Saints 20 @ Falcons 34: Making the Grade
by Dave Cariello on Nov 11, 2008 2:00 PM CST
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PrintQuarterback C
Yeah Drew notched what I would classify as a "butt-load" of yardage but he also threw 3 interceptions, one for six points. His completion percentage and passer rating were in the basement too. Oh yeah, the Saints lost too. I had to give him a C this week. He is human.
Running Back D
You know the Saints are in a bad way when Devery Henderson is the day's leading rusher. Henderson's one end around for 30 yards was enough to lead the team but Deuce and Pierre carried most of the load for the day. This continues to be a serious area of deficiency for the Saints. I don't give the actual players a D because I think they did great with that they were given but the running game in general just plain sucks.
Receiving B
Week in and week out our receivers continue to perform well thanks in large part to Drew Brees. Colston looked like he is on his way back. Lance Moore continues to "Earn It" and Billy Miller is making fans start to wonder why the Saints ever traded for Shockey in the first place.There is still some room for improvement, including Marques Colston, but this was the best performance by any Saints unit in Sunday's loss.
Offensive Line D
Not much good news here. Jammal Brown got dominated. Nicks and Lehr got called for penalties. Drew took too many hits. To add injury to injury (that is not a typo) Stinchcomb limped off the field.
Defensive Line D
At this point I am thinking Will Smith the actor might get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than Will Smith the actual football player. Bobby McCray didn't really step up and shine in the absence of Grant like we hoped he might. Sedrick Ellis probably put out the best effort on the line but on the whole these guys are seriously underperforming.
Linebackers C
Vilma had an unusually slow day at the office but Fujita picked up the slack in his stead. Scott Shanle actually looked better than normal also, making a nice tackle in the backfield at one point. Still not good enough for my liking.
Secondary D
Should I have given these guys an F? Probably. Watching our DB's on Sunday was like taking a trip down 2007 memory lane. New faces, same crappy results. It's frustrating really and it just makes you feel helpless.Help!
Special Teams C
Thank god for Garrett Hartley. Otherwise there wouldn't be much to get excited about as it relates to this last game. He looked pretty solid and maybe our search for a new kicker is over. The new punter Pakulak showed some promise also. Even Courtney Roby looked pretty decent returning kicks in place of Pierre Thomas. Not good enough to earn higher than a C though.
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The Saints lost: F
That’s all that matters now. This is playoff time for the Saints—we can’t afford another loss for the rest of the year. Any loss is an F.
Regarding some of your grades:
1. The running game deserves a D (or worse), but not the running backs. You said as much yourself, but the point needs to be emphasized.
2. Similarly, I’d like to say a few words on behalf of our defensive backs: they’re getting a bum deal. Yeah, they haven’t been anything like brilliant; but when the coach tells you to play fifteen yards off the receiver, what are you gonna do? You’re going to play off, and as soon as your man catches the ball you’re going to bust your butt trying to get to him before he makes the first down. What else is there to do? Our system makes these guys look like chumps. Jason David started for a winning Super Bowl team; Gary Gibbs has glued him to the pine.
3. Finally, Drew. Yeah, he finally looked human. He also looked more heroic than usual. He was asked, essentially, to go out there and take on the Atlanta Falcons by himself. Three interceptions isn’t really unexpected when you’re desperately trying to force the issue against an team that’s not incompetent. Payton talks a lot about setting up his guys in situations where they can succeed; and in Drew’s case he’s done a good job. But every once in awhile it comes crashing down; and when that happens, Drew has to take more blame than is really his due.
Fire Gary Gibbs!
by MtnExile on Nov 11, 2008 2:52 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
but when the coach tells you to play fifteen yards off the receiver, what are you gonna do?
That’s what burns me more than anything. Someone more knowledgable than me about defense, school me: WHY can’t you get up and hit those receivers right off the line once in a while, like on the first step they take? Disrupt their timing, throw them off their route. You know, like the Falcons did to US ALL DAY.
"Coach Payton REALLY needs to string together some wins."
Gary Gibbs schools stujo4
Dear Mr. stujo4,
May I call you Stu? Well, you see, Stu, it’s all a matter of perspective. Participating on a blog gives you the pleasant illusion that you know how to run an actual NFL defense, without having to do any of the hard work or take any of the risks. Whereas I know, being a professional NFL person myself, how difficult directing a defense can be. And it’s that higher perspective that allows me to identify just where the hard work and risk enters the equation, and so avoid both of them. For instance, it would be difficult not only to design, but also to manage, a scheme in which defensive backs attempted to keep receivers off balance by whaling the tar out of them on the line of scrimmage—something that only teams like the New England Patriots and New York Giants do. No, far easier and far less risky to play off the receivers—that way we know what is going to happen: the opposing quarterback will have a career day picking us apart, but except for the occasional breakdown in deep coverage, which happens no more than 5 or 6 times a game, we’re able to keep the completions in front of us. Fifteen yards in front of us, to be exact. Can you not see what an advantage it gives to the defense to be able to predict the outcome of plays before they even occur? No? Well, that’s why you post on a blog, whereas I am one of the top 100 best defensive coordinators in the entire NFL this year. I’m hoping that by the end of the season, I’ll be in the top 50. Call me crazy ambitious, but that’s just the way I am.
Fire Gary Gibbs!
by MtnExile on Nov 11, 2008 5:59 PM CST up reply actions 3 recs
Thank you, Coach Gibbs
That’s some deep Gibbs Gumbo.
"Coach Payton REALLY needs to string together some wins."
All I can say is....
Gary Gibbs, pleasssssssssssse go away!
I hope this team next season doesn’t start resembling the Haslett/Venturi era when the two of them seemed to be connected at the hip. No matter how bad the defense was, Haslett always brought Venturi back the next year. They’re still together in St. Louis!! Venturi must have some good blackmail information on Haslett. Maybe Rick walked into the locker room one day and snapped some pictures of Haslett and Aaron Brooks making out in a corner, or something equally as horrible. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, Mr. Costanza and Mr. Seinfeld.
Go Saints!!!!
by David "Satch" Kelly on Nov 11, 2008 5:49 PM CST reply actions
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