Saints Report #15 - December 27, 2021

The Saints fell to the Dolphins 20-3 in the annual Attrition Bowl Monday Night.  It wasn’t that close.  It was never going to be that close.

The Saints had no choice but to trot out QB Ian Book, their 4^th round draft choice, who by all accounts had never taken a practice snap with the first team.  He looked as bad as you would expect, as he couldn’t even throw the ball away when headed out of bounds faced with a loss.  It looked like he had never played the position before, at least at times.

Not his fault.  He never expected to have to play this year, and I’m a little concerned at the lack of development here, but I guess the Saints have had other things on their mind, like fighting the war of attrition, which they are losing as surely as the world is losing the war on covid.  And to ask him to play behind that make-shift offensive line with only two starters and three who should’ve been in street clothes was like putting a matador in the ring with a bull and blindfolding him.  It was treacherous.  Remember the replacement teams?

The Greed Football League expanded the schedule to 17 games this year in the year they should have dropped it to about 12, with teams getting 3 byes.  Many teams have had to send out players that don’t belong in the NFL.  It’s not the product we are used to.  The Saints looked so inept on offense, by far their worst game in the Payton era, that’s it no wonder they reached out to Brees last week.  Bobby Hebert was probably sitting by his phone.  They coulda been killed.  Glad Brees stayed the course on his retirement, on the course.

The Saints have fallen to 7-8 and I just don’t think they can get up.  I’d just as soon they start Book the last 2 games and see if he improves any.  Look, I read all the Saints chatterboxes doing the Hill/Winston argument and let me say this.  The Saints don’t have any NFL Playoff Caliber Quarterback on their roster. 

Winston has a good arm, but can’t read defenses quickly enough, Hill will never make it through a season, Siemian is a known quantity, and it’s average at best, and Book – well would any other team have drafted him?

What’s sad is that this year, and I emphasize “this year,” the defense may be the best the Saints have ever had.  The injuries have been excessive, and it is rather disconcerting that covid has swept through the team in the last couple of weeks.  Doesn’t exactly make me want to browse Wal-Mart. 

Other than last night’s embarrassment, and the weird propensity to beat great teams and lose to bad ones, I actually like the way the Saints have competed, given all the injuries.  Sean Payton has kept them in the games.  I have questioned his play calling at times, like we all do, but he has put together a great team which is lacking at one position, where he has saddled himself with some Ansel Elgot’s.  If it can happen to Speilberg, it can happen to anyone.  Casting your leading man is extremely important.  The off-season will be interesting.  In the NFL, there are about 10 Quarterbacks who can win a Super Bowl.  If the goal is the Super Bowl, time to find an eleventh.      

Saints Report #14 - December 19, 2021

It is doubtful that Tom Brady began his evening wondering if his team would score any points.  

He certainly wasn't expecting a score that would read like a baseball forfeit.

The Saints defense shut out Tampa Bay 9-0 in a game that had to be a shock to the football world.  For the second straight year the Saints swept the TB’s. 
Let's review:  38-3, 34-23, 36-27, 9-0.  

I will always maintain that the Saints would have won the playoff game as well if not for Jared Cook's fumble.  

Sunday night, it was as if the Saints took it personally that Brady hasn’t retired yet.  “Hey man, it’s time for you to sit in your hot tub on your deck overlooking some body of water sipping mint juleps, or those smoothies you make.  Hang it up, already.”  Or, at least that's what CJ Gardner-Johnson was probably thinking when he stared down Brady during the game. Brady at 44 is probably older than some of the Saints player's parents.  

With Sean Payton sidelined with Covid, Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen continued his mastery of Brady.  The Saints have had a lot of things go wrong this year, but one thing that has gone right is the defense.  That has to be attributed to Allen.

It is a luxury to have a competent coordinator in his 7^th year.  He has molded the defense, he has filled the holes, and he is well acquainted with every team in the league.  He’s seen it all, and he is getting better and better.  After this headline-making performance I’m a little scared.  Is he going to be a head coaching candidate?  Selfishly, I hope not.  This morning on the NFL network Peter Schrager said the Saints have the best defensive backfield in the league, and that was the part of the team I was most concerned about.  Go figure.  You have to give Sean Payton credit for following the Belichick process which is build your team to dominate your division and beat your divisional opponents, in those 6 games.  That strategy has resulted in 4 straight divisional titles on the heels of Carolina winning 3 in a row during Cam Newton’s prime.  A fifth is a long-shot, but it’s still a great run.

On the offensive side, the Saints didn’t do much against an excellent Tampa defense.  The Saints basically took just enough advantage of good field position to kick 3 field goals.  Who began the night thinking that would do it?

So the Saints are still alive to win the division.  Sure, at 7-7 they would have to win their last 3 and the Bucs would have to lose their last 3.  Let’s face it, the Saints offense is a little tepid for that to happen.  But there’s no question that given the many adversities of this season, Saints fans can hold their heads high.  Lotta Heart on this team.

 

Saints Report #13 - September 12, 2021

Give me your tired, your poor, your losing teams.  Come to New York and face our team, the J-E-T-S, the worst the NFL has to offer.  If you can’t beat this team, you’re really in trouble.

The Saints traveled to New York, well actually New Hoffa, to feast on the Jets, and feast they did, 30-9.  The Jets looked awful, a reminder to the Saints fans what an awful team really looks like.  The game left the Saints as one of many teams at 6-7 and squarely in the playoff hunt, although it almost certainly won’t be by division title.  The Saints have some quarterback uncertainty over the next few years, but not like the Jets.  The green team invested the 2^nd pick in Zach Wilson, who looks like a great NFL quarterback maneuvering around the pocket, until he actually has to let go of the ball.  At that point anything could happen, but it usually involves bouncing.  Bouncing off a shoulder pad, a helmet, or the turf.  I have said all along that I don’t think the Saints have an NFL quarterback on the roster, but after watching Wilson I could make the argument that the Saints have 4, 5 if you count Kamara.  If Wilson makes it as an NFL quarterback, I will be shocked. 

Yes, Alvin Kamara was back from his fall break, and did he look fresh!  He is clearly the NFL MVP as the Saints are 6-3 with him, and 0-4 without him.  He was spectacular, accounting for 145 yards running and catching and just bothering the Jets.  Taysom Hill also had a good game, doing what he does.  But the defense was stout, allowing only 3 harmless field goals, threatened only at the end of the game.    They didn’t miss Cameron Jordan, who missed his first game ever as a Saint, and with their biggest game of the season on tap next Sunday Night against TB, now is the time to make a challenge for a a playoff spot. 

How will it go?  Well, you can bet they will concentrate on Kamara, so someone else will need to step up.

 

Media Captures - November 2021

 

After 15 years, a name-change for my monthly capsules on my viewing.  It's way more than just "Cinema" these days. 

Red Notice – 9

Netflix has a hit adventure movie on its hands with this tale of 3 thieves playing like Cary Grant across Europe.  Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot pretty much play their standard every-movie character, so this ain’t Shakespeare, but it ain’t trying to be, and that’s what makes it so much fun.  Yes, it’s predictable, and yes, it’s ridiculous, but sometimes we just need a nice diversion from the variant of the day. 

 

The Sparks Brothers – 10

The thing I probably enjoy the most about the accessibility we now have with streaming is the music documentaries.  They come one after another.  Some are on artists I grew up with.  Some are about ones I never heard of.  I knew nothing of the Sparks Brothers, nor their 50 year career.   

Edgar Wright is the director and he’s most famous for the movie “Baby Driver” and his love of music comes across in that movie, and he turns his attention to an influential but little know pair of brothers, Ron and Russell Maei (The Sparks).  I felt the same way I felt when I watched Searching for Sugarman a few years back.  How could I have not known?  The movie is more fun that almost any documentary.  If you like music, don’t miss it.

Mr. A & Mr. M – 10

I’ve only seen the first of the two episodes of this little doc series on A&M Records, but does it hit home for me.  Herb Alpert (Mr. A) puts together a record called The Lonely Bull, follows it up with Whipped Cream and Other Delights, and he and Jerry Moss (Mr. M) open a record company with their windfall. They sign artists like Sergio Mendes, Joe Cocker, The Carpenters, The Police, Cat Stevens, Peter Frampton, and Carole King.  Their love of the music and the freedom they give the artist make them unique.  Great stories and the love the artists confess for the company is unique.

And that's Herb's wife Lani Hall in this promo shot.  You've probably never heard of her, but she's in my top 3 favorite female vocalists.  Been listening to her since high school.  

Lani on the left, with a little ear candy

 

Every Little Step – 9

Another documentary about music, this one is a 2008 film you can catch on Netflix and it covers the auditions for a revival of the Broadway Musical “A Chorus Line.”  I’ve never doubted the craftsmanship and commitment it takes to put on a Broadway Musical, but this brings it to full, vibrant life.  This was the first Broadway Musical I ever saw and now I want to see it again. 

 

Condor - 9

One of my favorite movies is Three Days of the Condor.  So, when I heard they did a 10 episode updated version of it I had 2 questions.  "Why?"  And "What Channel?"  The answer was Epix (which is 4 channels you can add on Directv for 99 cents a month).  I then watched all 10 episodes straight through in one day.  I'm crazy.  But, it was good, credible, and I liked it.  It ain't Redford and Dunnaway, but close enough in a pandemic.  

 

Hacks – 9

The year of Jean Smart which started with her pivotal role in Mare of Easttown, concludes with her winning a best comedy actress Emmy in Hacks.  First, let me mention a specific scene in Easttown that was amazingly well executed.  She plays Mare’s mother, and there’s a scene where she falls, as old people do from time to time.  It is so real and heart-wrenching that anyone who has ever seen or done that will be moved.  It was a bravo moment for Jean portraying the embarrassment of that movement. 

Now, for Hacks.  She plays Deborah Vance, a declining Las Vegas comic who is seeing her venues get smaller and dates fewer.  She’s not ready to go quietly, so she hires Ava, a 25 year old writer with no resume to speak of.  You know what happens, at first they don’t trust each other, then over 10 episodes they make progress.  Deborah is just a classic character, and Jean Smart treats it like the role of her lifetime, which it is.  10 quick episodes on HBO.

 

And finally, two fascinating Musical TV moments:

First, here’s a clip from some kind of upcoming show with Jimmy Fallon, featuring some stunning voals:  

Secondly, if you haven’t seen Taylor Swift’s performance on SNL, keep in mind it could be worse.  You could’ve dated her.  Nevertheless, I found this pretty impressive..

Saints Reports # 11 and 12 December 2, 2021

A Tale of Two Thursdays.

It was the worst of times, then it got worser.

For some reason, the NFL decided to put the Saints on back to back Thursday night games, from the Superdome.  It couldn’t have gone worse.  Try to imagine the elation the home crowd would have felt in the Drew Brees era with two straight Thursday night games.  This is not those times.

I do have a theory.  The NFL wanted to roll out their latest versions of “the worst call ever” on National TV.  How long is this going to go on?  I hate the length of the games, but I’m with Bill Belichick on this one.  Every call should be reviewable.  Just like real life. The Saints win the twitter conversation every week.  It doesn't make me feel any better.

My Thanksgiving day was a family pleasure.  We didn’t cook, we traveled.  We just showed up, and it was great.  Our hosts experienced the same overproduction problems we have when we cook, unless you think 8 pies for 9 people is normal, but it was probably our first ever break from the heavy lifting.  After a great meal, we retired to our son’s basement to watch a scintillating Saints performance in a contest with the Buffalo Bills. Afterwards, I felt like I was the one that had been scintillated.  Keep in mind the Bills may be the best team in the NFL, and I predicted they will win the Super Bowl, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when the Saints got carved up 31-6.   The streak was at 4.

If the Trevor Siemian era is to be remembered, all 4 games of it (to this point) it will be remembered for Payton’s most cautious play calling of his tenure.  The Saints rarely threw the ball on first down, presumably to reduce the sacks of the immobile QB. Almost every promising situation was punctured by a sack, and once the announcer version Drew Brees noted that Siemian doesn’t step up into the pocket, it got repeated by every commentor on the web.  Why isn’t Taysom in there?  Wait, we’ve got another 4^th down pass by the punter up our sleeve. 

The Saints defense performed fairly well, in both games, but you can only ask so much. They are the best run stopping bunch in the NFL, and the secondary is way better than I thought they would be, but they wear down and the law of averages catches up with them.  Then, it’s not pretty.

On the second Thursday, it was Taysom Hill’s turn finally, after signing a mega contract that will pay him handsomely if he can actually play quarterback, and well if he can’t.  Payton is clearly enamored of the Hill skill set, enough to put Mrs. Benson’s money where his mouth is.

So, how did it go?  It went 4 interceptions, one a pick-six.  Yes, he injured his finger early, and his running was exciting at times, but the Saints were overmatched again.  The Saints scored late on a nifty run after catch by Deonte Harris to pull it close 27-17, but this just highlighted that Harris may be the only receiving threat the Saints have, he’s just missing about 8 inches of height.  He’s also appealing a 3- game suspension which would cripple the Saints, when he has to serve it.  The gamble of not drafting a wide receiver is officially a bumble.  Look, I know few teams that could lose 3 offensive linemen, and be down to their third quarterback and still be competitive, but the lack of wide receiver talent is glaring given that there have been great receivers go in the first round the last few years.  The streak is at 5.

So, after more than half of the greediest season in NFL history, 17 games with no roster expansion, there is one thing I’m sure of.  A running QB makes no sense.  He will get hurt.

Saquon Barkley, an immensely talented running back, has played 36 games in 4 years.  Injured
Christian McCafferty is out for the season, again
Alvin Kamara has just missed his 5^th straight game.  The Saints are 5-2 with him, and 0-5 without him.
Dalvin Cook is out.  Cam Akers is out.

And these are just the running backs.  They can’t stay on the field.  The game is too violent.  Check out the Tom Brady documentary on ESPN 3.  You can’t help but notice the violent hits from 20 years ago that just wouldn’t fly today. 

Meanwhile, Let’s look at the QB’s:

Jameis Winston got injured scrambling.
Russell Wilson missed several games, and doesn’t look good since he came back
Taysom Hill apparently has the same injury now. 
Cam Newton and Big Ben can’t throw.
Kyler Murray is on the shelf.
Lamar Jackson may be the most exciting player in the NFL. He gets hurt too much.

Now, just for fun, let’s look at Alabama Quarterbacks in the NFL.

The jury is still out on Jalen Hurts.  He can run the ball very well, and hasn’t gotten hurt yet, but hasn’t proven he can throw it at the NFL level.

Tua Tagovailloa is not what everyone thought he would be, and the injury he suffered to his hip late in his college career, while scrambling, may be why.

Then there is Mac Jones, who yes, landed on a good team, but is a statue in the pocket, reading defenses and distributing the ball.  I still think this is the prototype. 
So, who do I want?  Bama’s Bryce Young.  Can we draft him early like the Celtics did Larry Byrd?