Saints Need Not Look Any Further than Taking Care of the Football
by Andrew Juge on Oct 30, 2010 3:00 PM CDT
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The old adage in football is that the team that has the less turnovers wins the game. The percentages support that theory in a dramatic way. Every season you look at the top teams in the league, and they are all very high in the turnover ratio. I've had several people ask me how it's possible that the Saints lost to both the Browns and the Cardinals. It's pretty simple: turnovers. If you look at both games on paper, the offense moved the football and the defense had stops. Honestly, every ingredient was there for the Saints to handily win both games, if they would just take care of the football. If you look at the Saints' 7 games and how each fared, it really is that black and white.
In 4 wins, the Saints have turned the ball over 3 times and forced 7. In 3 losses, the Saints have turned the ball over 11 times while causing only 2. Pretty dramatic difference, wouldn't you say? But that's exactly why, in a league that's so competitive where every Sunday any team is capable of making a surprise upset, you have to play smart. The Saints don't have to get 4-5 turnovers to win games. As we saw early last year, when they get that many, it leads to blowouts. But more important than getting the exciting pick six is just to take care of the football. It's really that simple. Through 7 games, the Saints have turned it over 14 times. That's 2 turnovers, on average, per game. That is entirely too much and most of that is on Drew Brees. The good news is I don't think there's anyone out there more capable than him of correcting his mistakes.
So there you have it. I don't agree that PIerre Thomas or Reggie Bush being out are the major reasons for the Saints' woes. In fact, I don't think that is even close to as much of a factor than Brees just taking care of the football. It really is that simple. The Saints are so good offensively and defensively (and even on special teams when Garrett Hartley isn't shanking field goals), that they will win 90% of their games if they avoid turnovers. Of course that's easier said than done, but I've always been a firm believer that in the NFL where talent is spread out amongst teams so evenly, winning and losing really is that simple. Case and point, Colt McCoy threw for 74 yards, but he didn't have one single turnover. Guess who was the winning quarterback in that game?
So how many turnovers do you expect the Saints to have against the Steelers? If it's one or less, mark my words, they will win. If it's two or more, they will lose. Let me know what you expect Sunday night, and Happy Halloween!
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And Sustain drives
We keep trying to go to the will for the big play when its not there, then drew holds the ball to long and gets sacked. Plus I heard they want to wear those black pants. I don’t like that, but I really like our chances at a big win.
I heard they are definitely wearing black jerseys since that will determine the color jerseys the Steelers wear and Payton said they will make a decision on the pants “sometime prior to the game”. Have you heard anything more definitive or recent?
Gold pants…… pleeease.
Nope...
Black pants—see s88fan’s Fanpost from last night. I think it was reported on nola.com and a couple of other sites. The team just seems to like the “black out” look, although I’d rather they just WIN! I don’t care what they wear when they do it.
"It's about time that something good like this happened." - Drew Brees
and I want the Saints to giveaway the ball 0 times
time and time again over the last few years, the truth is that whenever we have a positive takeaway/giveaway differential in a game, we win.
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Oct 30, 2010 6:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Stu wrote about kickers Browning their pants a while ago...maybe it's a reference to that
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Oct 31, 2010 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions
agreed- but we as fans have to be OK with the dinky passes that help to sustain drives and not turn the ball over
if you don’t believe me, just ask Mike Martz…..
If Pro is the opposite of Con, what is the opposite of Progress? Congress!
-Men's Restroom - House of Representatives, Washington, DC
"most of that is on Drew Brees"
That’s the one part of your article I disagree with. It’s mostly on the offensive line. When Drew is forced to throw off his back foot because of pressure up the middle, or when he tries to get rid of the ball, but it goes astray because a pass rusher hits him as he throws, that’s on the offensive line. When a RB fumbles because he was hit at the point of hand off, it’s on the offensive line. All of the turnovers I just mentioned are examples that were returned for TDs. Others in the same categories that weren’t directly returned for a TD led to either a TD or FG.
If the Saints offensive line could figure out how to block, especially against 3/4 defenses, at least half of the turnovers, and most of the points resulting from them, would disappear.
I might be wrong
but I don’t think he’s pointing to Drew as causing the turnovers by himself. I think he’s naming Drew as making the turnovers since the quarterback usually gets the blame for interceptions as they count towards their stats. It’s a fact that Drew has been throwing too many, but of course there are other factors involved as is often the case.
"It's about time that something good like this happened." - Drew Brees
either way
it’s on Brees for throwing the ball. He makes the decisions, he makes the throws. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that all of it is on Brees but I would agree that most of it is. The Fujita interception he could’ve just taken the sack. There have been a couple times he could have just thrown it away instead of trying to force the ball into a spot when you haven’t been as accurate as normal during a game.
Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!
by skinnykinney on Oct 31, 2010 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions
we had 2 giveaways
but snagged two takeaways. so we were even in the net TO stat, and that was good enough for the win this week – whew!
It's gonna be a great year.
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