Saints 24 @ Bears 27: Making the Grade
Quarterback
C
I think we can all admit that Drew has not been playing up to his usual standards. I would never want another quarterback under center but at some point Drew will have to start taking at least some of the blame. It's bad enough to watch the Saints struggle but watching Drew struggle at the same time is just miserable.
Running Back
B+
It's remarkable that the Saints even ran the ball 22 times. Definitely glad to see more balance in this offense finally and Pierre looked good as usual out there. Reggie was looking solid as well but for some reason we didn't see him much later in the game.
Receiving
C-
Though Colston dropped a pass and still continues to struggle a bit in that department, he was still a big factor. He caught at least one key third down pass and also caught what should have been the go-ahead touchdown. In case you didn't see Pierre's stats above under "Running Backs" I have included them here again since he was the teams second leading receiver on the night.
Offensive Line
C
I might be being too nice on these guys. Strief wasn't doing such a great job filling in for Jammal Brown. Two false start penalties from Jahri Evans and Jon Stinchcomb just killed one drive. Bress only hit the ground once but he was scrambling and hrrying all night. The only consolation is the fact that the Saints improved running game might mean these guys aren't so bad at run blocking as we thought.
Defensive Line
D
Pressure was non-existent much like it's been all season. Then there's Sedrick Ellis...who made the game-losing sack with two seconds remaining in the game. No, that's not a typo. I said game-LOSING sack. I'm really not angry with him as he was only doing what is expected of him but that is the one play that still haunts me the most. It's just...so...AAAHHH!!!!
Linebackers
A
There is always a silver lining. Vilma, Fujita and Shanle led the entire team in tackles on the night. Vilma and Shanle were both there to jump on the fumbled snap. Fujita had the huge interception and Vilma nearly had one himself. These guys were just flying all over the field Sunday night and I think this was definitely their best performance of the season as a unit.
Secondary
D-
Just as I finish glowing about the linebackers, we get to this rag tag bunch of bumbling bafoons. The penalties alone are worth an F. Opposing teams don't even need talented wide receivers just fast guys who can get behind our DB's. The rest will take care of itself. The only bright spot was Bullocks' interception. I know. I can't believe it either. In fact, Bullocks saved these guys from getting an F. Go figure.
Special Teams
D
The punting and kicking game were fine but the coverage was just pitiful. It's never good to spot your opponents a touchdown before the game even starts. And it's even worse when you follow that up with 109 more yards of kick returns.
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Comments
all you guys complaining about how much your Saints suck...
… wait’ll you get a load of the Detroit Lions. It’s going to make the Chiefs game look like the Superbowl. We all should thank our individual deities that we don’t have an owner and general manager like the Lions’ fans do. More’s the pity.
by stujo4 on Dec 13, 2008 10:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Old enough
I am old enough (44) to remember when we fans were ecstatic to finally have a break even season after so many losing seasons, not to mention how nuts we went when they finally had a winning season. Sure, I am disappointed they didn’t win more games, but this team beats the Saints of my youth by leaps and bounds. Even with all the injuries this team was within a couple of kicks of having this year end up totally different. Keep the Faith!!
by BayouRebel on Dec 13, 2008 11:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
A small caveat
I’ve been a Saints fan for even longer (I’m ancient…just as stujo); and yeah, it’s nice to be taken seriously by the rest of the NFL. Nobody considers the Saints a pushover anymore. But a funny thing happened on the way to respectability: I don’t enjoy football as much.
If the Saints don’t win, the whole week sucks. It used to be, you didn’t expect them to win; so you could enjoy football for itself. You could consider the Steelers against the Giants as the game of the week, instead of the Saints against whoever; and if your favorite won, everything was cool. You didn’t expect the Saints to win; so if they did, it was lagniappe.
Football was more fun when there was no reason to care.
8-8
by MtnExile on Dec 13, 2008 3:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
M-E is old and thinks too much
But he is right, as he usually is. Not satisfied with reaching this plateau, we must strive to improve, make it to even greater heights. To actually win an NFC championship game and go to the Super Bowl. And then the Super Bowl. The audacity of hope.
by stujo4 on Dec 13, 2008 3:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

























