Saints 17 @ Falcons 14: The Morning After
by Dave Cariello on Dec 28, 2010 6:00 AM CST
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Heh. I guess Trent Dilfer was right all along.
- The offensive line play was abhorrent. They seemed to have no answer for John Abraham and the rest of Atlanta's pass rush. This is a serious area of concern for me personally as the Saints move forward. Jon Stinchcomb was over-matched. Jermon Bushrod played particularly poor. Including two false start penalties, he did everything he could to get out of the way against the pass rusher on that second interception.
- It was this constant pressure that forced Drew to nearly throw the game away and make a few Favre-like decisions that he had no business making. Some plays, like the backhanded 'Chris Paul' shovel pass to Pierre Thomas for no gain turned out okay. Others, like the intercepted flip pass, were disastrous. But I guess when it comes to Drew and his decisions, you take the good, you take the bad. You take them all, and there you have: the facts of life. He looked nimble out there as well, doing a splendid job of sensing the pass rush and getting the hell away from it. This is the second week I have commented on Drew's footwork. That brand new bionic knee has done wonders.
- Gotta give credit to the Saints running backs for the good job they did all night with their blitz pick up assignments, however. Reggie and Pierre both.
- Will Smith had a great night. Glad he decided to show up in this all important game. He had the teams only sack, made a nice tackle in the backfield and was in Matt Ryan's face consistently.
- The offensive game plan once again included an unbalanced, pass-heavy attack. The Saints called 49 passing plays to only 22 runs, not including Drew's kneel downs. Once again, I still think the Saints would be better off running the ball more and Payton is being a little stubborn. But I think that's just the identity Payton has carved out for this team; an identity he will win or lose by. I think it's time we all just accept it and move on.
- A note on one play however. Even though it turned out well, I don't like the dump off pass to Pierre Thomas with less than two minutes left when you really just want to run the clock out and force Atlanta to use their timeouts. I think running the ball would have been the orthodox thing to do. Then again, when has Payton ever been orthodox.
- Roddy White can eat me. Three catches for 43 yards? I'm not impressed.
- Yet another game filled with Saints penalties. Eight of them for a total of 92 yards to be exact. That included two Jermon Bushrod false starts and back-to-back pass interference calls on Tracy Porter. Some of them were stupid and uncalled for like Jo-Lonn Dunbar's unnecessary roughness penalty. The unsportsmanlike conduct called on Leigh Torrence during a Reggie Bush punt return was probably the most egregious. He got an earful from Payton on the sideline afterward.
- There were a total of 15 punts in this game. Seven by the Saints and eight from the Falcons. That's quite a lot.
- I imagine it was part of the defensive game plan to shut down Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez because that's what they did. Gonzo was limited to just two catches for 12 yards.
- Rookie tight end Jimmy Graham is a difference-maker in yet another game. Like Jeremy Shockey in the Super Bowl, Graham scored the game-winning touchdown on almost the same exact play.
- Props to Jeff Charleston for popping the ball loose during the Saints goal line stand and causing the turnover that changed the game.
- Another bright spot was the special teams play of Patrick Robinson. He was an ace in punt coverage early in the game.
- Is Payton awesome at video replay challenges or what!?
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Falcon fan here.
Great game between two evenly matched teams. Both teams made some boneheaded mistakes, but ultimately y’all’s Saints were the victors. After nearly 9 quarters of football, we’re tied. Awesome.
Congrats on this win. Round 3 is just around the corner, and I expect another slugfest. It’s a shame that a team as good as y’all will have to play at either St. Louis or Seattle. Seattle?! Blech.
There’s no doubt that the NFC South is the best division in football. None. Good times!
Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule! Go Falcons ;-)
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
Thanks, JMan
For a while there in the 4th it looked like you were gonna be the ones that made the plays to win.
I wish I could wish you well against the Panthers, but I cannot (we still have a shot at the #1 seed if you somehow lose to them and we beat the Bucs…). I will, however, wish you a good week of practice!
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Dec 28, 2010 8:15 AM CST up reply actions
Thanks for being classy, Jman
I wouldn’t have the fortitude to go to the victor’s blog and congratulate them. Too heartbreaking.
No one will want to face us in the playoffs...
Once Ivory is back we will be deadly as he will batter defenses and open it up for Brees.
O-line play was atrocious. It’s almost as Bushrod is the invisible man…How many times did a Falcon come in the backfield untouched ! If Brees wasn’t so nimble there could have been a homicide out there…
Pierre Thomas is Mr. Money in the bank…I can’t remember the last time the guy fumbled. Every time his number is called he delivers…Great to have him back.
What good is Reggie Bush if he can’t outrun a linebacker? Since the injury he doesn’t seem to be outrunning anyone anymore…
Thinking about Bushrod's non-block on the D-lineman on the screen/INT for TD
I wonder what the actual assignment for the OL is. Looked to me like he was hustling to get set for the screen blockade, but I don’t know if they’re told “get outside as fast as possible!” or “chip your man, and then get out to set up the screen wall.”
Anyone got any insight?
It's gonna be a great year.
or maybe it was the 2nd INT
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Dec 28, 2010 8:36 AM CST up reply actions
usually
you at least start like you are going with a normal pass blocking scheme, and then let them shed the block and get outside for your assignment.
by theprogrammerman on Dec 28, 2010 9:21 AM CST up reply actions
O line
Not sure what the deal is, but no wonder we don’t have a running game lately. Our RBs did a better job against the Falcons D line than our linemen did, and thank Jesus1000 for that. Looking at just that aspect of the game, it feels almost like we should have lost. Then you throw in some elusiveness from Brees and the Saints doing the exact opposite of what they did against the Ravens; making tackles and playing extremely well on special teams, and we get the win in a really hard fought game. Props to the Falcons defense. They played so much better than I thought they would, and almost pulled out the win. Thankfully, the Saints D did just a little bit more. I hope the coaching staff doesn’t get complacent and really coaches up the O line this week. It’s obvious that they focused on tackles and special teams leading up to this game and the Saints responded in a big way.
On a side note, I live on the Tennessee/Georgia border and there are a ton of Falcons fans here. I almost got into a couple fights last night, despite my best efforts to be a “good” fan at the bar. Most of the fans there were cool, but one kept saying he hoped Drew Brees and Reggie would get injured on every play, and was cheering louder for flags against the Saints than he did for Ryan’s TD pass. In the end, I went out like the Saints did, keeping my mouth shut, folding my arms, and smiling at him as he slunk out of the bar after the Graham catch.
Yeah I can’t believe how crapy our OL has become this year. At the very least we need to draft or sign two new tackles for competition or replacement. And we may need to get Tennant ready fast as well.
by FriarBob on Dec 28, 2010 10:48 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Dear Sean Payton,
Can you PLEASE start Charles Brown next week?
Sincerely, Ezio
by Ezio_Auditore on Dec 28, 2010 11:54 AM CST up reply actions
sadly no, but hopefully he makes an impact
maybe one game of experience will help him haha. it’s just wishful thinking though
by Ezio_Auditore on Dec 28, 2010 4:10 PM CST up reply actions
The second Tracy Porter pass interference turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
If he doesn’t interfere with the receiver, he gives up a TD. Instead, the Falcons fumble 2 plays later.
Peyton, I can eat Oreos faster than you!!!!
It's a shame we marred the win by acting like morons after the game carrying on then going out onto the field and getting our pictures taken on their logo.
We beat them, in their building, a place where they don’t lose. You leave it like you knew it was going to be the outcome all along. You leave knowing you’re in their heads so that next time we meet, we have the mental advantage. You don’t leave giving them bulletin board material making them so pissed they forget all the little things you planted into their heads about the game itself.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
It'll go on our bulletin board, too
That action just didn’t bother me. I think our D has every right to be proud of their outstanding performance and to remember it in that fashion. I have my picture taken at my important achievements, don’t you? Now distributing the picture, handing it out to the media, tweeting it … wouldn’t recommend that. Keeping it in the locker room, pointing to it and remembering it … do it every day, boys.
by FloriDat on Dec 28, 2010 10:41 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I agree and rec’d ya
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Dec 28, 2010 11:16 AM CST up reply actions
“To at least one Atlanta official, it was the equivalent of flipping the Falcons the Dirty Bird.
“Believe me, that didn’t go unnoticed, not just by our players and coaches but by our owner (Arthur Blank) and front office people,‘’ the Falcons’ official said. “It did not go unnoticed and it will be remembered.’’”
Gee….so nice of us to ruffle the feathers looking ahead in 3 weeks. Sorry….but we just did a “Roddy White” back at them, not smart.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
the whole game "will be remembered"
Sean Payton often has the team bus do an extra lap around the stadium after tough away victories. I’m sure an Atlanta official would not let that go “unnoticed” either. The truth is Atlanta doesn’t need to look for motivation to want to get back at us in three weeks (though they will scrounge up every scrap); we handed it to them on a three-point winning platter.
Officials were pulling for Falcons
That game was called horribly anyway. Opening play, Reggie gets horse collared - no flag. Atlanta holds on every other play, but they walk away with only 1 penalty — and it wasn’t for holding. The saints get 2 roughing the passer penalties – both were BS. On the first one Ryan was started to slide but our defensive player was already in the motion of tackling and could not have avoided hitting him. On the second one, we barely touched Ryan as he was stepping up and we were being pushed back. It definitely was NOT a roughing the passer call. And finally, the unsportsman like conduct on the punt return for blocking the Atlanta player. The Atlanta player was in bounds when we blocked him and the ball had not yet hit the ground. There was nothing unsportsman about it. To top it off, they tried to give the ball back to Atlanta by calling Graham’s catch a fumble when he was CLEARLY down. I know sometimes it can be hard to call a fumble when it’s close, but really that play was not close at all. Even when the ref overturned the decision he commited a Freudian slip by saying it was Atlanta’s ball. The refs most definitely were pulling for Atlanta. So I’m not worried about this ref who claims he won’t forget us taking pictures on their Logo. Screw the refs. They did everything they could to throw that game.
Our fat punk kicker, Garrett Hartley, missed a game-winner and we lost for the second week in a row - Scott Fujita in 2009
by Ragin Who Dat on Dec 28, 2010 1:40 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Um….that’s a Falcons official….as in a team official, someone who works for the organization, not a ref. The game was called clean. The first roughing was ticky tack, that crap happens. The second was a hands to the head that wasn’t more than a brush, but by the letter of the rules should have been called. The unsportsman penalty was 100% legit. The ball was clearly landing out of bounds, all players had let up, and Leigh lit up the guy knowingly despite it. You heard the call…it was called because he knowingly hit a player when the action of the play was clearly over despite the player being inbounds. The fumble…you HAVE to call a fumble in that situation. You know it’s going to be reviewed to catch the potential mistake. To not call it in that situation could potentially make the play non-reviewable and cost a team the outcome of the game. There was no “pulling for the Falcons” by the officiating crew. This isn’t the NBA. They do their best and called a decent game. The falcons have been one of the least penalized teams in the league for years because they’re an excellently coached team….not because of bogus officiating.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
BS
You state the calls were good, but your opening 2 remarks about the roughing the passer penalties prove otherwise. In your words…“the first roughing was ticky tack, that crap happens. The second was a hands to the head that wasn’t more than a brush.” So, on those 2 plays alone, we got 30 yards in penalties for “ticky-tack” and a “brush”. That’s not clean to me. If “that crap happens”, then why didn’t Atlanta get any penalties for ticky-tack and a brush?
And I guess you believe that officials should start calling plays that they don’t even see just so it can be reviewed to make sure. Cuz Graham did not fumble the ball, it wasn’t close, and it should never have been called. You don’t make calls so the boys upstairs can figure it out. If there would not have been clear visual evidence that it wasn’t a fumble the bad call would have stood. Officials need to call what they see and not make crap up.
Also, you failed to comment on the horse collar on reggie that wasn’t called and the obvious holding penalties by the falcons that weren’t called.
It was a poorly called game from beginning to end.
Our fat punk kicker, Garrett Hartley, missed a game-winner and we lost for the second week in a row - Scott Fujita in 2009
by Ragin Who Dat on Dec 28, 2010 3:41 PM CST up reply actions
Gee…because they didn’t hit Brees in the head you think? I saw no horsecollar on Reggie, they took him down by the shoulders, not the back of the neck. And that fumble was VERY close. His butt was on the ground for less than an 1/8th of a second before the ball came out.
I didn’t see the constant holding calls that you seem to be making up…you know what i did see…two false starts by Bushrod that weren’t even called. So don’t start with the ref whining, it’s pathetic.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
I think they were poor refs, all around.
The Falcons fans were whining about pretty much the same things we were. Calls were poor on both sides. As usual, they called a bad call on us, then they had a make up call on them. Facts of life are, the refs will always suck no matter which team you root for.
Week 17 matchup: Bucs
Week 17 motto: I have a manlove with Pierre.
Canal Street Chronicles-you know you want to
Agreed!
You cant call something you dont see in hopes of a review. What if the Saints were out of challenges? We just have to live with there screw up? Screw that! That game was called one sided no doubt about it. I dont say we didnt deserve our penalties even though some were ticky tack but you cant tell me the Falcons only had one true penalty all night. But its all good we won so next time we have something to improve upon.
What in the HELL just happened!?
by GESWhoseBack on Dec 28, 2010 6:44 PM CST up reply actions
To not call it in that situation could potentially make the play non-reviewable and cost a team the outcome of the game.
Absolute bull crap. The down-by-contact versus turnover can ALWAYS be reviewed. You’re thinking of college rules (at least as of about three years ago when I last was bored enough to watch a bowl game or two) where unless it was ruled a fumble on the field it can’t be reviewed. The question is whether or not possession can be awarded whether or not, and that is based on whether or not there is a clear recovery, not whether or not the little blue marker hit the turf.
The unsportsman penalty was 100% legit.
If he had CALLED “unsportsmanlike conduct”, you might have a point. Had he called “late hit” you might have a point. But he didn’t do either of those. He called unnecessary roughness and made up a rule to make it sound legit.
The falcons have been one of the least penalized teams in the league for years because they’re an excellently coached team
… in how to cheat and get away with it.
You need to be more careful to finish your sentences properly, man. The Falcon OL holds on almost EVERY play and it’s flat BLATANT on at least a third of them. Yet there was, what, one holding penalty on them all night? But the refs were just looking at something else every time and never saw it… well, maybe. It’s actually possible. But I don’t really buy it either.
The down-by-contact versus turnover can ALWAYS be reviewed.
OK, one exception. If you are out of challenges you are screwed. But that is yet once again a reason to not just try to guess at this crap. They really need more refs to begin with, and they need to make MUCH greater used of replay technology and its abilities.
Get over it.
This isn’t the first time they’ve taken pictures in the middle of the field.
They didn’t prance around on the logo or take a dump on it. They took pictures while smiling. Wow, what a bunch of thugs.
The only reason you heard about this is because the media has tried making it a big deal. If the media hadn’t promoted the story (which was admittedly a non-story in other weeks when Saints players did the same thing) the level of bitching would be zero.
"In fact, Sterger claims that, in one of the photos Favre allegedly sent her, he's masturbating — while wearing a pair of Crocs"
Sorry, but this is just as dumb as roddy’s tweets. This was the defense only, not the whole team. They do this after every major win. Its only a story because the falcons are still in the divison lead. Otherwise nobody would care.
Oh and who says they don’t lose in that building? They haven’t very much this year, but they lost in that building plenty of times in the three previous. And they would have lost at least twice more if their opponents this year hadn’t been complete idiots.
by FriarBob on Dec 28, 2010 10:43 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Umm….pretty much everyone says it man. Lost plenty of times in the three previous?….they’re 20-4 in the past 3 years, or will be after this Sunday. 2 of those losses were with a backup QB. An 83% winning percentage is as stout as it gets.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
I think you're overreacting jeff
Vilma himself said that the team often takes pictures on the middle of the field whenever they win an important game. Read Pat Y’s post
by Ezio_Auditore on Dec 28, 2010 11:55 AM CST up reply actions
I did read it. And yes perhaps I am. I would have just liked to have seen it all happen in a better manner is all.
"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."
We just clinched a playoff spot
It’s a huge accomplishment t hat many players want to preserve, and I don’t blame them. That D played a hell of a game. The took a photograph, not a dump, at midfield. Not a big deal.
The falcons are just being crybabies. Who cares if it pisses them off? You think they aren’t going to play their hardest against us in the playoffs already? Isn’t this the team whose probowl WR just tweeted moronic statements about our team and city? Next time I hope we do take a dump on the 50 yard line.
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 28, 2010 8:42 PM CST up reply actions
I see it as a complement to the Falcons
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Dec 28, 2010 11:15 AM CST up reply actions
I agree about the picture thing
I didn’t like hearing they did that. Classless. Be happy and celebrate, just know when to stop.
That said I would like to see those pictures, lol.
Breesus Is My Homeboy
How is taking a picture and smiling classless?
Put your comment in the context of the NFL and you’ll see how ridiculous that sounds.
People on the gridiron who smile are classless? You’re absolutely right, but for the wrong reasons. Those bastards’ faces should be set in a perpetual snarl, complete with devil-spittle and soul-eating eyes. The mere fact that they smiled makes me think less of them as men.
Yes, I’m joking.
No, taking a picture and smiling isn’t classless.
"In fact, Sterger claims that, in one of the photos Favre allegedly sent her, he's masturbating — while wearing a pair of Crocs"
I would like us to keep working on the screen passes to PT-
don’t give up on the screens- they are important and PT will get better and better as he gets his rhythm.
If Pro is the opposite of Con, what is the opposite of Progress? Congress!
-Men's Restroom - House of Representatives, Washington, DC
but, Jermon, please chip your man before racing out to block downfield
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Dec 28, 2010 2:07 PM CST up reply actions
Orthodox?
What are we, Marty Schottenheimer?
I’ve always maintained that in that situation, the important thing is making the first down. If you have to pass, then pass. And doing it on second down is probably the perfect time, too—before it becomes too obvious that you just might be crazy enough to try it. I like Payton’s decision, and I like the fact that he plays to win, instead of playing not to lose.
It was worth the wait.
by MtnExile on Dec 28, 2010 11:26 AM CST reply actions 3 recs
I like that mentality
It's gonna be a great year.
by Hans Petersen on Dec 28, 2010 2:08 PM CST up reply actions
boom rec'd it
M-E is like the wise elder around here.
you’ll get yours yet, however big you think you are
Was SO happy to see PT find that rythum again!!
Seeing him get back to his own self, which hopefully will continue from here on out, makes me think when him and the Tusk man are together we will be unstoppable.
Another rookie opinion here:
It seemed like they tried to run it a bit in the beginning, maybe to test the waters, but got nowhere. Maybe Payton finally felt comfortable after a period of time watching their run defense to start running the ball again. Maybe he was waiting for PT to start clicking. Would have liked to have seen us run it again earlier in the game but either way it helped us win big time in the end.
Breesus Is My Homeboy
As far as the defense disrespecting the Falcons...
Maybe we can all head over to Mamby-Pamby land and find someone who gives a sh**.
Dorothy-"But how can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" Scarecrow- "I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." -Wizard of Oz
by Cajun in CA on Dec 28, 2010 5:15 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
I dont think anyone there cares either!
Let the Flacons use this as motivation cause I know the Saints dont need any for a playoff game.
What in the HELL just happened!?
by GESWhoseBack on Dec 28, 2010 6:36 PM CST up reply actions
LOL
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 28, 2010 8:44 PM CST up reply actions
About the passing
Drew was averaging almost 9 yards per pass. Most of them were in bounds running the clock and moving the chains. Why would you ever want to stop passing, other than a few runs to keep them honest when you are averaging almost a first down everytime Drew throws a pass? (pre-reply: assuming Brees doesn’t make a habit of impersonating Favre).
That being said, I see your point on the last drive. The conservative thing would have been to run, but the passes that were thrown were of the short, high percentage variety, so it worked out.
Our best chance to win is with Drew’s arm. For better or worse. Embrace it.
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 28, 2010 8:51 PM CST reply actions
Drew had 49 passing attempts. 24 of those were either <3 yds, or incompletes, or interceptions. Drew would have had a higher completion percentage and a higher average-yards-per-pass if they had run the ball more. Running the ball opens up the passing game so that we don’t always have to dump the ball off for a 1 yd pass. If you look at the drives where we actually scored, we had more running plays. This allowed the passing game to open up and we also had longer pass completions. You can’t just pass all day and expect to get completions. You must run the ball too.
Our fat punk kicker, Garrett Hartley, missed a game-winner and we lost for the second week in a row - Scott Fujita in 2009
by Ragin Who Dat on Dec 28, 2010 9:11 PM CST up reply actions
Easy there, just using a little hyperbole, RWD. That, and trying to piss off C-P.
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 28, 2010 9:48 PM CST up reply actions
Well I'll join you then...
I’m all for pissing off someone on here…as long as its in good fun.
Our fat punk kicker, Garrett Hartley, missed a game-winner and we lost for the second week in a row - Scott Fujita in 2009
by Ragin Who Dat on Dec 29, 2010 8:50 AM CST up reply actions
what good is the internet if you can’t use it to piss people off? All in good fun, of course.
In Breesus' name we play
by Breesus Christ Superstar on Dec 29, 2010 12:31 PM CST up reply actions
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