Dallas Cowboys 24 @ New Orleans Saints 17: The View from Section 140
by Dave Cariello on Dec 20, 2009 6:00 AM CST
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PrintI won't say I told you so. That would mean I think I'm better than you but I can assure you I am most certainly not. I'm hurting just as much as you right now, literally (I bruised my finger from clapping so hard during the comeback attempt) and figuratively. Even though it's only the first loss of the season for the Saints, it feels like the fourteenth. But I did acknowledge this week that the Saints haven't looked as swaggerific in recent weeks and, win or lose, this team had to put on an impressive performance against the Cowboys last night.
The Saints lost and I'm not impressed. Unfortunately, just like the tragic events of September 11th didn't guarantee the Yankees a World Series victory or the sudden death of wide receiver Chris Henry doesn't assure the Bengals a win this afternoon over the Chargers, neither does the 43 years of pain and suffering that Saints fans have had to endure mean that our team is destined to go undefeated or win the Super Bowl. It may feel like that some times, but it's just not the way it works. The New Orleans Saints and their fans aren't owed anything.
And maybe now that the blinding veil of perfection has been lifted we, the fans, can all look at the situation a bit more objectively. The Saints are a team on the decline. They're beat up, they're tired and their incredible luck with missed field goals isn't always going to be enough to win football games. Whether you like it or not, we're seeing the magic run out. The magic that in games past created perfectly timed turnovers, huge deficit comebacks and last minute touchdown drives.
I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, though, and believe it or not I don't think all is lost. Not by any means. In fact, I've got to agree with Bob Griese on this one and say that this is probably the best thing to happen to the Saints. The pressure is off now for the team and this loss at home should prove to every member of the squad that nothing should be taken for granted. As a certain CSC member said at the end of the second half open game thread...
Can't be hungry if you don't know what it's like to starve a little.
One last positive thought before we go to the usual bullets. If I had asked any of you in August what you thought the Saints final record would be, I'm sure all of you would have been in the 10-6 to 12-4 range. The Saints have already exceeded almost all expectations this year and New Orleans will get to host a divisional playoff game, guaranteed. This is a good football team. So take a step back and make sure to breath it all in.
But know that next week's game will be the deciding factor as to which direction this team is heading and what we can expect the rest of the way.
And now for the usual bullets:
- Here's an idea for the Superdome entertainment staff: Play all of the original and unique songs that local musicians have come up with this season before the game instead of the same Nickelback song I have to listen to on Magic 101.9FM at work every damn day.
- I don't know if this was the Saints first game on the NFL Network but it was definitely the first game I have ever attended that was broadcast by NFLN. Where was Pam Oliver?
- There were three Cowboy fans sitting to my left. All were very nice and respectful. One mocked the size of the Superdome scoreboard then showed me a picture of the now infamous scoreboard in Dallas that she had taken on her iPhone. It didn't even look real.
- Does this loss give any credence to the theory of the black pants and the all-black uniform?
- I'm not surprised that Payton all but abandoned the running game. The Saints got down so quickly they were forced to play catch-up from the very start. Given what we've seen from Payton in years past, his decision to put the game on Drew's shoulders should be no surprise. I can't say I honestly have any problem with that decision and I am usually first on that bandwagon.
- The only downside is that it's easy to defend against an offense when you know that they're going to pass.
- I'm also not surprised by the mediocre play of Mike McKenzie. What's I am more and more amazed by is the huge performance he managed to put together against the Patriots on Monday night. In retrospect I'm left wondering...where the hell did that come from?
- What can you say about the toughness of DeMarcus Ware, who less than a week ago was driven off the field in an ambulance.
- I won't say whether they favored any one team but there appeared to be quite a few missed penalties, particularly offensive and defensive pass interference.
- It could have been worse for the Saints if the Cowboys hadn't squandered more than a few opportunities. Definitely some dropped passes and some missed interceptions.
- If you're name was Thomas you had a decent night. Pierre Thomas, David Thomas and Thomas Morstead all had good performances despite the teams overall poor play.
- Thomas Morstead is probably the most consistent player on this roster.
- Another little nugget of info on Morstead: He drinks some weird, pink concoction on the sidelines out of an old bottled water. Looks like he mixes something with the water, maybe strawberry lemonade Crystal Light?
- Reggie averaged 29 yards per carry last night. Oh wait, he only had one carry. Why no more? Even though Bush pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, he was jogging on the sidelines and appeared ready to go.
- Anyone else find it ironic that In the second quarter, Drew was apologizing to Devery on the sidelines after giving up an interception on a severely under thrown ball to the receiver but then it was Henderson who owed an apology to Drew after dropping a sure touchdown in the end zone during the third quarter? Anyone?
- Overlooked in all this sadness is the fact that Drew Brees just became the New Orleans Saints all-time leader in touchdown passes. Aaron Brooks, move the hell over.
- Brand new fullback Marcus Mailei was getting an earful by a lot of his teammates on the bench.
- It was good to finally see a little bit of pressure. Will Smith is having a career year and continues to show why he's worth all of that money. Charles Grant...not so much. It's this radical difference of production on the other end of the line that is shining the spotlight that much brighter on Grant.
- I'm going to agree with the majority of Dallas fans on this one. Nick Folk needs to go.
- I've watched the Cowboys play on TV plenty of times and I know Tony Romo has a weird throwing motion but it really looks weirder in person. How does he throw like that?
- I am still seeing some weak tackling and the inability to wrap up opponents.
- The Superdome wasn't any louder than it normally is on any regular Sunday game. Give credit to the Cowboys who score early and completely took the crowd out of it. What was billed as being possibly one of the most intense Superdome atmospheres of all time was anything but.
- The Saints did give fans a run for their money. For a few minutes during the fourth quarter when the Saints started scoring there was definitely the feeling that they could possibly pull it off. After Bell ran in the touchdown and they were able to play the Ying Yang Twins, the crowd finally livened up. Folk's missed field goal kicked it into overdrive. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
- I'm not sure where the poor play of the offensive line came from; it was bad. That was a surprise to me. I know they were all listed on the injury report this week and maybe that plays a large part but they just weren't able to give Brees and help.
- The part I think I hate most about losing, even just this one game, is having to read stories like this or FanPosts like this. Give me a freakin' break. It's Drew Brees. Any day, any game, any year. Done.
Here is a photographic stroll through my evening. By request, I tried to include more pictures than usual. Enjoy.
Didn't happen.
Might have shown this to you guys before. It sits at the foot of the main ramp on Poydras St.
Elvis lives!
Field reporters before the game. I don't have NFL Network so I have no idea who these people are.
Brees and Co. warming up. That's Jazzfest producer Quint Davis in the foreground.
I swear they just pose for me.
They look like alien body snatchers when they're all lined up like that.
Wanna know why opposing kickers keep missing clutch, last-minute field goals? It's these ladies.
Poor woman has to go back to Iraq broke.
You know who this is.
Honoring some local teachers.
Pre-game introductions.
You guys know I'm pretty on top of everything Saints related but who the hell is Mailei?
Another day at the office.
Payton giving it to the officials.
Picture in picture.
Mascots in their Christmas outfits.
Are you okay, Reggie?
Stretch it out.
Vilma on the sidelines after getting shaken up.
Folk made this one.
The entire offense trying to figure out what's wrong.
Dude is catching a peek.
We're you getting worried I would break tradition?
This is literally three minutes after the game ended. These guys are already painting on the field logos for the New Orleans Bowl game. Unbelievable. They don't waste any time. Players are still praying at midfield.
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Cornerbacks and O-line
I’m not sure what the cornerbacks were covering? Jenkins has the worst footwork ever. He turns around completely on almost every route. If Romo just focused on whoever Jenkins covered the Cowboys would have scored more points.
Ware is a great player but it looked like Bushrod just wasn’t even trying a lot of the time. He didn’t engage the block. He probably needed help. On that last sack it looked like he was chipping Ware and then got out of the way. I’m pretty sure he just made a mistake on that one.
Wow, our tackling is just getting to be progressively worse. People are in position to make plays and they aren’t doing it.
The offense has once again sucked it up huge in the first half. They knew they couldn’t afford to do that against Dallas. I don’t know if it’s possible but I’d love to see Dallas again in the playoffs.
I think we really missed Shockey.
the bright side
As bummed as I am, the reality is the Saints played about as poorly as they possibly could, and the Cowboys put together a near-perfect game, easily their best game of the year (trust me on this, I live in Ft. Worth and have to hear it all the time). End result is that New Orleans almost pulled it out. While the opportunity to go 19-0 was a great dream, we all need to admit that it was fairly unrealistic. The pain of seasons past truly does not guarantee us anything, and this team is what it is. The injuries are ridiculous by now. When they list all the players out for the game, they don’t even mention the key players we’ve lost for the season (Brown, Miller, Evans, Clancy, Simoneau, Dunbar.) No team goes into the season trying to go undefeated. You want to win the division (did that), win home field (hopefully soon), and take the Super Bowl. All these are still within our reach. GO SAINTS!!!!!
Wonder if Drew pissed Bushrod off...
He sure didn’t look like he tried at all to sustain a block on almost every pressure coming off his side. I agree with the tackling. I see too much of this leaving the feet launching at the legs crap. If you knock the guy down, it looks pretty as all hell but tackling 101 says that is a no-no if you want to make a sure tackle. I mean do you guys see how sad it looks when every defender we have does that and the player with the ball just side steps or jumps a little and our defenders go sliding face first empty handed while the ball carrier is trucking it up field. I am really embarrassed about our team for this performance or better yet, total lack of.
WE held them to 3 points 2 qtr, 7 points 2nd half
the problem was 1st qtr defense and our offense. We needed to make defensive adjustments a little sooner.
"I think we agree, the past is over" - George W Bush
"The greatest enemy of knowlege is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge" Stephen Hawking
I think we will be fine.
When Porter came in we were like a different defense. When Greer comes back it will be even better. Jenkins and Mc Kenzie will be phenomenal as 3rd (nickel/dime) CBs at that point. Obviously we missed Sed, but after 1st qtr it seemed like Pressely and others did well. Need to bench Grant- he played better than usual but not good enough.
Losing Shockey killed us because it meant we lost our top TE AND our top FB because D Thomas couldn’t do FB much. We need new aquisition at FB to step it up over next few weeks. It’s a great opportunity for him, I think he might help once he learns the system.
"I think we agree, the past is over" - George W Bush
"The greatest enemy of knowlege is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge" Stephen Hawking
Jenkins
looks like he cannot cover. His footwork is awful and he doesn’t have amazing closing speed.
His tackling is usually pretty good
He’s a hard hitter and a good open-field tackler who had a poor night. It’s his coverage skills that aren’t up to snuff. I think we drafted us a first-round safety, guys.
Super Bowl 44: "If you play in this league and it's not your goal, there's something wrong with you." -- Marques Colston
safeties tackle better than that
we drafted a special teams player. He doesn’t fit anywhere. Tracy Porter was light years ahead of Jenkins during Porter’s rookie season.
nfl combine note on Jenkins:
Inconsistent taking on and getting off receiver blocks, and will hesitate to get to ballcarriers coming into his area. … Must prove he has the mental discipline needed to handle getting constantly challenged as a rookie after rarely being thrown at in college.
Needs work, no question.
This time, it's different.
I agree...
Jenkins did look horrible. I to notice that at the snap, Jenkins turns completely around to sprint downfield. His receiver only has to make a quick cut and Jenkins then has to turn back around and try to sprint back into position. This type of strategy surely isn’t working for him. I think he needs to be coached up better in his technique because his present play sure isn’t working. And while we are talking about coverage, can anybody tell me why on almost every third and short the cowboys had, our corners were lined up 10 to 12 yards from the line of scrimmage. Seems to me that those downs you want to challenge the receivers. You got 5 yards man, use it! Play aggressive. Get in their face and make some contact like you are allowed to. For one, you can throw the timing off between the QB and receiver and two sitting 10 to 12 yards back will only allow the QB to make an easy 5 yard throw on a quick slant or stop route and guess what 1st down. They did that all night. I understand not wanting the receivers to get behind coverage and possibly give up a quick score, but when you play such soft coverage like that, they will just slowly move the ball downfield and convert easy 3rd downs and eventually get the score. I am no football coach but damn, that carp surely wasn’t making it hard on Romo in 3rd down situations. All that green between the defenders and his receivers from the line of scrimmage and only needing a few yards to convert, no wonder why he looked like an frickin pro bowl QB.
On Point Exile
You echo my sentiments MtnExile. He almost looks like Jason David. I think he would better fit in as Safety. He can hit but cannot keep up with NFL recievers in one-on-one coverage in the corner position.
13-1
Saw the same game. I’m not ready to throw in my towel. This team is beat up every where. Makes me have more respect for teams of the past and present that have won 13 games. Looks like everybody in black and gold is playing with pain. Just hope by Jan. their in better shape. Either way, I’ll always have that black and gold soul.
OldFartFan
I'm so depressed I almost didnt even want to come to this blog or think about football this week
One thing is perfectly clear from this game we need a left tackle Bushrod stunk up the joint last night
Demarcus Ware is an animal and treated Bushrod like a rookie whats going to happen if we face the Vikes and Jared Allen
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 20, 2009 7:00 AM CST reply actions
Ware
Not only did he come through virtually untouched but he has a phenomenal move where he smashes the qb into the ground. I don’t know how Drew didn’t get injured.
No telling how Ware was even able to play
It couldn’t have been as bad as people said.
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
It's worse then you can imagine
Ware was unstoppable he should have been double treamed allnight
even when he was double teamed we missed him
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 20, 2009 7:10 AM CST up reply actions
Talking about his "injury"
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
Payton and O line coach missed it
Either they were not on the same page or both totally had brain farts because they could not figure out the Cowboys methods of blitzing. They had Drew needing more than two eyes in this one. He needed two more guys back there to watch his flanks because Dallas surely was getting the pressure on him. Hard to throw when you’re having to move around so much in the pocket to avoid untouched or hardly touched blitzing defenders; well scratch that because there wasn’t much of a pocket, Dallas ate up the pocket on most pass plays. Sad thing is, I read the blog on Payton Manning and people saying that he is now the man for MVP. I say this, even though Manning is the man when it comes to 2 minute game winning drives, put him behind our O-line in that game and even he could have not done much better. Poor Brees.
but i thot he was back in the game after that play? No way he’d have been back in if he pulled a hammy.
it looked like a cramp to me. i’ve pulled a hammy and you dont just stretch it out and jog a little on the sideline.
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 20, 2009 7:46 PM CST up reply actions
tweak
I think he prolly just got a minor tweak. I did that a while back playing ball. I could play the rest of the day but want 100 percent. He stretched it out and prolly could have given a little more in the game, but Sean P didn’t want him to worsen the leg.
have to say ididnt think we woud do it at the end without timeouts
anyone think payton used up 2 timeouts unnessecarily?
13-1 is great lets just get DFA ahead of the vikes..
Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.
DANNY BLANCHFLOWER
I thought he did okay
You use them early or late. Either way you have a chance to stop the clock. I think it’s better to do it the way Payton did because you can control the clock with first downs followed by spikes or incomplete passes. It would have been worse if we needed to change out personnel for a field goal but that wasn’t the case.
by xen-cuts on Dec 20, 2009 8:04 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
ok i hear you , i think he knew quite a long way out that it wasnt going to be
a field goal to tie the game.. i just thought even having one time out in the bag in the last minute would have made a huge differnce..
anyway i slept before the game got up especially at 3am here to watch it and then went back to bed , maybe i dreamed the whole thing..
13-1 , lets hope for the vikes to mess up today..
Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.
DANNY BLANCHFLOWER
Jenkins was awful
And missed tackles are killing us. I’ve got 5th graders that tackle better than that.
I heard a guy on NFLN this past week say that our defense had gone from being explosive and aggressive to a “bend but don’t break” defense. When he said that, I couldn’t believe it was true. I convinced myself that they were playing up or down to the teams they were facing, doing just enough to win the game. After last night’s game, I can’t believe that any longer. I’m not sure if it’s the injuries. It feels like there’s something else going on there, but I don’t know what.
What happened to Reggie? I could have sworn it was just a cramp. He was stretching out like crazy and jogging on the sideline? He couldn’t have been doing that if it was an injury, right? Why didn’t he come back in?
I agree that next week’s game is hugely important in showing where this team is going from here.
Ugh, sorry for rambling. I’m completely bummed out by what I saw last night. It’s gonna be a long day.
Forget the nickel and dime, you'd better bring a half- dollar to deal with this team.--Tony Moss, NFL editor
We understand, believe me.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:39 PM CST up reply actions
Its hard to be agressive with out top notch CBs playing tight.
When Greer comes back so will the agression. Its also happering Sharpers plays. He cant freelance because he has to play over the top more with Jenkins and Gay out there. He was able to freelance more because he knew those guys werent going to give up many plays.
KICK ASS every day!!!
That was suppose to read hampering as in restricting. I will proof read one day.
KICK ASS every day!!!
bend but don't break...
I agree with the NFLN guy. They have fallen back into that mindset. It goes with what I posted up top about corners lining up 10 to 12 yards off the line on 3rd and short. Problem is these guys have played aggressive all year on defense and had truly believed in that approach and played with that mindset, but seems like the loss of Porter and Greer and bam, that mindset changed. I heard all year long from Williams and the defensive players that they want to dictate to the offense what’s going to happen. And you could tell that they believed that. But now, doesn’t seem so and it shows. The D is getting handled and has been for these past few weeks. They have to get back to playing tough football or it will be a short playoff stint.
Alright
I’m offically pulling for cowless cowboys from here on out. That right I said it! I want them to come back to the Dome so we can beat them so bad Tony will want to stay .Then we can kick his ass out the door!!!!!!!!!!!!
by KilnBill on Dec 20, 2009 8:55 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
me, too.
I want to beat them so badly now. Romo sucks. Austin sucks. Ware is overrated. We have to come ready to play.
Listen guys, you got to give credit where credit is due and DeMarcus Ware is not overrated
I agree with you on Romo and Austin
by AKAY47 on Dec 20, 2009 8:57 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Ha
“ware is overrated”???? that is some good smoke you got there. that dude is easily a top 5 pass rusher in the nfl. and you don’t ever see him take plays off like peppers. Matt Millen actually had a good quote about ware “he just beat bushrod like a drum”
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 20, 2009 7:50 PM CST up reply actions
Take it for
what it’s worth. But I would’nt. Alot of peoples been beating Bushrod like a drum.By the way , are you quoting " Matt the loser Millen". GEEEEEEZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!
yep. millen is probly one of the worst football evaluators in the nfl and even he could see that bushrod was a chump
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 22, 2009 1:34 AM CST up reply actions
This is the loss the 2007 Patriots could have used
Maybe you guys will cruise from here. :)
I actually like the Saints, so I’m not just being patronizing. That would be awesome if that happens (as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the Cowboys).
2009 Dallas Cowboys: 10-6
2009 New York Jets: not 11-5 :(
2009-2010 Dallas Mavericks: 57-25
My dad and his brothers all are a die-hard cowboys fan, but they haven't nagged me about the game yet..
and you’re all super classy, Cowboys are in my top 3 teams, good luck to you guys too and just for your sake, you better pray we don’t see you guys in the playoffs :)
On any other night I would have agreed. Although I’d say top 10 but close enough. Saints, Bengals, Indy, whoever beats the Steelers that week, whoever beats the Falcons that week, Cowboys somewhere in the next few.
But when they’re playing us, they go to #30. Right in front of Atlanta and Pittsburgh. When/if they come back, if we don’t beat them by 30+ I’ll be quite disappointed. As long as we win I’ll go “better than the alternative” but I want a complete whooping.
Sharper's really showing his age these last couple of games..
I credit Mickey Loomis on only signing him to a 1 year deal, now we can move Malcolm Jenkins to safety next year and draft Navorro Bowman, a stud OLB, solidifying our D… Malcolm hasn’t showed me much this year, but I hear he’s more of a cover corner than a man-to-man corner, so maybe moving him to safety would be our best bet. People were saying that Gregg Williams would be getting a head coaching job and I can guarantee you that after these couple of games, he’ll be back next year as our D Coordinator (good thing for us, anyone’s an upgrade over Gary Gibbs lol).
I don’t really have anything else to say, we got outplayed, outcoached, outworked and the Henderson drop was huge, I’ll tell you guys that much, never really liked the guy but that’s because I’m a Meachem fan. Oh and I said this in an earlier thread, but I’ll say it again, before the Cowboys game I was OK with letting Jammal Brown leave to free agency, but now we need to re-sign him, Jermon Bushrod has held up nicely but he just doesn’t have that extra little edge in him. O-line didn’t look good, but maybe the extra day off will let everyone relax and get their fresh legs back. Maybe Sean Payton should give them like a whole week off, look at the way DeMarcus Ware played without practice all week, the guy was a monster and he is a beast, I think he’s the defensive player of the year. We would’ve won this game if he was injured, nuff said
WHO DAT BABY!! Finishing 15-1! home field advantage and wanting more! let’s go boys
well...
Despite:
-losing the turnover battle 3-0
-terrible defensive play
-below average offensive play
we only lost by a touchdown to an good (not great) team. I think that speaks a lot to the quality of this team.
I also think 15-1 is a lock. No F-ing way they lose in Carolina now.
let's keep this in perspective
our defense only gave up a field goal and one td in the last 3 qtrs. They played a terrible 1st qtr. Adjustments were made and it worked. The offense just didn’t do well. But consider this, if Devery Henderson doesn’t drop the ball in the end zone, we have a different game!!
If a defense limits a team to 10 points in 3 qtrs. , it should be able to limit them to 17 pts for the game which would have been a good effort. They didn’t. They stunk up the 1st qtr.
I really think the problem when Sed is out and Greer is out is that Hargrove and Grant just aren’t good enough on the line and Gay is not good enough in the backfield. But, I think Pressley in the game and Hargrove moved over for Grant works better. Also, Porter is much better than Gay. We have him back now and he seemed to have played well.
"I think we agree, the past is over" - George W Bush
"The greatest enemy of knowlege is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge" Stephen Hawking
Perspective?
I hope you see now Phil what I was trying to tell you before about this offense. Forget about the defense. Read my post titled “BIG LOSS TO DALLAS – WHAT SAY YOU?”. This offense is not consistent and that’s not good. Lets deal with reality my fellow Saints fan!
didn't gay get hurt early anyway?
our defense didn’t lose this game. 3 points in 3 quarters lost us this game. i don’t care who is hurt or whatever. dallas has the #3 offense in the nfl there is no way we can hold them to less than 3 points, so drew and company needed to get it together.
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 20, 2009 7:54 PM CST up reply actions
hard to overcome a huge lead by being balanced...
Down by two touchdowns by the end of the first quarter and also going into the half. Down by three touchdowns going into the forth quarter. There is only so much time to play in a football game and when your D lets the other team score at will, it’s a little hard to play balanced football. The run game at one point early had to be for the most part, taken out of the game plan because long sustained drivers will get you points, but will use up a lot of time and when your D is one the filed letting Dallas score at will, seems very hard to catch up without running out of time. Therefore it got very easy for Dallas to play D knowing that we had to throw the ball all the time and had to become one dimensional. That makes it hard on any offense. Now I agree the offense was very frustrating and needed to play better, but I can not look past the D for being the main reason we lost the game.
WAKE UP CALL FOR SP
Love what the guy has done for us, but do feel he just might be over play making. Looks like they need to stick to what works for them.
OldFartFan
your missing a couple
dont forget greer and will smith…they are also important to this defense. maybe even sharper too but after the past 3 games i dont think he is still drinking from the fountain of youth. we need to move jenkins to safety next season and put greer and porter at corner and gay in the slot.
by saintfever09 on Dec 20, 2009 10:25 AM CST up reply actions
i think sharper will get back to early season form when greer comes back. with porter and greer in the game it allows sharper to be a playmaker.
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 20, 2009 7:57 PM CST up reply actions
agree
I posted a comment not long ago about that. Sharper is no spring chicken so he can not physically hold up to coverage. He is very smart and puts himself in position to make plays, but when he has to worry about helping both corners cover one man, he can’t have the luxury of being that play maker. He has to constantly focus on both sides of the field and the receivers pulling away from our corners.
by narco301 on Dec 21, 2009 10:33 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
What's up with GW
I don’t get what GW is doing. He keeps using the same agressive blitz, attack the ball scheme that teams have caught on too. That’s why we give up so many big plays. Idk why he won’t adjust his style but it finally came back to haunt us. We haven’t got a lot of pressure on anybody the last few weeks. And we were still blitzing and giving up plays. We could’nt stop the run when blitzing. I have heard that GW is arrogant and I didn’t believe it at first. But now I do. SP really needs to talk to him fast. I know Ellis was out but even last week and before we have been beat doen by the run and big plays. We need someone to convince GW to take someonelse’s advice quick. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, we know he has turned our D around but know he needs to switch it up.
13-1
I’ll take it and get ready for a playoff run
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 20, 2009 9:36 AM CST reply actions
agreed
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 20, 2009 11:20 AM CST up reply actions
THANKS
Thanks to all the people that take the time to post ake Saintsational ect. for behind the scene for us people that live away. I personally enjoy ya’ll coments and pictures. Thanks
OldFartFan
Sorry guys
Cowboys ended your perfect season and officially kicked us out of the playoffs, the bastards. Good luck the rest of the way.
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Closet falcon fan
Thanks for the comment have always pulled for Birds once the
Thanks for the comment have allways been a fan after saints were no shows. Atl.s org. got it sooner than NO but now I feel we’re both there now finally. Injury’s knocked ya’ll down, nothing else.
OldFartFan
thats classy
thanks for the well wishes Dave…it means alot. good luck to you guys in the offseason and next season. this loss hurt…it hurt really bad. i will be the first to admit that i cried last night as the final 6 seconds ticked off the clock when tony romo took the knee. i hope that we see these cowboys again in the playoffs. then we can show them what was supposed to happen last night. we will do what the pats did in ’07…18-1 IS IN OUR FUTURE BOYS! THIS CITY…THIS STATE…THIS DREAM DESERVES TO SEE THE SAINTS FINALLY SUCCEED IN THIS LEAGUE!!!!!!!! IT WILL HAPPEN!!!! WHO DAT WHO DAT WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS!!!!! AND THANK YOU MR. UNKNOWN WHO DAT FOR BEING THERE FOR US!!!! WE WILL DO THIS FOR YOU AND FOR THE ENTIRE WHO DAT NATION!!!!!!!
by saintfever09 on Dec 20, 2009 10:22 AM CST up reply actions
Thanks Falconer!
I knew it was too good to be true…the Falcoholics and Who Dats uniting in cheering for our team this weekend.
:(
dont forget guys
dont forget what it took for the cowboys to beat the saints:
1) brees on an off day
2) the offensive line asleep during the game
3) injuries to jeremy shockey and reggie bush on offense.
4) injuries to sedrick ellis, jabari greer, and randall gay on defense.
5) the cowboys playing their best game of the season…seriously…if they played the way they normally do, we still wouldve beaten them.
6) demarcus ware…he was lucky to play.
Sorry about the loss guys. I was hoping for an epic comeback.
I’m very sorry this streak had to end, but just time for a new one. Good luck the rest of the way.
We can still achieve our goals
Goal number 1: Get home field advantage, we don’t want to be traveling up to an east coast venue or Minn for the NFC Championship game
Goal Number 2: Be healthy when the playoffs start: If Greer can come back and Ellis gets healthy the D should be ready to go. Lets also put Young in for Sharper for spot duty during these last two games so D Sharp. is fresh for the playoff run. On offense, it showed last night the importance of Shockey, Thomas is not the same TE and outside WR were blanketed all night because Dallas was not worried about covering the middle.
Goal Number 3: Improved pass rush, McCray, Grant, Smith, Hargrove, need to get a pass rush going over these last two games. We are getting killed when bringing the blitz the last couple of games. If the secondary is not going to be healthy then we will need to rush four and have as many guys covering as possible:
This it fellas, we still control our own destiny, WHO DAT!!!!
by SpindianSaints on Dec 20, 2009 10:56 AM CST reply actions
Yo if Minny wins tonight, are they leading the NFC for home field?
Or do we still have a game on them no matter what happens tonight
we are still 1 game up no matter what
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 20, 2009 11:22 AM CST up reply actions
Good game NO
This loss maybe a good thing for the Saints. Now they will refocus and be a better team for it. I thought the whole game y’all would come back and win . After Folk blew the last FG I was almost sure Dallas would lose. Good luck for the rest of the year. If Dallas can’t win the SB I hope the Saints do.
How bout dem Frogs!!!!
I don't think the pressure is that much off now!
Now they have to worry about keeping that number 1 seed away from Minnesota!
Why Do People Question The Vikings' Status?
by UnBannedVikingholic on Dec 20, 2009 12:17 PM CST reply actions
Appreciate the shoutout, Saintsational.
Brees gonna throw down the Saints... Wide open Devery Henderson! Nobody's within twenty yards of him! He could do the backstroke into the end zone from there! And he'll take it in for a seventy-five yard touchdown strike!
by Joseph William Stern on Dec 20, 2009 12:40 PM CST reply actions
I NO DATS RITE
My first feeling of woe was at the beginning of the game when they came out in black on black. Before the the 3 and outs. Before the 14-0 in the first quarter. It should always be BLACK and GOLD! PERIOD. Why is it so difficult to figure out?
Loved the Pics. Were you front row or sidelines? You got different angles of stuff, which is why I ask.
Sorry for the loss guys, but anyone who has been on a team threatening undefeated, they tell you its MUCH better to lose a game or two right before playoffs. Lets the players know they are human and keeps them motivated. Still ended up being one of the most entertaining games of the year.
There are no good losses, but this was a good one. No reason to get panicky. Not like you’ve lost 5 in a row. And the last one to the Browns. sigh
Temporary Saints fan.
front row
took one of the pictures on my way up to the bathroom. good catch.
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by Dave Cariello on Dec 20, 2009 1:12 PM CST up reply actions
Bs non-calls
If you consider the number of bs non-calls on dallass pass interference…you could easily see the saints winning this game. We were about a play away and we played one of our worst games of the year. Take that to da bank, dallass.
by xen-cuts on Dec 20, 2009 5:08 PM CST via mobile reply actions
agreed
There’s no excuse for a lot of what happened last night…the defense, the turnovers, etc., but there’s nothing worse than the officials handicapping you with their calls (or lack thereof).
Man I hope we can come out and put a sh*t stomping on Tampa next week to get back on schedule. Next week will show what kind of character this team has.
What do you expect?
The Cowboys have always been and will likely always be NFL darlings. The league makes more money when they win, so the officiating is going to favor them always.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:47 PM CST up reply actions
I think that's why I hate Dallas
I really am sick of them and have always been. I think that’s why I hurt so much from this loss. If our Saints would have won this game and lost next week to Tampa, I would have not been as upset. Even though Dallas is a way better team than Tampa, I still would not be this upset. It was killing me seeing Romo smiling so much during this game. I do give credit to Dallas for playing a seriously near perfect game (except for their kicker) I’m man enough to do that even though I hate that team. But with that said, I am getting over it slowly but surely. I now have to focus on this…It may have been for the better. With all the luck these last few games and things out of the Saints’ hands happening to allow them to stay in the games and pull off a win, I hope that this shows, really shows the players that luck will not always be on their side and they are not destined to win. They have to take that win! A little humility can take you a long way. The big head always pops the loudest. Not saying that any of our players or coaches got that way, but if any of them did, this will certainly nock their asses back down to earth and show them that they have to fight hard, execute hard, and play hard from start to finish to secure anything that resembles a win because it will not come easy and WILL not be given to them. Hopefully our team (coaches and players) will realize that we have weaknesses and the good teams will exploit them and take that win from us. They have to be man enough to realize the problems before they can fix them, smart enough to figure out how to fix them, and talented enough to compensate for those weaknesses that can not be totally fixed with stepping up their strengths. That’s what championship teams do and that’s what the Saints need to do. They are championship caliber. I believe that with all my heart and I know they do to, but they have to play every down from hear on out with that belief and prove it on every down.
When your 13-0 you got more than your fair share of calls.
I was listening to Hokie and Henderson and they both said the calls against the saints and for the Cowboys were good calls. One was a tangle up and McKenzie jumped in front of RW on his route. Thats a good veteran move but its really a passive hit. He looked like he was going to get beat(he was) and jumped in front of his route pass the 5 yards allowed.
KICK ASS every day!!!
yeah, I was in such a deep funk at that point in the game that I thought MM was faked by the double move and stumbled into the guy, so it shouldn't be PI
Well, all I can say is that it was not pretty on the field, not pretty on my TV screen, and not pretty in my living room (I was yelling and cursing and screaming at the TV, the refs, the players, etc.). My wife had to leave the room.
"In the end, the bread was in the pudding." -- Bobby McCray
Shop as usual, and avoid panic buying.
Feels like a funeral...
That was tough to witness…I think the hardest part was watching the magic that had been there all season seemingly wear off.
I was watching with my Bears fan friend and he even noted the non calls in the Cowboys favor, and the calls that went against the Saints. Seems as though despite being (at the time) 13-0 and at home, the Saints haven’t earned any favors. It was pretty evident to my eyes who the officials wanted to see win that game. Two non-pass interference calls in particular could have changed a lot.
I’m definitely bummed out. I hope they can get the magic back, because come playoff time, we’re going to need it. Oh and a little health would go a long way as well.
Now we see
Jenkins needs to be coached up or helped out or something, cause he ain’t quite ready yet, The O line needs a gut check especially on the left side, Reggie needs better conditioning, and maybe just maybe we need to stop reading our own head lines. And I can’t believe that Payton didn’t try some sort of trick play, onside kick or something to get a quick spark. I usually hate em unless they work, but I think we needed to try something last night.
Ok now with that said onward and upward as we march on to the Superbowl Doing what we wanna the way we do what we do Who Dat style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E1VBCcA76E
you are correct
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by Dave Cariello on Dec 20, 2009 9:34 PM CST up reply actions
I think they oughta call it the Gumbo Bowl.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:52 PM CST up reply actions
Big time deja vu.
When Folk doinked it, I was like, whoa! this is just like the ‘Skins game! We’re gonna win it in overtime! But, D-Ware wasn’t having none of that. And you gotta admit, Romo was sensational (for a change). He was excellent at avoiding, evading, and finding his receivers. You can say this or that why we lost, but the fact is….
… it was the black pants.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:50 PM CST reply actions
Makes 'em look like a bunch of Vietnamese rice farmers.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:51 PM CST reply actions
BTW...
… I saw a bunch of player’s cars pulling out of Airline Drive after the second set of games today. One of them did a pretty good peel-out. I wonder if they were just watching today’s games or already watching tape for next week. I wonder if somebody was showing off or pissed off. The latter, I hope. They need to get pissed off at themselves for blowing it and start playing like they really want it again.
The only thing worse than losing is not winning.
by Tigernut on Dec 20, 2009 9:56 PM CST reply actions
Magic number = 1
Thanks to the Panthers! The Saints lost to an 8-5 (now 9-5) team that is fighting for its life to make it as a WILDCARD team; the Vikings just rolled over and played dead in front of a 5-8 (now 6-8) team that has nothing to play for but the POTENTIAL TO BE A .500 BALLCLUB. Further, the Saints were actually in their game until almost the very last play, while the Vikings were essentially out of it by the beginning of the 4th quarter, and ended up losing by 3 scores.
Color me unhappy with Saturday night, but overall, very positive about things.
My observations:
1. The Saints looked FLAT out of the gate, didn’t turn it on until about mid-way through the 4th quarter. Can’t do that anymore.
2. It took the Saints WORST effort and the Cowboys BEST effort for the game to end like it did, and we STILL almost pulled it out with a last minute effort. Imagine if they’d given that effort from the opening kickoff? (they’d damn well better from now on, because it MATTERS more each game)
3. Porter being back made a difference. Getting Greer and Ellis back will get the defense back to where they should be, IMO. I’m sure that’s the plan, and if it works out, I see good things.
4. How cool is it that beating the New Orleans Saints MADE the season for the Dallas Cowboys? Listen to their fans, it was like they won a Super Bowl Saturday night! The Saints are the cream of the NFC for sure right now, and possibly the best team in the NFL – no doubts. When they’re “on” they are unbeatable. The APEX of the Cowboys season was Saturday night, especially if they finish the season dropping the last two games and fall out of the playoffs.
Finally, nothing P!$$3$ me off more than losing to this pack of bragging bigmouthed jerks. If they do make the playoffs, I really hope they come back to visit us in the ’Dome and we flatten them when it MATTERS.
Irony: An atheist Saints fan.
Cowboy fans have high respect for good footballl and the Saints have been playing about as good as you can play.
Our joy has to do more with having a chance to make the playoffs. We have no hate for yall. Your team history is dismal as far as winning. We are happy we beat a good team.
Saints fans should act more like they been here before. All teams fans have jerks but some of the Saints jerks have really been coming out. Its a shame because most of the country is pulling for you guys after their own teams.
I work in NO(Im from Dallas) and live 60 miles down(SW) the road. Been here since 80 and pull for the Saints. You took the Cowboys for a joke and disrespected them. You got your ass handed to you. Cant do that in this league.
KICK ASS every day!!!
A little bit of overreaction
You own radio show said the Cowboys had no chance to win. The Cowboys fans said that the team had no chance to win. Tony Dungy said no chance. Only two NFL columnists at ESPN picked the Cowboys. And your owner is very polarizing. I don’t see how you can say it’s disrespectful. People jump on board with the Saints but they don’t do that with the Cowboys for some really distinct reasons.
As a fan, it’s hard to come out and say that you think the opposing team has a chance. It’s further difficult when Cowboy fans try to rub in their win after the game.
I will say that the Cowboy team looked very intense in this game. They were WAY more on their game than the Saints were. The Saints went through the motions for the entire game. The Saints had calls go against them (or noncalls) that were just amazing. I’m pretty bitter about the way this game was officiated. I think the Saints deserved to lose because they didn’t show up but I still think that they should have won the game and were the obvious better team on the field despite having half their starters injured. If that makes me a disrespectful fan for the Cowboys, I don’t know what to tell you. It was a good game and Ware OWNED the Saints o-line. Austin is also deceivingly fast/good.
Dallas media isnt like the media here. They always run down the media.
It of course, infuriates the fans who visit their site more to bitch and complain.
Go back and reread this post and the last few and forget you are 13-1. You will see so much complaining on here about your lines, DC, OC, HC, DBs, Running game, Special teams,Reggie, ect.. Their is a great amount of complaining about a team that is 13-1. Go though 10+ of tanking in December and you wont find a lot of fans thinking they have a chance of winning either.
I went to the predictions post(I made one too, loss for us) and the number of fans who predicted 40 and 50 points scored by you guys blew me a way. I have never ever predicted scoring 40 or 50 points on opponent even in our 90s heyday. I think I did over react some but still it that felt like the fans had no respect for us.
KICK ASS every day!!!
Don't sweat it, it's impossible to proof on here
Yeah I thought this was a difficult matchup for the Saints. Every weakness that the Saints have is a strength of Dallas and it showed to some extent. And yet the Saints still looked like they could pull out a victory. I take that as a positive. But our injury situation is finally exposed in full with this loss.
Some of the complaining, at least from me, is based on the large number of shaky victories that we have. Barely pulling out wins over Washington and a banged up Atlanta team is not acceptable if we want to win a sooperbowl.
I don't think any fan took the Cowboys for a joke
Saints fans have been saying all the while leading up to this game that the Cowboys will be a challenge. I don’t like the Cowboys because of this America’s team crap. The Saints are my team. The Cowboys are yours. I’m an American and love my Saints. I find the Cowboys arrogant. I dislike arrogance. And a little side note, clarify "been here before". Do you mean we should act like we have been this good before and so close to perfection, well we can’t because we haven’t before. Or do you mean act like we have lost before, because believe me we have been there before, to many times. Difference is, our losses in the past have been deserving because it goes to what I said above, we have never been this good before and that makes it worse because we are too good to get blown out like this. You guys are a good team, I believe that but the Saints this year are much better and didn’t play like it Sat. night. That is what’s so hard to swallow and that’s what angers us. Maybe the players and coaches did look past yall and didn’t give yall the credit yall deserved but I know for a fact no real Saints fan did. We all knew that the Saints would have to show up and play ball to beat you guys. They didn’t and yall did. Congratulations, I mean that. You guys didn’t look past the Saints and wanted it more and played harder, you deserve the win. But it doesn’t make the poor play by our team seem less evident and easier to take knowing that we were well capable of beating you guys and should have.
See my above post. I
I think at this time you guys are the better team. Whats funny is having watched every Saint and Cowboy game the last upteen years is the similarities between the teams. I see Romo and Garretts learning curve together the same as Brees and Paytons only Romo and Garrett are a year or 2 behind. i have told many of my Saints fans of this and they laugh thinking Romo isnt worthy of being in the same conversation as Brees. I promise you no one has watched more of these 2 franchises than me.
The 2 best QBs this year are Brees and Manning. The 2 hottest QBs the last 4-6 games are Romo and Rivers. Romo has taken a big step in his game this year. The problem is the media doesnt do its research and loves to ridicule Romo and the Boys. Romo has 5 picks this year. 3 of them came in the second game of the year. He is playing really good and with austin emergence he is very confident. Dallas is in every game and if they eliminated 1 to 2 dumb plays a game they could easily have 11 or 12 wins.
They can run and stop the run. They can rush the passer. They have the 2nd ranked offense in yards and while they have givin up a lot of yards on D they have giving up only 17 points a game. If they quit being stupid they would be a team to avoid in January. Of course thats a big giant IF.(bastards breaking my heart)
KICK ASS every day!!!
one bullet from my gameday notebook
It’s been so long since I’ve cheered for Porter that I kept calling him Terry Porter. Terry Porter played guard for Portland Trailblazers in the 80’s/90’s. I didn’t realize I was doing it until the 2nd half, when “Go get ’em Terry Porter!” started to sound funny to me.
And I’ve started calling players by their first and last names all the time ever since that FedEx commercial where that two-man company hires Dick Butkus to give a motivational speech, and the one dude is talking during the speech and then stops when Butkus glares at him. He apologizes by saying, “I’m sorry Dick Butkus.”
"In the end, the bread was in the pudding." -- Bobby McCray
Shop as usual, and avoid panic buying.
i just call him TP. it would be nice if the saints had a player like clyde “the glyde” drexler
I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy
by knucklesmalone on Dec 22, 2009 1:43 AM CST up reply actions
I almost cried during that game
I’ve never felt so bad during a game before. I actually turned the game off 1/2 way through the 3rd while the Cowboys were driving. Check back to see if it’s over and I’m watching Folk miss a chipshot FG(Can we get much luckier with those? lol) and then watch till the 2 minute mark. Well, we got off two plays before then and they looked awful. I decided I was bad luck watching them and went to bed, hoping I’d wake up to at least a game that went to OT. Well…that didn’t happen. I’m sorry for checking in on the game guys! I really feel like that’s why we lost :\ Anyways, I think that coaching lost that game for us(at least through the point where I watched). I will say that Jenkins getting beat by Austin for the 1st TD was terrible. But I will come to his defense. We preach TOs and being aggressive now. That’s what he was doing, being aggressive. Romo pump faked and he hesitated for that second. In a spot like that though, with help underneath, you gotta stay home. Did anyone else notice that it seemed like we blitzed on 3rd down everytime and hardly any other time? Seriously, mix it up some GW! He’s trying to compensate for our starters not being out there. Well, he needs to play like they are our starters. And Payton abandoned the run after they went up 14. We are a better D than that and will limit them. We adjust. No reason to abandon it that early. After the first half, i’m ok with going almost all pass if we’re still down like that but not that early. They aren’t that good of an offense. And…my favorite part…where was Reggie? I’m talking pre-injury too. He runs 29 yards and gets pulled! Hot Friggin Hand Payton!! That’s what he has been saying but it’s not true. Seriously, PT had 7 touches to Reggie’s 3 before Reggie got hurt on his 3rd touch. We could’ve used what Reggie does in that game. It would’ve slowed down the pass rush some I think. So would running it more though. I blame the coaches for the way that we’ve been playing lately. Seems like poor playcalling which is leading to poor play. Although, the players don’t get off the hook for their poor execution and their “My first tackle” performance. Seriously, I see us hit their players 3 yards behind the LOS and unless it’s Vilma/Harper, they run for 3 positive yards!!!!!!! That’s the most aggravating thing on Defense. Chance to make it 3rd and 10 or 2nd and 12 and it turns out being 3rd and 4 or 2nd and 7. That’s has got to stop. Time to eat for me but that’s not all i think about our poor play but this will work for the moment untill i get enough motivation after this loss to do something else!
Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!
You guys make sharks look like nice folks
WHODAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dynasty - 2009 - ???? (11/8/09)
"Yes, I know," interrrupted Puddleglum. " 'And, few return to the sunlit lands.' You needn't say it, again. You are a chap of one idea, aren't you?"
Reminds me of all of the ludicrous, useless, imbecilic, finger-pointing I had to put up with
in corporations
WHODAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dynasty - 2009 - ???? (11/8/09)
"Yes, I know," interrrupted Puddleglum. " 'And, few return to the sunlit lands.' You needn't say it, again. You are a chap of one idea, aren't you?"
I wish the Saints had lost sooner
I would have been off this site sooner
WHODAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dynasty - 2009 - ???? (11/8/09)
"Yes, I know," interrrupted Puddleglum. " 'And, few return to the sunlit lands.' You needn't say it, again. You are a chap of one idea, aren't you?"
really..
i honestly don’t like how the colts blog is trash talking our team.. i wanna play the colts, and the cowboys fully healthy
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