Saints Silver Lining

by Dave Cariello on Sep 24, 2008 6:00 AM CDT

We all know the story of the season so far and every day seems to get worse. An injury here. A heartbreaking loss there. Another injury here. A drug suspension there. As I type this now I am actually laughing about it. I mean, its just so ridiculous. This is just typical Saints. WIth such an impressive team on paper and an incredibly productive offseason, didn't you just know it was not going to be easy and it wasn't going to go according to plan.

Before we gain redemption this Sunday against the 49ers, I thought we should all get ourselves in a positive frame of mind again. I put together some random stats, notes and thoughts about the team, the game against Denver and the season in general. You may just find something interesting in here that you didn't know or never thought about.

The Saints have already won a game. We're already ahead of where we were last season.
It was a division win.
Mike McKenzie is back, healthy and contributing.
The Saints are first in the league in punt return average with 19.0 yards per punt.
They are also 1st in the league in the following offensive receiving categories: Receptions, Receptions per Game, Total Yards, Yards per Game.
Our first round draft pick looks pretty good and is desesrvedly starting.
Our quarterback is ridiculously good. And he's not injured. Did I mention how ridiculously awesome our quarterback is?
With all the money invested in Smith and Grant, at least they are playing and not among the many injured players.
That Saints came back from an 18 point deficit on Sunday and had a chance to win after getting off to a bad start. They came up with big plays when they needed them, including a fumble recovery and a safety.
We know the team can easily put together a string of wins, like last years 4 in a row, and be back in the thick of it.
Reggie Bush is playing like we all hoped he would. He is also leading the league in receptions. Teams are affraid of him. They should be.
The Jonathan Vilma acquisition was a good one. He is sixth in the league in tackles.
We still haven't lost at home yet.
This many injuries might devastate other teams but the Saints have still been able to at least put themselves in a position to win two weeks in a row.
Meachem is looking good so far. The Saints depth at wide receiver is one of its strongest aspects.
The Saints are 8th in the league in offensive 3rd Down Efficiency.
They are also 4th in the league in the following offensive categories: Total Yards, Yards per Game and Yards per Play.
They are also 1st in the league in the following offensive passing stats: Completions, Completion %, Gross Yards, Net Yards and Yards per Game.

Feel free to add your own bright spots so far this season.

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Comments

Kinda tarnished silver, but...

Jeremy Shockey got his yearly injury out of the way early. He looked good in early action; maybe getting him back in time for a playoff push will be a good thing.

Colston will be back around the same time. That gives us time to work out the kinks in the offense, and bring our major playmakers back into a machine that’s tuned up and running well. (Emphasis on “running well,” please, PayLoo.)

As demonstrated by New York last year and Pittsburgh a couple years ago, what counts is getting hot at the right time. The Saints are showing definite signs of deficiency early, in aspects of the game that are fixable. We even have many of the potential fixes already in place—Nicks and Bushrod represent good depth on the offensive line; Deuce is ready to come back; McKenzie is back, Porter continues to develop, and Gay and Fujita should be healthy soon. Getting everyone back together by midyear could be a recipe for a major surge. I’m still hopeful.

by MtnExile on Sep 24, 2008 8:07 AM CDT reply actions

I agree

I think sucking early is better than sucking late.

by asaint on Sep 24, 2008 8:21 AM CDT reply actions

could be a LOT worse

Look at the Chiefs, the Rams, and Lions. Matt Millen got fired today (finally). Who knows where that team is going. The Rams will be sold this year, who knows where they will end up. The Chiefs are terrible. I mean BAD. Looking forward to Nov 16 in KC. I don’t know which of these will win a game this year.

Dave keeps mentioning this and no one responds, so I will: Drew Brees is in the top 3 of all current NFL quarterbacks, and may be #1. He is something to really be proud of. He’s the leader of the offense and is a real pleasure to watch. I’ve been saying that he’s underthrowing receivers, implying that his arm strength is questionable. Well, I’m wrong. Check this out: In stride, baby. 50 yards in the air.
http://replay-re-cutter.nfl.com/Clip.aspx?key=EC87190CD67AB801

by stujo4 on Sep 24, 2008 10:19 AM CDT reply actions

Agreed, Brees is engine that moves this team

I guess we’ve gotten so use to him performing well on a regular basis that we kinda take him for granted and focus more on the team’s problem areas (i.e. the passing defense and running game). I watched the NFL Network replay of the Saints/Broncos game last night and couldn’t help but notice how awe-inspiringly beautiful that pass to Meachem was. It was a perfect pass! Even though the Saints lost, I’m glad I recorded that game. It was a great game that could have been so much better with a Saints come-from-behind victory.

Go Saints!!!!

by David "Satch" Kelly on Sep 24, 2008 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Bobby McCray is a great addition. Hopefully Arrington will be too once he gets back. I have no idea how good Demario Pressley is going to be, but it is nice to know there is a possibility of having another solid DT in the rotation once he gets healthy.

Something to note is that our pass rush, while not great, appears better than last year and with Lake out and Thomas gone… our DT’s are probably not very rested. Look for the pass rush and run defense to improve a little when Lake returns just from them being a little fresher. Right now all we have is Brian Young to sub in.

I heard that Shockey wasn’t 100% in these last couple games because of this injury. So, it will be good to have him 100% when he gets back.

Im looking forward to Nicks being in there too. The guy gave Nesbit a run for his money in preseason and apparently the guy is just a freaking monster. (at 6’ 5" 345 pounds he is about as big as they come)

by nepomo on Sep 24, 2008 11:08 AM CDT reply actions

Maybe.....

Nicks can run block?

by asaint on Sep 24, 2008 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions

crazy

I just posted something a lil’ similar to this on sportsline. I mean think about it: The teams that we’ve played have a combining record of 7-2 and we one won and gave up the other two; with a depleted roster and a bad offensive line. I say only a couple teams worry me. San Diego, Packers and Tampa Bay again. Maybe Minnesota too. So I think we’ll end the season at 11-5 and possibly 12-4 (that may be pushing it but we’ve got a shot). I think Payton needs to improve his clock management and last minute decisions and we’re good to go!

by TAYDIGGA on Sep 24, 2008 1:01 PM CDT reply actions

and close scores too, no blowouts

Lost 2 by a combined 7 points, not too bad.

by stujo4 on Sep 24, 2008 2:57 PM CDT up reply actions

You'd better be worried about the Panthers

They are good this year, and they always play the Saints tough. I’m not at all worried about Tampa Bay with Brian Griese behind center—do you think we wouldn’t have slaughtered them if they gave us three picks?

I honestly was hoping for 13-3 before the season; now, with two extra losses, 11-5 looks about right. That’s good enough for the division, but we’ll be playing on the road in the playoffs.

by MtnExile on Sep 24, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions