Saints Report #17 - January 9, 2022

"You’ve got to be kidding me.  This is what we get with a 17 game season.  The Saints?  So, let me get this straight, if we had stuck to the 16 game schedule, the 49’ers would be in already? "

"Roger, let’s not panic yet.  There’s still a half to play and although they’re down 17-3, we know the Rams aren’t a second half team and they’ll probably choke.  As for the Saints, we thought for sure after that Hurricane, down to their 4^th Quarterback, and all that covid, they were goners.  You gotta give them credit."

"No, no credit.  But I’ll say this.  You guys sure did a good job getting the National Media to ignore them until now.  If the 49’ers do lose, I want that blackout of Saints info to continue." 

"Roger, we’ve got Colin, Stephan, and Mike in our back pocket.  They haven’t mentioned the Saints all year.  The only one we can’t get to shut up is Kay Adams, and she’s on our own network." 

"Can we bring someone else in?" 

"Roger, she’s so popular it would be suspicious."

 "Ok, it's halftime.  Let's get to work.  Mary Ann, contact the replay booth and tell them which way to lean.  Also, reach out to the clock operator and tell him what to do." 

"If the Saints make the playoffs despite our efforts, put together a “preserve-our-ratings” task force.  First, start with sending Fauci down to personally sit with the opposing quarterback, I guess Matthew Stafford, for the week so he doesn’t get sick.  Isolate him.  Keep him away from his kids."

"Second, I want that Officiating Crew from LA that we sent to the Superdome to keep the Saints out of the Super Bowl, I want that same crew doing the Saints playoff game."

"Third, I want a deep dive into the Saints observation of protocols.  Surely, we can suspend someone.  Maybe Tom Benson?"

"Roger, Tom died years ago."

"Oops.  If the Saints don’t make the playoffs, let’s get the “Coach of the Year” criteria changed to “must go to a coach of a playoff team,” just to be sure Payton can’t win.  And why are the Saints allowed so many quarterbacks?"

"Roger, good news.  The Rams choked and it’s going to overtime." 

"Ok, make sure the Niners win the toss.  I want that crew on high alert for pass interference."

Ultimately, the Saints season of adversity ended with a Matthew Stafford interception in overtime, and the 49’ers got the playoff spot.  Stafford has the footwork of Stephen Adams (Slowfoot) who played for the Pelicans last year.  Should they meet again in the playoffs, the 49’ers will grind them into the ground with their running game.

The Saints finale was mostly satisfying.  Their 30-20 win over Matt “Turnover” Ryan and the hapless Falcons was good until the last drop, and then the shoe dropped when the Rams spit the bit.

Taysom Hill was nearly perfect until he got hurt.  If he really has a lisfranc foot fracture, he’ll be under the knife tomorrow. 

Trevor Siemian took over and was safe and flawless, helped substantially by the defensive takeaways.  The announcers were even impressed by the fact that the Falcons had three one play drives.  It wasn’t just Roger Goodell who didn’t want the Saints in the playoffs.  That defense and the Saints ability to play field position is enough to frighten every team.  Let’s hope that somehow the defense can stay together for next year.  They’ll be some salary wrangling to do.

I watched with admiration this year as Sean Payton unveiled his game plan for each game.  He took a team with a couple of quarterbacks who had no mobility, and one that had too much, and a rookie, and basically manipulated this team to competitiveness.  Yes, there were games that slipped away. (Giants, Titans, Falcons).  Kicking problems were embarrassing at times.  But, for obstacles overcome, adversity dealt with, and juggling of personnel, hats off to Sean Payton.  A 9-8 record is nothing to covid sneeze at.

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 #13 - September 12, 2021

Give me your tired, your poor, your losing teams.  Come to New York and face our team, the J-E-T-S, the worst the NFL has to offer.  If you can’t beat this team, you’re really in trouble.

The Saints traveled to New York, well actually New Hoffa, to feast on the Jets, and feast they did, 30-9.  The Jets looked awful, a reminder to the Saints fans what an awful team really looks like.  The game left the Saints as one of many teams at 6-7 and squarely in the playoff hunt, although it almost certainly won’t be by division title.  The Saints have some quarterback uncertainty over the next few years, but not like the Jets.  The green team invested the 2^nd pick in Zach Wilson, who looks like a great NFL quarterback maneuvering around the pocket, until he actually has to let go of the ball.  At that point anything could happen, but it usually involves bouncing.  Bouncing off a shoulder pad, a helmet, or the turf.  I have said all along that I don’t think the Saints have an NFL quarterback on the roster, but after watching Wilson I could make the argument that the Saints have 4, 5 if you count Kamara.  If Wilson makes it as an NFL quarterback, I will be shocked. 

Yes, Alvin Kamara was back from his fall break, and did he look fresh!  He is clearly the NFL MVP as the Saints are 6-3 with him, and 0-4 without him.  He was spectacular, accounting for 145 yards running and catching and just bothering the Jets.  Taysom Hill also had a good game, doing what he does.  But the defense was stout, allowing only 3 harmless field goals, threatened only at the end of the game.    They didn’t miss Cameron Jordan, who missed his first game ever as a Saint, and with their biggest game of the season on tap next Sunday Night against TB, now is the time to make a challenge for a a playoff spot. 

How will it go?  Well, you can bet they will concentrate on Kamara, so someone else will need to step up.

 

Saints Reports # 11 and 12 December 2, 2021

A Tale of Two Thursdays.

It was the worst of times, then it got worser.

For some reason, the NFL decided to put the Saints on back to back Thursday night games, from the Superdome.  It couldn’t have gone worse.  Try to imagine the elation the home crowd would have felt in the Drew Brees era with two straight Thursday night games.  This is not those times.

I do have a theory.  The NFL wanted to roll out their latest versions of “the worst call ever” on National TV.  How long is this going to go on?  I hate the length of the games, but I’m with Bill Belichick on this one.  Every call should be reviewable.  Just like real life. The Saints win the twitter conversation every week.  It doesn't make me feel any better.

My Thanksgiving day was a family pleasure.  We didn’t cook, we traveled.  We just showed up, and it was great.  Our hosts experienced the same overproduction problems we have when we cook, unless you think 8 pies for 9 people is normal, but it was probably our first ever break from the heavy lifting.  After a great meal, we retired to our son’s basement to watch a scintillating Saints performance in a contest with the Buffalo Bills. Afterwards, I felt like I was the one that had been scintillated.  Keep in mind the Bills may be the best team in the NFL, and I predicted they will win the Super Bowl, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when the Saints got carved up 31-6.   The streak was at 4.

If the Trevor Siemian era is to be remembered, all 4 games of it (to this point) it will be remembered for Payton’s most cautious play calling of his tenure.  The Saints rarely threw the ball on first down, presumably to reduce the sacks of the immobile QB. Almost every promising situation was punctured by a sack, and once the announcer version Drew Brees noted that Siemian doesn’t step up into the pocket, it got repeated by every commentor on the web.  Why isn’t Taysom in there?  Wait, we’ve got another 4^th down pass by the punter up our sleeve. 

The Saints defense performed fairly well, in both games, but you can only ask so much. They are the best run stopping bunch in the NFL, and the secondary is way better than I thought they would be, but they wear down and the law of averages catches up with them.  Then, it’s not pretty.

On the second Thursday, it was Taysom Hill’s turn finally, after signing a mega contract that will pay him handsomely if he can actually play quarterback, and well if he can’t.  Payton is clearly enamored of the Hill skill set, enough to put Mrs. Benson’s money where his mouth is.

So, how did it go?  It went 4 interceptions, one a pick-six.  Yes, he injured his finger early, and his running was exciting at times, but the Saints were overmatched again.  The Saints scored late on a nifty run after catch by Deonte Harris to pull it close 27-17, but this just highlighted that Harris may be the only receiving threat the Saints have, he’s just missing about 8 inches of height.  He’s also appealing a 3- game suspension which would cripple the Saints, when he has to serve it.  The gamble of not drafting a wide receiver is officially a bumble.  Look, I know few teams that could lose 3 offensive linemen, and be down to their third quarterback and still be competitive, but the lack of wide receiver talent is glaring given that there have been great receivers go in the first round the last few years.  The streak is at 5.

So, after more than half of the greediest season in NFL history, 17 games with no roster expansion, there is one thing I’m sure of.  A running QB makes no sense.  He will get hurt.

Saquon Barkley, an immensely talented running back, has played 36 games in 4 years.  Injured
Christian McCafferty is out for the season, again
Alvin Kamara has just missed his 5^th straight game.  The Saints are 5-2 with him, and 0-5 without him.
Dalvin Cook is out.  Cam Akers is out.

And these are just the running backs.  They can’t stay on the field.  The game is too violent.  Check out the Tom Brady documentary on ESPN 3.  You can’t help but notice the violent hits from 20 years ago that just wouldn’t fly today. 

Meanwhile, Let’s look at the QB’s:

Jameis Winston got injured scrambling.
Russell Wilson missed several games, and doesn’t look good since he came back
Taysom Hill apparently has the same injury now. 
Cam Newton and Big Ben can’t throw.
Kyler Murray is on the shelf.
Lamar Jackson may be the most exciting player in the NFL. He gets hurt too much.

Now, just for fun, let’s look at Alabama Quarterbacks in the NFL.

The jury is still out on Jalen Hurts.  He can run the ball very well, and hasn’t gotten hurt yet, but hasn’t proven he can throw it at the NFL level.

Tua Tagovailloa is not what everyone thought he would be, and the injury he suffered to his hip late in his college career, while scrambling, may be why.

Then there is Mac Jones, who yes, landed on a good team, but is a statue in the pocket, reading defenses and distributing the ball.  I still think this is the prototype. 
So, who do I want?  Bama’s Bryce Young.  Can we draft him early like the Celtics did Larry Byrd?

Saints at the Bye

This is the Saints bye week report.  Sorry, I did not write about the last 2 games until now, as I was on the disabled list getting a new knee.  Unfortunately, I was joining Michael Thomas, Wil Lutz, Erik McCoy, Terron Armstead, Deonte Harris, Taysom Hill, Tony Jones Jr, Marcus Davenport, Chase Hanson, Kwon Alexander, Ken Crawley, Nick Vannett, Tre’Quan Smith, and others on the sideline. 

Put them together with those from last year who aren’t here:  Drew Brees, Latavius Murray, Thomas Morestead, JT Gray, Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, Malcolm Brown, Josh Hill, Jared Cook, Alex Anzalone, Emmanuel Sanders, Michael Burton, and Janoris Jenkins totals 26 absent.  All but Brees are contributing on other teams. 

And the Saints are 3-2 at the bye. 

Imagine if it was your company and you experienced that kind of turnover and absenteeism.You’d take 3-2 all day long.  And you’re just a bad quarter away from being 4-1.

Yes, the Saints last 2 games were experiments in what to do with 11-point fourth quarter leads. In the first, they just blew it to the Giants. 

If you’ve ever been a manager, you’ve had a bad day at the office.  You went against your instincts and hired the wrong person.  You chewed someone out for something that wasn’t their fault.  You made the wrong choice and it backfired.  You just made a stupid decision and it was costly.

Sean Payton simply had a bad day at the office against the Giants, something we’re not used to (except in the playoffs.)  Except for a three straight touchdown stretch in the second and third quarter, the Saints bungled decision after decision. They held a 21-10 lead with 8 minutes left, and then the Giants did to us what we are used to seeing the Saints do to teams over the last 15 years.

Squandered a time-out and a challenge with one of the most meaningless challenges of a spot I can ever remember seeing. 

Having a kicker that is obviously mediocre try a 58 yarder but not a 43 yarder.

Having only one running play that Taysom Hill can run.  His previous 2 spectacular runs were kind of a tip for the Giants to move the Titanic into that particular hole.

Having Taysom Hill throw a bomb which he didn’t have the arm for, thus an interception.

Not Throwing one pass to Alvin Kamara, who carried a career high 26 times.

Defense was no better

The annual Joe Montana create-a-star award goes to Daniel Jones who racked up over 400 yards passing and looked all world.  For one week.

Paulson Adebo, who appears to have the physical tools, got picked on all day, and the Saints lost in overtime 27-21.

Almost all those strategic errors got rectified the next week when the Saints when to DC and beat the nameless team 33-22.  As good as Ron Rivera appears to be as a coach, he rarely can handle Payton.  Blake Gillikin had the best game I’ve ever seen a punter have, as he seems to be on a mission to revive the coffin corner.  He deposited three punts of 53 yards or more inside the 5-yard line, completely changing the game.  Likewise, Marshon Lattimore seemed to take every ball in the air as a personal insult.

There are 3 things that I think are the most difficult in sports:  1) hit a round baseball moving very fast with a round bat, 2) hit a golf ball where you want it to go, and 3) cover a wide receiver.  I looked at the Saints secondary as their weakest link, but Lattimore may be the best in the game right now, Adebo has improved and looks like the steal of the draft, and if he’s not, linebacker Pete Werner is.

Being 3-2 at this point is a testament to organizational stability.  The first three draft choices are contributing.  Other than the place kicker, the Saints have been able to reload, restock, reboot, and stay competitive. 

Then there’s Jameis Winston, who has held his own.  While throwing to an all-new receiving corps, he has cut down his mistakes, but not eliminated them.  He’s thrown some good, bad, and ugly passes.  But, it ain’t a beauty contest and the reality of it is that the Saints are a middle tier team right now.  The question is, when some starters come back, can they make the jump?   

At the bye, all things considered, I’ll take 3-2. 

Saints Report #12 - December 6, 2020

Familiarity breeds familiarity.  The Saints and Falcons are familiar to each other.  They don’t like each other much.  Neither do the fan bases.  So, the Saints 21-16 win Sunday should make Saints fans happy.  You know, a W is a W and all that.  It was the 9^th straight win on the season, and moved the Saints to 8-0 without Drew Brees in the last 2 years. 

But it should have been a lot easier. 

The game almost got away because, as is often the case, Sean Payton was thinking too much.  This year, as is often the case, the Saints defense came through to save Sean some embarrassment.

Going into the 4^th quarter the Saints had been dominant and led 21-9.  Just like two weeks ago, the Falcons had only been able to muster 3 field goals.  The Saints recovered a Matt Ryan fumble and set up shop on the Falcons 18 yard line, poised to put the game away.  Four plays later the Saints had the ball on the 7, first and goal.  To almost any coach in America, it’s time to pound the ball and run the clock. 

To Sean Payton, it’s time to experiment.

A two yard completion set them up on the 5.  Then Taysom Hill, who fumbles like he’s doing a rendition of Tiki Barber, coughed it up on the most unnecessary scramble this side of a Waffle House.  The Falcons recovered, and recovered the momentum that’s been missing since a certain Super Bowl.  The Falcons would be assured of 3 more possessions.  You do the math.  They scored on their first drive, but fizzled after that, and the Saints held on, watching the next two drives ending with a Ryan pass falling to the end zone turf.  Fortunately, the Falcons fizzle a lot and the Saints stayed in the driver’s seat for top seed. 

So, let’s talk Taysom.  First, we must acknowledge that we have been spoiled by the accuracy and analysis of Drew Brees.  Taysom had a good game, except for the fumbleitis.  He put it on the carpet 3 times.  That’s not good.  But he’s better than I thought he would be with his accuracy, and he puts figurative mustard on the ball.  He makes up his mind pretty quickly where he’s going with it, and soon the defenses are going to feast on that.  His running ability adds a dimension, but also a couple of risks.  He may indeed be the quarterback of the future for the Saints, but I promise there will be growing pains and mistakes ahead.  Right now, the Saints defense is playing so well that they can be a giant mistake eraser.  That won’t always be the case.  But, Taysom is 3-0 and he’s done what he had to do.

As for Payton, despite his penchant for experimentation, you’ve got to give him credit.  The reason the Saints have done so well without Brees is their ability to game plan.  It’s rare that the Saints don’t have a top-notch game plan. 

The first challenge of a coach in the NFL is to win your division.  After Carolina won the division three Cam Newton years in a row, the Saints can  clinch their 4^th straight division championship. If they beat Carolina in the final game of the season, they will be the first NFC South team to ever sweep the division. 

Because of the familiarity factor, splitting the 6 division contests and winning most of the rest of your games, is a pretty good strategy.  Payton has been better than that.  This is the 8^th time the Saints have swept the Falcons since Payton arrived.  His division won-loss record goes like this:

20-8 over Falcons
16-12 over Panthers
18-10 over Bucs

The Saints control their destiny, but will probably have to win out to get the bye, as Green Bay shows no signs of faltering.  The biggest test will be Kansas City in two weeks.  The Saints aren’t familiar with them.  The rest of the football world is.  

 

Saints Report #11 - 11/29/2020

The Saints went to Denver and easily disposed of the rudderless Broncos 31-3.  Any long suffering Saints fan who has seen so many breaks go against the Saints in recent years (while totally forgetting breaks they’ve gotten,) will take this win with no objection.  It helped the Saints move to an unexpected record of 9-2, leading the NFC. 

But, make no mistake, this was a ball game unworthy of “the shield.”  The Broncos were forced to play with no viable NFL quarterback, as their whole QB room had to be virus-sidelined.  It was as embarrassing as you would have thought it would be.   The NFL, long protective of competitive balance and fair play, seems to be all over the map on when to play a game and when to postpone it in the year of covid, and it’s quite possible that The Shield is reaching the point of just outright skipping games, and the revenue that goes with them.  They are resolute in sticking to their post-season schedule.  With many stadiums not allowing fans, and one team (the 49’ers) essentially banned from their county of residence, the NFL eyed the reduced stadium revenues and ame up with the only logical solution:  Add a playoff team, and a playoff game.  Thus there will be only one bye per conference, and the Saints want that bye, they need that bye. 

Taysom Hill, who was all the rage last week, was pedestrian in drop backs this week, and while he ran easily for two scores, Sean Payton did the strangest thing – he stuck to the running game, an extremely effective one.  With Alvin Kamara still slowed by injury, Latavius Murray ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowms.  Murray has been excellent all year.  With not much to watch in this game of run, run, and punt, I turned my attention to first year players who have been solid contributors:

Check out this year’s rookies:,

Cesar Ruiz (1^st round) – starting right guard, occasional mistakes, but going to be a starter for a long time.
Zack Baun – (3^rd) – limited action
Adam Trautman (4^th) - steady contributor, probably the tight end of the future
Tommy Stevens (7^th) – practice squad
Marquez Callaway (FA) – solid contributor as a kick returner and 4^th receiver
Malcom Roach  (FA) – starting DL, solid as a rock.

So, with only 4 draft picks, the Saints pick up 4 contributors in their rookie year.  Once again the scouting department adds playmakers.

Now its off to Atlanta.  The Falcons looked like a completely different team Sunday as they unexpectedly trounced the Raiders.  The Saints embarrassed them last week, so look for a dog fight.  The Saints dominated with their ground game Sunday, and a rushing attack is a fine way to get through December.  The Saints have a one game lead over the Packers, who beat the Saints so they would have the edge if they both finish with the same record.  The Saints still have to play the Chiefs and magician Mahomes.  The Saints sometimes struggle as the weather turns cold.  All this should make for an interesting December, and not just in the electoral college.