Saints Report #12

Don’t ask me.

If I knew when the Saints were going to show up and play a football game like that, I’d be living in Vegas and making a living with my knowledge.

But I did figure out how they did it.  Time travel.  That was the 2009 Saints that won that game.  Only possible explanation.

The Saints, (off a short week after Monday Night Football) traveled to Pittsburgh (off a bye week) and bounced the Steelers all over the field en route to a 35 – 32 victory that was only close because the Steelers scored 2 touchdowns late.  If you saw this coming, move to Vegas.

During the Thanksgiving Family Holiday we watched two things that set this up.

One night on Netflix I introduced the family to the classic Star Trek episode “City on the Edge of Forever.”  Captain Kirk and Spock have to travel back in time to undo the damage McCoy has done by changing history.  Written by famed science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, this is generally considered the best original Star Trek episode.

Then, another night we rented “Edge of Tomorrow” about a soldier, played by Tom Cruise, who keeps reliving the same day over and over.  One of the best movies of the year.

Great time travel stuff.

So Sunday, the Saints offense, defense, and special teams all played like they were in a time warp. 

It started with Drew Brees, who played mistake free, this time with the support of a running game.  He threw at all-stars like Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu with no hesitation and ended the day with another 5 touchdown game.   When I listen to the idiots who think Brees is done, I want to throw them in a time machine and sentence them to a life where the quarterback is always named Bobby Joe.

I knew I was in an alternate universe when the normally-invisible-except-when-he’s-dropping-a-pass  Nick Toon even barreled his way into the end zone for his first career touchdown.  I get the impression that Payton thinks Toon is their next Marques Colston.  I don’t see it, but what do I know.

The secondary played their best game of the year, picking off Roethlisburger twice just when he was looking like an MVP candidate.

The Saints got off to a slow start as Patrick Robinson (3 possible interceptions) Toon and Colston (who would later score) all dropped the ball early.  But, just when you thought it was going to be a long day, the Saints clicked.  Even Kenny Vacarro, who has been a disappointment this year, made as many big plays (including an interception) as he did drawing penalties.  It was as impressive as it was unexpected.

Now comes the test.  Four games to go.  Which team will show up week to week?  Wish I had a hot tub time machine so I would know ahead of time. Don’t look now, but if this starts a little winning streak, the Saints could win the division, play a home playoff game, and scare some teams that have been very good all year.  Remember when the Giants went 9-7 and rolled through the playoffs?  There’s precedent.  It’s not how you start the race, it’s how you finish it.  And a time machine helps.

Saints Report #11

Random Thoughts as I watched the Saints on Monday Night Football.

Can’t believe all these pundits are picking the Saints to win this game.  I know none of them watch the Saints, but surely they’ve heard how bad we are.

When Ray Lewis is the one talking sense on the panel, it’s time to re-load your panel.  Who’s retiring this year?
Suzy Kolber has lightened her hair color.
I haven’t looked at www.kissingsuzykolber.com for a long time.  Wonder if it’s still up.
The Saints will receive the kick.  I think they know they will need all the possessions they can get.
So glad to see Joe Morgan on the field finally. 
Not that I wanted to see Meachum get hurt, but let’s see what Morgan to do.
Wow, 2 big plays.  Wonder how many targets he’ll get now.  (Answer – he would ultimately get 13 snaps)  Payton must be worried about his stamina.  Why play someone who’s shown game breaking ability?
The Saints can’t run the ball at all, which will make for a long night.
First and goal from the 2 and we don’t score.
Well as I always say, if you can’t run it for a yard, you don’t deserve to win.
Thus – the last 2 weeks.
Normally I want us to run the ball, but this mismatch is rather obvious.  We can’t.
But it is good to see Pierre Thomas breaking tackles.  As bad as we tackle he must score on every play in practice.
Speaking of Pierre’s, I was really surprised to see Pierre Warren cut in training camp.  He seemed to be a playmaker.  And there he is making a takeaway. 
The only thing Marcus Ball has taken so far is his salary, but he beat Warren out?
Speaking of questionable personnel decisions....
Wait, is that a Nick Toon sighting?  By the end of the night he will make his 7^th catch in 3 years.  Quite a return for a 4^th round pick.  I think he has dropped that many passes as well.  A wasted “bloodline” draft pick.
If that was a logical draft pick, based on his dad being Nick Toon, then someone needs to offer me a job as an electrical engineer.
I’ve missed two straight episodes of “The Good Wife” and maybe this is a good time to catch up.
Obama is about to grant a 3 year stay to 5 million immigrants.  Surely, there’s one that can cover Steve Smith.
Sure am glad I don’t live in Baltimore right now.  I’d have to take tomorrow off to hide.
Speaking of Obama, I wonder if he could pardon our defense.
Starting with David Hawthorne who drops an interception served up on a silver platter.  I don’t care what anyone says, are Linebackers are AWOT.  Absent without tackle.
Why does no one ever drop a potential Brees interception?  They gobble them up and run them back like they haven’t eaten for a week.
Does anyone else notice that Brees keeps his helmet on after he throws an interception?
I’m really starting to like Taylor Swift
Texts are coming in from across the country.  Rubbing it in.  Haters gonna hate.
How many hours is it til we can eat turkey?
This Edibaldi guy really hustles.  He seems to catch people from behind.  Of course, he gets lots of opportunities to do that.
Has Rob Ryan ever blitzed just one person?  Does he have to send everybody when he blitzes?  Have we touched Flaco tonight?
Does anyone else see the similarities between Bill Cosby and Darren Sharper?
Other than the fact that either could start for our defense?
Wondering if I should give Homeland another try?  Heard it’s getting better.

Brees finishes an amazing 35 for 45 with 420 yards and 3 TD’s, with no running game support and no defense, but that one interception as he was getting hit is what we will remember.  Wonder where we would be without him?  Wonder where we would be if we had the Raven’s defense. Wonder who wrote the book of love.

Tomorrow everyone will be talking about all the teams in the AFC North being 3 games over .500 and all of the NFC South being 3 games under .500.  Duh, they play each other.  No one in our division matches up with that big brawny division.  Don’t get all excited.  They aren’t that good and we aren’t that bad.  For example, bet we’d match up pretty well with Division I. 

Whew, glad that homestand is over.  Now we can get back on the road where we play so well.  Here’s reality – if we win out against our division, I’m going to have to spring for playoff tickets.  I’m going to have to think about that.

Oh well, there’s Turkey in my future.  Lots of it.

Saints Report #10

The Saints have lost several games this year that could have gone either way, with just a play or two being the difference

This was not one of those games.

In a game that was only briefly in doubt, the Saints got rolled by another AFC North Team.  This time the Cincinnati Bengals came to town and delivered 2 pieces of bad news.  First, a 27 – 10 total domination the likes of which the Superdome hasn’t seen in the Payton era.  Secondly, the Ravens and Steelers are next.

What went wrong on the floor of the dome?  Just about everything.  The Bengals ran the ball at will.  The Saints couldn’t.  The Bengal receivers couldn’t be covered.  The Saints receivers were held in check.  The Bengals offense made several big plays.  The Bengals defense made several big plays.  The Saints offense only made a few.  The Saints defense made none that I can think of.

Bengal big plays?  Well if the Saints had any chance it evaporated on their 2^nd possession of the game after both teams had lengthy drives.  The Bengals put together a goal line stand early in the 2^nd quarter from their own 2 yard line.   A pass on first down fell incomplete.  The Saints commitment to running the ball apparently doesn’t come into play with a first down on the 2.   Two runs then went nowhere, then a 4^th down pass was completed but short of the end zone.

This was just the beginning of a game-long lesson in tackling by the Bengals.  While the Saints were floundering in tackling and coverage, the Bengals kept the Saints receivers in front of them all day, and controlled the line of scrimmage.  It was old-fashioned control-the-clock football, something the Saints, with all their talent on offense can only pretend to, especially when long drives go unfinished.

Meanwhile, the defense was overmatched all day, and when the Bengals needed a big play, QB Andy Dalton just looked to AJ Green, who is going to be a perennial all-pro.  The Saints strategy was to cover him one on one (big mistake) and usually with a rookie (bigger mistake).  The Saints glaring weaknesses at the cornerback position were on full display all day.  If the Saints have 7 draft picks next year, 6 need to be defensive backs.  When your only reliable defender, Keenan Lewis, is injured, choices are few.  Safety Rafael Bush was late in coverage all day, then suffered a broken leg, so he is done for the year, joining rookie safety Vinnie Sunseri on Injured Reserve.  Hopefully Pierre Warren, who was spectacular in pre-season and got cut, has been working out.

By the end of the day all the lessons the Saints had learned were made worse by the fact that they had been caught by the Falcons at the top of the division standings.  Terrific.  A depleted, error-making team is 4-6 with no room for error.  

Saints Report #9

The hit song “Land Down Under” has a famous reference to a Vegamite Sandwich.

The Saints moved down under .500 with another sandwich of their own.  They started weak, and finished weaker, even if the meat of the sandwich was pretty good.  The stale bread was a Drew Brees interception that helped put the Saints in a 14-0 first quarter hole, then a Brees fumble in overtime that led to an immediate field goal for a 27-24 win by the San Francisco 49’ers.

Besides the turnovers that continue to burn the Saints, there were two other plays that will be remembered in this disappointing loss that moved the Saints to 4-5.

The Saints had battled back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit to take a 24-21 lead late into the 4^th quarter.  It was the kind of grind it out comeback lead by the passing of Brees, big catches by Colston, Graham, and Cooks, and pounding running by Ingram that coulda, shoulda served as a signature win for this struggling team. 

But if you thought they were going to hold that lead, you don’t know these Saints.

The defense had played magnificently and had the 49’ers in a 4^th and 10.  Hold them and the game is yours.  But no, just when you think the defense has turned the corner and is ready to seal the deal, they give us another Golden Tate-like moment.  This time it was a 51 yard completion from Colin Kapernick to Michael Crabtree, who somehow got open enough to pitch a tent.  Their field goal sent it to overtime.

But not before Brees threw a perfect Hail Mary to the end zone at the end of regulation that Jimmy Graham caught rather easily.  Too easily as it turned out, when the referees nullified the catch with a rare offensive interference call on Graham for pushing off a defender, who was either a great actor or a pretty weak defensive back.  Traditionally the Hail Mary has featured everyone pushing and shoving in the end zone, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen pass interference called, but if they are going to start calling it, this was probably a good place to start.

A couple of stalled series in the OT led up to Brees getting the ball knocked out of his hand and the Saints 2014 tradition of mistakes at the worst possible moment continued.  They could be 8 – 1 with a little luck at the end of games, but Luck plays for the Colts, and the Saints keep making lousy sandwiches.

The home winning streak is over and the Saints either start a new streak next week against the Bengals or continue to try to give away the division that no one wants.

At the Cinema - October 2014

Gone Girl – 8

Everyone’s talking about this movie and here’s what they’re saying, “It’s just like the book, It’s as good as the book,  It's not as good as the book. It’s different from the book, they changed the ending, they didn’t change the ending, they left some stuff out, blah, blah, blah.”

I didn’t read the book, so I don’t care about all that.  If you are blissfully ignorant, as I am and always want to be upon entering the theater, this movie stands on its own pretty well.

I’m a big fan of Director David Fincher, and while I think this movie doesn’t rise to the level of either The Social Network, or The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, two of my favorite recent movies, it’s still worth seeing.  I actually got the feeling Fincher went out of his way to please the book fans, probably leaving a few flourishes on the table.

The movie starts on the morning of the 5^th anniversary of Nick Dunne and his wife Amy.  It is the morning that Amy disappears.  Soon Nick is under investigation for her murder as the search for Amy attracts nation-wide attention, because Amy is kind of famous.  Would anyone have cared so much if she wasn't "Amazing Amy?'

Ben Affleck is the perfect oaf as Nick.  He quickly loses any sympathy as suspicion grows.  The movie is a history lesson of their relationship.  But as Amy’s story is told in flashback with her own voiceover discussing their marital woes, the mystery deepens and becomes more complex with each twist.  Rosamund Pike is stunning as she tells the story of her marriage.  What happened to Amy turns out to be less important than why it happened.

The supporting cast like Kim Dickens (whom I love from Treme) and Carrie Coon (whom I love from The Leftovers) are all terrific.  The movie is good, but it never soars to the level I guess all those readers expected.

Nightcrawler – 8

This is a movie that will make you feel like you’ve been slimed and that’s exactly the way the filmmakers want it.  If you go see a horror movie today, you know you’re watching fantasy.  This movie slithers along with just enough reality to make you want to go take a shower. 

There are two distinct themes at work.  The first is a character study of a slick psychotic who will assert his will to get whatever he wants.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis, a hustler with the moral compass of Charles Manson.  He also comes armed with a talkative charm filled with internet sound bites.  When he stumbles upon a potential profession racing to crime scenes, filming the gore, and selling it to a TV station where “if it bleeds, it leads,” he seems to have found his calling.  Gyllenhaal’s performance is terrific as Louis.  You can’t compromise your ethics if you don’t have any, but he shows that you can actually go ever lower and lower in a quest for prominence. 

The second theme is a satirical look at the deteriorating level of what passes for journalism in this TMZ era.  Renee Russo is the second rate news producer of the last place news show.  She becomes a willing purchaser of his exclusive footage, and they each manipulate each other, him trying to create a career, and her trying to salvage one. 

The film culminates in a thrilling car chase that Louis and his reluctant assistant Rick initiate, then are right in the middle of.  It’s a masterpiece of filmmaking by first time director Dan Gilroy.  This won’t be his last film, not the way he captures this.  We’re in for more sliming.

The Judge – 7

You’ll like this movie if you like charaismatic acting and a smorgasboard plot.

Robert Duvall is the judge and Robert Downey Jr. is the estranged son who must defend him from a murder charge.  That’s the essence of this very typical movie as constructed by the people who make movies today.  The stars, including Vincent D’onofrio, Vera Farmiglia, Billy Bob Thornton, and Leighton Meester (hotter than a firecracker) are terrific, the plots are all over the place, and the movie is about 20 minutes too long

There’s feel good.  There’s feel bad.  And there’s everything in between as The Judge struggles to maintain his long legacy of public service despite the fact that he may have run an ex-con over with his old car. 

Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall are such magical screen presences here that they hold your attention through all the wildness as the script gyrates them all over the place.  It’s kind of like rolling several TV movies together. Just try to keep up. 

Here's the amazing Carrie Coon of The Leftover and Gone Girl:

Saints Report #8

The First Place New Orleans Saints.  Whew, that took awhile.

With two blow out wins in 5 days the Saints moved into first place with a 4-4 record in the decrepit NFC South. 

The Saints brought their defense and their running game on the road and knocked off the Carolina Panthers 28 – 10.  Two typical road turnovers kept the first half close but the Saints closed strong to lead 14 – 0 at the half.  They put the game away in the second half as they continued their trend of offensive balance.

Finally the Saints inexplicable seven game regular season road losing streak came to an end.  During the streak they found every possible way to give games away, usually with well-timed turnovers.  In this game Carolina matched the Saints turnovers.  Cam Newton looked like Clayton Kershaw, with his fastballs missing the mark, to Drew Brees’ Madison Baumgartner imitation.  Brees tried to force a few, but when clean in the pocket, he threw strikes.  His pitch count of 34 attempts to go with about the same number of rushing attempts, mostly by Mark Ingram who ran for 100 yards, struck that perfect balance that makes the Saints so dangerous.  Sean Payton has gone through a play calling rebirth.  The Saints ran the ball, controlled the clock, and kept their defense rested.

The simplified Ryan defense responded with another good performance, although they were helped by the wildness of Cam Newton, who simply couldn’t find the strike zone.  One last baseball analogy.  The Saints receivers played errorless ball.  Graham and Colston who have both had critical drops, were rock solid, and Graham seems to be rounding into that all-pro form.  Even Robert Meachum caught a pass.

After a long weekend it’s time for a home stand.  But it is going to be a tough one as the teams coming in (49ers, Bengals, and Ravens) are very good teams.  It’s obvious that the Saints would rather play great teams at home than good teams on the road.  Their formula for success appears simple.  The Saints will win the battles with boots on the ground, which will only help their air superiority.  

After a disconcerting start, maybe the Saints are beginning to be what we thought they’d be.  The last two games have certainly been the team we expected to see when the season began.  Too bad it took half a season.  The season has resembled a roller coaster with little hills and valleys, then a big climb to the top of the hill, with the Saints sitting at the top of the big hill, ready to roll down through the second half. 

We hope.

By the way, here's my World Series comment.  If you watched you saw the single most valuable baseball performance of all time.  Madison Baumgartner's pitching surpassed gems of the past like Micky Lolich, Orel Hershiser, and Jack Morris.  Here's why - he was virtually a one man team, which usually doesn't win in baseball.  The San Francisco Giants played a very average Series, and their pitching was none too stellar.  Except for Madison.  The only comparison I could come up with was Sandy Koufax, who remains the best pitcher I've ever seen.  Sandy's games were often 1-0 because Dodger bats were anemic.

Why is baseball the greatest game?  Because the playoffs and World Series are different.  It humbles some (Clayton Kershaw) and allows others to elevate (Baumgartner.)  Baumgartner's slingshot deliver which on TV seemed to come out of right field, not center field, was dominant and it leads me to one question.  Why can a lefthander slingshot it, and a right hander can't?  Something to do with the earth's rotation?  If you can answer that one, please email me.

Saints Report #7

Much separates New Orleans and the surrounding areas from most other metro areas in their Monday atmosphere.

There are two things you can be sure of on Monday.  First there are a whole lot of people eating red beans and rice.   Secondly, the mood is especially good after a Saints win on Sunday.  Extra sausage with those red beans, please.

Today is such a day.  All is right with the world, at least until Thursday night.

On Sunday the Saints were visited by a formidable Green Bay Packer team, one that still may make a Super Bowl trip, although it is looking more and more to me like the Detroit Lions may be the team of destiny this year in the NFC.  Considering the Lions are working miracles without Calvin Johnson, yesterday doing the Saints a big favor by coming back from a 21-0 halftime deficit to beat the hapless Falcons, they just are beginning to build that “we can do anything” confidence that the Saints seem to only have on Poydras street.  Wouldn’t an Arizona vs. Lion NFC finals be something?  There’s a long way to go yet, though, and maybe the Saints will yet have something to say.

Back to the Superdome.

The Saints and Packers seemed to be headed for a shootout Sunday night, if a field goal heavy game can be considered a shootout.  Then all-world Aaron Rodgers pulled a hammie, then pulled a Geno by throwing a couple of interceptions, while the Saints kept right on rolling, putting up a 44 spot, to win 44 – 23, which is a blowout you wouldn’t have seen coming if you were driving a Corvair.

Where did this come from?  Well, first Sean Payton just couldn’t avoid the obvious on film.  The Packers are horrible against the run, dead last in the NFL after this game, and despite the fact that the Saints were down to two running backs, he committed to the run.  Mark Ingram had his long awaited breakout game, running for 172 yards, and the Saints actually were 50/50 run/pass.  Thus Drew Brees, throwing 20 some less passes than usual, had a brilliant game, going 27 for 32 for 310 yards, including a bomb or two to showcase his diminished arm strength(!).  The effective running game, along with the return of Jimmy Graham, kept Brees clean in the pocket and isn’t it amazing what all that can do for offensive effectiveness?  Chewing up the clock with the running game, finally getting Brandon Cooks deep for a touchdown, a defense that bent all night, but played pretty well in the red zone - all of this adds up to a promising future as the Saints can actually take first place in the division at 4-4 on Thursday night with a win.

All they have to do is take all this, pack it in a suitcase, put in on a plane, and carry it to Charlotte.  Just once, take it on the road, guys.  As Brian Wilson says, “Wouldn’t it be nice?”  It could make a Halloween Friday even more fun than usual.

Saints Report #6

The Saints traveled to Ford Field in Detroit and blew a game 24 – 23 on Sunday.  It was an epic collapse. In a season that was so optimistically anticipated the Saints have pivoted from being a fearsome contender to being a team that no one fears. 

There is a razor thin difference between good and bad teams in the NFL.  Yet somehow good teams, which the Saints have been for most of the last 8 years, pull games out of the fire often, occasionally win when they shouldn’t, usually win when they should, and just seem to find a way to a winning record.  But for most of their history, the Saints have been one of “those” teams who just seem to come up short, finding a way to lose.  

Bad news for the Who Dat nation.

The Saints seem to again be one of “those” teams.

One of “those” teams that can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

One of “those” teams that can’t protect a lead in the 4^th quarter.

One of “those” teams that can’t run the ball to control the clock when it needs to.

One of “those” teams that can’t protect the quarterback when he needs time to throw.

One of “those” teams that outplay the other team for 3 quarters only to blow it in the clutch.

One of “those” teams that blows a 23 – 10 lead with just 4 minutes to go

One of “those” teams that gives up a big play after holding the opposing offense down for 56 minutes.

One of “those” teams whose quarterback throws a critical interception at the exact wrong moment.

One of “those” teams that always seems to draw a penalty flag when they need it the least.

And on and on.

After dominating the Lions for 56 minutes, even leading 17 - 3 at one point, the Saints collapsed as if the quarterback was named Hebert, and the coach was named, well pick one….  Leading 23 – 10, the Saints seemed to have the game well in hand, when they gave up an inexplicable 70 yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate pulling the Lions to 23 – 17.  The Saints got the ball and desperately needed a time-consuming drive to seal the victory.  What they got was the worst possible alternative.  Drew Brees had carried the load all day with the running game totally awol against the Lions top-rated defense.  But he threw an interception that got returned to the 15. 

Then the defense, which had also been terrific all day, almost held, but Rafael Bush got called for pass interference on 4^th down, and the Lions scored their second touchdown in 2 minutes and change to take control 24-23. 

Then the Saints last drive fizzled just like you would expect of one of “those” teams.  It was the 7^th consecutive road loss, but this is one that really got away, lifted away by all of the past franchise ghosts.

Now their home winning streak is on the line as the Packers come to the dome next Sunday night. 

Unfortunately, this will be a match-up of two teams going in opposite directions.  Confidence is low.

There is only one piece of good news.  The Saints are getting brutalized by their schedule, but so is the rest of the division, easily the weakest in the NFL.  Even at 2 – 4, the Saints are still in contention, which is the last thing you’d expect of one of “those” teams, but just what you would expect of a team that has tortured its fan base with losses like this for the better part of their existence.  Give ‘em just enough hope to keep ‘em coming back for more.  The problem is we’ve been spoiled for 8 years and we were expecting so much more.  The Who Dat nation is exhibiting some of the entitled impatience of Steeler, Patriot, or Packer fans.  When you get used to success you just don't want to go back to being one of "those" teams. 

Saints Report # 5

Please forgive me for the following description of today’s Saints Game:

The Saints took a big Ugly stick and stuck it in their rectum and pulled this game out of their ass.

They won ugly in overtime, beating Tampa Bay 37 – 31.

This game was so ugly in so many ways.

First, it has often been said that the NFL will someday evolve into flag football.  Bad news. 

That day has come.  The flags are yellow.  Two of the Saints most exciting moments were when the Bucs were flagged AFTER scoring touchdowns.  Once it was for inappropriate language.  I’m not making this up.  In a Football Game!  This game featured so many momentum shifts initiated by zebras that a big game warden was needed.

Second, Drew Brees threw a couple of the ugliest interceptions ever, making the zebras look innocent by-standers by comparison when it comes to momentum shifters.

Third, except for one critical play, the Saints failed to put any pressure on Bucs Quarterback Mike Glennon, making him look all-world most of the day.  The Saints continue to excel at their Star is Born routine.

Fourth, the Saints continue to feature bizarre personnel decisions.  Joe Morgan continues to be a game day inactive even though he’s proven he can get deep, and Robert Meachum, whom the Saints previously cut, is still running routes and not catching anything.  On Brees’ first interception, admittedly horrible, Tavaris Cadet was split out as a wide receiver.  He didn’t come back to the ball, which a wide receiver may have done.  And Where is Nick Toon?  Can I have his job?  This is his 3^rd season on the roster, he is rarely active, and has 4 receptions in his career.  We are keeping him around why? 

The game featured the kiss of death, the dreaded 6 – 0 lead, 2 field goals instead of 2 touchdowns.  Patented Jimmy Graham drops kept the Saints from doing more damage.

What was the good news?

Brees giveth and he taketh away as he attempted a ridiculous 57 passes.  The Saints were down 31 – 20 early in the 4^th quarter, largely because Drew had squandered a 13 – 0 lead with his picks and watched the Bucs reel off 24 straight points.  Then he led the comeback.  A safety on the Saints’ only sack of the day was a significant play, and the Saints tied the score with a field goal.  Then Brees methodically piloted the Saints down the field in overtime, capped off by a rare 2^nd down run on which Khiry Robinson scored to end the game.

The Saints actually displayed a running game.

Pierre Thomas was terrific, scoring 2 touchdowns, one by run, one on a pass.  He continues to be the consummate pro and maybe someday the Saints will figure out a way to get him 20 touches a game.

Khiry Robinson was almost as good and pounded away all day.

When it’s all said and done, this was a critical win.  Moving to 2 – 3 heading into the bye week certainly keeps the Saints in contention in what is shaping up as a mediocre NFC South.

A downright ugly division. 

Perfect for a team that can win ugly.


By the way, one night a few years back, Marques and Pierre wanted to take a picture with Donnie, Liz, and Me.  Guess it was because I took the time to coach them up....

At The Cinema - September 2014

A Walk Among the Tombstones – 7

You’ll like this movie if you like atmosphere, murder, and Liam Neeson

Finally, the worst summer of movies I can remember brings an adult movie.  The Liam Neeson renaissance continues with this murky tale of two creepy killers who kidnap and dismember young women.  Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a retired NYPD cop who is still carrying and flashing his old badge as an unlicensed private investigator and doer of favors for questionable characters. 

The movie begins on the day in 1991 that the heavy drinking cop Scudder stops drinking because of a shootout he gets involved in while inebriated. 

The movie jumps to 1999 when Scudder is now a PI.  It’s an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that leads Scudder to a client.  He’s a drug dealer whose wife was kidnapped and when he couldn’t pay all the ransom, the kidnappers chop her body up and leave it in a trunk.  It seems their business plan is to pick on drug dealers, and it is a lucrative if risky one.  If you are going to execute such a plan it certainly helps to be completely psycho and this pair fits the bill. 

Scudder immediately realizes what he is dealing with and the action ramps up.  If you’ve missed good old fashioned detective movies, this one is a throwback.  But rest assured The Maltese Falcon had no blood and gore like this one dishes up.  These are gruesome sickos and the climax is predestined to be a wet one, even if they go a little bit overboard with alcoholism imagery.

This is Where I Leave You – 7

You’ll like this movie if you like dysfunctional family comedies.

This is a star-studded affair about a father who dies leaving a wife (an enthusiastically enhanced Jane Fonda) who breaks the news to her 4 children (Tina Fey, Corey Stoler, Jason Bateman, and Adam Dryer) that the father wants them to sit chiva after his death, even though the family is not Jewish.  So why?  It’s called a plot device, just like the affairs three of the kids will cram into the next week.  Seven days of family togetherness would test a family with no drama.  This is not that family.

This script is a hodge podgy mess.  The direction is incoherent.  But stars are stars for a reason.  They command your attention, and make you believe.  So the crew yanks the laughs out of the material and you almost believe it all.  It’s not all bad. 

Here’s the fun I have at a movie like this.  I recently started binge watching a TV show called Rectify and was taken with an actress named Abigail Spencer who steals every scene she’s in.  Cool show and very promising actress.  She’s in this movie as Jason Bateman’s cheating wife and she’s POW!  I love spotting someone I think is a future star.

So I can’t wait to see what she does next. 

Just like, I can’t wait to see Carrie Coon (The Leftovers on HBO) in Gone Girl.

I can’t wait to see Jessica Chastain again.

I can’t wait to see what Brit Marling does next.

I wish Kate Beckinsale would get a great script

I wish Emmy Rossum would make a musical (preferably with Anne Hathaway and Anna Kendrick)

I wish Rooney Mara would do another Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie.

Scanning the Satellite

Parkland – 8

Parkland is the hospital in Dallas where both John F Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were taken to try to save their lives.  This is a star studded docudrama that recounts those memorable 3 days in Dallas in 1963.  It’s a matter of fact re-telling and the details it reveals are fascinating.  Don't know why this movie was so under the radar.

And here's Abigail