Saints Report # 12 - December 6, 2015

One of the arguments for gun control is that there are an excessive number of accidental shootings.  Anyone who has watched the Saints shoot themselves in the foot time after time this year already knows that.  Principal shooters are usually Brandon Browner and men in striped shirts. 

The Saints fell to 4-8 Sunday with their 41- 38 loss to the undefeated Carolina Panthers.  Given the Saints roster failures, can there be a scarier development than the Saints playing so poorly that they will have a high draft choice? 

Sunday the Saints started with the momentum they were going to need if they wanted to pull an upset.  They had an early 7 – 0 lead after a nice drive.  Rookie Delvin Breaux swiped a pass, and Rookie Stephon Anthony swiped a ball and ran it in, and they were up 14-0. 

The Saints however were up to the foot-shooting challenge, as Kenny Vaccaro was cocky enough to taunt the Panthers after another great Breaux play.  Carolina got their momentum back, aided by a long 4^th down run by Newton, which the Saints oddly never saw coming, as they offered no containment, a concept that has been foreign to the young Saints.

With three first half take-aways the Saints were primed to take a big lead, but the offense stalled.  Then in the second half, the offense rolled, but the defense couldn’t tackle or cover.  It’s conceivable that no defense has ever played worse than this team's. 

A pass rush can conceal a variety of ills. 

There’s no pass rush, so there’s no way around it.

The Saints secondary is a mess.

Keenan Lewis’s season is over after hip surgery.  He was the best defensive back.

Delvin Breaux exited the game with a leg injury after making several good plays.

Damian Swann, who has shown great promise, can’t get back on the field after 2 concussions.

Jabari Greer is retired.

Malcolm Jenkins is running back interceptions for the Eagles.

Johnny Poe is long gone

Tommy Myers is not interested.

Dave Waymer is deceased.

Jason David is banished.

Which leaves the Saints with Brandon Browner, who fires more shots than any other, and Jarius Byrd who disappears.

The Saints play a man to man defense with a single safety.  It’s an odd choice for a team that can’t cover anyone one on one.  The Panthers, not known for their receivers, embarrassed the coverage.

It was so obvious as the game developed.  Brees is throwing into tight coverage, often double.  After attending the game, I watched it again at home just to be sure about this – but the Panthers threw 8 passes to receivers who were wide open – no one even close.  Fortunately, Newton missed some of them, or the score would have been in the 60’s. 

Meanwhile the Saints execution failed at key times.  I counted 3 drops, but none more important than Brandon Coleman’s on the next to last play of the game, which could have gotten the Saints in position for a long field goal attempt to tie.  It wasn’t a perfect pass, but catchable.  Unless you’re afflicting more wounds.

So, the Saints would now have to win out just to finish at .500, and that’s not going to happen.

When’s the draft?

The Saints have to face their many organizational deficiencies and roster mistakes that have put them in a salary cap hole that is going to take more than this year to dig out of. 

Here’s reality:

Carolina has won the division 3 years in a row, a feat that seemed impossible just a few years ago, and Cam is there for 10 more years.

Tampa Bay is 6 – 6 and has Jameis Winston whom we will be looking at probably for the next 15 years.

Atlanta is 6 – 6 and Matt Ryan will be around for 6 more years.

Meanwhile Drew Brees has probably 2 years left and is taking a beating, as he nears 37.

I’m scared that they will trade him to a team that seems to be only a QB away, like the Rams.  If the Rams are looking to make a big splash with a move to LA, it would be a perfect fit.  

Watch for them to make an offer. 

It’s the Ralph Kiner principle.  In the mid 50’s the Pittsburgh Pirates were awful.  They had one star, home run hitter Ralph Kiner, who they famously dispatched in a hugely unpopular trade, telling him, “We finished in last place with you, we can finish in last place without you.

It was years before the Pirates recovered.

I’m holding my breath, listening for a last gunshot.