New Orleans Saints 28 @ St. Louis Rams 23: The Regaissance

Sub par today – that last punt…. hmm…

I really wanted to vote for Reggie. I thought he played a helluva game. I still can’t figure out why we barely saw him in the second half, but I digress. I voted for Usama. I actually named him MVP when he made that interception, so I’m sticking with it. Without that interception, we may be looking at a very different result. But yes, Reggie was a beast and I was thrilled to see it!

we are 24-21 losers.

You can look at that a couple of ways. First: that the Saints find a different way to win every week, and this week it was the turn of the special teams.

Or second: that the offense has been falling apart for weeks, and is now no longer good enough to win games for us. Three times in the fourth quarter we reached the opponents’ 35, and came away with nothing. I didn’t get to watch the game, so I don’t know exactly why things transpired this way…but it leaves me with a really bad feeling. I hope we’re not 9-0 on the way to 10-6.

don’t get me wrong, i’m psyched that we’re 9-0… but i really didn’t want to see the saints at 9-0 with a game like that.

but reggie needed more touches in this game. when he’s playing well, 8 touches (6 carries, 2 catches) just isn’t enough. any time mr. wendys is the team’s leading receiver (5 catches) i think we can say our offense is misguided.

That was the worst 2nd half play calling I’ve seen from him since he took over in 2006. 3rd and 2 with 2.5 minutes left, and he calls a passing play? When he has a RB averaging almost 14 ypc? Fuggin stupid is as stupid does.

Yes a win …
but hardly a vote of confidence!!!

I think more important than going undefeated the remainder of the season …
is the need to put an emphasis on getting back to the basics and cleaning up the mistakes, primarily on the offensive side of the ball.

There is no way in H-E_ _ double hockey sticks that we could possibly beat either New England or Dallas playing this way. I’d be surprised if we could beat some of our lesser opponents playing as we have.

It’s certainly gut check time for the D and coach Williams, the walking wounded and the replacements. I think it’s worth mentioning the solid play of Demario Pressley and Usama Young!!! Bright spots for sure, as was the usual consistent play from Wilma and Harper. Great too to have Fujita back in the mix.

While Drew was less than great and Marcus obviously still not 100%, I was pleased with Meachem’s continue improvement and by Reggie’s resurgence. 25 was a lightening rod and I couldn’t help to think that coach Payton may have been struck by lightening or suffered a rare brain cramp!!!

I mean WTF … Bush scampers for 83 yards on 6 carries and you shut him down for the second half??? I pray to god, he is not injured and that his role continues to become more defined and prevalent in weeks to come.

He is without a doubt the most gifted athlete on our team …
but again just a part of our team.

As a team we have to protect the ball and find a way to keep plugging away on D while waiting for our key starters to return!!

Hoping, as I’m sure you all are that Porter’s injury is not season ending …
but it didn’t look good!

A win gets us to 9-0, but the M.A.S.H. unit from New Orleans looked beatable again. With the Falcons’ loss today, the Saints are now up a whopping four games in the NFC South with seven games remaining. The Cowboys are on their way to a pitiful loss which would give them three for the season. So, here’s the thing: Not only are the Saints in the playoffs, but likely have done enough already to warrant a bye week. With the injury list growing in concert with the bullseye on our backs, maybe we should stop trying so hard for 16-0 and instead worry about being healthy and solid for a Super Bowl run?

I mean, what’s the biggest contrast between this year and last year’s teams? Defense, right? Hmm…defense shredded with injuries…team goes from dominating to above-average in a hurry. I say keep Greer and Sharper out for a good, long while. If Fujita needs more time off, give it to him. I’d rather be 17-2 with a Super Bowl ring than 16-1 and disappointment.

I just think a few bumps and bruises along with the pressure of a 8-0 start (Now 9-0) and the fact that the Rams may be the best 1-8 I have ever seen. Then take into account they just came off a bye week. There are no easy games in the NFL. All the games from here on out will be tough but I am a true Saint fan….Win or Lose.

If they play like that in Tampa, they will lose. Ever since Miami, the Saints have looked progressively worse. I hope this was the low point and they start pulling it together this week. This victory does seem tainted.

Porter injured his ACL, so I hope it isn’t the season-ending kind. Let’s hope he can return before the playoffs. My guess is he’s out at least four weeks and maybe for the year. He had his head in his hands as they carted him off. That’s never a good sign.

The wheels didn’t fall off today, but they sure seemed wobbly. Still, a win is a win.

This is not a great win, but serious every team in the NFL hasn’t look all that good this year. We lost games like this the last two years, but we are winning. I think Brees need to clean up on the int., payton gets too cute with play callling at times, the defense need to clean up on the rush defense, but all in all I’m happy.

I’d rather have sat all our starters and not had Porter injured. He is too good to lose. We are still in need of another good cornerback. So here’s to hoping that Jenkins can get his back closer to a receiver next time. With Gay doing terribly, Jenkins is our next hope.

What is the deal with Colston?

Payton has been mismanaging games all year. Today it almost came back and bit him in the rear.

These last few games are making me believe in my nightmare scenario: the Saints dominate a bunch of crappy teams in the regular season and then do poorly in the playoffs. I guess if someone has to beat us, it might as well be the out of conference New Englanders. But I’m genuinely concerned that we are so mistake prone, so inefficient, and again unable to really close out games effectively on offense. The offense has been leaning on the defense too much and now players are getting injured. The offense really needs to step up and dominate the time of possession in a more efficient fashion.

So frustrated. I feel like we’ve lost every game since playing the Giants.

You guys need to reset your expectations. We’re not going to blow out every team.

a few thoughts:

1. I said it during the game, but sloppy, sloppy sloppy. Turnovers and penalties have got to get locked down. That’s why this was a game. Colston doesn’t fumble and we’re not popping zantac with 30 seconds left.
2. My boy David Thomas looked good today, huh?
3. I generally defend Payton, but he did make some inexplicable decisions today. Not least of which was benching Bush for the last 15 minutes. Bush was running with the kind of purpose we’ve been asking for, so we reward him by … putting in Bell (who had an uninspiring effort).
4. Brees wasn’t good today, which was a big part of our issues. He made some bad decisions and missed some throws that he usually makes. I have to believe that won’t last.
5. G-dub is the FRICKING MAN. Playing with no Ellis, 1/4 of our secondary and Gay looking like Fred Thomas and Jason David rolled into one, he found a way to stifle the rams O in the second half. I think we’ll have to start giving serious consideration to who we hire to replace him next year when he gets a HC job.
6. We’re in a slump, no doubt about it. We were flying high for the first 4-5 weeks and we’ve slid. In previous incarnations of the Saints, this would signal the beginning of a season long swoon. I do not believe that this is one of those teams. I think this team is different. Despite our struggles, we are 9-0. The good news is that we’re slumping now and not in late December. That gives us time to get healthy and right the ship for the stretch run. I’d much rather lose 2 ganes in the next 5 weeks, than lose in the 1st round of the playoffs.

a few thoughts:

1. I said it during the game, but sloppy, sloppy sloppy. Turnovers and penalties have got to get locked down. That’s why this was a game. Colston doesn’t fumble and we’re not popping zantac with 30 seconds left.
2. My boy David Thomas looked good today, huh?
3. I generally defend Payton, but he did make some inexplicable decisions today. Not least of which was benching Bush for the last 15 minutes. Bush was running with the kind of purpose we’ve been asking for, so we reward him by … putting in Bell (who had an uninspiring effort).
4. Brees wasn’t good today, which was a big part of our issues. He made some bad decisions and missed some throws that he usually makes. I have to believe that won’t last.
5. G-dub is the FRICKING MAN. Playing with no Ellis, 1/4 of our secondary and Gay looking like Fred Thomas and Jason David rolled into one, he found a way to stifle the rams O in the second half. I think we’ll have to start giving serious consideration to who we hire to replace him next year when he gets a HC job.
6. We’re in a slump, no doubt about it. We were flying high for the first 4-5 weeks and we’ve slid. In previous incarnations of the Saints, this would signal the beginning of a season long swoon. I do not believe that this is one of those teams. I think this team is different. Despite our struggles, we are 9-0. The good news is that we’re slumping now and not in late December. That gives us time to get healthy and right the ship for the stretch run. I’d much rather lose 2 ganes in the next 5 weeks, than lose in the 1st round of the playoffs.

… the dome they were playing in wasn’t ours, it was the other team’s. Yeah, we made some mistakes, but the Rams were giving everything they had and we still won. Steven Jackson is arguably the best RB in the league. The guy was phenomenal to watch, yet we still found a way to shut him down in the second half for the most part.

This was a road win, not pretty, but a good, hard-fought game by both teams.

I was scratching my head a bit when Bulger was obviously sacked on their first series and Payton didn’t throw the red flag. Why he was going soft on the Rams is anyone’s guess, but I think the reason the game was close was mostly his fault.

And we must remember, too, that our early season blowouts were due the fact that we were fresh out of the box. Now that some tape has accumulated on our offense, we can expect that teams are going to know a lot better how to play us. Let’s just hope Payton can stay ahead of the curve.

He played phenomenal. PT and Bell averaged about 3.6 yards between the two of them. Bell got the nod in the 4th quarter. I think PT got a few plays and Bush got 0. Bush was sitting there, waiting for his oppurtunity to go back into the game. It didn’t come. Bush looked dejected in the 4th quarter. Can you blame him though? Give your best rusher for the day the ball. Reggie is running with a purpose and Payton is wasting that. Brees looked ok. Better than the past couple games but not by much. We are turning the ball over way too much right now. Gay has got to be yanked as the nickel. How is that not apparent? Jenkins has shown some promise and I know you didn’t get him with our first pick to just let him sit the bench alot. He should’ve been our nickel to begin with. Gay just doesn’t cut it. How bout Usama???? He played a helluva game! A big pick that was very Sharperesque and quite a few big hits that were very Harper like. I think we found our future safety. Crappy game. I just didn’t feel into it untill about 5 minutes before halftime. Maybe that’s because I woke up late. Anyways, lots to improve upon. We all know a win is a win but it’s not always as cut and dry as that. We win sloppy and against alot of teams, we lose that game. Payton’s playcalling has got to be better. I don’t mind throwing on 3rd down but make it a better route to throw to. like a screen or PA pass. Also, Eckel on 4th? Seriously? Bell or whoever the RB was would’ve had it on the pitch to the outside too, imo. Hope Porter isn’t out for the season but I see ppl throwing out ACL. Move Jenkins to the #2 spot in his place. Sure, he’ll make some mistakes b/c he’s a rookie but better than a vet getting beat like Gay has been.

Turnovers, a running game/play calling that failed to close the game out easily for us, and injuries. GREAT TEAMS either don’t have these things happen in the first place, or ride them out/overcome them when they do. Time will tell if we are a GREAT TEAM, or just lucky or good for part of the season.

But, we’re 9-0 and just maybe these things will get cleaned up.

It must be noted that Payton held himself in check and did not challenge Colston’s goal-line fumble…that’s worth something, isn’t it?

when I read Dave’s headline, I took it as meaning

The Re- “GAAAAA!!!!”-aissance (GAAAA!!! was typed and screamed many times last season as our secondary gave up big play after big play), not the REGGIE BUSH “Reg”-aissance.

Bush had an awesome game – nice work, Reg!

don’t feel as mad as I was about Shawn Payton earlier, Belichick wasted a pair of time outs also

ANYTHING

…to get into a slump. They will fix the mistakes. Injuries are another matter but lets see, and they will adjust to those too

A win is a win… Stop whining… it looks some of you guys are more worried we slip in the rankings than anything else. I bet it is the same guys who were calling a blowout in the poll the other day. What is it… if it is not by 20 points you dont like your win… You are pathetic…

and being happy only that we escaped with a win seems to be more concerned about how we “rank” than our actual performance.

I don’t think it’s pathetic at all to be concerned with how we played against the WORST TEAM IN FOOTBALL. The Rams have won one game in the past 18—against the Lions. AND they needed a trick play to do that. But somehow they drop 23 points on us? How can a real fan NOT be concerned about that?

Injuries are at the heart of the issue with regard to the defense (and I think that’s why we’ve struggled these last few games), but there haven’t been any serious injuries to our offense that explain why, say, we’ve committed 10 turnovers in 3 games. Of course I’m glad we’re finding ways to win games despite these mistakes, but to say that you can write off all these mounting problems as something that we “will fix” is naive at best.

Don’t get me wrong— i’m glad we’re 9-0, but did anyone expect us to lose this game? I can’t say I’m excited that we barely got out of St Louis with a win.

Had actually been our first four games, and then we got on a roll and did our 5-game power wins to take us into week 11?

Would we feel any better about our team’s playoff/super bowl hopes?

Should it make a difference?

Good lord, folks. Take a deep breath. Our defense was hurting coming into the game. Without Ellis and Sharper, you expected the defense to operate in the same manner as it had coming in? I was not the least bit surprised by Steven Jackson’s success, and the resulting moderate success of the Rams entire offense. It was a decent win considering all the mistakes, and players that needed to step up while others struggled did so. Greg Williams will adjust to the personnel he has available and right the ship. I think the past 2 months would’ve earned these guys a little more trust. Don’t try to disguise pessimism with realism. This is uncharted waters for a lot of Saints fans, but as they say, “act like you’ve been here before.” Struggles don’t mean inevitable doom. Guess people jump ship as fast as they hop bandwagons.