Am I the only Saints fan in the world who is constantly comparing this season to last, hoping the team can duplicate everything they did and keep the magic alive? With February still fresh in my memory, you can't possibly blame me. And let's face it, the 2009 season will forever be used as the measuring stick against which every other future season will be judged, what with winning the Super Bowl and all. Until the Saints win another one that is.
If you're like me then you're in luck because my curiosity was too much and I finally broke down. We know this team isn't off to nearly as fast a start as last September and many of us have a pretty good inkling as to why. But I wanted to know just what the differences were and how much they were different so I busted out the old TI-86 and did a little number crunching.
What follows is a comparison of the current season thus far to the first three games of the 2009 season (vs. Lions, @Eagles and @Bills) in key statistical categories. I then used the results to make my own, personal assumptions. If you don't agree with any or all of this, of course you are free to share your own thoughts and opinions below.
Whether or not any of this information is cause for concern cannot be known but the Saints are 2-1 so even if thinks might seem bleak there's plenty of time to right the ship. Also keep in mind the quality of opponents in each sample set of three games. That may affect what you take from all of this.
So how does this years team so far stack up to last years squad three weeks into the 2009 season? Well...
It's obvious the team just isn't putting up as many points...
| Total Points Scored | |
| 2009 | 120 points |
| 2010 | 63 points |
| Percent Decrease | -47% |
Or racking up the yardage...
| Yards per Game | |
| 2009 | 438 ypg |
| 2010 | 331 ypg |
| Percent Decrease | -24% |
The playcalling isn't nearly as balanced...
| Run/Pass Balance | |
| 2009 | 102/203 - 50% / 50% |
| 2010 | 65/182 - 35% / 65% |
And the running game is all out of whack...
| Total Rushing Yards | |
| 2009 | 512 yards |
| 2010 | 172 yards |
| Percent Decrease | -66% |
| Yards per Carry | |
| 2009 | 5.01 ypc |
| 2010 | 2.65 ypc |
| Percent Decrease | -47% |
But Drew will be Drew...
| Passing Yards | |
| 2009 | 841 yards |
| 2010 | 821 yards |
| Percent Decrease | -2% |
| QB Rating | |
| 2009 | 109.5 |
| 2010 | 107.6 |
| Percent Decrease | -2% |
And the defense is about the same...
| Defensive Points Allowed | |
| 2009 | 56 |
| 2010 | 58 |
| Percent Decrease | -3% |
| Defensive Yards Allowed | |
| 2009 | 937 yards |
| 2010 | 1087 yards |
| Percent Decrease | -14% |
| Turnover Differential | |
| 2009 | +4 |
| 2010 | +3 |
But they can't come through when it counts...
| Opponent 3rd Down Conversion | |
| 2009 | 26.49% |
| 2010 | 48.00% |
| Percent Decrease | -45% |
And spend too much time on the field while the offense sits on the bench...
| Offensive TOP | |
| 2009 | 33:30 min |
| 2010 | 29:06 min |
| Percent Decrease | -13% |
The return game is as good or better, thanks to Lance Moore...
| Punt Return Average | |
| 2009 | 2.2 ypg |
| 2010 | 29.5 ypg |
| Percent Increase | +93% |
And Courtney Roby...
| Kickoff Return Average | |
| 2009 | 18.9 ypg |
| 2010 | 24.3 ypg |
| Percent Increase | +22% |
Morstead is still solid...
| Net Punting Average | |
| 2009 | 37.9 ypg |
| 2010 | 41.8 ypg |
| Percent Increase | +9% |
Except the kicker's got some new consistency problems...
| Field Goals | |
| 2009 | 5/6 - 83% |
| 2010 | 4/7 - 57% |
| Percent Decrease | -26% |