Saints Gab

Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins was a game of two halves. The first half was one that the Saints would have just soon forgot existed as first downs seemed as elusive as a desert mirage; as a result, New Orleans found themselves down by 21 early in the second half. Then they woke up. They would score 36 second half points as they rallied to defeat the pesky Dolphins 46-34 at Land Shark Stadium.

Things were bumpy initially for New Orleans as by their fifth offensive play, they had committed three penalties. Miami would capitalize as running back Williams scored twice in the opening period from 4 and 68 yards – sandwiching a 46-yard field goal by Saints kicker John Carney – giving the Dolphins a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter.

The scoring for Miami would continue as a 32-yard FG by kicker Dan Carpenter followed by an 8-yard TD run by Ronnie Brown would pad their lead to 24-3; Saints quarterback Drew Brees would punch it in from a yard out, narrowing their deficit to 24-10 with 2 ticks left in the first half.

The third quarter found both teams exchanging scores as New Orleans safety Darren Sharper grabbed a Chad Henne interception and scored from 42 yards, narrowing Miami’s lead to 24-17; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard FG 8 minutes later, giving the Dolphins a 27-17 edge. Brees would connect with wide receiver Marques Colston on a 10-yard scoring pass, reducing their deficit to 3 with 1:09 left in the period. But Williams would score another rushing TD from 4 yards out, extending Miami’s lead to 34-24 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Saints would explode.

They would score 22 unanswered points in the final period as RB Reggie Bush dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out (very acrobatic, I might add); Brees would run in for a score at the 8:35 mark of the game, giving New Orleans their first lead of the game. Carney would boot a 20-yard chip shot then defense would get involved as cornerback Tracy Porter took a Henne intereception 54 yards for a score, sealing the win for the Saints.

Brees, despite the win, had his worst game of the season, going 22-of-38 for 298 with a passing TD but 3 INTs but also rushing for 2 scores; Henne didn’t do any better as he went 18-of-36 for 211 yards and a pair of INTs. Mike Bell led all Saints rushers with 80 yards on just 12 carries while Williams led the Dolphins’ rushing attack with 80 yards and 3 TDs; Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey led all Saints receivers with 4 receptions for 105 yards while Colston caught 5 passes for 72 yards and a score; Devery Henderson caught 4 passes for 71 yards. Brian Hartline led the Miami receiving corps with 3 receptions for 94 yards while Greg Camarillo added 55 yards on 5 receptions. The Saints won the game with a price as defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a sprained right knee. New Orleans (6-0) looks to remain undefeated as they return home to host division rival Atlanta next Monday night while Miami (2-4) goes to New York next Sunday to face the Jets.

Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey says he’ll take part in the Saints final eight voluntary workouts and wants to turn the focus on him back to football. He spoke to reporters between practices at the teams mandatory minicamp.

He missed much of last season because of a hernia injury and failed to score a touchdown in the NFL’s top-rated offense. He did not attend the first four of the team’s voluntary offseason practices and was back in the news two weeks ago when he was treated at a hospital for dehydration after being found unconscious at a pool party at a Las Vegas resort.

He offered few specifics about the Vegas incident, but seemed to confirm that excessive consumption of alcohol mixed with the desert heat led to the dehydration. “If you’re halfway intelligent you can read what everybody wrote,” Shockey said. “You know what they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That’s in the past. I’m looking forward to the future.

“I still haven’t been here a year so I can mature a long way and tune up my game,” he said. “The most important thing is to know Drew and know what we’re trying to get accomplished and knowing each other’s game. It’s still a new offense for me. I’m going to treat it as a rookie like anyone else in this locker room that just got here.”

Shockey was third on the team with 50 receptions, but didn’t have the kind of impact New Orleans envisioned even as Brees passed for the second-most yards ever in an NFL season.

“I think everyone knows I’m here to try to help this team win,” Shockey added. “I’m not here to sell jerseys or anything like that. I’ll have the time this year to show people I’m healthy and different from last year.”

This was not a good game for Saints fans as New Orleans still was able to get yards but not scores. Drew Brees had his worst game of the season by the numbers as he completed only about half his passes, throwing for 231 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns.

The Panthers gave a strong defensive effort that included a sack and two turnovers but caused probably more damage to the team‘s morale. The earlier losses for New Orleans were by a combined 10 points. For the first time this season, New Orleans was blown out.

The game did not look in the first half like it would be the pounding it was. Carolina got the ball first. Starting from their 28 yard line, the Panthers moved down the field but were forced to kick a 39-yard field goal when T Kendrick Clancy sacked QB Jake Delhomme on third down.

Carolina’s defense helped both by limiting the amount of time New Orleans was on the field and by creating a turnover when RB Jonathan Stewart ran 18 yards into the end zone. Carolina also hit a 48 yard field goal with 3 and a half minutes left in the half.

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Who would have thought that after three weeks the San Francisco 49′ers would have a better record than the New Orleans Saints? That is the case as the two teams do battle Sunday at the SuperDome in New Orleans. The Niners come in at 2-1, winners of two in a row after losing in the opener vs the Cardinals. The Saints have lost two straight on the road after an opening day win over the Bucs at home.

New Orleans came all the way back from 18 down in Denver Sunday, but were the victims of a bad no-call late, and then Martin Gramatica missed a potential go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining that would have put the team ahead. The Broncos jumped on the Saints, and the team was able to fight back only to lose in the end, and it will be interesting to see if they can rally from that defeat.

San Fran enters the contest with a ton of confidence, more so on the offensive side of the ball. The last two weeks, both wins, the team put up 365 yards and 33 points and 370 points and 31 points in Sunday’s win over the Lions. The key seems to be the play-calling of coordinator Mike Martz, along with the play of QB J.T. O’Sullivan, who has been making good decisions and not turning the ball over.

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The short tenure of Joey Harrington as a QB for the New Orleans Saints is over. Harrington, who joined the team as their third QB just last week, was released on Wednesday. The team released Harrington to sign TE Sean Ryan, who caught nine total passes from 2006-07 with the New York Jets. Ryan was brought in to take the spot of Jeremy Shockey, who is out for the next 3-6 weeks. Ryan did play a game this year with Miami, but didn’t have a catch. Harrington last season for the Falcons threw for 2,215 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in 12 games, including 10 starts.

The Saints got some bad news today in their passing game, as tight end Jeremy Shockey is expected to miss between three and six weeks to surgery for a sport hernia. He has been somewhat silent in the passing game so far for New Orleans, as he has 16 catches for 151 yards in the team going 1-2.

It’s Shockey’s second big injury in two years, as last season he broke his left leg in December with the Giants and missed the teams postseason run that ended with an upset of the Pats in the Super Bowl. The Saints have already lost Marques Colston for a few weeks, that took place in week one in a win over Tampa Bay. He had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and is not expected back for another month.

Right now that will put the pressure on wides outs David Patten, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Terrance Copper. The teams other tight ends are Billy Miller and Mark Campbell.

The New Orleans Saints enter Sundays game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not knowing if their defense has improved from their dismal performance in 2007, but it will take only 60 minutes to tell Coach Payton, the NFL, and Saints Fans every were the answer.

On paper the Saints have improved in every area but one, the secondary. No one has stepped up and taken CB2 starting position. Mike McKenzie returning from a season ending knee injury in 2007, quietly showed he is ready this preseason, and let every defensive coordinator know not to throw his way!

The other corner back job is still up for grabs, and a regular season audition will continue to take place. Randall Gay, the Saints free agent pick up from the Patriots this off season looks to have the first audition on Sunday. He has shown the same flaws that Jason David has by allowing long completions in all of his preseason appearances, but has the most experience with talent at this point. Rookie Tracy Porter has been good, but still has a lot of learning to do.

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After a dismal showing last week against the Houston Texans, the New Orleans Saints defense finally stepped up and played well shutting out the Bengals. The Bengals had 11 offensive series, with 10 ending in punts, and one with a turnover by interception. The Saints also only allowed the Bengals to cross mid field once while stopping Cincinnati on all but four of their third down conversions. (4-of-14-29%) and limited the home team to only 165 yards total offense.

As usual, the Saints first team offense minus Jeremy Shockey who was suppose to play his first game as a Saints tonight drove down the field on their first possession, settling for a field goal, after a third down and 10 pass to Colston in the end zone was dropped.

The Saints second possession of the night resulted in a one yard touchdown pass by Drew Brees to Ronnie Ghent, to put the Saints up 10-0 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

The third possession was stopped short by two incomplete passes, and poor running. The Saints were forced to punt for the first time, but managed to eat up time off the clock, and allowing the defense to get sufficient rest.

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There have been allot of questions, the last few months on how much injuries will affect the 2008 season for the New Orleans Saints.

Deuce McAllister is by far a big component of the Saints offense, without a big bruising back coming out of the backfield; the Saints will only have a passing game. It will not take long to find a way to defend against Drew Brees, if Deuce is not in the line up. He has looked good so far, with minor swelling, and all reports have him ready to march in come September.

One of the biggest defensive pickups for the Saints this off season was Jonathan Vilma; he also has been questionable coming off from injury. The success of the Defense weighs heavily on him being on the field.. He has been impressive so far, and his limited reps, should not hinder his ability to step in, and provide the tough leadership the Saints need on the defensive side of the ball.

Mike McKenzie has been slow to return, but looks to be close. The big question for him, will be has he lost a step? The only consolation is the depth the Saints have in proven veterans, and young emerging talent at the corner back position.

If there is one thing the Saints are not lacking, is depth at each position. The battle to make the roster as a special team?s player is going to be tough.

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Some would say that the 2008 season for the New Orleans Saints depends on the health of or more specifically, the return of health for key players. Unfortunately, health has been an issue on both offense and defense. Depending on what happens in the next 6 weeks, could be make or break for New Orleans.

OFFENSE

There are several players on this side of the ball that need to be at, or close to 100% for the Saints to be running full speed. Probably the most important person of this group is Deuce McAllister. Noticeably the biggest difference from 2006 to 2007 was the running game (or lack there of). Most believe that without the threat of an inside run game, the Saints became one dimensional. With all the pressure on Drew Brees and the passing game, the offense was not able to sustain drives which put more pressure on an already porous defense. If Deuce can come back healthy from his ACL tear as he did in 2006, the offense will be much better off than they were last year.

McAllister is not the only key player coming back from a set back last year. Both Reggie Bush and newly acquired Jeremy Shockey are getting ready for a better year in 08. Reggie, having to deal with more carries due to the loss of McAllister, eventually went down himself with 4 games left to play. With several competent backs, Payton should have the opportunity to split time between them to keep legs fresh. Shockey has also been working slowly to get back to form after a broken leg late last year. Jeremy has been told to take it slow for precautionary measures but should be ready to go by the start of the season, and hopefully back to Pro Bowl form as well.

DEFENSE

In my opinion, the defense has less room for error but has a few players hoping to be injury free as well this year. Mike McKenzie was one bright spot for the defense last year with two interceptions returned for touchdowns as well as 52 tackles. These numbers could be even better if he had not gone down with an injury himself in week 16 vs. the Eagles. Luckily for us Saints fans, he has been out on the practice field and is expected to start week 1 vs. Tampa Bay.

Jonathan Vilma may be just as big a piece to the puzzle as McKenzie, relative to his play making ability and leadership. Vilma was brought in via a 4th round pick and conditional pick in 2009, but the Saints believe he is worth much more. Those who have watched practices this training camp have been praising him for his play even during “7 on 7” drills. Vilma claims to not be quite at 100% but is very close, and has been moving around well. He should be a very important part of the defenses success this year.

Now, I know I missed a few players and a few minor injuries, but I pointed out the ones that I felt were most important and have the most impact on the team’s success. Overall, all of these players have been doing well in camp and are on pace to play by game 1 in the Superdome. The 2008 season has the potential to be magical, but may be largely dependant on the health of these key contributors. The offense is just as potent as ever and the defense is much improved. But unless the two come together, it could be a long season. In my opinion, the Saints may just make it longer for anyone in their way.