New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades vs. Patriots

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 6:00 AM CST Comment 69 comments

You know the drill by now, below are the grades.

Will Smith: B+ (2.88) Early in the game, Laurence Maroney ripped off a 22 yard run, and Will Smith had a clear shot at him around the line of scrimmage. Sometimes I feel like he's focused on improving his sack total and his run defense has suffered from it. That said, he did a good job of staying in Brady's face despite double teams for a good portion of the game. He finished with 4 tackles, hit Brady 3 times, and ended with 1.5 sacks. He was the beneficiary of a stat padding sack at the end of the game, and that sack gave him 10 for the season. It's been a while since we've had a double digit sack guy, so that's nice to see 11 games into the season. After having a lower GPA early in the season, Smith's grades have been rising steadily and he continues to pile up consistent performances.

Charles Grant: D (2.24) For an extended portion of the game, Grant was nowhere to be found. He was manhandled anytime a play came his way, and he was unable to get any pressure whatsoever on Brady. On an end around to Welker at one point, Grant showed ZERO pursuit or effort. I was pretty disheartened to see on tape what I concluded was a lazy performance. He did finally get good pressure on a 3rd down play in 4th quarter, though, hitting Brady as he released the ball. It was tough sledding for the Saints' pass rushers though, as they dropped most players they had and often rushed only 4 or sometimes even 3. He finished with 2 tackles.

Sedrick Ellis: C+ (2.71) Nice to have the big man back, and his presence against the run game was felt. He was rusty, though, so I'll expect better things as he gets more reps. I'm sure everyone remembers the fumble fiasco. Hey Sedrick, YOU ARE A DEFENSIVE TACKLE. Fall on the ball already. The fact that he picked up the ball and tried to shimmy his way to the open field like Barry Sanders was laughable. I give him credit for a good all around effort, though. He was sloppy in his tackling at times, but he was also disruptive. He had a terrific tackle at the line of scrimmage at one point on Kevin Faulk. On the Darren Sharper interception, Ellis put nice pressure on Brady to force a bad pass. He finished with 4 tackles.

Remi Ayodele: C- (2.14) Ayodele really didn't play much, surprisingly. When he did, I thought he did an ok job of congesting the middle and forcing Maroney outside. The Saints spent a large part of the game either with a 3 man front, or using Hargrove more because of his superior pass rushing ability and the decreasing threat that the Patriots would run.

Anthony Hargrove: C+ (2.43) As much as Hargrove played he was rather quiet, but he did show terrific effort and a good motor. The plays just didn't really come his way. He finished with 2 tackles, and he did get a chance to force an incompletion by poppin' Brady pretty good right as he released the ball.

Bobby McCray: B (2.00) Finally I saw McCray come in and show me some of those pass rushing skills. Finally! McCray got the other half of the sack with Will Smith, but I felt McCray got the better pressure on that play. He was often coming off the edge and drawing either a double team or a chip block. On one play he absolutely CRUSHED Brady as he released the ball. He also had very good pressure on the long pass to Moss and almost got a sack but Brady evaded him before getting rid of the ball off his back foot. He finished with just 1 tackle, but given the limited help he got rushing the passer I thought his performance was much improved.

Scott Fujita: B+ (2.81) Fujita played MUCH better in the second half. In the first half he was mostly quiet, and I saw him stand out on a play he got beat with on pass play over middle. In the second half, Fujita was dominant. He made a terrific play to force the fumble that Ellis recovered, and he got terrific penetration on that same drive to nail Sammy Morris in the backfield. Kevin Faulk did beat him to the outside on one run, but he was very aggressive and all over the field. He finished with 7 tackles.

Scott Shanle: C- (2.67) Pretty forgettable performance from Shanle who is losing his early season form. He was burned badly by Kevin Faulk on the opening drive of the gain to convert a 3rd down. Then, he was blown up on the 4th down touchdown run by Maroney. He had an absolutely miserable first half. As the game progressed he got more involved and absorbed blocks better, but he was unusually mediocre in pass coverage. He finished with just 3 tackles.

Jonathan Vilma: C+ (2.94) Vilma was up and down during the game. He had 9 tackles, which would lead you to believe he was active and all over the field, but he was also involved in way too many negative plays. Vilma was blown up on first run of the game. Later, he whiffed on Maroney badly to allow the back to get big yardarge. On a pass to Welker, Vilma showed poor awareness. While Welker wasn't his assignment, he had a chance to jump that throw and break up the play or maybe intercept the ball. Instead it was a completion. Like Shanle, his first half was by and large dismal. He did get good pressure on Brady a couple of times blitzing right up the middle. He made up for a shaky start when he BLEW UP Maroney in backfield shooting the gap in the second half. Just when he got on my good side again, though, there was that moronic late hit on Welker out of bounds to give the Patriots 15 free yards. He did get better as game progressed.

Malcolm Jenkins: B (3.06) He was often lined up against Wes Welker and he did an admirable job. He was very physical with Welker, sometimes getting away with possible penalties, and you could tell Welker got frustrated by it. He was PHENOMENAL with tackling all day long, and any time he had a shot at Welker he made sure the slippery receiver went down. He was caught holding twice, once negating an intentional grounding by Brady and another time giving the Patriots a first down - but that was all part of him roughing up Welker. Great job, and I'm glad we have him. Did I already mention he's a terrific tackler?

Chris McAlister: B- (2.67) McAlister was pretty solid all day in coverage, especially in the first half. Despite being matched up against Randy Moss, he didn't allow the future hall of famer to catch a ball until very late in the second quarter. He was however responsible for the long pass to Moss in the second half, and he was fortunate that Brady overthrew a long ball intended for Aiken because McAlister was beaten badly and it would have been a touchdown. He finished with just 1 tackle and he didn't offer much support against the run. Give him credit though, he's only been with the Saints 2 weeks and his he's obviously still capable of covering elite receivers.

Mike McKenzie: A- (3.67) Per Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football "he has guts". I thought that described McKenzie best. He gambled and occasionally lost, but his aggressiveness and fire was instrumental in the win. It was clear the Patriots were going to attack him, and he responded present. It was almost like he never missed a beat from his peak performances 2 years ago. His interception was a HUGE momentum changing play. Later in the game, he had a 3rd down tackle short of 1st down, forcing the Patriots to punt. At one point, beaten by Moss, he dove to make the tackle and somehow jarred the ball loose for a forced fumbled. It was a suspect play, but he saved the Saints from Moss getting major yardage after the catch. He did give too much cushion at times, and was beat on a 3rd and 9 throw curl route to Aiken. The Patriots tried to run that same play soon after and McKenzie jumped the route and almost had another pick. He allowed a first down late by missing a tackle I've seen him make countless times, but he redeemed himself moments later by killing the game with a BIG 4th down play breakup on a pass intended for Moss. He finished with 3 tackles, an interception and 3 defended passes. It's nothing short of incredible that this guy could play at this level after being out of football for a year. The Saints are very fortunate he was available. The welcome back party was in full effect for #34.

Pierson Prioleau: B- (2.67) Prioleau was used as the dime back on some passing downs, and had awesome coverage on a deep pass to Ben Watson down the seam for a breakup. He did a pretty good job in coverage when he was in.

Roman Harper: B (3.21) I have no earthly idea how Harper totaled 10 tackles. He seemed to have a very quiet game, but somehow Harper gets his nose in a lot of plays. He was quiet about his business, but I did notice a big hit he put on Wes Welker on a crossing route early that slowed the receiver down just enough to allow Malcolm Jenkins to knock him down and force the Patriots to kick a field goal. He did get flagged for an illegal contact on a 3rd down to give the Patriots an easy 1st down, which was stupid and negated a good pass rush by Bobby McCray.

Darren Sharper: A- (3.20) Sharper seemed more interested in laying the wood early than getting himself another pick. It seemed like there were passes out there he could have tried to make a play on, but he was focused on crushing anyone that came over the middle. I liked the change in philosophy because he knew he had corners that needed help and he let Pats know early, you go over middle, you pay. Specifically he had a DISGUSTING hit on Faulk that I'm not quite sure how the LSU product got up from. He was very solid all day in coverage and he was a good security blanket limiting the damage when a play would break open. He finished with 6 tackles and was rewarded for his good play with an interception late on a gift wrapped terrible pass by Tom Brady.

Jeff Charleston: C+ (2.33) Not a ton to say, but he played a good amount and was decent pass rushing and decent against the run. He finished with 2 tackles.

John Carney: D (2.61) He was awful. His first field goal hit the upright, and he was fortunate to give the Saints a 3-0 lead when his 30 yard kick bounced in. With the game out of reach he also missed a 36 yarder. So you're thinking, "he was 1 for 2 on field goals, not that bad". True enough, but once again his extra points were VERY dicey. At least three of his point after touchdowns barley made it just inside the right upright. He's already missed 2 this year, and lately it's felt like an adventure with him out there. Not impressed with the guy lately, but I also know he's capable of bouncing back from a bad performance. That said, this extra point thing is nothing new. He's been shaky on those all season long. I've mentioned this before, but I wonder if Brunell being left handed isn't part of the problem? Or maybe the new snapper?

Thomas Morstead: A- (3.09) Every single kickoff he booted went in the end zone, and over half were downed for touchbacks. I mean the guy is just awesome on kickoffs. On punts, it wasn't his fault Welker ripped that big return. He had a nice high and deep punt that the coverage unit should have covered better. He did manage to get another punt inside the 20.

Courtney Roby: B+ (2.97) Roby's best kick return was his first one, which went back to the 35. Two other times he had a shot at getting nice gains but he slipped. As usual he was good and dangerous. He made his grade covering kicks this time. First he caught Welker from behind on that long punt return showing amazing speed. If he doesn't make that play Welker is gone for a touchdown, and McKenzie doesn't come up with a pick on the next play. He also had terrific coverage on a punt to force a fair catch by Welker.

I also need to give props to Lynell Hamilton. He gets an incomplete grade based on limited playing time - but he had a punishing closeline tackle on kick return, and he was a decoy on the touchdown pass to Dinkins.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Mike McKenzie

My Special Teams Player of the Game: Thomas Morstead

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game vs. the Patriots?

Darren Sharper

45 votes

Malcolm Jenkins

41 votes

Mike McKenzie

602 votes

Will Smith

8 votes

Roman Harper

6 votes

Scott Fujita

6 votes

708 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 69 comments |

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Comments

AN A-

are we watching the same player? He was awesome Monday night considering he hasn’t played in almost 9 months. That pick in the 1st quarter, all the hits he laid on the Pat’s players, the broken plays man he was all over the field making plays. Same goes for Sharper. I think they both deserve an A+

by N_O_1saintfan on Dec 3, 2009 7:05 AM CST reply actions

we dont just give out A+'s

like saintsational said, he had a big missed tackle on 3rd down about five yards short of the sticks. i still voted for him since that was the only bad play i remember from him.

Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather was asked, word for word, "What happened on the long touchdown?"

Said Meriweather: "Which long touchdown?"

by DrewBreesManCrush on Dec 3, 2009 9:26 AM CST up reply actions

thank you

While McKenzie was stellar, he did make a couple mistakes. A+ is reserved for a flawless performance. I believe I’ve given out 4 or 5 all year.

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 9:57 AM CST up reply actions

I want to have a write-in vote for Courtney Roby as ST MVP

For that amazing hustle and effort to bring Welker down on that first punt return. If that return ends up going for a TD, then it’s a totally different game…

"In the end, the bread was in the pudding." -- Bobby McCray

Shop as usual, and avoid panic buying.

by HansDat on Dec 3, 2009 7:12 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

+1

Roby is the man. He’s everywhere when he is on the field

Ubi maior minor cessat

by bondcrash on Dec 3, 2009 7:39 AM CST up reply actions

Roby is awesome.

by xen-cuts on Dec 3, 2009 8:04 AM CST up reply actions

agreed

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 9:57 AM CST up reply actions

Sharper

This guy is awesome.I agree he was laying some wood out there. That hit on Faulk was killer. He dropped him like a used condom.Last time anyone heard from Faulk he was saying" where’s the bus……………… that ran over me.

by KilnBill on Dec 3, 2009 7:53 AM CST reply actions

Yea faulk I bet you got some memories of New Orleans this time

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 8:09 AM CST up reply actions

Or, he may not remember anything from this trip...

by xen-cuts on Dec 3, 2009 12:03 PM CST up reply actions

The best part....

was the slow-motion replay that showed him slowly sliding across the turf towards the sideline after the big hit from Sharper. He slid about three yards after Sharper lit him up.

"I said this early on that this was a good football team, they just maybe had to have a stick put in certain parts of their body to play a little harder in certain places to where we’re able to take interceptions and score touchdowns."--Gregg Williams

by satchmo26 on Dec 3, 2009 3:37 PM CST up reply actions

Great writeup, Saintsational!

by xen-cuts on Dec 3, 2009 8:04 AM CST reply actions

is that my new name?

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 8:55 AM CST up reply actions

great writeup

saints-nation, enjoyed them all season

by sernycrusher on Dec 3, 2009 12:45 PM CST up reply actions

thank you!

I appreciate it

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 1:15 PM CST up reply actions

sorry, can't edit..

great writeup SAINTS-NATION!

by xen-cuts on Dec 5, 2009 3:28 PM CST up reply actions

Yes this week grades are to low around the board

our Dline was outstanding your not gonna sack Brady and they did their jobs a flushout is almost as good as a sac against the Pats.MM deserve at least a A and your being to hard on a couple of missed plays we’re not gonna get em all.Its a professional footbal team and one of the best at that all of our Dline deserve atleast half a grade higher.harper also deserves an A as does Jenkins.uasally i agree with most of your grade but this week youve been way to hard on our Ds best performance of the season

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 8:08 AM CST reply actions

I like how

these grade reports never take into account the relative strength or weakness of an opponent, just the execution of the Saints players. If a player gets steamrolled by Ricky Williams, he just got steamrolled in this system. It leaves no room for excuses.

"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas

by FuSoYa on Dec 3, 2009 9:40 AM CST reply actions

Its not that i dont like the system

i’m not trying to go by the strenth of opponent i’m just saying if a players runs 50 snaps and he has one missed tackle in witch he drilled the player and was amazing he withstood it,could be consider about a 98% performance witch is better than A-.

Seacond if the line man is pushing everyplay and against double teamed and is chasing the QB all around the feild causeing chaos and interceptions than he deserves some extra credit
love the articles look forward to them ever week but i think he was a little hard on our boys this week when they executed perfectly really as I said before its hard to sack Brady so the game plan was to make him move around and they did that alot

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:07 AM CST up reply actions

I think that's a fair criticism

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 10:12 AM CST up reply actions

Big Sed

I think Ellis had it in his mind just like the rest of the D to score on his fumble recovery. Think about it, GW has instilled in every defensive player’s minds that it is not good enough to just get a turnover, he wants them to score on that turnover which has in my mind accounted for the fact that our D has scored as much as they have or put the offense on the field in good field position. I love the mind set, but true that you also have to be smart about it. Sedrick is a very big guy and when he saw that he was surrounded by plenty of white shirts at one point, ball security should have taken over and to the ground or out of bounds he should have gone. Still, hats off to him for the effort though!

by narco301 on Dec 3, 2009 9:50 AM CST reply actions

exactly what i was thinking

saints defense is trained to “scoop and score”
this is the mentality on defense… but judgement should have come into play and he SHOULD have run out of bounds or just taken a knee after the initial scoop. but A for effort

by nanvinnie on Dec 3, 2009 10:24 AM CST up reply actions

Dumb play...

…plain and simple. Ellis obviously gets credit for picking up the funble, but take narco31’s point “that he was surrounded by plenty of white shirts”….

I saw him try a juke and started yelling at the TV to take sit on the ball. Keeping that fumble puts the #1 offense in the league in the RED ZONE…turning it back over just gave the Pats another shot, and they capitalized. Think about it…this game could have been 41-14, or even 45-14 (more proof of how DOMINANT we were)

Yes, we want our D to be aggressive, but they also need to be smart…

by whodatny on Dec 4, 2009 12:44 AM CST up reply actions

MM

I want to be like Mike :) The guy was just wonderful coming in and playing like he did. Big reason for the win in my opinion. Truly deserving of defensive MVP for this game.

by narco301 on Dec 3, 2009 9:52 AM CST reply actions

anybody notice

that our defense is really solid and deep. I’m sure you have but it really impresses me that with two critical defensive starters out and we still find a way to dominate and play really solid. With SP on the offensive side of things doing the deed and GW on the defensive side kicking some ass, this team can keep rolling baby. I love these guys and have never been so proud to be a Saints fan. Always proud, but never had the opportunity like now to gloat and talk trash to some of the hatters I know :)

by narco301 on Dec 3, 2009 9:58 AM CST reply actions

Its defently a plus to have two of the greatest OFF and DEF minds one one team

we have two head coaches that coplament each other perfectly.niether one is full of themselves,and thats a tribute to the players theve gotten also,everyone is doing something productive no matter where an opposing team tries to go there a play make there waiting its great

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:12 AM CST up reply actions

Enjoy it while it lasts

Saints will lose at some point. If I were you I’d hope it’s in the regular season rather than in the playoffs. If they go 16-0 I’d be shitting my pants in the playoffs. It happened to the Pats and they were a much better team that year.

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 10:13 AM CST reply actions

thanks for the cofidence boost

I love how people asume that something that happened 2 years ago has any thing to do with this year.matter of fact if the Saints went 16-0 and then went 2-0 in the playoffs odds are probly 1 mil to 1 that it would end up the same way.So odds are we would actually win,so i wish people would quit with the jibberish look at the last 4 years and comepare how those teams got there.none of them are the same so shutup if we got undefeated we win the Super Bowl period its like OTAs for us so if we don’t go to the super bowl will be there plenty of times over the next ten years this year though would just be the cherry on top with the 19-0 season

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

What do you expect from a clueless Vikings fan

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 10:29 AM CST up reply actions

All the trolls

From other teams will be coming here now that just shows how good we are.
Well if we wanted the attention I believe we got it.

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 10:31 AM CST up reply actions

yes but i love to talk trash

and when your team backs you up like your there right with them is great fun.All though I didnt know there was so many touchy sensitive football fans out there

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:33 AM CST up reply actions

We really hurt some vikings fans feelings over on that viking post in here

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:34 AM CST up reply actions

This guy

calls me a troll, but Mississippisaintsfan’s name is ALL OVER the daily norseman blog…

You’re the only reason I commented here, played right into it…

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

Just Brees

will play right into Jared Allen’s arms. Don’t even say he won’t own your line.

Vikings D line > Sains O line

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 11:08 AM CST up reply actions

Eh

Saints O-line is best in the league right now. I’d expect to see alot of interior running to keep Allen honest. Those big guys in the middle might be beasts, but we do have the 2 best guards in the game. If our offense was like it was last year, I’d agree with you. Allen would dominate the game. Now we have balance though, he’ll have to play honest. I think Bushrod could handle it, with some help from shockey and PT. I’d be worried if they switched Allen to Stitchcomb’s side. He’s solid, but he is our weakest o-lineman.

Just run the ball inside and get those Williams guys nice and tired. Wear them out and keep Allen honest at the same time.

by fruly on Dec 3, 2009 12:39 PM CST up reply actions

Seems to have worked for the other teams

wearing down the williams wall :P

That’s why they were the #1 run D in the NFL for 3 straight seasons…

If you’re going to knock the vikings d, knock the secondary, don’t dispute the best D line in the NFL.

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 2:58 PM CST up reply actions

You gotta beat a playoff team first.

Y’all have had some big wins, and your D-line is undeniably solid, but y’all have played a very soft schedule, and had a lot of trouble with tougher teams(though you did beat[most of] them). Once the Vikings get through the Bengals and Cards, I’ll be more impressed. At this point, as solid all-around as Minnesota is, I still feel confident the Saints can put up a winning effort against them, in either dome. Of course, the Saints will have to beat a playoff team first, as well, for us to get to see this.

Also, Vikings D-line>Packers and Bears O-line. Vikings D-line=Saints O-line, probably.

"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas

by FuSoYa on Dec 3, 2009 2:02 PM CST up reply actions

Right, cuz the Saints haven't played a soft schedule at all...

Vikings opponents faced win % is 36.9%

Saints opponents faced win % is 39.6%

Wow, Saints opponents have not even been a full win tougher than the Vikings opponents so far this season….hmmm. AND the Saints still have a 1-10 team left on the schedule. The worst team MN has left on their schedule is the 4-7 bears, but that will be played IN CHICAGO in LATE DECEMBER.

One thing is for sure, we’ll find out if the vikings are more legit before the post season starts. You WONT know if the Saints are legit UNTIL the playoffs.

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 2:57 PM CST up reply actions

3 things

1) our win opponent win percentage IS better, and 2) that late-season difficulty sux for you, being half a game back and all. So I guess you’re looking forward to playing in the Superdome in January?

And 3) I know everybody is a “homer” for their team, but it never ceases to amaze me this season, how quick opponent fans(which, in your case, is assuming a lot) can continue to claim that the Saints have yet to prove anything. Half of our games have come against teams that, at the time, at least, were playing great football. The Saints have grounded the postseason aspirations of the Giants and the entire AFC East, not to mention our own division rivals, which are just about as impressive as yours. Every week, we are finally going to have to prove how we match up against a real team, and then, the next week, that previously real team is obviously a bunch of losers, and NOW we’ll be proving our mettle against the next real team. All the old Super Bowl rings and Conference Championship pennants and historically tough division rivalries have done nothing to help anyone so far, but your team is different. Your team has been up against the All-Madden NFL week after week, while the Saints have been teeing off against arena teams, blissfully unaware of the brutal beating your team was designed from conception to administer in the near future.

However this season turns out, both of our teams have prevailed against cream and crap, alike, and, with any luck, all of our theories on who’s achievements mean more will be fleshed out in about six weeks. I happen to believe that my team’s 2009 resume is a little more impressive than yours, and I’m sure you feel similarly about your team. The biggest difference to me, I guess, is that I didn’t show up at your house, waving any mild statistical disparities or historic superiority around as proof-positive that your team doesn’t deserve even your respect, let alone mine. But I guess they just do things a little different in “The Black and Blue”. And in “The Beast”. And in what ever the hell the AFC East calls itself(the Pats n’ Pals?). If there is such a Saints fan over at your place, I guess I’ll just hearken back to some wisdom a fellow Vikings fan shared over here the other day: “Every village has an idiot”.

"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas

by FuSoYa on Dec 3, 2009 3:40 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

YOU'RE the one that brought it up

YOU (FuSoYa) said “you gotta beat a playoff team first”, and now your hypocricy spells this 2 paragraph response? Now you’re saying that we’ve both prevailed vs cream and crop alike? HYPOCRITE

All I did was point out that the opponents the Saints have faced aren’t significantly better than the ones the Vikings have faced. It’s the NFL, every team is tough, no one is a complete pushover, you still have to WIN the game. There’s a reason they say “Any Given Sunday”. I think we agree on that note.

So why the “you gotta beat a playoff team first” comment if that’s what you really believed in the first place? Now I know why the Vikings fan mentioned the phrase to YOU specifically “every village has an idiot”. He was trying to send you a message….you didn’t get it.

by cdubs on Dec 4, 2009 9:33 AM CST up reply actions

Keep dry humping Jared Allen

HE has 12.5 sacks but 7.5 are against thae Packers. Who have given up alomst 50 this year. After you take away tose Packer stats he is just average

by andyp111 on Dec 3, 2009 2:03 PM CST up reply actions

Yes it is

But i have never said anything bad about the vikings
As a matter of fact the vikings are my 2nd favorite team because of Bret Favre one of my all time favorite players who i live near
There’s a big differense in stating what you think about your team and going to someone else’s board and talking smack about their team
Show me one ting i have said out of line

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 2:29 PM CST up reply actions

But YOU did go to "someone else's" board

You posted on daily norseman and knocked the Vikes. It’s not personal, you can say what you want, and I have the right to the same opinion. Just don’t get your panties in a bunch over adversity on a comments board.

AndyP: Jared Allen is just average. If you really want to believe that, please call up Sean Payton and tell HIM that before the NFC Championship game, I wish all teams had your reasoning.

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 2:42 PM CST up reply actions

Your wrong

I just re read every post i made on your site and never said anything bad about the vikes
And it seems your the one getting your panties in a bunch
And i’m not sure what that other quote has to do with me i didnt write it

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 2:46 PM CST up reply actions

As a matter of fact

When ya’ll were comparing our defense with yours i said ya’ll had the better d-line because of Jared Allen playing like a man among boys

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 2:47 PM CST up reply actions

Tied for 204th in the league in tackles

like I said over half his sacks were against the Packers who have given up 44 for the year. The league average is 23. Average. Just because he has a mullet and hunts and gets paid 21milloin dollars doesn’t make him a super star

by andyp111 on Dec 3, 2009 4:29 PM CST up reply actions

"If they go 16-0 I’d be shitting my pants in the playoffs."

As if somehow we have a better shot at winning the whole thing if we go 15-1? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be anxious in the playoffs regardless but it won’t have anything to do with whether or not the lost prior to the playoffs. To suggest that, as fans, we should be more confident if the Saints lose going into the playoffs is the most absurd argument I have ever heard.

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 10:34 AM CST up reply actions

who knows what happens

but it all started when benson maybe made the greatest move ever by highering Pyton and Lomis some teams get to be great and you never know when ist going to happen. so as Dave says why not us.Why cant we go as one of the greatest teams to ever play.it dont have to keep happing to the same ones for once, it can be us and if it is than why not do it the way its never been done.and why cant we do it for a long time and then make a movie about it we have about 30 feelgood stories on this team the greatest sports movie of all time

Why not Us

by darshiva420 on Dec 3, 2009 10:49 AM CST up reply actions

Actually yes, 15-1 would be better

because you’ll have experienced a loss. Ask any coach or player and they’ll tell you it’s beneficial to experience a loss at some point during the regular season, rather than going undefeated into the playoffs.

There’s many arguments for this. And if you want to use silly 1 million to 1 odds to determine a superbowl collapse go ahead. The truth of the NE 16-0 season is they should have won it all this year, but they hadn’t experienced defeat yet, and it came at a very important time.

by cdubs on Dec 3, 2009 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

I'll give you another example

How about the 1972 Dolphins? Not experiencing a loss didn’t seem to bother them. Besides this regime as experienced plenty of losses. Brees, Bush, Sean Payton etc all know what it’s like to lose. Trust me. Using the Patriots as an example is stupid because their experience has absolutely ZERO bearing on what the Saints will experience. As far as “ask any coach or player and they’ll tell you it’s beneficial to experience a loss at some point during the regular season, rather than going undefeated into the playoffs”.

Again, you are wrong. Since you say “any player”, let’s go with Randall Gay’s quote in today’s New Orleans paper. Gay, mind you, is a SuperBowl winner AND a member of that 16-0 Pats team. From the Times Picayune:

Gay laughed at the idea that it might be better for a team to lose at some point along the way to relieve pressure and distractions.

“How is it good to lose? Really? Is it ever good to lose?” Gay said. "To say, ‘Oh, we lost one early, so we’re straight now.’ That’s the most ridiculous thought you could ever think of.

“Being a football player, you don’t want to lose any game. Every season, at the beginning of the season, you want to go undefeated. It’s a goal you set, but not like a realistic goal. I mean, think about it, in the NFL only two teams have gone undefeated in the regular season and only one the whole season. So it’s not like, ‘We need to go undefeated this year.’

“But you never say, ‘Oh, we just want to win 12 games this year. We just want to win 13.’ You want to win them all.”

by Andrew Juge on Dec 3, 2009 11:16 AM CST up reply actions

The Saints have experienced plenty of loss, homie.

If you imagine this equals some sort of advantage for the Vikings, I’ve got some waterfront property you might be interested in. This kind of season doesn’t come around very often, and nothing like it has ever happened in New Orleans, but it will in no way be improved by a loss in the regular season, nor will it affect the performance of the Saints in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. If they lose in the playoffs, it will have absolutely nothing to do with a meaningless victory at Carolina in week 17.

But if you’d like to help us over this superstitious hump, you could root for a spare Vikings loss, preferably to an NFC team, so the Saints don’t have to work so hard all year. ;)

"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas

by FuSoYa on Dec 3, 2009 2:09 PM CST up reply actions

best example

15-1 vikings lost to the falcons in the championship game in i believe 1998

by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 3, 2009 2:33 PM CST up reply actions

Who plays to lose?

Hell I would have my starters playing to the end of the season no matter what happens. I really feel when the Colts went 13-0 and lost their one game and rested their players they came out flat. Any one theories about losing one game is the best is nonsense. Ask any player if they would want to have a lost. Your logic on New England amazes me, so if New England lost one game that season, then they would have won the Super Bowl. That doesn’t make any sense. New England was beat by the better team on that given day.

by rustdog74 on Dec 3, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions

15-1 is better? are you high?

The only reason that I think you’re saying this is because you guys have lost one. And if we lose one of our games and you guys win the rest, you’ll have homefield advantage since you’re only loss was to an AFC opponent and all we have left is NFC. I mean, seriously, how can you think that losing a game is good? Have we gone 16-0 for the past 3 seasons and then lost in the playoffs? Had the Pats never lost a game before? These people have played all their lives and have never lost a game before? You experience a loss by choice if you want to but it’s stupid. If you were still undefeated, would you still have that view?

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Dec 3, 2009 3:59 PM CST up reply actions

btw

you guys have an awesome team. Definetly the best Dline in the game but I believe we have the best Oline in the game right now. There’s a reason that we lead the league in points/game and it’s not all drew brees. It will be a tight battle in the trenches there. I expect to have Saints RBs bump Allen on their way out for passes. It’s the secondary that I think can be exploited. And the thing i’m worried about our turnovers by Brees. mostly fumbles. Looking forward to that game so make sure that you get there :P

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Dec 3, 2009 4:14 PM CST up reply actions

cdubs: I asked 2 coachs and they both said your theory is full of crap

According to your “theory”, if New England would have only had the foresight to have lost a game in the regular season, that Giant receiver (whatever his name was) wouldn’t have made that once in a lifetime, miracle “on top of the helment” reception. As a great news reporter said about 35 years ago, “If there’s a correlation there, I fail to discern it.”

I enjoy this sort of banter with fans of the team we’re going to play this week, but you’re a little early. Assuming your team makes it to NFC championship game in N.O., get back with us in about 7 weeks. Inside betting tip: Brett’s hemroids typically start flaring up the first or second week of December.

by Drew-Dat on Dec 3, 2009 11:41 PM CST up reply actions

David Tyree

I see what you got...Lets rock - Al Bundy

by knucklesmalone on Dec 4, 2009 12:41 AM CST up reply actions

better team?

Well not sure about that. They were a force on offense for sure but I believe that the Saints keep their wits about themselves in every situation (i.e. the huge come-back in the Miami game) The team adapts (i.e. going from an early lead stretch to having to deal with going behind early and fighting back in a few games). Winning with defense in some games. Winning with offense in some games. Winning with ST in some. Winning with all three like Monday night. And winning with fine coaching like in all games so far this year. There are no players or coaches for that matter on the team that say much about what they have done positive but clearly harping on the negative plays and missed opportunities they left out on the field. That to me is the number one important fact that will prevent these guys from mentally loosing in the playoffs if they remain un-defeated this regular season. They’re too focused on improving and playing better even when they hand in a solid performance. That focus will go a long way and will remain in tack come the playoff stretch. So if they loose in the playoffs it will not be because they didn’t in regular season that’s for sure. Besides, they know how important home field advantage is and that in its self will keep them driving for an undefeated regular season with only having a one game advantage over the Vikings.

by narco301 on Dec 3, 2009 10:26 AM CST reply actions

I'm sure

The coaches have their own grade system on the players.Maybe they stick those bad grades back and use that crittisism against the Skins.

by KilnBill on Dec 3, 2009 10:36 AM CST reply actions

While

im glad MM played like he did. I would have to give the POTG to Jenkins.

He pretty much was in Welkers hip pocket the whole game. Penalties aside, he made Welker look, for the first time ive seen, flustered. Like it wasnt just a cake walk anymore.

If you can shut down Brady’s favorite target like that, you are due some serious credit.

The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault. -Ty Cobb

by Jurrjens' Surgeons on Dec 3, 2009 12:17 PM CST reply actions

Yeah

the shots of Welker’s disgruntled expressions were high up on the list of awesome things about that telecast.

"Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints." -Pat Yasinskas

by FuSoYa on Dec 3, 2009 2:13 PM CST up reply actions

Especially

after that blatant grab of the jersey they didnt call.

A “WTF, we always get that call” expression.

by Jurrjens' Surgeons on Dec 4, 2009 1:10 AM CST up reply actions

I love the player grades

Thought they were all good. Thought Jenkins deserved an A but you obviously watch alot of film so you know what’s up. I voted for MM for player of the game on defense and Jenkins was a very close 2nd. He may have let Welker catch a few passes but he got very little yards after his catches where he is the most dangerous. If Jenkins would’ve had a pick, he would’ve gotten my vote for player of the game. Loved Sharper’s hits too btw. Other ppl’s hits didn’t bring them down but Sharper’s did

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Dec 3, 2009 3:24 PM CST reply actions

Malcolm Jenkins

The rookie had a huge game. Whenever Welker caught the ball, it looked like he was wearing a no. 27 black and gold cape on his back. Jenkins immediately dropped him from behind on several plays. That’s the key for stopping Welker—limit his yards after catch.

by satchmo26 on Dec 3, 2009 3:44 PM CST reply actions

I think the grades were way lower than they should have been

We held the Patriots 2 two touchdowns and a field goal!!! They threw the towel in- they would not have done that if our defense wasn’t ultra stellar that night, they would have tried to fight back. And, with Ellis, he made a big mistake, but he was out for weeks, came back and did you notice the difference in our run defense??? Night and day and De Mario Pressley was not even active and he was the one who was helping the run defense in Sed’s absense. also, Sed gets no credit for a fumble recovery it would appear. Also don’t understand Ayodele getting a C- when he had limited playing time, but did his job well when in. It’s like saying the Professor gave us a short test- I got almost all of them right but i got a C- because there weren’t many questions. Doesn’t make sense. It was arguably our best defensive performance of the season and most players got mediocre grades. We shut them out in the 4th qtr, limited them to a field goal in the second, and they never scored more than once in any quarter. I really don’t see how we could have shut down such a good qb and 2 receivers any better. Also, it seems you and the entire Saints coaching staff are on different pages with you as to how good a player Shanle is. I think they have a better understanding as to what his assignments are. Sorry, I don’t mean to be caustic but I don’t know what you expect from this excellent defense. Maybe you are right about Grant, but sheeez……………..

"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

by Philinwood on Dec 3, 2009 7:17 PM CST reply actions