Saints Report #16 - January 2, 2022

The Payton 57

And then there was one.  Just weekend number 18 left, and still in the hunt.

I made my first trip to section 116 of the Superdome in 2 years and I found two differences since my last visit:  The Who Dat Chant was missing (I learned later an oversight), and the men’s bathroom had shrunk in half (not an oversight.)  I got to view the newest incarnation of the Dome Patrol up close, and they are a sight to behold.  The Saints stifled the Carolina Panthers 18 – 10 to keep their playoff hopes alive.  Now the Saints must beat the Falcons next week, and if the Rams beat the 49’ers, the Saints will displace the 49’ers as the 7^th seed.

The Panthers jumped out to a 10 -3 lead in the first half, but got shut down and shut out the rest of the way.  The Saints chipped away with chip shots.  They managed 4 field goals to take a 12-10 lead.  They finished the scoring with a swing pass to Kamara that he took 12 yards for the Saints first touchdown in 11 quarters. 

It’s a different kind of football the Saints are playing, but it can be winning football. 

Make no mistake, this Is not the high-flying days of Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Devery Henderson.  This is ground and pound and dominate.  Don’t turn the ball over, and control field position and the clock.   The offense was missing 4 starters on the offensive line, so the battle in the trenches was ugly.  The Saints kept trying to run the ball, even though they were getting nowhere.  Where did this dedication to the running game come from?  The Saints got exactly one run of consequence from Kamara, and a few late ones from Taysom Hill, who really tried to stay in the pocket for most of the game. 

Meanwhile, the undrafted Marquez Callaway is the only receiver who hasn’t disappeared, although Deonte Harris had some impact  They beat the Bucs scoring no touchdowns, and the Panthers by scoring one.  How far can they go scoring just one touchdown a game?   

The defense allowed a total of 178 yards, 90 passing, 88 rushing.  They sacked Sam Darnold 7 times, half of them attributed to Cam Jordan, who came back from his covid break 3 weeks ago like a man from the Marvel universe.  For the season Jordan has 11 ½ sacks, but 7 1/2 of them have come in the last 3 games.  His covid game was the first game he has missed as a Saint, and he looks rejuvenated.

It was revealed that the Saints have started 57 different players this year.  With the adversity they have faced, hurricanes, injuries, and covid, including 4 different quarterbacks, you have to marvel that they have stayed competitive.  I guess it could have been worse.  We could have signed Antonio Brown.  We could have traded for “teammate of the year” Kirk Cousins, who refused to get vaccinated, then was sidelined with covid before their biggest game of the year. Goodbye playoffs.  Game after game Payton has pieced things together, while adapting his offensive attack to the weapons that were available.  To be 8-8 and still in contention is pretty amazing.  

If the Saints can close this out with a little 6 game winning streak, Mrs. Benson would have to buy a record number of rings.

It’s unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Saints Report #16 - January 3, 2021

I’ll take Ty.
I’ll take Tommy.
I’ll take Austin,
I’ll take Clay,
I’ll take Grant,
I’ll take Aaron,
I’ll take Chase,
And I’ll take TommyLee again, I’ll take Lil Jordan again, I’ll take Tony, I’ll take Garrett, I’ll take Juwon

And thus Sean Payton put together his team for the week, much the way you would pick sides on the sandlot, except this time it wasn’t Drew Brees drawing up plays in the dirt.  It was Payton plugging in parts that he has had hanging around for a couple of years, such that they know their roles and they don’t miss a beat, and they run the same offense they’ve been running for years.  They trotted out this iteration, we’ll call it the Saints 2020.16 and dominated the Panthers 33-7.  This clinched the 2^nd NFC seed for the Saints as well as the first ever sweep of the NFC South.  The Saints finish the season 12-4 after 2 straight 13-3 seasons.  I had predicted a 11-5 regular season, so they exceeded my expectations.  The one stinker-of-the-year game, the Eagles loss, proved costly to the Saints in terms of playoff seedings. 

Let’s take a hat off to this team depth, especially on a defense that picked off 5 interceptions on this day.  Even if the offense sputtered at times, the Panthers’ few scoring threats ended in end zone interceptions. 

Let’s take a closer look at the offensive depth:  The Saints #1 receiver Michael Thomas, and #3’Quan Smith were sidelined.  The Saints went with #2 Emmanuel Sanders, and #4 rookie Marquez Callaway, while guys that bounce on and off the practice squad named TommyLee Lewis, Lil Jordan Humphrey, Juwan Johnson, and Austin Carr all ran up and down the field for the Saints, with Carr even catching a TD pass. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Panthers.  They finally got their man Tommy Stevens into the game.  He’s the guy the Saints drafted as a Tight End in the 7^th round, hoping to find another Taysom Hill.  They had to release him, and the Panthers, whom he was originally going to sign with, finally had their man.  Except, so what?  Did they make a pass at any of those guys just mentioned above on the Saints practice squad?  No!  Probably could have had any of them.  Happy New Year, Panthers. 

So, the Saints easily won this game with no-name receivers, and oh yea, all the running backs sidelined due to covid.  They played without 5 of their top 7 backs by rushing yards, and same with receivers.  Amazing.  All Ty Montgomery did was rush for over 100 yards, when the Saints only other running back, rookie Tony Jones Jr, called up from practice squad for the game, got hurt early.  Can you imagine any other team calling up half their practice squad for one game, and cruising through it, no beat missed?

This is easily the deepest and most versatile team the Saints have ever had.  Ever. They can beat you several different ways.

Now the playoffs start, and we know this:
All the above accolades mean nothing.
Nothing.
The records mean nothing.
Nothing.
The Saints for the last few years have been terrific in October/November.  Now it is time to prove themselves in December/January.  The Chicago Bears will start things off with a rare trip to the Superdome.  The last three post-seasons have followed terrific seasons with fluke, heartbreaking losses. 

The Saints are good enough to win it all.  So are some other teams.  Here’s hoping we win 4 more games like it’s mid-November, or if we lose, just lose to a better team, not because of a zebra, or a hail mary, or a miracle.  Saints fans just want a post-season where we win or lose because we deserve it.  We all know the Brees window is closing, and we want to crawl through it, just one more time.   Once more.  This time, we got the beat.

 

Saints Report #16 - December 29, 2019

The Saints thumped the Carolina Panthers 42-10 Sunday to close out their second straight 13-3 season.  It was a dominant performance, even with so many new faces in the secondary that I could’ve looked up jersey numbers all game long.  I chose not to.  The Panthers are a mess. 

The Saints started the game with their most impressive drive of the season to take a 7-0 lead.  Later, with a 14-0 lead, AJ Klein executed a pick 6 and the Saints were up 21-0 and the game was essentially over.  The Saints halftime lead of 35-3 was the largest in their history.  They were that dominant.  Right now, the Saints are playing as well as anyone, even with an injury list longer than War and Peace.

Unfortunately, there’s no rest for the weary.

Both the Lions and Seahawks had victories in their grasp that would have given the Saints a week off.  But the Lions folded and Seattle couldn’t tell time.  The Saints will now need a three-game winning streak to get to the Super Bowl.  As the third seed they will host the Vikings next weekend.  In all likelihood, they will have to win the next two on the road.  Last year that same 13-3 record netted a first round bye.  This year the NFC is stacked, as the 49’ers and Packers are division winners with the same record.  It’s a tough draw.

My preseason pick was Saints and Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and I’ll stand by that.  But the road is long, with many a winding turn, that leads us to who knows where, who knows where?  

If I were a betting man, I’d bet on the West Coast. It's a long, long road ahead.

Saints Report # 11 - November 24, 2019

When the Saints play, There Will Be Blood Pressure. Sunday was no exception, as the Saints raced out hare-like to a 14-0 lead only to see tortoise-like Carolina come all the way back to tie, and line up for a chip shot game winner.  Fortunately, new kicker Joey Slye seemed befuddled at short distances, as he missed two extra points and then the short kick that would’ve won it.  Surprising, as he had blasted two long field goals.  

The two minute door was left ajar, and Drew Brees, NFL MVP Michael Thomas (I don't care what they say), and Alvin Kamara put together another signature drive to set up Wil Lutz’s game winner and the Saints escaped with a 34-31 victory in the Superdome to move to 9-2.

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the Saints will be staring at a very proficient Carolina quarterback named Kyle Allen, for possibly 20 years.  Here’s my new rule of thumb for drafting quarterbacks in the NFL.  Go ahead draft a running quarterback (Cam Newton, RGIII, Lamar Jackson, Michael Vick) and get maybe 10 years out of the them, and bet on the fact that they are going to get hurt.  Or, grab a pocket passer, like Allen, and he’ll be good for 15-20 years (Brees, Brady, Rogers.)  Looks likes Cam Newton is going to move on, and Kyle will be there.  I don’t think it’s going to be all that enjoyable for Saints fans.  

The New Orleans Saints navigated a ridiculously difficult first quarter of the season, emerging with wins over the Texans, Seahawks, and Cowboys, with Teddy Bridgewater leading the Saints to a 5-1 start.

They have had a much more difficult time navigating the NFC South.

The Saints survived even more than the usual adversity.  Zebras actually called a pass interference on a challenge flag against the Saints that led to that missed Slye field goal.  Enough Irony for you?  Cameron Jordan committed a horrible penalty on a sack by Demario Davis that probably would have sealed the game, turning a 4^th and 25 into a 1^st and 10, saving a Panthers' drive.  The Saints came in with one of their “pass first” game plans that always seem to result in a critical interception, and it did this time too.   They again were victimized by excessive field laundry and questionable calls that raised blood pressure to dangerous heights in the house where I was watching.  Jared Cook had a great game, giving the Saints a third elite weapon to go with Thomas and Kamara.  Brees is gaining confidence in him, so he is willing to go to Jared.  Ted Ginn continued his torrid pace of catching a ball a game, dropping one, and there was a Tre’quan Smith sighting for a touchdown.

Make no mistake, the Saints have some issues.  The Panthers were in a position to win, and should have won, but for the fact that Graham Gnoe is spending the year on the injured list.  As he does several times a year, Drew Brees executed what he had practiced.  With the game on the line in the 4^th quarter, don’t doubt it for a minute – his straw is long, and he will drink your milk shake. 

Next up, the tough task of traveling to another Mercedes Benz stadium – to meet the Falcons who just came down to earth after a couple of surprising weeks, including one where they embarrassed the Saints.  Thanksgiving blood pressure will be on the line.  Not to mention digestion.  

Saints Report #16 - December 30, 2018

In a game that meant little, the Saints played like it, losing 33-14 to the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome.  The Saints had already locked up home dome advantage throughout the playoffs, and now take a week off as they wait out the wild card round.

Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara didn’t play and backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked like he hadn’t played in three years, which he hadn’t.  The Saints defense was lethargic as some of the old suspects, like Ken Crawley, made Carolina’s 3^rd team quarterback Kyle Allen look all-world. If this is what the Saints are going to look like after Brees retires, it won't be pretty.

But there was some good news.  Drew Brees, by virtue of sitting out, set the single season completion percentage mark at 74.9%, bettering his previous NFL record by 2 points – incredible.  However, not playing cost him a 10^th consecutive 4000 yard season, as he finished with 3994 yards.

Michael Thomas, by playing, was able to set the Saints franchise receiving yardage record at 1405 yards, breaking Joe Horn’s single season mark. Third team running back Dwayne Washington was impressive, going over 100 yards rushing.  And that's all the good news fit to print.

So, the season ends with many similarities to the Saints 2009 Super Bowl campaign.  This year and that they lost to the Cowboys, Bucs, and Panthers.  Their season ender was a loss to the Panthers, although not as flat as the this one was.

The Saints have had a charmed playoff run in home games going 5-0 in the Payton era.  Their appearance in the 2009 NFC Championship was greatly aided by Adrian Peterson’s fumbles and Brett Favre’s interception.  The road to another Super Bowl is going to be extremely tough as the NFC is super-competitive – but at least the it goes down Poydras Avenue.  The crowd will be in full throttle, and hopefully the Saints can put their dismal December behind them.  I have to say most of the playoff teams are coming in with momentum, but the Saints will have to regenerate theirs.  Can they do it?  Well, they did in 2009, when they lost their last 3.  Let's hope Sean Payton has the handle on the team now that he had then. 

My preseason prediction was that the Saints would roll the Patriots 43-14 in the Super Bowl, and I’d take that.  But, I didn’t see the emergence of the Chiefs, who right now look like an awfully good bet to make it to the game.  Get the chips and dip out.  It’s going to be fun.