Saints Gab

The New Orleans Saints looked more like the defending World Champions tonight as they handed the Texans a 38-20 beatdown–N’awlins style. Set up by a fiercely dominating rushing attack that amassed a total of 201 yards, the Saints’ victorious performance was a lot more impressive than the loss against the Patriots last week.

There were some very bright spots in this game as some of the stars came out in rare form. Reggie Bush electrified the crowd when he scored a beautiful 9-yard TD run to put the black and gold on the scoreboard first. Showing his speed and some raw toughness, the back bulldozed his way into the endzone, looking more like the power runner everyone hoped he’d be, running up the middle and between the tackles. It was good to see him exhibit his tougness just as well as his speed. He finished the game with 7 carries for 49 yards.

Not surprising was the performance of Pierre Thomas. Following key blocks by Jonathan Goodwin and Carl Nicks, Thomas scored a 31-yd TD off a screen from QB Chase Daniel to put the Saints up 21-7 in the 2nd quarter. Nobody runs the screen better than Thomas in my opinion. Often very hard to bring down, his extra effort makes him a dangerous threat on offense. He reminded us tonight why he is so deserving of the contract he seeks. Let’s hope he gets it.

The reserve runner would not be outdone either. The power running of Chris Ivory along with that of P.J. Hill was key in a 65-yard scoring drive where Daniel hit his favorite target, Adrian Arrington for an 18-yd touchdown in the 3rd quarter to put the Saints ahead 35-13. Hill went on to suffer a leg injury in the 4th quarter, but was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power. Ivory finished with 20 carries for 66 yards. Both backs were very impressive again as they try to claim a place on the Saints roster.

Chase Daniel also had a stellar performance. Other than an interception of an errant throw in the 3rd quarter, the young QB was virtually flawless, putting up some very impressive numbers. In addition to the strikes for six he’d thrown to Thomas and Arrington, he looked extremely sharp as he connected with Zak Keasey for a 1-yd TD in the final play of the first  half. He went on to finish the game 15/21 for 182 yards and 3 TDs.  His go-to guy, Arrington had 3 catches for 71 yards. I’d say that over the past two weeks, these two have really made a case for themselves as to why they should be members of the New Orleans Saints.

Even the defense looked like it got a much-needed shot in the arm over the course of the week. DE Will Smith forced a fumble when he popped the Texans’ RB Foster, forcing him to cough up the ball. Sedrick Ellis fell on it for the Saints, giving the Who Dat defense its first takeaway of the preseason. It was refreshing to see that the tackling was better than it was last week. Even though they gave up a few of plays straight up the gut, they did show signs of marked improvement.

I don’t think any of us doubted that the Saints would win this game. It’s just that there had been a growing concern about which team we’d see tonight. Would we see the team who dominated on both sides of the ball last year or would we see the lethargic, lackluster team who took the field last week? Well, we got our answer and pleasantly so. It looks like the Who Dats are back!

Other important notes: Drew Brees was 5/10 for 36 yards and 1 rushing TD; Marques Colston had 3 receptions for 24 yards; Garret Hartley kicked 5 PATs and 1 35-yard field goal.

Not dressed were: Darren Sharper, Cliff Ingram, Jon Stinchcomb, Jimmy Graham, and Stanley Arnoux.

It has often been said that the best offense is a good defense. In no case is that more apparent than in reference to a team’s offensive line. In every sense, the O line is the first line of defense in any effective passing or running attack. After all, it is responsible for keeping defenders away from the quarterback and creating holes for the running backs. In 2009, not many were better than the offensive line of the New Orleans Saints.

In many ways, the Saints’ O line came of age last year. Not only did it help to foster the perpetuation of the team’s prolific passing attack, but it was also responsible for the emergence of the running game as a legitimate offensive weapon as well. Drew Brees was afforded the luxury of great pocket protection which allowed him to post incredible stats once again and the four-headed rushing machine (Thomas, Bush, Bell, and Hamilton) was able to exploit brief running lanes for huge gains time after time. And it all started with the big guys up front: RT Jon Stinchcomb, RG Jahri Evans, C Jonathan Goodwin, LG Carl Nicks, and LT Jermon Bushrod.

If there was ever an area of concern in the unit, it would have been at the left tackle position held by Bushrod; he alone was responsible for 9 sacks (including the playoffs) of the 20 sacks allowed. However, as the season progressed, he seemed to find his sea legs, so to speak, giving up only 3 in his final nine games. Despite the fact that he often required help from his teammates to get the job done, I think we should be encouraged at his gradual improvement which should get even better with experience. Remember that he only became a starter when ProBowl tackle, Jammal Brown was lost for the season. Prior to that, he’d only seen minimal action three times. I think that as he gets a better feel for the game, he will be just fine.

There certainly isn’t much cause for concern at the right tackle position though. It is manned by ProBowler, Jon Stinchcomb, who really elevated his level of play last year, particularly in run blocking. In fact, he was one of the best in the league at it. Even though his pass protection wasn’t always up to par, he more than made up for it with his toughness and determination.

The fact that the Saints have back-up tackle, Zach Strief waiting in the wings is an added bonus. His rare versatility allows him to play both sides effectively, ensuring that there is adequate depth at the position if the need ever arises. Personally, I’ve been very impressed with Strief’s performance and wouldn’t mind seeing more of him in the future. I think he’s a great asset and a possible starter in the making.

Better still, the unit gets added reinforcement at the guard position. The distinguished and consistent level of play by Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans make them two of the best guards in the NFL.

Nicks’ eclipsing frame gives him a distinct advantage in run blocking. Both powerful and athletic, he makes tackling look effortless as he knocks defenders backwards to create offensive opportunities. I expect to see him only get better this year, possibly even making the ProBowl. Having him up front certainly makes the O line just that much better.

The ProBowler, Jahri Evans, more than adequately holds down the other side. His strength and durability are incredible, making him one of the most consistent right guards in the league. Put that with his prime footwork and you get an excellent run blocker who is as skilled as it gets. Look for him to continue his superior level of play.

Jonathan Goodwin rounds out the unit nicely at Center. Though not particularly known for his strength or athleticism, this young man manages to do an adequate job regardless. He knows how to be where he is supposed to be without making a whole lot of mistakes. We know that he must be doing something right, otherwise he would have been replaced by now, as Coach Payton allows little room for error. Depth at the center position is ripe with veteran, Nick Leckey and fifth round draft pick, Matt Tennant both waiting in case their number is called. Leckey brings plenty of experience with him and from all I’ve heard of Tennant, he is developing quite well, making the position that much more stable in terms of depth.

So just how good was the Saints offensive line in 2009? It ranked 4th in the league in sacks allowed (20), it ranked 3rd in quarterback hits (52), and it ranked 5th in yards per carry (4.5).

Impressive stats like that only make for a great outlook for 2010. With all five starters returning to the front, expect to see the line return to its elite status of 2009. If anything, it will get better as the high-calibre players continue to work and grow together, thereby melding into one of the most complete and efficient units in the NFL. In 2010, I think we can expect to see more great things from this productive offensive line.

We sat down with Scott of the Arizona Cardinals fan blog raisingzona.com and discussed the upcoming NFC Divisional Matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.

Scott discusses his keys to the game, the fatigue non factor this week..and a friendly reminder not to forget the kickers.

SaintsGab: The Cardinals gave up over 400 yards passing and 4 TD passes to Green Bay last week. What will the Cardinals do defensively to slow down the Saints offense?

RaisingZona: Good question. What can they do? They basically have five days to prepare for an offense that is, on paper, even better than Green Bay. Drew Brees, at least right now, is a better quarterback. I don’t think you should see New Orleans score 45, but I also don’t think the defense can keep them under 20. Brees has just as many, if not more weapons than Rodgers was able to utilize last Sunday.

SG: What will the Cardinals do on offense to exploit mismatches in the Saints’ defense?

RZ: Do what they’ve always done. No need to change the game plan. Quick releases by Warner in the passing game to avoid blitz’s, and keep a hard balance early on between the running game and passing game like they did last week. After 30 plays last week, they had the same number of running plays as they did passing plays. Look for more cross patterns from the receivers. New Orleans is at their best when they take the ball away from you. You can be sure Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower will be focused on holding onto the ball, something they had trouble with on a consistent basis throughout the regular season.

SG: Who or what is your X Factor for this game? (anything you think may affect the outcome of the game)

RZ: Believe it or not, the kicking game. In a game we expect to be a shootout, sometimes things you expect don’t always come to fruition. This could easily end up being a game like 23-20. In that case, field position is key. This is where the Cards punter Ben Graham comes in. He was a master at pinning opponents inside the 20 and the 10 yard lines all season. As for kicker Neil Rackers, a kick from him could ultimately be the difference. He had a tough game last week. How he rebounds could decide what the Cards plans are for next weekend.

SG: I have to agree with you on this one. Lost in all this talk of an offensive shootout is the kicking game. Thomas Morestead has become a solid punter for the Saints and has played better as the season wore on, winning the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award the last week of the regular season. Garrett Hartley has done well for the Saints for the most part. He had a key miss against the Bucs in Week 16. It will be interesting to see how the Saints’ kickers handle the playoff pressure, as both players have no playoff experience.

SG: How do you think having a bye week and resting players at the end of the season will affect the Saints? Is having momentum going into the playoffs true or overrated?

RZ: Hard to say. I say it depends on the team. For a team like the Cardinals, I think it was important they played last week. Sure they will have only five days of rest but having played recently will help this team. They have been inconsistent all season and they play better when they don’t have as much time off. For the Saints, I’m not sure the week off normally would have been an issue, however the starters didn’t play in week 17 and they didn’t play well at all the two weeks before that. Everyone is professional though and the Saints didn’t win 13 games on their good looks. They did something right and they are home. I don’t see either team having that great of an edge based on the bye for the Saints.

SG: How will playing an emotional overtime game and preparing for this game on a short week affect the Cardinals?

RZ: It only affects them in the sense they had one less day of practice and they had to cut their day off in half on Tuesday. They didn’t experience too many tough injuries in Sunday’s win, however linebacker Gerald Hayes is questionable. Again, these are professionals and they’ve dealt with shorter weeks in the past without much issue.

SG: I have to disagree. If this game turns into a shootout, advantage Saints. The Cardinals have not had a weekend off since Oct 11th..that’s 14 straight weeks. And the Cards were gassed after last week’s game.

From: WWL Radio

Negotiators for the state of Louisiana say they are getting very close to a deal to keep the New Orleans Saints playing football in the Superdome for a long time. They are also laying the groundwork for a Super Bowl bid. “We have high expectations and hopes that we can work out our negotiations with the Saints so we can go together and seek the Super Bowl,” lead negotiator Ron Forman told WWL First News. “The meetings have been very, very positive.” The current Saints contract expires next year.

Although the New Orleans Saints won’t get in the playoffs this year, their victory today guaranteed that this season will not carry two possible embarrassments: giving an 0 and 14 team their first win or having a losing season. For most of the game, it was pretty clear that the number one offense was too much for the last-in-the-league ranked defense, with the Saints scoring two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters.

Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 351 yards, completing 30 of 40 attempts, making two touchdowns and no interceptions. Brees now has 4,683 yards this season, leaving him 402 yards short of breaking Dan Marino’s single-season passing record. Lions QB Dan Orlovsky struggled making 10 out of 23 attempts, no touchdowns, and two interceptions before being benched at the end of the third quarter. He was replaced by QB Drew Stanton who made one out of three attempts for 12 yards.

New Orleans scored twice on the ground in the first quarter, the first time on a 20-yard run by WR Robert Meachem and the second on a two-yard run by RB Deuce McAllister. McAllister had a good game, making his two of his longest runs of the season: the first was for 18 yards (pushing him above the 6,000 yard mark for his career), and the second was for 19 yards on the Saints last possession of the game. He had a total for 61 yards rushing on 9 attempts and 6 yards receiving on one catch.

Detroit answered back with a one-yard run up the middle for a touchdown early in the second quarter. The Lions had gone for it on fourth and three from the three yard line but Orlovsky threw an incomplete pass to WR Matt Gaines. Saints S Roman Harper gave the Lions a Christmas gift of another set of downs when he was called for pass interference on the play. RB Kevin Smith scored on the next play.

The Saints did not let that phase them as they scored twice again. RB Mike Bell ran one-yard into the end zone to cap off an 80-yard, 11 play drive with 4:44 left to go in the second. After three plays for Detroit, including a sack of Orlovsky by DE Jeff Charleston, Brees threw 32 yards to WR Devery Henderson and a two yard run by RB Pierre Thomas with less than a minute to go in the quarter put the score at 28 to 7 to end the half.

The Saints were perfect converting third down, making 6 of 6 and were 11 for 12 for the day. The Saints had outrushed the Lions 112 to 56 yards and passed for 156 yards compared to 69. New Orleans was only penalized once for 2 yards but the penalty set up Detroit’s only touchdown.

After the Lions first possession of the second half, the Saints made a big play when Brees threw to Henderson again, this time for 64 yards, leaving the Saints at the six yard-line. A short pass by Brees to Marques Colston gave the Saints a four touchdown lead. The Saints ensuing possession included a 17-yard pass to Colston, a 30-yard pass to Colston, a 21-yard pass to TE Billy Miller, and a short pass from the three to Colston for his second touchdown of the day.

For the day, New Orleans finished with 532 yards of offense: 181 yards rushing and 351 passing. Detroit had a total of 255 yards with 129 rushing and 126 passing. New Orleans was also perfect from the red zone, scoring touchdowns on all five attempts.

Pierre Tomas had 77 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving in the game. Colston had 99 yards and two touchdowns and Henderson had 96 yards.

Detroit RB Kevin Smith had 111 yards rushing and one touchdown. WR Calvin Johnson had 64 yards on 4 catches.

The Saints defense had two sacks: one by DE Sedrick Ellis and one by DE Jeff Charleston. CB Jason David had his fifth interception of the season with a little less than 10 minutes to go in the first quarter. Usama Young also had an interception on Orlovsky’s last throw of the game which was deep pass to WR Calvin Johnson.

The Saints return home next week against the Carolina Panthers for their final game of the season.

For a player that is supposed to be in the running for the League MVP, Thursday night in Chicago was probably one that QB Drew Brees would like to forget.  The QB didn’t have one of his best nights of the year against the Bears in the gut-wrenching 27-24 overtime loss, going 24-of-43 passes on the night for 232 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 67.2.

The QB did recover to get his team back in the game and actually have a lead late, but the first two quarters have to come in question, as Brees and the team fell behind 21-7 as he was just 10-of-24 with 93 yards and a 49.5 rating in the first two quarters.

On a night when they needed him most, Brees was as cold as the wind off the lake.  He was not able to overcome a Bears pass defense that has at times this year given up big games this year to guys like Brian Griese.  If he’s going to be the MVP, he sure didn’t show it on Thursday night, and he’s just one reason the season will be over in two weeks after the Thursday setback.

For the last three years the New Orleans Saints have played the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field and for the last three years, the Chicago Bears have won. The cold weather did not appear to be as much of a factor as good defensive plays and poor offensive ones.

Saints QB Drew Brees (24/43, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) struggled through most of the first half while Bears QB Kyle Orton (24/40, 172, 0 TD, 2 INTs) looked better in the first half than in the second. The Saints did well against the Bears’ top ten ranked rushing defense as they racked up 119 yards on the ground, 87 by RB Pierre Thomas. The Bears were only able to get 55 rushing yards despite rookie sensation RB Matt Forte who has been key to their offense this season.

It took about 12 seconds for the Bears to grab the lead when FS Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. The Saints then started to drive down the field but met resistance from the Bears defense when Brees was sacked for only the 11th time this season. The sack was negated by a holding penalty but the drive stalled again three plays later when Brees threw his 15th interception of the season on a deep pass intended for WR Lance Moore who was in double coverage.

The Bears, however, could not capitalize on the turnover and had to punt. Rookie RB Matt Forte injured his toe on that possession and returned at the end of the first quarter.

After three trips into Chicago territory and the Saints not getting any further than the Bears 39 yard line, Usama Young, playing on the Saints special teams, downed the punt at the one yard line. On the next play, Kyle Orton fumbled off an early snap and the ball was recovered by Saints LB Jonathan Vilma. The Saints were able to capitalize on the turnover when Brees threw a short pass to RB Pierre Thomas for the touchdown.

Following Manning’s 52 yard return on the kickoff, CB Jason David grabbed RB Devin Hester as Orton was throwing a deep pass, giving Chicago the ball at the 5 yard line. Matt Forte ran in for the touchdown two plays later.

With a minute to go in the first half, Orton ran 6 yards into the end zone to put the score up 21 to 7.

On the first possession of the second half, the Saints drove down the field, converting two third downs and a fourth down, until Brees was intercepted for the second time at the Bears’ 9 yard line. The ensuing drive did not last long though as Orton threw an interception off the hands of Rasheed Davis to Josh Bullocks as the Bears had crossed midfield. Two plays later, Pierre Thomas ran the ball 42 yards to give the Saints their second touchdown.

Once again, the Saints were handicapped by early challenges. Payton’s 12th and 13th challenges of the year – both of which reversed the rulings on the field. The first was a challenge with about five minutes left in the second quarter of whether Brandon Lloyd caught the ball on third and five. The second was with about 9 and a half minutes left in the third to challenge where Pierre Thomas went out of bounds. The problem with the second is that the ball was placed closer but New Orleans was still charged a timeout because the referees did not spot it at the first down marker. This left the Saints with no challenges and only one timeout left for most of the second half.

As the fourth quarter began the Saints rookie K Garrett Hartley hit his 12th field goal from 30 yards to put New Orleans within 4 points at 17 to 21.

The teams then went on short drives, both failing to convert on fourth down. New Orleans held Chicago to a fourth and six and, instead of pushing New Orleans back, Chicago tried a fake punt to convert but the catch was ruled incomplete. New Orleans could not move the ball either trying twice to move the ball one yard for the first down.

Two plays later, Orton was intercepted again, this time by LB Scott Fujita with five and a half minutes left to play. Brees threw an 11 yard pass to WR Marques Colston to give the Saints the lead for the first time but there was too much time left on the clock. Chicago drove down the field and K Robbie Gould hit from 28 yards with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.

The overtime would be short lived as a pass interference call on S Roman Harper moved Chicago 38 yards and set up a 35 yard field goal to win the game.

Pierre Thomas had another good game with 87 yards rushing, 59 yards receiving, and two touchdowns. Colston led all receivers with 84 yards. RB Reggie Bush had 30 yards rushing on six carries and 16 yards receiving but injured himself as he ran oput of bounds.

After an offensive shootout in the first half, the New Orleans Saints pulled away in the third quarter with a real team effort that included three interceptions, Deuce McAllister breaking the franchise record for rushing touchdowns, and their explosive passing game.

This was an important game for two teams trying to reach the playoffs. Coming into the game, both teams had even records after 10 games but had not broken .500. However, the Green Bay Packers are more competitive in the NFC North while the Saints will need some help to catch up to their division rivals in the NFC South.

This was also a special victory for New Orleans who has been trying to put together two wins all season and to show that the team has more going for them than just the record-setting season of Drew Brees.

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Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will take on the New Orleans Saints in what looks to be like a haymaker in the Superdome tonight. The primetime matchup on Monday Night Football will be the 21st game between these two teams. Both teams enter tonight’s matchup with records of 5-5 and are pursuing an intense playoff race.

Green Bay joined a three-way tie atop the NFC North with the Bears and Vikings last week defeating the Bears at home, 37-3.

Last week, New Orleans defeated the Chiefs 30-20 at Arrowhead Stadium. In a heated NFC South, the Saints currently find themselves at the bottom in 4th place.

This becomes a critical game for both teams as the race in each of their respective divisions has significantly tightened, leaving no room for error.

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