Dave and Kevin both drop by for this weeks mega-episode. Kevin is a bit upset about waiting 3.5 hours to see his doctor while Dave wonders how the Saints will work Darren Sproles back into the running back rotation. Ralph doesn’t know how long the Saints winning streak needs to go before Jeff Duncan drops the biggest troll column in NOLA.com history. Meanwhile, Dave goes off on why Roman Harper better be ready to make amends against the 49ers this Sunday. Plus, the best and worst Thanksgiving dishes.
Then Andrew Juge of The Saints Nation stops by to explain why the Saints still have plenty of room to improve despite their destruction of the Raiders this Sunday. He also explains how the Saints will function if they have to start their third string right tackle against San Francisco. Ralph is excited the Saints defense didn’t have any huge blown coverages in back to back weeks and Andrew makes a compelling case why you should be glad the 49ers won last night.
Listen right now to track #1 below, get the feed right here and/or download it on iTunes right here.
Dave and Kevin both drop by for this weeks mega-episode. Kevin is a bit upset about waiting 3.5 hours to see his doctor while Dave wonders how the Saints will work Darren Sproles back into the running back rotation. Ralph doesn’t know how long the Saints winning streak needs to go before Jeff Duncan drops the biggest troll column in NOLA.com history. Meanwhile, Dave goes off on why Roman Harper better be ready to make amends against the 49ers this Sunday. Plus, the best and worst Thanksgiving dishes.
Then Andrew Juge of The Saints Nation stops by to explain why the Saints still have plenty of room to improve despite their destruction of the Raiders this Sunday. He also explains how the Saints will function if they have to start their third string right tackle against San Francisco. Ralph is excited the Saints defense didn’t have any huge blown coverages in back to back weeks and Andrew makes a compelling case why you should be glad the 49ers won last night.
Listen right now to track #1 below, get the feed right here and/or download it on iTunes right here.
Everyone’s predictions about the Saints vs. Raiders game made this past Friday have finally been tallied, analyzed and formatted accordingly. They can be found in their entirety below.
There were quite a few correct predictions this week thanks to a productive Saints running game, a few sacks and two defensive turnovers, which is why you’ll need to choose a winner from the four members who were a perfect three-for-three.
Look over the entire results below and feel free to tell me all the ways in which I’ve screwed up the scoring. Then go ahead and cast your vote for the best predictor. The poll will be open for approximately 48 hours, closing Thursday afternoon at 1pm CST.
***
CSC Member
Predictions
Analysis
mississippisaintsfan
1.Saints rush for 150+ yards 2.Drew passes for 3+ td’s 3.Graham leads all recievers with #of catches
Yes
Yes
Yes
Score Prediction: Saints 41-24
vjdancer
1) No interceptions for Brees 2) At least one interception for Palmer 3) Saints defense scores a TD.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Score Prediction: None
cajuncommando58
1. Drew, (are you listening to me Drew) does not turn the ball over. 2. Saints recover more turn overs than the Raiders. 3. Saint get more sacks than the Raiders.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Score Prediction: Saints 39-30
canu2u
1. Raiders will have more total offensive yards than the Saints. 2. The Saints D will score a T.D. 3. The Saints RB’s will have over 150 combined yards.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Score Prediction: Saints 35-31
Legatron Morstead
1. The Raiders turn over the ball 2+ times 2. Marques Colston scores 3. The Saints have more rushing yards than the Raiders
Yes
No
Yes
BlackandGold4ever
1. Saints run for 150+ yards, 4.5+ ypc 2. Saints get 3+ sacks and force 2+ turnovers 3. Saints hold Raiders to under 400 yards total offense
Yes
Yes
Nope
kazmiboy
1. Palmer will have more yards than Brees. 2. Saints have more rushing yards than Raiders. 3. Colston scores 10+ yard TD.
Yes
Yes
Nope
babygurlz2012
1. Saints defense gets 2+ sacks, 3+ INT’s 2. Saints offense gets more than 7 points in the second half 3. We rush for 140+ again
No
Yes
Yes
gumbotron
1) raiders have more penalty yrds. 2) saints lead all game 3) saints own time of possession
No
Yes
No
Jee
1. Carson Palmer throws at least 2 INTs 2. Saints up by at least 17 points at Halftime 3. Brees gets sacked at least once
Yes
No
No
Cajun in CA
1. Carson Palmer knocked out of game for at least 1 play 2. Saints have less than 100 yds on the ground. 3. Both teams have more than 1 turnover.
No
No
No
BRSaintsFan
1. Hartley makes one FG, misses one FG. 2. Defense gives up LESS than 400 yds. 3. Saints get a run of over 50 yds.
No
No
No
nolanative
1. Saints Defense holds Raiders to less than 350 yards of offense. 2. Raiders rush for less than 75 yards. 3. 5 different Saints score.
No
No
No
mjtig
1. Brees passes for at least 250 and at least 3 TD’s 2. Saints rush for 150+ 3. Palmer throws for over 300 and for at least 3 TD’s
No
Yes
No
saint-sly
Drew has a career day………Over 300 yards Tusk breaks another one for TD Jimmy get another 100 plus
No
No
No
DFW Saints Fan
1. At least 5 different Saints score TDs 2. Saints get a defensive or return team TD 3. Brees has at least 4 TD passes but at least one pick
No
Yes
No
Philinwood
1) At least 5 different Saints gain rushing yardage 2) Saints defense winsa turnover battle 3) Quddus gets either an INT or a fumble recovery
No
Yes
No
BenDerDonDat
1. Saints pass for more than 350 yards 2. Saints sack Palmer 3 or more times 3. Saints never trail
No
Yes
Yes
Stilljreming
1) Drew does not throw an INT (I’m counting on you, Drew)
2) Raiders rush for less than 100 yards
3) Jimmy continues his resurgence with 2 TD receptions, 100+ yards
Yes
No
No
Mr.Charisma
1. Marcel Reece leads all RBs on both teams in total yards. 2. Carson Palmer throws for more yards than Drew Brees. 3. Denarius Moore leads all WRs in yards.
Yes
Yes
No
Dang Hu Dat
1. Eric Olsen scores (Eric Olsen, bitches!) 2. Saints get at least 3 turnovers off da Raiders. 3. Marques Colston does not score a TD this game, allowing Dulymus Jenod McAllister to hold on to his record for at least one more week.
No
No
Yes
tommy v
1. Brees has 375 or more yards passing and our backs rush for 200 or more yards. 2. Pierre Thomas has at least 2 TD’s, Lance at least 1, Graham at least 1. 3. Our defense has at least 2 sacks, at least 1 interception and at least 1 fumble recovery.
No
No
No
BASAINT
1. Colston finds pay dirt 2. Ingram finds pay dirt 3. Either Morgan or Henderson finds paydirt
No
Yes
No
’09
1. Saints win T.O.P. 2. Saints have more total yards, first downs, third down conversions. 3. Chase Daniel throws for a TD.
No
No
No
Dan Kelly
1. Raiders attempt at least 5 field goals 2. At least two different Saints running back score 3. Saints win the turnover battle and have a higher third down conversion percentage
No
No
Yes
daisy117
1. Ingram has the most rushing yards of any player 2. Ivory has the second most rushing yards of any player 3. Total yardage of field goals kicked exceeds 150
No
No
No
Saintsfan75
1. All points by Raiders come from kicker 2. Drew throws for 300+ yards 3. Saints have more rushing yards than raiders
No
No
Yes
johnmc318
1. Drew continues the TD Streak…. 2. Colston gets the Saints all time TD record 3.Drew gets sacked at least twice
Seriously?
No
No
petersaint
1. Colston scores on a 20+ yard play 2. Palmer is sacked 2+ times 3. Saints rush for 150+ yards
No
Yes
Yes
Hans Petersen
1) Three Saints RBs score. 2) Brees scores on the ground. 3) Saints D records at least 4 sacks of Raiders QB. (ooooooh, maybe I’m also predicting Palmer misses some plays due to injury…)
1. Saints make at least twice the rushing yards as the Raiders do. 2. Morestead punts no more than twice in the game. 3. Saints D gets at least twice as many sacks on Oakland QBs than Oakland gets on Brees.
No
No
Yes
metryman
1) Graham scores. 2) Ivory leads team in rushing yds . 3) Cam Jordan gets at least 1 sack.
Yes
No
No
whodatone
1. Brees passes for at least 350 yards. 2. The Saints get a six pick. 3. The Saints return one kickoff for a TD.
This defense still has major problems. Most significantly glaring in this one was extremely poor tackling, which led to so many of the big plays the Raiders had. So many of those 20+ yard gains could have been cut in half with proper tackling. But, enough griping. This defense held the Raiders to 17 points and got two takeaways, including one in the red zone.
***
Will Smith: B+ (2.43) He was active, doing a nice job of getting some pressure on Carson Palmer. He finished with 5 tackles, including one that was almost 30 yards downfield. Kudos for the hustle there. He also had a nice sack before halftime. I have to say he’s been playing better as of late.
Cameron Jordan: C (2.44) He wasn’t as good sealing the interior as he was pursuing the edge in this game. I almost wonder if his primary assignment in this game was containment. His pass rushing was inadequate for most of the game, and he as up and down stopping the run. He had 3 tackles.
Turk McBride: C+ (1.83) He had two tackles and a quiet workmanlike performance. He generated a little pressure but didn’t show anything special.
Martez Wilson: B- (2.43) He lined up all over the place and more times than not, surprisingly, he was dropped in coverage where he actually did a decent job. He was good on special teams, too. He did get flagged for an offsides penalty, which is standard practice for him. He finished with 3 tackles and a defended pass.
Broderick Bunkley: C- (2.30) He was credited with just 1 tackle and didn’t really bring much in this game. Too often the Raiders gashed the Saints for nice rushing yardage and Bunkley didn’t assert himself in the trenches enough.
Sedrick Ellis: D+ (1.93) He was virtually invisible and had no tackles. He generated minimal pressure, although he did seem to get blatantly held a couple times with no flags. His miserable season continues.
Tom Johnson: B (2.18) He demolished his man getting nice pressure and a beautiful sack of Palmer. He finished with 2 tackles.
Akiem Hicks: B+ (2.44) He once again showed off his combination of power and athleticism in goal line sets. His blocking on special teams, particularly on Cadet’s return, was also good. He had 2 tackles, including one for a loss. The Saints aren’t playing him a ton yet but at some point they just need to start him and let him dominate. Every time he’s in there he makes an impact.
David Hawthorne: C (1.93) He finished with 2 tackles and was physical at times. The Raiders tried to run an end around with Denarius Moore and while Hawthorne didn’t make the tackle he completely blew that play up to cause it to go for a loss. Overall he didn’t offer much in run defense, though.
Curtis Lofton: C (2.73) It’s weird but as the Saints’ defense has gotten better, I feel like Lofton hasn’t been playing as well personally. He had just 3 tackles and didn’t offer much in coverage. He did have a couple nice tackles but was running after the play too much. He also missed a couple tackles which was out of character.
Jonathan Vilma: C (2.07) His coverage was painful against Marcel Reese, who’s not exactly a burner. He missed numerous tackles as well, a couple which results in big gains. Against the run he was whiffing more often that making plays. He finished with 4 tackles, and he did at least contribute a big sack.
Jonathan Casillas: C- (2.14) He had 2 tackles and was mostly used in coverage situations and he was beaten down the seam late.
Jabari Greer: B (2.34) A solid day in coverage for the Saints’ veteran, who also got involved in run support. He finished with 5 tackles. He was credited with a “pass breakup”, I guess, after a review somehow determined a ball was never fully secured. That should have been a forced fumble, though, as Greer made an absolutely fantastic play on the ball.
Patrick Robinson: C (1.77) He had an up and down game. He had a nice breakup on a deep pass to Heyward-Bey early which was almost an interception, and he contested a jump ball in the end zone very well to break that up. He also lost Palmer and tight end Brandon Myers to allow a touchdown on a play the Saints had stopped dead in it’s tracks, and he was flagged for interference in the end zone.
Elbert Mack: B+ (3.33) He did a good job on special teams, and he was excellent in coverage. Throughout the game he covered well in nickel, tackled well, and contested a few throws. Late in the game he jumped a Carson Palmer pass almost coming up with a sick interception. On the same play he was hit in the head and had to come out. Hopefully he’s ok. He had 4 tackles and 3 pass breakups.
Johnny Patrick: D+ (1.80) Came in for Mack and immediately proceeded to get torched at will by Palmer. He also had a makeable play on a fade route into the end zone but was completely lost and turned around to give up the touchdown. He did have a nice pass breakup, but even that was negated by his old defensive holding penalty. he had 2 tackles.
Malcolm Jenkins: A- (2.37) He had 6 tackles, and a big time pick six that he took to the house by breaking a couple tackles, showing nice speed and strength. My only gripe is that he missed some tackles he should have had, but that play was too massive to criticize much, especially when this defense has been so starved for something like that.
Roman Harper: A- (2.40) He led the team with 11 tackles and was all over the field. He did get beat in coverage a couple times and he blew some tackles that led to very big gains, but the plays he made more than made up for it. He also recovered the fumble that Greer caused and had a huge return on the play, but of course that was negated by horrific officiating. He came up with a huge interception off a dropped pass by Myers in the end zone to help the defense once again turn a red zone trip into 0 points. He also blew up a couple runs in the backfield by being more aggressive. I can live with his shortcomings when he plays like this because the positives by far outweighed anything else.
Isa Abdul-Quddus: C+ (2.24) He had 4 tackles as a center field safety, but didn’t show much and missed a tackle.
Garrett Hartley: B+ (2.77) He made all five extra points, as well as a 47 yard field goal. The field goal was a knuckle ball that just barely went in, but overall it will hopefully help his confidence.
Thomas Morstead: B+ (3.30) He got decent depth on his kickoffs, though not as good as usual. The Raiders never returned any of his four punts which went for 43 yards per including one getting downed inside the 5. The only negative was one punt going short out of bounds off the side of his foot.
Courtney Roby: B- (3.10) He had 3 tackles and downed a punt inside the 5, so those four things are all fantastic, but he also got flagged 15 yards for interference with catching a punt… not the smartest thing he’s ever done. Still it was great to have him back on special teams doing his thing.
Rafael Bush: B- (2.74) had a tackle and did a good job getting downfield and being disruptive.
Ramon Humber: C+ (3.11) Whiffed on a tackle that opened a big lane which could have ended badly. Also had a tackle.
The Saints were both efficient and balanced on offense in this game. 28 passes, 28 rushes. They passed for 229 at 8.2 yards per pass (thanks to 75% completions) and rushed for 153 yards at 5.5 yards a pop. The last few weeks they’ve gotten away from Brees throwing for 400+ yards in the interest of balance, and it’s made them more explosive. This was another all around impressive showing.
***
Drew Brees: A (2.97) I can use one word to describe Brees: surgical. Despite taking more hits than usual, some of which were pretty fierce, the ball was almost always out on time and accurately. He finished 20-27 for 219 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 74% of his passes and was incredibly efficient. The only throw he might want back was the deep ball to Cadet on the opening drive which was slightly underthrown. The intentional grounding penalty costs him the A+, but that’s really just nitpicking – he was awesome.
Chase Daniel: B (3.00) Came in a ran the offense well in spot duty at the end. He executed a play action bootleg to perfection which went for 19 yards on a run, and his lone pass in the flat converted a third down to ice the game.
Pierre Thomas: A- (2.93) He had 30 yards on 5 carries and 28 yards on 3 receptions. He made the most of his touches and probably deserved to play more. He saw extensive action on special teams, blocking well, and his biggest play of the game won’t show up on the stat sheet but he fell on Graham’s fumble alertly to save a turnover.
Mark Ingram: B+ (2.27) It’s so strange to see his transformation the last few weeks after how poorly he started the season, but once again he ran with purpose and determination. The only disappointment was a run that was stopped short on 3rd and 1, which is normally his calling card. It’s clear the return of Joe Vitt, which put Aaron Kromer back with the offensive line, has had a very positive affect on Ingram’s performance. He had 12 carries for 67 yards, and a beautiful 27 yard scamper for a score. He also had a reception for 1 yard as a safety valve while Brees was getting tackled. He was also flagged for offsides on a punt return. Weird to see him on special teams. I had him at A- if it wasn’t for the penalties, but while the special teams flag was harmless, the taunting penalty was just stupid, pointing at the defender chasing him as he ran into the end zone. He needs to be smarter than that.
Chris Ivory: B- (3.45) He had a 25 yard run late to save what was otherwise a mediocre showing, where he got hit numerous times in the backfield. He finished with 37 yards on 8 carries. Another pretty good showing, though, and he still hasn’t fumbled this season.
Travaris Cadet: B+ (2.44) Cadet made a fantastic sell on a low and short thrown ball by Brees on the opening drive. To me it looked like he got his hands under the ball, and I think he totally got robbed of a big play reception. He still contributed 2 receptions for 25 yards, though, and a dazzling 75 yard kickoff return. He also had a nice punt return negated by a penalty.
Jed Collins: B+ (2.73) He was mostly to blame for completely whiffing on a block that allowed Ingram to get stopped on that 3rd and 1 carry. Otherwise, he paved the way for the Saints‘ backs with numerous devastating lead blocks, none better than the one he threw on Ingram’s touchdown run. He also added 2 receptions for 21 yards, including Daniel’s lone pass where he physically destroyed his tackler to get a nice first down to ice the game. He’s been playing extremely well lately.
Jimmy Graham: B- (2.48) He quietly had 6 catches for just 29 yards and a touchdown. The Saints mostly settled for getting him involved underneath and he didn’t break tackles that well. He could have had a very costly fumble before halftime if Pierre Thomas didn’t fall on top of it. He did a good job helping out Harris and was forced to block more to help the youngster out when Brown went down at right tackle, which meant less involvement in the passing game.
David Thomas: C+ (1.97) Played sparingly but blocked reasonably well while he was in.
Marques Colston: B (2.64) A quiet game for the quiet storm. He did have 4 catches for 69 yards, though, and he led the team in receiving yards. The only negative was a deep ball where he failed to get separation downfield and couldn’t come up with a contested ball.
Devery Henderson: B- (2.33) He didn’t contribute in the passing game with just one reception for three yards, but his blocking was positively outstanding. Go back and look at some of those blocks he threw. I’d argue that few receivers in the NFL block better. That box out on the flare pass to Cadet especially was really impressive and made that play work.
Lance Moore: B+ (2.89) He only had two receptions, but they went for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did a fantastic job of getting behind the defenders on the first throw, which Brees placed perfectly despite significant pressure and a massive hit as he released the ball. The second score was good athleticism in traffic between two defenders. He made the most of his reps.
Joe Morgan: C+ (1.90) Like Henderson, he had no impact in the passing game other than one deep ball that went his way where he was completely covered. Also like Henderson, he blocked extremely well.
Jermon Bushrod: B+ (2.67) He gave up a little edge pressure, but was a mammoth blocking off the edge. The Saints consistently went behind him and he was incredibly physical in the trenches.
Ben Grubbs: A- (2.80) Physical in the trenches and largely clean in pass protection, Grubbs is different player than Carl Nicks, but not necessarily much weaker. He’s not quite as dominant physically, but he moves well, he has superior technique and he’s getting more comfortable and reliable. Great pick up by the Saints this offseason.
Brian de la Puente: C+ (2.33) Brees didn’t have as clean of a pocket to step into as usual and de la Puente struggled at times despite having a nice break of not having to deal with blocking an injured Richard Seymour. He was flagged for one holding penalty which looks deserved. Overall he had some nice physical push in the running game, though, and was up and down in pass protection.
Jahri Evans: B+ (2.87) Another stellar showing by Evans. He did get beat once in pass protection but was otherwise rock solid. His run blocking was very good.
Charles Brown: B+ (2.89) Another very impressive showing from Brown, who was borderline dominant, especially in pass protection. Hopefully his knee injury isn’t serious because after two weeks I’m starting to wonder if he might be even better than Zach Strief at right tackle. I’m not ready to go that far, but his athleticism and quickness is impressive. Hopefully he’s ok.
Eric Olsen: C (2.34) He played significant amounts again as the tackle eligible, or “jumbo tight end”. He brought nice physicality but because he’s an interior lineman he doesn’t move as well laterally and he looked a little uncomfortable and slow out on the edge.
Bryce Harris: D+ (1.33) He was a disaster. The Saints ran away from him, fortunately, and gave him lots of help with Jimmy Graham to reduce the liability that he was, but if this guy needs to play an entire game it could go badly.
Brees told CBS’ “Person to Person” in an interview to air Friday that the donation will come through the Dream Foundation he runs with his wife, Brittany. He did not say who will be receiving the donation.
Brees says he and his wife want to give back what’s been given to them. They say their foundation will also be donating $2 million to various New Orleans organizations over the next several months.
Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the eastern United States late in October. It was a Category 2 storm that caused anestimated $20 billion or more in damage, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Brees has been known to giving back throughout his professional career. Through the Dream Foundation, Breeshelped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which was one of the worst hurricanes in United States history.
Brees is a 12-year NFL veteran who helped the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2009. He was named the Super Bowl MVP in the Saints’ 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The 33-year-old out of Purdue has led the NFL in passing touchdowns in three of the last four seasons. This season, Brees has 28 passing touchdowns, which is also the best number in the NFL.
With their win over the Oakland Raiders, the New Orleans Saints now sit with a .500 overall record and find themselves – incredibly – in the thick of the playoff hunt.
That’s right. The Saints are currently tied with Dallas at 5-5 and just one game out of that sixth and final wildcard playoff spot. In their way are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, all with 6-4 records.
I really can’t tell you how grateful I am that we even have the opportunity to talk about this, after the Saints frightening 0-4 start. Winning the division is an almost outright impossibility, barring some record-breaking meltdown of epic proportions by the Falcons. So you can throw that option out the window. But the door is wide open in the wildcard race.
But the road ahead won’t be easy. Particularly their next three games, facing opponents with a combined record of 21-7-1.
The two most important games are the ones against Dallas and Tampa Bay, who are fighting for that last playoff spot themselves.
This is the final playoff stretch. The Saints need to finish strong now more than ever. It’s looking like a final record of 10-6 will be the magic number to make the dance, assuming no other team goes on a winning tear.
The good news is that if the Saints can win five of their next six, including the Dallas and Tampa Bay games, they’ll hold the tie breaker over each of those potential playoff teams except the Vikings.
I’d say the Saints control their own destiny at this point.
ON THE SEASON: “We’re on our way. I think had you told us or anybody that after 0-4 we would be looking at 5-5 at some point, winning five of six with that schedule that we had in front of us, a lot of people might have looked at that and said that’s pretty unrealistic. But here we are. We stayed the course; we didn’t overreact. I think a lot of what was happening outside the building was the talk about just kind of waiting for the crisis. But the fact is we’ve got good players, good people, great character, great leadership, and we just knew that things were going to turn for us. If we just continued to do things the right way, good things were going to happen. And we did that, that’s exactly what we did. And we’ve had some great team wins here during this run, five of six. Both sides of the ball really stepping up and making plays when called upon.”
ON THE GAME: “Again today, great all around team victory; very balanced on offense, defensively coming up with a big turnover resulting in points, another one that took points away from them. Just playing good football; special teams coming up with the big return to start the second half. So as I look at our team and just the way that we’re building and the way that we’re winning, we’re doing it the right way.”
ON EFFICIENCY: “I’m all about efficiency; the yards don’t matter, the number of completions doesn’t matter. I want to be efficient. I want to be a good decision-maker. I want to just make the plays when I’m called upon to do that and take care of the football, just do all of those little things.”
ON OFFENSE: “I think early on, that first drive, just tempo, getting in and out of the huddle, getting plays dialed up, whether it was the run game or the pass game; I think the balance of being able to run it effectively and throw it effectively and convert some third downs. We were 55% on third down, that’s definitely winning football. Got the benefit of a big return there to start the third quarter and some turnovers. It felt like first half, we only had four possessions, like we were backed up quite a bit and still came away with 14 points offensively and our defense got one, but just kept plugging away with our plan and stuck with it.”
On defensive performance: “I feel better than where we were and we’re making plays now. We’re making turnovers and big plays, and not allowing big plays. I hate that we gave up that last touchdown on the two minute drive. But overall, I liked our effort today. We got to eliminate these long drives that we have been giving up, and we are playing faster. We got to tackle better than what we did overall, we allowed some leaky yardage, but overall, I really liked our effort today.”
On the season: “It’s been a long grind, especially starting 0-4, but we never pointed fingers. We stuck together as a locker room and as a team, and we knew that we could achieve great things if we just stuck together, continue this grind and long season together. We are right back where we need to be, at .500, and we got to continue to grind and we will be in the playoff race.”
LB Jonathan Vilma
On key element of the defensive performance: “I think it was just really execution. Guys really just executing. We have always had the effort. We have the right guys here and we strongly believe that. I think now we are executing better, focusing on the little things that we didn’t get done and were doing those things now.”
On the improvement throughout the season: “I continue to say the same thing. We go out now, we practice the right way, we prepare the right way, we watch film. We do all the little things that we need to do to find ways to win games. I think we are doing a good job of that now.”
LT Jermon Bushrod
On improvement over last three games: “We’ve just got to continue to do all of that. It’s not going to be easy. In the next six games we’re playing some really good teams. We’ve just got to continue to pay attention to detail, to put the work in on the field and in the classroom. Then we’ve got to come in on Sunday and play as a team. We’ve got to make sure we know everything that we’re supposed to do going into the game and make sure we’re on top of our studying. We’ve got to make sure that when it comes to the game it just clicks that much faster.”
On upcoming games: “It’s never a let-down. We just got back to .500. Nobody thought we were going to get back to .500. Nothing’s going to change. We’re going to go into each week with the same mentality. We’ve got to get better, we’ve got to try to find a way to win more. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be any other place than with these guys here, sitting at 5-5.”
TE Jimmy Graham
On bouncing back from early-season struggles: “Early in the season it was, literally every different play, one guy was missing a block, or one guy was doing the wrong thing and his guy would go make the tackle. Lately, we’ve kind of had the mentality of ‘No Excuses’. We’ve got to go in and do our jobs. We need all 11 guys, even the receivers blocking down the field to make those blocks. That’s really what has happened. Also, getting Chris Ivory in the mix has been a big help.”
On getting the run game going, and how it helps the offense: “It opens the play-action up. It really lets linebackers and safeties have to respect the run, so they have to jump on the play-action. It makes them play with a safety in the box, which gives you man-to-man coverage, man-to-man me versus the linebacker or the safety. Those are the kind of matchups that you look for. When we have the running game going, guys can’t just sit back in coverage and wait for the ball.”
On the journey to get to 5-5 on the season: “It’s been a journey. It’s been an uphill battle to be .500. I never thought I’d be so happy to be .500 in my entire career. We’re excited because things are moving the right way for us. Our leaders, Drew [Brees], and [Jonathan] Vilma, they’ve all done a great job of keeping us focused and making us work for a common goal.”
On why the Saints had success today: “Our running game did well again. For us to be successful, for us to have good nights and win games, we’re going to have to have our running game play like that every week.”
RB Mark Ingram
ON THE RUN GAME: “I feel good. The running game’s getting going, drawing up a lot of different looks for the running game so it’s just a team effort. The line’s doing a great job, coach is doing a great job calling the runs. Getting a few carries to get into a rhythm so it’s been good these past few weeks. You look at the film, you see what other teams have success running the ball and you see what we do well and how we can attack certain weaknesses of the defense. We’re just doing a great job of practicing the schemes, line’s doing a great job of blocking, creating seams for us to run through and we’re running hard making some big plays so it’s good to have the run game going.”
ON FAST START: “It’s always good to get off to a good start. Whether it’s me getting a good run or it’s a big pass, anything. Just to get some momentum early in the game and the offense to get some energy going, that’s always a good thing.”
ON BACKFIELD: “You just have to stay in the game. We have a lot of great runners in our room and there’s only one football. So you just have to stay in the game, stay focused in the game, and when your number is called, just go in there and do whatever you can to have success for the team, help the team have a successful play. That’s my mindset going in; do whatever I can when my number is called to help this team win games. And you just have to stay focused; whether you don’t know if you’re going to get the ball this many times or what, you have to stay in the game, stay focused, stay ready, stay loose, and when your number is called, take advantage of it.”
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Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen
On the game: “Disappointing. We felt like we had a good week of practice. We thought we were ready to play and we got beat today. The only way I know how to fix things is we just have to go back to work, keep grinding. Those guys in that locker room, there’s nobody that hurts worse than they do. We’re going to keep fighting and keep battling and keep grinding.”
On the team: “Obviously, we have to continue to work and continue to get better. That’s always going to be the goal. Obviously, we’ve sustained some injuries and we knew going into this season that depth was a challenge. We’re seeing some of that a little bit, but our guys are continuing to battle. They’re continuing to fight and that’s what we’ve got to do.”
On if it’s now a rebuilding year: “No. I’m not into rebuilding years. What we’ve got to do is we’ve got to continue to develop. We’ve got to continue to go to work and keep trying to get better every day. That’s all I know how to do.”
On any specific areas they need to improve on: “I think it’s really the whole thing we’ve got to get better at. I think we’ve done a good job offensively of being able to move the ball, but we haven’t scored enough points. WE have to do a better job of being able to score points. Defensively, we’ve played good in spurts, but the inconsistencies hurt us. I thought, obviously, in this game, the change in momentum in the game really occurred in the first half when they were able to get the touchdown on the double move. Then they came back out in the second half and opened up with a big kickoff return and scored on the first play. That was really the biggest difference in the game.”
On the most disappointing aspect of the team: “It’s disappointing that the guys put their heart and soul into it and we haven’t gotten the results. That’s the challenge that we face. It’s going to turn and it’s going to turn for the positive for us, but we have to keep working.”
On why he thinks things will turn around: “I just watch these guys go to work every day and I know that if they continue to work the way they’re working that it’s going to turn our way. Those guys are fighting.”
On if he thought they’d score more points: “Yeah, I thought we would be able to move the football on them and I felt like we’d be able to score some points. WE had those opportunities. We had the one opportunity down there in the red zone and we got the touchdown pass and unfortunately, bounces off Brandon’s [Myers] hands and into the defender, but there was an opportunity there to score points. I felt like we had the opportunity to score points, I just don’t think we capitalized on it like we needed to.”
On if he interjects in the offense: “Yeah, I wanted to come in and be able to run the football in this game and that was one thing we felt like we were able to do. I think we did that in this game. But we’ve got to do a better job of being able to put points on the board when we get an opportunity.”
On where he expected to be 10 games into the season: “I didn’t put an expectation on it. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be and we’ve got to realize that. We’ve got to face that. Like I said, the only thing I know how to do is go back to work and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
On the improvement in the run game: “I think we felt like against this team we had good matchups in the running game and we were able to use Tony Bergstrom some as a tight end, which I think helped us some. I think Khalif Barnes back helped us in the run game. So there were a few factors involved in that.”
On the defensive breakdowns: “I don’t think it was a communication issue today. I think they executed a nice double move. Both defenders kind of went for the double move; it wasn’t a communication thing, it was more of an execution thing.”
On the 3-7 record: “It doesn’t make you feel good. I know we’re better than that and I know we can play better than that and we’ll continue to work and we’ll get better.”
On WR Denarius Moore: “I wouldn’t say lack of development. When you look at Denarius Moore, he’s a young player. He missed a lot of time in OTAs and training camp and that’s valuable time to grow into a new offensive system. I think he’s had some inconsistencies, just like the rest of us. That’s the thing that we’re trying to get corrected.”
On if the team is improving: “Yeah, I think in areas we are improving. But obviously we’re not seeing the results we need to see.“
On how they can fix the inconsistencies on offense: “I don’t think you go through and make a lot of wholesale changes. I think we’ve got to really worry about the execution in practice and repeat plays, whatever the case may be. We’ll go back, we’ll look at it, and if there is something we need to do to make it better, we’ll make it better.”
On SS Tyvon Branch and other injuries: “We didn’t come out with any other injuries as of right now. Everybody was able to finish the game. Tyvon practiced some on Friday, but Saturday we kind of realized he wasn’t going to be able to go.”
On TE Jimmy Graham’s touchdown: “It was a situation where on the goal line they gave run-action over there. Miles [Burris] has got the tight end and it was rookie mistake. It’s something that hopefully he’ll learn from.”
On the fan base’s discontent: “Hey, listen, we’re all frustrated and I understand that and I can appreciate that. But what I will say is that there’s nobody that’s going to work harder than we are to try to get it corrected.”
T Khalif Barnes
On FB Marcel Reece: “Reece was a soldier, man. He went out there and did exactly what he’s been doing basically all season long. He presents a nightmare for those guys [the defense] because he played receiver in college so he has speed, and there’s really no linebackers that can match up to him when you have a situation where a linebacker has a man-to-man situation. He has good vision at running the ball too, so he presents a threat for a lot of defensive coordinators throughout the league.”
On his first game back from injury: “There was a little bit of rust but I shook it off, I think, during practice. I still had some rusty things going on out there but, for the most part, overall I was pleased. I didn’t have any pain; I was moving pretty good and I know they had some good rushers out there in [DE Cameron] Jordan and [DE Will] Smith and I didn’t give up any sacks to them so all-in-all I feel pretty good about that. I’m just bummed overall about the whole situation but physically I felt pretty good.”
FB Marcel Reece
On the offense’s problems: “If I knew what it was, I’d fix it. We’re going to go in there and watch the film, try to fix the mistakes and try to get some wins right now.”
On the game: “I think we progressed pretty well as the game went on. We didn’t get the fast start that we wanted but we started to get some yards. We made a few key mistakes that we definitely have to cut out in any game and the Saints are a great team. They capitalized on them and we got down on them.”
On his performance: “Stats are really irrelevant when you don’t get the W. The bottom line is if you don’t win the stats are irrelevant, the numbers are irrelevant. I don’t even know what they were, I don’t care what they were and I don’t want to know what they were. I want to get in, watch the film and get ready for Cincinnati.”
On the team’s goals for the rest of the season: “Rebuild? There’s no such thing as a rebuild year, this is a business. If you rebuild it you get out. We’re going out there trying to win. We’re shooting to win out the rest of the season, that’s the bottom line to it.”
QB Carson Palmer
On the outcome: ” [It was] very frustrating. [It was] a very painful loss. We knew that we had a hot team, a team that was on a roll and a team that is a Super Bowl contender coming in our place in front of our fans. They were a great crowd, they were really into it and we let ourselves down and we let them down by not playing up to our potential by getting beat the way that we did.”
On why the offense unraveled: “We just couldn’t keep up. They scored pretty quickly and we tried to stick with the run game and we did. We were doing a good job. With your fullback playing tailback, to run the ball like we did in the first half was really good to see. [It was] good to see the way we moved the line of scrimmage with our offensive line. But when it came down to it, we got beat by a better team today.”
On Saints QB Drew Brees: “It’s a very good team and obviously he’s a very good quarterback. They played well. Special team-wise they had some nice plays in the kicking game and obviously they scored 38 points, moved the ball effectively and Drew played like Drew does.”
On the goal-line interception: “We had our opportunities, we had our chances and great teams finish when you have your opportunities like we’ve had in a number of games, in every game this year. We capitalized on those and we haven’t done a good enough job of that and that’s something that, the only way you can fix it. Is to continue to work, continue to grind. This team does not turn it down; this team does not shy away from competition. What this team needs to do is continue to work and we’ve got to work offensively, defensively, special teams and find ways to get better. I believe this team will.”
On misreads with receivers: “There was a little bit of miscommunication between Brandon [Myers] and I and that’s something that can’t happen. He did a good job of jumping inside on the route and I should have done a better job of placing the ball. He made a good play but obviously that’s one [play] that I’d want to have back.”
On what the offense needs to work on: “A lot of things. We did some good things in the run game, we had some good stuff in the [pass] protection as far as that’s concerned. Especially on third down and in the red zone we’ve got to get better. There’s no magic that’s going to come and save us. [Head] Coach [Dennis Allen] said that to us. You’ve just got to continue to work and in a new offense, a first year offense this late in the season we need to be making better strides than we were today. We improved as we came into this game and we wanted to take another step forward. We did some good things but it was kind of a lateral step. We didn’t get better on third down and we expected to today.”
On the team’s future goals: “To win. You look at our schedule, which guys have and we’ve [also] talked about it. Right now we’re shooting for 9-7. Win all of the games and see where the chips fall at the end of the year. The AFC is still pretty wide open for the most part. We need some things to bounce our way but we believe, if we look at the schedule we know that they are some of those teams that we’ve already played [that remain]. We going to come in and work and try to find a way to get to 9-7. Let’s see what happens.”
On the miscommunication with WR Denarius Moore: “[It was] just a number of things. I need to look at the film and see what happened and we need to sit down and talk about it. He’s our go-to-guy. He’s our number one receiver, he’s got a lot of plays [made] for him and we haven’t had a ton of time [to be] on task and that’s why some of the miscommunication things come up. The guy had a bad hamstring injury all off season and training camp there are times when it shows and it’s my fault. He’s a second year guy and I need to do a better job at getting on the same page with him – seeing things the way that he sees them and I need to improve in that aspect.”
On FB Marcel Reece’s versatility: “We weren’t going to change our game plan, avoid the run game or but in different run [plays], or run different protections because he was [playing] a different [position]. We went about this game plan as whether [RB] Darren [McFadden] was there or he was back there. We were going to stick with the run and try to grind it out. But he’s a football player. He just makes football plays over again every week. You feel [as if] you can’t get the guy the ball enough. But there are other guys that you want to get the ball to, but Marcel is special.”
DT Desmond Bryant
On the game: “Obviously anytime you step on the field the goal is to win the game. We didn’t get that accomplished. There is a lot of things that we left out there that we hope we could go back and get again. You have to give respect to our opponent. They played a hell of a game. They made plays when they needed to and we didn’t do that so we have to try to look at the film and think about it.”
On whether the score of 21-7 at the end of the half had an emotional effect on the team: “You try to remove yourself emotionally as much as you can from the game. Obviously they are going to make some plays during the course of the game and you have got to be prepared for that and respond accordingly. When they make a play you have got to be able to just come back out and try harder and make a play for yourself.”
On whether it is easy to overcome mistakes being made: “For me personally, it’s definitely easier. It is kind of a motivating factor. To watch someone else go and do something and I possibly could have had something to do to stop that play. I am going to go out there and try even harder the next time I go out there to be able to stop the play.”
On the mindset going into Cincinnati: “We really, really have to take a look at ourselves deep in the mirror and look at what we are doing and see if there is anything at all that we can do better to help prepare for the game and then be able to go out and execute during the game time.”
On trouble with third quarters: “Like I said, it’s just more the adversity of the game. They are going to make some plays and you have just got to be able to have a short memory, forget the last play and then come out the next play. Play even harder, play even faster, more physical so that way it doesn’t happen again.”
On whether this is a time of the year when you have to fight to get out of the funk: “In terms of we lost three games in a row, absolutely we are in a funk and we need to do something to get out of it. Obviously this season overall hasn’t gone as well as we would have like to have seen. Now is the time to do it, not tomorrow, not after that, right now is the time to get things fixed and get things back on the right track.”
LB Philip Wheeler
On whether the score at half time had an effect on the team: “I feel like we always say next play, next play. I think we moved on to the next play. If something unfortunate happened we moved on to the next play. I don’t feel like we got down about it. We have just got to play better the next play.”
On whether the long kickoff return had an effect on the game: “It had an effect on the game because they got yards and then they moved the ball, but I don’t think it had a mental effect on us. We kept playing and playing. Whenever we are out there we want to play harder.”
On getting in the mindset of achieving a victory against Cincinnati: “Like [Head] Coach [Dennis Allen] just told us, the only way we can fix something like this is to just go to work and just to grind. You can’t look at it and hold your head down on it. You got to keep your head up. At the end of the day it’s a game. We want to win, of course, but all we can do is go to work, just go to work.”
On how important it is to you to go out and finish a game: “I mean everybody gets hurt in this game, you have just got to push through it. I like to think that I am a strong willed person. I have played football all my life and I feel like I am going to be on that field no matter what.”
On what he sees in the team that makes him believe they could turn things around this season: “Everybody’s got to look at their self in the mirror. You want to win games but it’s got to mean something to you. Coach has been saying it, ‘Just do your job’, that’s everyone. Everyone has a play or two they want to take back. Just do your job. It’s got to mean something to you.”
On if the next six weeks will be a good test of their team: “I think it will be. I definitely wasn’t saying that people don’t care. I think we’re a committed bunch, but you’ve just got to be spot on. We have to be spot on. It’s the National Football League. Like I said, everybody probably has a play today they want to take back, but you can’t take it back. We’ve just got to play better.”
On Saints QB Drew Brees’ 219 yards, 3 touchdowns: “I don’t know if that means he got off today, but he’s a good quarterback. He did a very good job. The situations in the game, they had the ball in good scoring positions, but we’ve got to hold them to field goals not give them touchdowns, defensively. I think that’s a big thing for us. Drew Brees is an elite level quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks doing it right now. I think he’s leading the league in passing. He’s got a touchdown streak going. We didn’t stop that, which was a goal of ours. He had a great game. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to execute, do a lot of soul-searching and figure out exactly what we’re supposed to do and do that every time.”
On having a short-term memory after a loss and preparing for the Bengals next week: “Like I said, especially a guy like me, but a lot of these guys, football means something to you. Obviously it hurts really bad. It’s going to affect you for a couple days, but this is why they pay you. It’s a professional game. You’re a professional football player so you’ve got to put it behind you and when Wednesday comes we’ve got to be ready to go to work and prepare for Cincinnati. Obviously we’re going to look at this film tomorrow; you can’t just look at it, you’ve got to really diagnose exactly what’s happening and get it corrected and then come out and play and execute on Sundays. The margin for error in this league is so, so, so small; it really is being a step off. We’ve just got to hone in those things, don’t shoot ourselves in the foot. I feel like that has happened a bunch on every facet: offense, defense, special teams. It’s not one guy or one unit, it’s everything. Everybody has just got to be spot on and we’ve got to do our jobs.”
On how frustrating he is with the loss: “It’s extremely frustrating. I want to win games. I want to win so bad, especially this was my last year. [What] Mr. Davis has done for my family, it means something to me to win here, for this organization. You never know what the future holds. You want to win now really bad. I’m doing my best not to cry on camera, but it hurts when you don’t win. No one wants to lose, that’s how I feel.”
In four games today, the winning points were scored in the final two minutes or overtime, bringing the season total to 36 such games. The Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all won in overtime. The Cowboys won on a 38-yard field goal by DAN BAILEY with 6:07 remaining. The Texans, who scored twice in overtime, got the winning score on a 48-yard touchdown pass from MATTSCHAUB to ANDRE JOHNSON with 2:01 remaining. The Buccaneers scored a touchdown on their first possession of overtime capped by a 15-yard TD pass from JOSH FREEMAN to DALLAS CLARK with 10:40 remaining. The Green Bay Packers scored their winning points with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard pass from AARON RODGERS to RANDALL COBB.
Houston quarterback MATT SCHAUB threw for 527 yards in the Texans’ 43-37 overtime win over Jacksonville. Schaub’s 527 passing yards are tied for the second-most in a game in NFL history (Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON, December 16, 1990). Pro Football Hall of Famer NORM VANBROCKLIN holds the NFL single-game record with 554 passing yards (September 28, 1951). In that game, wide receiver ANDRE JOHNSON of Houston had 14 catches for 273 yards with one touchdown and rookie wide receiver JUSTINBLACKMON of Jacksonville had seven catches for 236 yards with one touchdown. It marked the first game in NFL history in which two players each had 235+ receiving yards.
Washington rookie quarterback ROBERT GRIFFIN III completed 14 of 15 passes (93.3 percent) for 200 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 158.3 passer rating in the Redskins‘ 31-6 win over Philadelphia. Griffin’s 93.3 completion percentage is the highest by a quarterback with at least four touchdown passes since Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG(October 16, 1994). Griffin had a 61-yard touchdown pass to SANTANA MOSS in the third quarter, his third touchdown pass of at least 60 yards this season. He is the first player in NFL history with at least three 60+ yard touchdown passes and a 60+ yard rushing touchdown in a season.
Denver quarterback PEYTON MANNING threw three touchdown passes in the Broncos‘ 30-23 win over San Diego. Manning has 423 career touchdown passes and moved into sole possession of second place in NFL history, passing Pro Football Hall of Famer DANMARINO (420). With the victory, Manning (148) passed Marino (147) and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHNELWAY (148) for the second-most regular-season wins as a starter in NFL history.
Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. GREEN had six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals‘ 28-6 win over Kansas City. Green has a touchdown reception in nine consecutive games, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (1963) for the third-longest streak in a single season in NFL history. The only longer single-season streaks all-time belong to Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (12 games, 1987) and ELROY (CRAZYLEGS) HIRSCH (10 games, 1951).
New England tight end ROB GRONKOWSKI had seven catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots‘ 59-24 win over Indianapolis. Gronkowski, who has 10 touchdowns this season, is the first tight end in NFL history with at least 10 receiving touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. In his third season, Gronkowski has 37 receiving touchdowns, the third-most by a player in his first three NFL seasons. The only players with more are RANDY MOSS (43) and Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (40).
Tampa Bay rookie running back DOUG MARTIN rushed for 138 yards and had four catches for 23 yards in the Buccaneers’ 27-21 overtime win at Carolina. Martin has gained 1,019 scrimmage yards in his past six games and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (1983) and EDGERRIN JAMES (1999) as the only rookies in NFL history to gain at least 1,000 yards in a six-game span.
