lholder_cbs_nba Even with Sedrick Ellis back, the Saints have no run defense.
lholder_cbs_nba What a pitiful lose for the Saints.
DougTatum Saints lose to a bad Bucs team 20-17 in overtime; terrible special teams play, run defense; no offense in second half
DougTatum About five weeks ago the Saints beat Tampa 38-7 in Florida; Saints definitely trending the wrong way
FletcherMackel First time in 20 years the saints have blown a 17 point lead!!! I'm speechless.
FletcherMackel Not to be debbie downer but maybe we should all pump the brakes on that super bowl talk. Horrible horrible loss.
jeffduncantp Just got back to my seat from the Saints locker room. Best quote was from S Darren Sharper: "I was stunned." He and, oh, 70,021 fans.
Satchfield Anyone think the Unknown Who Dat brought the curse back?
Satchfield There's an obvious joke a/b Garrett Hartley's concentration on that miss, and his suspension for a drug used to treat such issues. I'll pass
jeffduncantp Sunday was the first time in two decades the Saints have squandered a 17-point lead and lost. The last time was 1989 vs. GB in a 35-34 loss.
jeffduncantp The Bucs today became the first team in NFL history with two or fewer wins to beat a 13-win team.
lholder_cbs_nba Last week, I blamed the coaching for the Saints loss. Today, I blame it on a lack of hunger from players even though homefield was @ stake.
LanceMoore16 Back to the drawing board. These losses will make us stronger in the end. Keep ur heads up Saints fans, we got this.
LanceMoore16 Just like to say thanks to all of the fans that are keepin the faith. And for those of u that are full of negativity keep it to urself thx
LanceMoore16 Very few things are ever achieved without some sort of adversity along the way. Let's leave it at that. Who Dats we got u!
Linkage
New Orleans Saints' loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers stuns all: Jeff Duncan - Times-Pic
"We were stunned,"
-Darren Sharper
"I think everybody was stunned,"
-Will Smith
"I am concerned,"
-Darren Sharper
"Some of the same things came up and bit us like not stopping the run, allowing them to make plays towards the latter part of the game, not protecting the football and special teams having some breakdowns. ... How we've played these past (two) games is not how we want to go into the playoffs playing,"
We've got to get back to not taking things for granted. We've got to play every game with a sense of urgency, think about every snap is like a playoff snap. That's how teams continue to peak and play at high levels and play consistent football. At the beginning of the season, we played as if every play was a big play and we played with that type of urgency. Now, it's like sometimes we have it and sometimes we don't."
-Darren Sharper
"I felt like they were pushing us around," Sharper said. "You won't win playoff games like that."
-Darren Sharper
"Coach Payton has said all season there is going to come a point in the season where you're going to have adversity, and for us that time is now," Smith said. "Is the sky falling, absolutely not and anyone that thinks the sky is falling would be very, very wrong. We're 13-2, and all of our goals are still there for us."
-Will Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers learned from 38-7 loss to New Orleans Saints - TImes-Pic
"It was after that loss -- because of that loss, really -- that Raheem made a lot of changes, (putting in) things that are a lot like our old defenses from years past," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "Until then we were just too predictable in our coverages and our fronts. We didn't have as much on our menu to call on, and (the Saints) knew it. Drew (Brees) is just too good to give him one or two looks. You have to be able to adapt and change it up, or he'll kill you.
"Before that game we didn't have that ability. After the game, we did."
-Ronde Barber
"Even in this game, (Drew) found a way to adjust to what we were doing," Barber said. "We had some looks we thought we could disguise, but he found a way to run away from them. He checked out of all our blitzes and made plays.
"But in the second half, we made adjustments, flipping the safeties, showing different fronts, and that worked."
-Ronde Barber
"Even at 17-0, we never felt like, 'Oh, man it's the end of the season,'" said quarterback Josh Freeman, a big rookie who completed 21 of 31 passes for 271 yards with two interceptions. "We knew we could move the ball on these guys. "In that first game, it was really frustrating, because we would get in manageable third-down situations, and I was off with my throws. This time I was able to hit those.
"So we knew we just needed to stay with it. Keep plugging away."
-Josh Freeman
"It was something we installed for this game, because of a front they like to use," said center Jeff Faine, a former Saint. "It gave us a chance to get some double teams up front. We got some great movement on the nose, was able to get him off the ball, and we pulled (tackle Jeremy) Zuttah, and he was able to get up on the outside linebacker, get some movement on him.
"And Cadillac made his move and was gone."
-Jeff Faine
New Orleans Saints-Tampa Bay Bucs game recap - Times-Pic
"The way we've played these last two weeks, we can't get away with that in the playoffs," Sharper said. "It's actually kind of good that we have a game next week against a tough opponent."
-Darren Sharper
"It's no mystery. We knew they were a good return team, and I guess they just had the right things going at the right time," Saints coverage specialist Chris Reis said. "It's really just disappointing. It's hard to know exactly what happened, especially until you break down the film. But we've got to get better in that area, for sure."
-Chris Reis
"We just weren't able to finish today," said Saints safety Roman Harper, who simplified the Saints' continued struggles against the run. "You know, we've just got to be able to get big up front, we've got to fit our gaps a little bit better, and when the running back comes to you, you've got to be able to get him down.
"That's what it boils down to every week."
-Roman Harper
"No question, that's something we've got to look at closely," Fujita said of the struggles to stop the run -- though he said he couldn't put his finger on the reasons during the aftermath of the loss.
"I really got nothing. I'm almost speechless at this point," Fujita said. "I think the energy was high early in the game, then in the second half they just outplayed us. And that's what's so disappointing right now."
-Scott Fujita
New Orleans Saints fall asleep at wheel in loss to Buccaneers
"Things happen like that in the NFL, and we knew that coming in," Saints defensive end Will Smith said. "We knew that every team had a chance to beat us. Unfortunately, we've lost the last couple of games -- but it's something that we have to rebound from. I definitely don't think it's the end of the world."
-Will Smith
"We have to get the swagger back that we had when we first started this," New Orleans defensive end Charles Grant said. "That swag is going to come back."
-Charles Grant
New Orleans Saints' Garrett Hartley says miss won't shake his confidence - Times-Pic
Grading the New Orleans Saints vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Times-Pic
Tampa Bay Bucs shock New Orleans Saints 20-17 in overtime - Times-Pic
New Orleans Saints losing momentum heading into playoffs: Peter Finney - Times-Pic
New Orleans Saints-Tampa Bay Buccaneers scoring summary - Times-Pic
Saints vs Bucs Game Story - New Orleans Saints official website
Saints vs Bucs Game Notes - New Orleans Saints official website
Handwerger: Sense of urgency could be biggest thing to come out of Sunday's loss - WWLTV
Superdome Shocker: Saints fall to Bucs 20-17 - WWLTV
New Orleans Saints endure shocking overtime loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NewOrleans.com
Saints kicker Hartley experiences lows of profession with missed kick against Buccaneers - NewOrleans.com
Video: Josh Freeman Press Conference - Buccaneers.com
Video: Saints Fans Still Believe After Sunday's Loss - WDSU
For Tampa Bay Buccaneers, big win over New Orleans Saints doesn't come easy - St. Petersburg Times
A review of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints broadcast - St. Petersburg Times
Video
| Jeff Duncan's Bucs-Saints Vlog (Dec. 27, 2009) |
Audio
Here are your WWL audio clips. In order it is Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper, Carl Nicks, Bobby Hebert, Hokie Gajan and three clips of The Point After show.
Transcripts
SEAN PAYTON
"Obviously, a difficult loss for us. They hung around in the second half and credit them for having the resolve to fight back. We really struggled in the second half offensively. We gave up the big punt return. It's frustrating, it's disappointing. We'll have to bounce back. Obviously, it'll be a tough one for us, but we get a chance to see how we'll handle it.
"You want to take care of your inconsistencies. Some of those are more glaring than others. There's a lot we've got to clean up. We'll get back to work this week. Speaking on behalf of this game, there's a lot of things we did well early on and some things we didn't do well later on.
"We did a pretty good job of just hanging in there defensively. We made a big defensive stop in the fourth quarter. We just couldn't make enough plays. I think it would be a mistake to point just to the kicking game, just to the defense or just to the offense.
"I think in the end, we struggled with some third downs. We didn't have any penalties in the first half; we had some in the second half. We had the strip-fumble. We've got to clean some things up.
"We're playing for something, so yeah, it's not like it's all locked up or decided. We're still playing for something. I think we said that at the beginning of the week and nothing's changed today.
(on game-tying TD) "It's a punt return. We've got to get off blocks and cover it and do the fundamentals of covering a punt.
(on Garrett Hartley) "He's played well for us. He's been battle tested. I think it's a mistake if we just point to the missed kick, if we just point to the punt return, if we just point to one specific area. It's all of our jobs to get it cleaned up."
"I've said this before. In our league, it's crisis or carnival, ‘cause the stuff in the middle doesn't sell. Now you hit some adversity. We've got to get ready to play a team that's playing well, Carolina.
"Having to get back to work and play better football, clean up those mistakes. There will be a challenge for us. When you're going well, it goes pretty smoothly."
DREW BREES
(on loss) "It's hard to explain it. I guess at this point, not having been able to see the film and some of the things that cost us. We started off fast with 17 straight points. After that, there was a big lull. It's hard because all you want to do is give yourself a chance to win at the end. In overtime, unfortunately, they get the ball first and it was over.
(on difference after 1st 3 drives) "We got really three possessions in the first half, with the exception of the two-minute at the end. Even on that, we set stopped and it's maybe six inches. It didn't feel like we had a lot of possessions in the second half until that two-minute drive.
"These are the types of things that bring your team together and make you stronger.
(pressure?) "I don't know if I'd call it the pressure mounting. The fact is, we need to play better. I don't think we've played our best football in a while. This is just the type of game we need, going on the road against a divisional opponent that's playing very well.
"You always find out more about a team when you start facing adversity. In the Sean Payton era here, we've faced adversity very well. We'll always turned them into positives. This is one of those situations where we have the right type of character, the right type of leadership, to handle it very well.
(on 4 games since Patriots game) "What I liked about those last four games was our ability to finish the first two (Washington and Atlanta). Last week, we got down so much and scored two touchdowns and almost scored a third. Today, we had the ball at the end with a chance to win the game."
GARRETT HARTLEY
"I felt great going out there. Just an opportunity to win another game and give us home field advantage in the playoffs. I kind of rushed myself a little bit. It was all me, the snap and hold were great; I just rushed myself.
"Knowing I let my team down is the worst thing. It's definitely humbling. You have to learn from these experiences in order to prevail the next one."
ROBERT MEACHEM
(on last offensive play of regulation) "I was trying my hardest to get in there. I didn't get in.
(on last two games) "That's something we've got to work on. Start from scratch, see what we did wrong. We've just got to take the coaching, the criticism, and go with it.
"A loss is a loss, no matter how you lose it."
SEDRICK ELLIS
"That's football. You got to hand it to Tampa (Bay). They came out and played good football today and came out with a victory.
(on difference in two halves) "I think they were able to run the ball a little bit better, and that's something we have to look at and get that fixed."
WILL SMITH
"We shouldn't have never been in that situation to have it come down to a field goal. We know they have a lot of talent, but I think we came out with a good plan.
(on next week) "I don't think this changes anything. Every game is important. You have to go out and finish strong."
TRACY PORTER
"We're not worried about anyone else and what their record is. We're worried about what our record is. Whatever the Vikings do, they do. The two losses we've had, we have to put them behind us and look forward to Carolina."
RAHEEM MORRIS
(opening Statement) "We are obviously really excited. It was a hard fought game by a proud football team."
(on what he learned about his team today) "It wasn't a learning process for me today, but it may have been for you guys. They are starting to get there. They like winning. They found that out last week. They found that out against Green Bay. This team has the talent and the ability. I am just really proud of them. They went out there and fought. I am completely exhausted right now."
(on second-half adjustments) "We were getting diced in the first half. We went back in the locker room and I tried to settle the guys down. They believe in me and I believe in them. We went in and made some adjustments. We did some different things and mixed it up a little bit. We put some pressure on them. It was really helpful toward winning the game."
(on Michael Spurlock's punt return for a touchdown) "He provided us the play that put us in this thing. He gave us life. He did a great job."
(on the defense's play) "Let's not kid ourselves. They are arguably the best offensive team in the National Football League. We didn't handle them well early. They went down the field on us three times in a row. We bounced back and stayed composed. All of our young guys came back and composed. They came under control and we went out and won."
(on the team's effort) "Winning is always a group effort. Today was no different. Running the football is key as well as getting Josh (Freeman) completions. We try not to turn the ball over. We did that a little bit, but we were able to fight through it. Winning the field position game. You have to play good defense. That's a testament to all of those young men in there. We had too many penalties today. We had mistakes that we can't have as a young football team that we have to get better at in order to compete with this type of talent. We need to get better at it."
(on if the team is progressing) "I know this team is getting better. I could see it every week even when we were losing. That's how we play and how we should play like all of the time."
Micheal Spurlock
(on punt return for touchdown): "I saw the ball way up in the air and knew instantly that I could make a play because of the distance between me and their special teams coverage. I caught it and then hit daylight. I caught a few nice blocks from my guys and then it turned into a foot race and I just took it in."
"Obviously it was a big play and I had to do something; be it a big play on the kickoff return, a punt - something. All we needed was a break and we got one in the second half. Our organization is real proud and it feels great to get two in a row."
Carnell Williams
"All the credit goes to the offense line. We knew we could run on them from the last time when we played them in Tampa. We knew coming in that we could move the ball on their defense. This is a huge win for us. I know the entire season is not want we want it to be, but to win a game like this is real special."
"And it feels great to win two in a row. I think this organization learned something today: that no matter how far down you are you can still get back up. And that's what happenedout there today. I am so proud of our offense line. They did all the work and all I did was hit the holes."
Connor Barth
"It feels great. Its not everyday you get a chance to make a game ending last second field goal and when you get that opportunity you have to take advantage of it. Like Coach Morris told me later, it (the kick) didn't look pretty but it went through."
"Of course I wanted their kicker (Saints) miss his. As a fellow kicker you have to feel for Hartley. We are a small group. But I knew when he missed his that we had a real chance to win the game. In fact, the way our entire team held in their the entire game I knew we had a chance to pull out the win."
Josh Freeman
"We showed tons of composure out there today. To come in here and play in their building for what they were playing for; well, it feels real special for us. Our season is not over even with our record. No one is out there hanging their heads. We are a proud team and it showed today."
"We battled and battled until the end out there. We've come back in games before. This team never gives up. And we knew we could run the ball on them. We had a great week of practice and saw on film that we could control the ball today."
"Even when we got behind early and trailed in the first half, it wasn't a feeling like, ‘oh no, here we go again." In the half time locker room everyone was fired up and knew that if we just hung in there, we would win the game. And at the very end, in the overtime, it was great to see us just pound the ball and get into field goal position. This was a great win - two in a row for us. It's a great victory and something we can build upon for us next year."