as it would appear the Saints will take the NFC South for the 3^rd straight year.  The Saints are now 8-2, with the Panthers falling to 5-5, and the Falcons and Bucs at 3-7. 

The Saints drove the ball all day behind the offensive tandem of Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, who continued his assault on the record books.  I have a recurring nightmare these days, and its this.  The Saints make it to the Super Bowl only to play the New England Patriots.  Bill Belichick, as he always does, constructs a defensive game plan to take away Kamara and Thomas, triple teaming them to take them out of the game and saying to the Saints, “go ahead, if you can beat us with Ted Ginn and Jared Cook, feel free.”  Cook and Ginn had good games, each catching a touchdown pass, but the rest of the receiving corps was AWOL.  Almost makes me miss Brandon Coleman.  Almost.  But, it certainly makes me miss the days of Lance Moore, Marques Colston, and Devery Henderson.  Still a weakness, but Saints fans are breathing easier today, and the men can now return to the task at hand, regaining control of the remote so we can watch real Christmas movies. Like Die Hard.