Saints Report #4 - October 4, 2020

We struggle in the beginning.
We dominate in our prime.
Then, we hold on for dear life toward the end.  

Such is life.

And such was the Saints game in Detroit Sunday.  The Saints scored 35 unanswered points on 5 straight touchdown drives.  The Lions had 2 touchdowns on each end of those dominant drives, but ended up on the short end of the 35-29 score.

I thought the Saints were going to get torched on this day.  Among their injuries were their two starting cornerbacks, as well as 3 other starters.  They had a sleep-robbing Covid scare upon arrival in Detroit that lasted into the night.  Their offense had been sputtering without Michael Thomas and the vultures were circling Drew Brees right arm like it was going to fall off any moment.

My fears were quickly affirmed when the Lions drove for a touchdown on their first drive of the game, and quickly followed with another when Brees’ very first pass was batted at the line of scrimmage and floated into the arms of a waiting Lion.  So the scene is set, the Saints are 1-2 and down 14 on the road 5 minutes into the game.  The Bucs could take control of the division at 3-1 with an expected win over the Chargers and the Saints would be on the verge of digging another early season hole.

So, what happened?  Drew Brees came alive like Frampton could only dream of.  Mixing in all the passes it was said he couldn’t throw anymore with a solid running game, the Saints drove and drove.  Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara were gouging the Lions.  In fact, and you won’t believe this, on a third and goal from the 6, the Saints called a running play and it worked.  Murray burst through the line into the end zone.  For a team that will throw 1 yard touchdown passes all day long, this was a breakthrough moment.  They would grind the Lions all day.  By halftime the Saints were up 28-14 and one possession into the second half it was 35-14, and all that was left was to withstand the comeback that characterizes most NFL games.

Positives were many.  The Saints stuck with the ground game so much you’d of thought Payton had read my blog last week.  But what may have been most important was the contributions of Tre’quan Smith and Emmanuel Sanders who looked like they had finally read the same page as Brees.  Smith could have easily been the MVP of the day with two clutch catches and two TD receptions, one of which was spectacular.  So, the absence of Thomas may be a blessing in disguise, as the Saints may emerge with a more formidable passing game that is not reliant on him.  It was all a most pleasant surprise.  The vultures retreated, Kamara smiled, and the Saints now look to beat the Chargers of California before what looks like an injury healing bye week.

The hope is that this season may culminate with more than “hanging on for dear life.”

Such is life.  Such is the life of a Saints fan.  

 

Saints Report #2 - September 21, 2020

The NFL Raiders, ever the nomads, have settled in the Nevada desert.

Monday night the New Orleans Saints came to christen the latest home for the now Las Vegas Raiders.  The stadium is inexplicably named after something called “allegiant” but is nicknamed the Deathstar.  Thus the lure of liquidity forces another legendary sports franchise to abandon its roots, traditions, and fanbase. Ironic that the first season may play out in an empty stadium.

The Saints brought their stellar B/P era record of 16-7 on Monday Night Football to the Deathstar and got convincingly doused by Gruden’s 11.  The Saints lost 34-24 in a nice gesture to the Raiders and their new home.

On defense, the promise of last week’s “welcome-to-a-real-division” victory over the Brady bunch lasted about one quarter.  It was then that the Raiders showed their run/pass balance and the Saints defense could handle neither.  The running backs acted like they were on a honeymoon in Vegas, and Darren Waller spent the night revealing why the Raiders let Jared Cook get away.  Waller came up aces all night.  For 50 years we’ve watched the Saints make stars out of unknown quarterbacks.  Now, it’s tight ends.  Vernon Davis, George Kittle, and now Waller join the Hangover crew.  Slowing down productive tight ends is not in the Saints’ defensive playbook.  Unfortunately, pass interference is.  Any chance of a late rally was snuffed out when last week’s pick-six hero Janoris Jenkins played the goat role on a 3^rd and long bomb late in the game, when he mauled the receiver.  The Raiders parlayed their clock eating into a field goal to finish off the scoring.  The defense leads the league in penalties, and whichever team is second is going to have to double down to catch this group.

On offense, the Saints ran the ball a little, and threw the ball a little, but not nearly as efficiently as the Saints fans have come to expect.  Kamara was a handful all night, but the passing game still has not clicked.  Brees played the cooler and threw a crucial interception near the end of the first half (aren’t they all crucial?) and he took a lot of “arm strength” heat for it, but in watching it a couple of times, it was more of a tangled foot issue.  No excuse, because he shouldn’t have thrown it.  It was actually the missing of some open receivers that was more concerning.  Brees is 63 after all, and his great footwork is vital to his delivery.   He’s beginning to look human.  Saints fans have been treated to his 70% accuracy for so long, that 60% makes him look human.  The Saints vaunted offensive line struggled to protect him all night, when they weren’t getting called for holding.  When the Saints got behind, they had to ignore the don’t pass line and crank it up.

Unfortunately, there was no Michael Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders disappeared.  That left Tre’quan Smith, who did ok but is not a load carrier, and a couple of unknowns that Brees obviously doesn’t have confidence in yet.  Rookie Marques Callaway, an undrafted free agent, has made the team, and rookies don’t often play for Payton, so he must have some promise.  Veteran Bennie Fowler, who Brees drafted this year after some practice sessions, couldn’t get open.  Things are different in the pocket these days for Brees.  Payton and Brees have been Siegfried and Roy for a long time, but the magic is coming to an end, and father time is a white tiger ready to take a bite.  Decision time is looming for Loomis and Payton as to how long they can press this bet.  This is the year they were all in, and the season’s start is more “fear and loathing” than “viva.”  A tough schedule is no help.

Garry Shandling used to tell a joke that as he approached Las Vegas he would just start throwing money out of his car window just to get used to losing it.   

Let’s hope this game is just a blip and it stays in Vegas.  Saints fans don’t want to get used to losing again.