Saints Report #2 - September 18, 2022

Someday, when Tom Brady is finally forced to retire by his wife, he will begin a series of shows with Peyton Manning where they reminisce about their rivalry and friendly competition.  They’ll probably go game by game easily, because they were never on the field at the same time.

None of those things apply to Marshawn Lattimore and Mike Evans.  Their battles are classics, where neither backs down, before or after the whistle.  I haven’t been able to attend a game at the dome in a while but the last few Bucs/Saints contests that I was able to attend, I just watched them when the Bucs had the ball, even before Brady came along.  Now that’s a rivalry.

Unfortunately, Lattimore can never turn the other cheek.  It almost cost the Saints in week 1, and probably cost them in week 2.  The brawl got all the headlines, as once again Evans, frustrated with the lockdown of Lattimore, flew off the bench and cheap shotted Lattimore.  This is the reason I thought the Saints were going to miss Chauncy Gardner-Johnson.  He could bait the other team into penalties, but refrain from retaliation.  If only Lattimore would set the trap, but not take the bait.  Too Much to ask.

Sunday, the Saints lost to the Bucs 20-10.  After seeing Fournette run in week 1 and the Saints get mauled on the line, I was not optimistic going in.  But, for 3 quarters, the defense held, putting Brady into one of his temper tantrum phases. 

Never, never, never, have I ever wanted a microphone on the field more than Sunday.  Wouldn’t you have loved to hear the talk leading up to the “brawl” which really wasn’t much of a brawl?

Anyway, concerns are many.  The Saints staged a miracle 4^th quarter in week 1, and fell apart in the 4^th quarter of week 2.  Let’s start with Quarterback play.  I think Winston is going to be the QB for 2 years.  I think the Saints will pull out all the stops to draft one (hopefully Bryce Young) and let him sit for a year behind Winston.

The Saints will not win many games passing for 100 yards and scoring 3 points in the first 3 quarters.  Why can’t they score early?  Winston’s mobility in the pocket is just poor.  He has what I would generously call heavy feet.  And I’m not one of those guys who wants a running quarterback, just a mobile one.  Playing QB is dangerous enough without racing around like a gazelle.  But it just doesn’t appear that Winston can see the field.  He can zip it to a wide open man, and he has good arm strength.  But reading defenses, checking out of plays, throwing a man open, and quick releases are just not there.  He is a mid to low tier NFL QB and I just don’t see that changing.

Don’t believe me?  Well, it was Sean Payton who tipped his hand last week as he was making the talk show rounds.  When asked who the best QB in the NFL was, he answered “Patrick Mahomes, and it’s not close.”  Then he would go into the story of how close the Saints came to drafting Mahomes, and it was obvious that had they done so, he’d still be coaching and racking up the win meter.  One year of the quarterbacks he had to work with last year was enough.  Brees to Mahomes would have been epic.  Brees to Field, not so much.

On Sunday, the game dissolved when Ingram capped off the Saints best drive of the game with another fumble.  Not sure how long this will go on.  Dwayne Washington looks great every time he carries the ball.  I’m betting 15 carries a game nets 100 yards if we’ll just give him a chance.  I haven’t even mentioned the two ridiculous calls against the Saints to sustain the Brady drive he needed the most.  The Penalty “unnecessary roughness” needs to be changed to “Insufficient softness.”  I officiated a long time, and now I sit in the recliner watching all 3 sports, and the officiating is terrible, and it’s been made worse by replay.  I get a kick out of baseball’s coming rule changes meant to speed up the game.  Ha, get rid of the 45 minutes or replays a game. 

So, the Saints are in trouble.  The return of Adebo will help, but when?  Not another high ankle sprain, I hope?  The defense is playing well enough to win, but changes have to made on offense.  Didn’t take me long to go from optimistic to pessimistic about this season. Dennis Allen is about to get tested.

Saints Report #1 - 9/11/2022

The Strange Case of Dr. Jameis and Mr. Hyde

The Saints first game was like some streaming mystery.  You’re going to have to watch several episodes before all the characters are introduced.  In this case, the characters would be the Saints.

Had it not been for 2 runs by Taysom Hill in the first half, it could be said that the Saints took the first half of their initial game of the year off.  QB Jameis Winston had completed only 3 passes, and the passing yardage, after factoring in sacks, was barely positive.  Every facet of the Saints play was awful.  The third quarter was much the same.  Winston looked uncomfortable in the pocket, and for good reason.  The pocket was crowded.  His protection was awful.

Then a couple of things happened.  It must be said that the Falcons woke up to who they are.  A dedicated Saints fan knows who they are, because we’ve seen the enemy and they are us.  For most of their history the Saints have been that team:  That team that could always find a way to lose.  Misuse the clock, turnovers, penalties.  We could always find a way to lose.   The Falcons are now that team.  They can always blow a lead.  Don’t count them in.

As the 4^th quarter began, the Saints fell further behind.  With 80% of the game played, could the Saints overcome their biggest 4^th quarter deficit ever?  I was there the day Brees brought the Saints back from 15 to beat Washington.  But this wasn’t Brees.  This was Winston, and he looked dazed and confused.    He had paid a visit to the injury tent.  Dalton was warming up.  With 12 minutes left they fell behind 26-10. but still within 2 scores.  With 12:41 on the clock, and 2 and a half hours into their first game of the year, Dr. Jameis disappeared, and Mr. Hyde took the field.  In fact 22 Hydes suddenly emerged. In just 4 plays, 1:29, crisp passes to Juwan Johnson, Alvin Kamara, Jarvis Landry, and Michael Thomas in the end zone, followed by a two point conversion pass to Chris Olave brought the Saints within 8.  It was almost too easy.

The Saints held and got the ball back on their own 16 with 7:00 left.  Passes to Olave, Landry, Thomas twice, and Landry, followed by a bb throw to Thomas in the end zone, brought the Saints within two.  Unfortunately, the two point conversion failed, a run by Ingram on a direct snap, which given the ease with which Winston was shredding the defense, seemed to be an odd call.

Then, one last drive, a most memorable one.  After Mariotta fumbled on 3^rd and 1 and the Falcons had to punt, the Saints started their drive with 48 seconds left from their own 20.   The next pass by Winston was one of the prettiest in Saints history, as he arched the ball to Landry 40 yards downfield on the far sideline.  Landry made a great catch, and it gave me flashbacks to the Minneapolis miracle when Stefon Diggs caught the improbable bomb.  Except Landry caught it and stepped out of bounds at the 40, stopping the clock.  But nobody on the Saints sideline knew it.  Thus, when Winston stepped up to spike the ball to kill what he thought was a running clock, it instead became an unnecessary intentional grounding – 10 yard penalty and loss of down.  So, on 2^nd down, Winston’s dart to Juwan Johnson on the 34, which would have been a first down on a 1^st and 10, but not on a 1^st and 20, necessitated another spike by Winston.  Which meant it’s now 4^th down and no choice but to try a 51 yard field goal.

Lutz pounded it through, taking out a year of sideline frustration, and giving the Saints a 27-26 lead.

But it wasn’t over.

The Falcons actually got themselves into position to try a 63 yard field goal as time expired, only because a sure interception went through the arms of Marcus Maye, and Marshawn Lattimore, who has all the self-discipline of a puppy looking for a treat, got baited into a personal foul penalty, bait he was happy to take.  This forced the game down to one final field goal attempt and the one thing lacking so far in a Falcons-Saints game.

A Blocked kick. 

So, the Saints start a most difficult 1-0.  Let’s hope it gets easier.  But it won’t.

Media Captures - August 2022

DOCUMENTARIES

The Captain – 10

The sports documentaries just keep getting better and better. I can’t name anything new on TV right now that's better than this inspection of Derek Jeter’s career.  There’s no better fairy tale on Disney, no better sports doc on Netflix, no better biography on Hulu, and no better leadership lesson on you tube.

All Derek Jeter ever wanted to do was play shortstop for the New York Yankees, a dream I’m sure many a youngster has had about their favorite team.  Nowadays, the odds of staying with one team, even if you could make it to the majors is slim.  In my youth, when my dream was to play for the Pirates, there were fewer trades, less competition and almost no free agency.  I faced only that one little obstacle, lack of talent.  When Jeter miraculously falls in the draft to the Yankees, the ride begins. Not only did Derek’s dream come true, but his impact went way beyond just that.  With clutch performances within a new dynasty he went straight to the Hall of Fame.  You can’t make this up. 

But what this 7 part documentary on ESPN+ does best is serve as a master class on leadership.  Jeter, throughout his 19-year major league career, has to navigate the pressures of working for George Steinbrenner, in the media capital of the world.  He has to deal with teammates, competitors, and other leaders with massive egos.  Fortunately, the answer for every problem is the same – winning.  I learned early in my career (the one I actually had – not baseball) that the keys were preparation, focus, and intensity.  Jeter sits down and takes on every question head on.  He explains it all.  If you’ve every played a minute of a sport – you owe yourself to watch this.

Untold:  The Story of the Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist - 9

Like no one has ever fallen in love over the phone before.

Netflix’s Untold series, which is very good, takes up the story of Manti Te’o, the Notre Dame linebacker who was actually in the running for the Heisman.  Then, it was revealed that Te’o had never actually met his girlfriend and there was a good reason.  She didn’t really exist and so her reported death should have been easy to verify. 

Once this catfishing was revealed, I didn’t know what to think.  But apparently, and this is going to shock you, a lot of people did and were willing to express themselves.  Was this a hoax? Was he in on it? Ready, Set, Speculate.  

Well, the documentary leaves no doubt that a guy named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo had nothing better to do than really mess with someone in the public eye.  Te'o was from Hawaii and had unexpectantly chosen Notre Dame, a devil of an isolation.  Tuiasopos is the villain and he’s pretty easy to hate. Oh, and in the meantime, he has transitioned to a female named Naya (way easier to pronounce), so there’s an awful lot going on in his psyche.

"Transitioning” is a really hot topic these days, and both sides are vehement, and very sure of themselves.  Imagine that. I’ve always felt sorry for people that I could see were “gender-confused” as I put it.  And I’m not belittling that.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to get up and look in the mirror every morning and not understand who I am, and why I felt so wrong and why I’m so uncomfortable in my own skin.  It’s a feeling I wouldn’t want and wouldn’t understand.  All the discomfort I ever had to face was the visual – that if I looked more like Brad Pitt than Patton Oswalt with acne, I’d have had more fun.  The mirror can be tough.

Anyway, Manti comes off clean, and while he’s out of football for now, he’s a sympathetic figure, thanks to this excellent documentary.  He hung on with the Saints for a couple of seasons, and I don’t think we’ll see him again.  He got married in 2020 and hopefully the only catfish that comes his way has Mississippi on the box.

One Final note:  I don't like The Yankees or Notre Dame, just so you know.

Lucy and Desi – 9

Director Amy Poehler put together a wonderful documentary on these two early TV icons.  I think it’s a little bit better than the dramatization written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.  No fan of Lucille Ball should miss it.  We think success is easy and lucky.  Sometimes it's not and this is a great story of chemistry, then break-up. Excellent. 

STREAMING:

Surface – 6

Apple+ sucked me in with this high gloss, low energy, overly dramatic story that goes nowhere and takes its time getting there.  The pace is horrible, and I can’t believe I stuck with all 7 episodes.  When you’ve waited a week for the next episode, you feel obligated to watch.  Apple+ shares this approach with HBO and sometimes it works.  This time it was just another aggravation.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who appears destined for stardom, plays Sophie, a lady who may have jumped off a boat to commit suicide.  Or she may have been pushed.  Or she may have staged it.  There may have been a reason. 

I don’t care. By the end, I just wanted out.

The 355 – 7

While I was intrigued with the cast, the initial reviews were horrible and kept me from going to see this in the theaters.  I’m not going to say the reviews were wrong, but all action flicks considered, this ain’t a bad way to spend 2 hours. Jessica Chastain is spreading her wings.  I think that’s a good thing.

The Gray Man - 6 

I understand that Netflix wants to make a franchise out of this Jason Bourne type treatment.  Just like Bourne, they got the casting right when they pegged Ryan Gosling.   The other thing I understand is that it’s based on what many of my friends think is an excellent book series.

Unfortunately, the movie didn’t work for me, other than Ana Armas as The Gray Man’s friendly spy, coming on the heels of her like role in the latest Bond epic, and her next role as Marilyn Monroe.  She’s got all the required charisma.  Will she emerge from this 18 month stretch a star, or never be heard from again?  I think she’s a star.  Yep, that's me going out on a limb.

The problem with the movie is it’s another example of what I call Violence Porn.  Let’s see how many people we can kill in as many unique ways as we can think of.  They might as well put a counter in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.  And some of them are pretty inventive, but geez, how about a little subtlety now and then. That “there will be none of that” is obvious 10 minutes in.  The Bourne movies were restrained at first.  Couldn’t we have at least kicked it off that way?  Wham Bam No Thank you ma'm.  Shoot ‘em up.  Better yet, send some of this frenetic energy over to Surface.
 

Inside Man:  Most Wanted – 7

What in the world was I doing watching this sequel that probably went straight to video?  Simple.  Rhee Seehorn, the breakout star of Better Call Saul.  She’s been a working actress on the Hollywood fringes for a long time, and I thought I’d go back and check out one of her few starring roles prior to BCS.  The verdict is in, and I would have never seen her breakout coming. 

The original Inside Man was a very heavy story of a bank robbery to get to a Nazi artifact in a safety deposit bank, and I remember it being overly long and complicated, starring Denzel Washington, Jodi Foster, and Clive Owen, and not making much of an impression as evidenced by the fact that I have no remembrance of what the artifact was. So, maybe I should've rewatched the original.  Or, I should have just started something else.  But, I was curious. Still a fan.