Sorry for the sparse posting, it's been a wild week. But, hooray, I'm back in NOLA for the weekend. Sadly, I'll be traveling on gameday, but I've already checked muffaleta, breadpudding, Abita Amber and Restoration ale from the list. Still on there are turkey, red beans, etoufee and and anything from Mother's. Wish me luck.
Now, here's what writers from around the internets are saying about the Saints:
- Mike Triplett, Times Picayune:
Not surprisingly, the Saints were talking about turnovers on Monday after shooting themselves in the foot once again in Sunday's 23-10 loss at Houston.
The Saints now rank last in the NFL in turnover ratio at minus-10 (21 giveaways, 11 takeaways). They coughed up three turnovers at Houston, including a Reggie Bush fumble at the Texans' 1-yard line in the first quarter.
- Jimmy Smith, Times Picayune:
The Texans have been vilified since that late April day in 2006 when they decided to draft defensive end Mario Williams and pass on running back Reggie Bush.
Sunday, they were vindicated.Arguably, Houston's 2006 No. 1 draft choice had long ago justified the faith the Texans invested in him when they chose Williams over Bush as well as hometown hero Vince Young, the quarterback from Texas.
In the Saints' 23-10 loss at Reliant Stadium, a game in which Bush rushed for a paltry 34 yards on 15 carries and lost a disputed fumble at the Houston 1-yard line in the first quarter that cost New Orleans a possible six points, Bush's spotty performance in the first head-to-head meeting between he and Williams fully erased any doubt in the minds of Texans fans that their team's front office made the correct decision.
- Ken Moll, ESPN.com:
The return of WR Andre Johnson to the lineup allowed Houston QB Matt Schaub to take full advantage of New Orleans’ struggling pass defense. The Saints failed to get consistent pressure on Schaub and he was able to exploit marginal zone coverage. The Texans played bend-but-don’t-break defense with a good mix of zone and man coverages that were able to limit Sean Payton’s innovative offense to just one touchdown. They also forced Saints QB Drew Brees into two interceptions that prevented New Orleans from capitalizing on scoring opportunities.
- Les East, The Advocate:
The New Orleans Saints sure made things hard on themselves by losing their first four games of the season.
But despite winning four straight to get to .500 briefly, they may well have made things even harder on themselves by losing their last two games.
At 4-6, they are tied with Carolina, which they play on the road Sunday, for second place in the NFC South, two games behind Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have a leg up on the Saints, having won the first head-to-head meeting. The Panthers hold the same edge on New Orleans.