Same old same old.
Same Song, different verse.
Same old song and dance.
New year, same result.
It was déjà vu all over again for the New Orleans Saints as
they lost their season opener 35 – 34 to the Oakland Raiders in the no longer
imposing Superdome Sunday. And may I say the Oakland Raider fans were
especially obnoxious.
Who wins football games?
Most of the time, it’s the team running the ball in the 4th
quarter, either chewing up clock or grinding their way down the field.
Never going to happen.
Not with the New Orleans Saints.
They are the grindee, not the grinder.
Can’t run the ball.
Can’t stop the run.
Can’t get any pressure on the Quarterback.
Meanwhile Drew Brees threw it all over the field for over
400 yards but it just is never going to matter because the Saints
Can’t run the ball
Can’t stop the run.
Can’t get any pressure on the Quarterback.
Brees showed off his stellar receiving corps of Brandin
Cooks, Willie Snead, and Michael Thomas and that quartet is of Super Bowl
quality. Unfortunately, the Saints just
don’t have much else. They’re going to
be great fantasy players, but how many wins will it translate into? Not many, because….
Can’t run the ball
Yea, I know Mark Ingram had a couple of good runs. But, the Saints need to run it effectively 30
times a game, not 7. They can’t chew clock when they have a lead,
and they can’t pound it when they’re behind.
Average 4 yards a carry.
Can’t stop the run.
168 yards rushing for Oakland. A 70 yard run by Jalen Richard, a rookie from
nearby Alexandria, via Southern Miss, was a particular dagger. Average 6.4 yards per carry.
Can’t pressure the quarterback.
Up and coming star Derek Carr sat back as if he were doing 7
on 7 drills and picked the young Saints secondary apart, especially after 2nd
year cornerback Delvin Breaux went down.
If the Saints had been able to play touch football rules (which is where
the NFL is eventually headed) they still wouldn’t have had a sack. They never laid a hand on him. He brought the Raiders back from a 2
touchdown deficit and their 2 point conversions were gutsy and huge confidence
builders for their future.
I thought there were two turning points. The Breaux injury with what would later turn
out to be a broken leg was of devastating consequence to the secondary for not
just this game, but the season. Now, it’s
all rookies. OMG. And no pass rush.
But the real turning point of this game was when Sean Payton
signed a new placekicker just days before the game. Will Lutz has such a strong leg, and will
probably be a great kicker, that he emboldened Coach Payton to try from 50
early in the 4th quarter with a 24-10 lead. That miss was a turning point because with
those old tepid kickers the Saints have, they would have punted. Instead the miss let the Raiders right back
in the game by presenting them with a short field. Long field goal attempts that put the
pressure on this defense – not a great idea.
Especially when the defense gives up 14 yards per play in the 2nd
half, which is the astounding statistic of the week. Gassed.
So, now the Saints travel to New York, where Eli Manning is
licking his chops. Who is going to cover
Odell Beckham? Last year’s game was a
classic air show, 7 td’s for Brees to 6 for Manning. Will anybody run the ball? Or will it be the same old song and dance?
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