I'm obviously disappointed with this game and the Saints performance but I am going to wait a little while and gather my emotions before I fly off the handle. Things look pretty bleak right now. I'll just go through some initial observations and reactions.

Drew Brees

Drew put up some big numbers in the yardage department. Unfortunately he put up some big numbers in the interception department too. His passer rating was pretty pathetic too. But you gotta admire his tenacity; he kept going until the bitter end throwing a Hail Mary to Lance Moore in the end zone with no time left.

Pressure

Or lack thereof. These guys got absolutely no pressure on the Falcons. Matt Ryan had all day to carve up the Saints awful secondary. Will Smith has been pathetic and today he had only one solo tackle. This unit has not come anywhere near their pre-season goal of copying the Giants pass rush of 2007.

Marques Colston

It's nice to have him back. I miss seeing those extremely long arms pluck balls out of mid-air like a frog eating a fly. Colston put up some pretty impressive numbers and made at least one clutch third down catch but he still missed a couple of other catches that normally I think he would have made.

Lance Moore

The announcers said that Drew Brees compared Lance to Marvin Harrison. That is pretty impressive. Moore made that great catch along the sidelines for the crucial first down. Is he the now the number 2 guy behind Colston?

Pierre Thomas

Pierre quietly put together a pretty decent game. I will spare all of you from my usual "Let Pierre touch it more" rant but for only being utilized sporadically he still manages to put together some pretty big gains. Let Pierre touch it more. Let any running back touch it more. Just run the ball more!

Mike McKenzie

You thought it couldn't get worse but believe me...it could. Payton said he had a fractured patella. We will have to wait and see what that means but it doesn't sound good.

Offensive Line

These guys struggled all day particularly Jammal Brown. He had a tough time handling John Abraham on the left side and even a double team wasn't getting it done. Nicks and Lehr were responsible for a few penalties. Also, Payton said Stinchcomb injured his calf.

Secondary

These guys are all regressing. Every game they seem to get worse and worse. Obviously the continuous injuries aren't helping but this unit is starting to look eerily similar to last years. Randall Gay is becoming this years Jason David.

Jonathan Vilma

Pretty quiet game from the defensive leader. He only notched 3 tackles. However, Scott Fujita stepped up in his place and had a great game with 12 tackles.

Garrett Hartley

It wasn't all bad today. I think the performance of new kicker Garrett Hartley is pretty promising. He nailed everything and kicked at least one and maybe two into the end zone. This guy just might stick around (choir sings Hallelujah). I think he could have been trusted to make that 45-yarder before the end of the first half.

Glenn Pakulak

Pakulak didn't look so bad either. He had one bad kick but his first one was a boomer. I won't even attempt to pretend to know whether Payton is going to stick with him or not.

Deuce McAllister

Deuce started the game and appeared to be doing fine. Then he just disappeared entirely for the middle the of the game. No worries thought because he came back and caught a pass for a touchdown. He gingerly walked into the endzone. He looked pretty sad and upset on the sideline after the game.

Domonique Foxworth

It's bad enough having to watch the Saints secondary play like crap but having to watch a really good cornerback like Foxworth is just pouring salt in an open wound. Foxworth played very well today and was in on a lot of key pass breakups.

Jeremy Shockey

I am honestly worried about what we might possibly hear from Shockey in the next day or two regarding what happened on the sidelines. Brees gave him an earful and he appeared to be sulking on the bench in the second half and it didn't look like he was happy. He also limped off the field with an ankle injury so fire and brimstone is sure to rain down.

Billy Miller

Speaking of Jeremy Shockey. I still like Billy Miller better. He's just a blue collar guy. He had a pretty good game albeit a quiet one. I think Miller demands more respect.

Here is the roll call. This was a fun open thread. Thanks to everyone who was involved, especially new member fruly he came out from under a rock.

Consider this thread open for post game ranting and raving. I want to hear what you guys have to say. I know it's gonna be good.