Tag: saints

Total yardage may be the most overblown and inaccurate formula to gauge the potency and lore of an NFL offense. The 2010 Chargers were the latest example as they finished as the league's No. 1 offense yardage-wise last season -- and missed the postseason.

Give my statement above, I won't claim the 2011 Saints are the greatest offense to ever play football considering they're on pace to Brees by the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf." I'll ignore how New Orleans is on pace with only two games to pass Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Mike Martz and the rest of the turf burners for the most single-season yards by a team in NFL history.

I'll wipe that silly thought out of my brain. What I will throw at you is this: this Saints offense is the most dynamic offense in NFL history.

Before you start rabidly foaming at the mouth screaming about the 2007 Patriots, 1998 Vikings, all of the Bills' Super Bowl-bound teams, all of the 49ers' Super Bowl-winning teams and a slew of other worthy candidates, read the definition from Dictionary.com of dynamic: "Pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic."

All of that pertains to and characterizes the Saints offense.

Again, total yardage isn't the end-all, be-all of offensive greatness. It sure doesn't hurt the argument, though.

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Tags: Drew Brees, offense, saints

Adrian Peterson says he can accept the fact that when you’re an NFL running back and your name is listed on the injury report, teams are going to take shots at your injury. But even accepting that, Peterson thinks the Saints went too far on Sunday. After the Vikings’ loss to New Orleans, Peterson said Saints cornerback Jabari Greer twisted his ankle in a pile. “I came into the game kind of expecting that coming back from a high ankle sprain,” Peterson said, via the Times-Picayune. “Guys are going to try to take their shots when we’re on the pile and try to twist it up and things like that. I felt like it kind of got overboard. I got up and kind of got in his face. Thank God I was able to keep my composure.” But Peterson says the Saints didn’t slow him down: On the play after the incident with Greer, Peterson broke off a 39-yard run.

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Tags: adrian peterson, Jabari Greer, saints, vikings

Brees, after one of the best games of his career in Minnesota (32 of 40, 412 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, on the bench for the final 12 minutes) is 305 yards shy of Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record with two games left.

"I didn't know how close I was,'' he said from the team bus after New Orleans' rout of the Vikings. "Thanks for clarifying that. It's sort of the elephant in the room, obviously, because it's a record people talk about a lot. But I will not let it influence how we prepare, or how I make decisions in games. When all is said and done, if I have a chance to break it, I'll be happy about it, but it's not going to be the focus of this team.''

New Orleans has won six straight. The Saints might be the toughest playoff obstacle for Green Bay, because they can win in many ways. They've got four running backs who can run in any weather, in the potential January muck of San Francisco or the ice rink of Green Bay. And they have an incredibly accurate passer who's threatening to break the accuracy record he set in 2009.

It might be too late, because Aaron Rodgers has been so good for 14 games, and so consistently good until Sunday in Kansas City. But let's look at the holy trinity of MVP candidates:

I'd still give it to Rodgers this morning. The MVP should be his to lose at this point. But let's see how it plays out the next two weeks. If Brees sets records for accuracy and passing yards this year, and the Saints finish the year on an eight-game winning streak, it should be a contest.

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Tags: aaron rodgers, Drew Brees, MVP, saints

Kevin's Keys to the Game

DON’T BEAT YOURSELVES

In last Sunday’s nail biter against the Tennessee Titans, the New Orleans Saints committed an eye-popping 11 penalties for 95 yards. That is very uncharacteristic for this Sean Payton-team, who is usually very disciplined in that statistical category. The penalties stalled multiple offensive drives for the Saints, effectively taking points off of the board. A penalty on special teams, on the other hand, directly took points away off of a Darren Sproles 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. Although the Saints did not turn the ball over for the fourth consecutive game, they still played very sloppy and were lucky to escape with a win. Versus a, perhaps, desperate Minnesota Vikings team who has come up just short the past two weeks against two playoff-caliber teams (losing by a combined nine points), the Saints really have to sharpen up their play. The last thing they can afford to do is give away a game to a team with nothing to play for.

CONTAIN PERCY HARVIN

Percy Harvin has developed into the Vikings primary offensive weapon in the last month, displaying why he was made the 22^nd pick in the in the 2009 draft. He is definitely coming on strong as of late and the Saints defense might need to be more aware of him rather than All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, believe it or not. After starting his first nine games with only 37 receptions for 386 yards and zero touchdowns, he has played exceptionally in the last four games, nearly matching all of those totals with 32 receptions, 393 yards and five touchdowns. With the Saints defense showing that they are becoming more than capable of shutting down the run in the past few weeks (including last week, holding Chris Johnson to 23 yards on 11 carries), I have confidence that Peterson wont have as much of an impact in tomorrow’s as Harvin. He is one player that could literally line up at almost any spot on offense so all eyes must be on him. If the Saints defense can keep him contained, similar to how they did versus Calvin Johnson, preventing him from making a game-breaking play, they should be just fine.

PROTECT DREW BREES

The Minnesota Vikings being less than spectacular this season is a severe understatement. However, defensive end Jared Allen is in the midst of having his best season as a pro. His 17.5 sacks are only 5 away from tying the all-time record Michael Strahan set in 2001 with 22.5. And despite the Vikings’ 2-11 record, they have seemingly had no trouble at all getting to the quarterback, racking up 40 sacks this season. However, he Saints’ protection has risen to the occasion twice in the last three games, going up against top ten sacking defenses, in the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants. Drew Brees was only sacked twice in all in those games, and really never experienced any significant pressure in the pocket. So if the offensive line can hold it together and keep Brees clean, he should have no problem carving up the Vikings’ 26^th ranked pass defense, and getting the victory.

Key Matchup:

SAINTS LINEBACKERS VS ADRIAN PETERSON

Jonathan Vilma returning to the lineup along with the emergence of Jo-Lonn Dunbar has helped the run defense improve immensely. A group that used to be the weakness of this defense has suddenly become the strong point. They are playing much more disciplined in the running game, flying to the ball and finishing on tackles. They did an exceptional job against Chris Johnson last week and will have to maintain their play going up against Adrian Peterson this week. After seeing how poorly the secondary tackled (or lack thereof) versus the Titans, it is vital that the Saints linebackers don’t allow Peterson to get into the last line of their defense, or that could mean trouble. 

Player To Watch For:

WILL SMITH

I’m definitely going out of the box a little bit for this pick, but I suspect Will Smith could be in for a dominant game. With the Vikings allowing a near league-worst 28 points a game, they will effectively have to play “catch up” against the Saints, with the copious amount of points that they are capable of scoring. That will play right into the hands of Saints pass-rusher Will Smith. Smith is having a decent season with 6.5 sacks in 11 games, already one better than he finished with all of last year (5.5), and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to have somewhat of a breakout game. The Vikings offensive line hasn’t been the dominant one that they once were this season, already giving up 41 sacks this year. So keep an eye on Will Smith to have a big game with maybe 2-3 sacks on the quarterback.

Prediction:

Although the Vikings have been competitive, losing eight of their eleven games by a touchdown or fewer, their secondary just does not matchup with the potent aerial attack that Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints receivers bring to the table. Minnesota will show some fight, but the Saints should ultimately cruise in this one, winning 41-24, clinching their second NFC South title in the last three seasons.

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Tags: Kevin Buckles, saints, vikings

Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray wants to coach the most intimidating defense in the league, and he doesn’t care if that causes his players to hear from the league office.

“Just do a clean hit, hit a guy clean,” Gray said. “And the good thing is, he is 6-foot-7, so you are not going to hit him in the head anyway.”

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Tags: defense, Jimmy Graham, saints, Titans

The NFC South can be won this Sunday. There’s a scenario in which the New Orleans Saints can clinch the division title this Sunday. It’s pretty simple. If the Saints win in Tennessee and the Falcons lose at Carolina, New Orleans wins the NFC South title. Even if Atlanta wins, there still are some scenarios in which the Saints can at least clinch a wild-card spot this Sunday. If they win and either Detroit or Chicago loses, the Saints are in the playoffs. By the way, the Falcons (7-5) remain very much in the playoff picture. But there is no scenario in which the Falcons can clinch a playoff berth this weekend.   ESPN Pat Yasinskas Article

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Tags: clinching, Falcons, nfl south, saints

Overview:

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Detroit Lions in a dominant fashion for their fourth straight win improving to 9-3, as well as 6-0 at home on the season. The Drew Brees-led offense struck early and often jumping out to a 17-0 lead, and led 24-7 at halftime. The Saints have owned the first half in their last two games out scoring their opponents, 45-10, putting the game out of reach almost immediately.  The Saints did an excellent job defending Calvin Johnson, preventing him from making a game-breaking play. He was held to only two catches for 19 yards in the first half and didn’t score a touchdown for only the fourth time this season. Drew Brees had another spectacular performance, throwing for three touchdowns, marking the third consecutive game where he has thrown for multiple touchdowns without throwing an interception. This victory gave the Saints a comfortable two-game lead in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons losing to the Houston Texans on Sunday, dropping their record to 7-5 on the season. It also kept them on the heels of the San Francisco 49ers (10-2), for the all-important 2^nd seed in the NFC. The Saints will now have to go on the road for the first time in nearly a month to face the Tennessee Titans and the suddenly rejuvenated, All-Pro running back, Chris Johnson.

What I liked:

- DEFENSE                   

Despite surrendering 814 yards through the air the past two games, one may say that the defense hasn’t been playing up to par, and less than stellar, but I beg to differ. The last two games they have held their opponents to an average of only 80 yards on the ground, forcing their offenses to become exclusively one-dimensional, trying to play “catch-up” to the plethora of points Drew Brees and company have put up. They’ve come up with very timely stops including holding the Giants and Lions to a combined 7 of 22 on third down, as well as coming up with key turnovers. The amount of passing yards given up in the past two games can be very deceiving as far as how it ties into the Saints overall defensive performance. For example, in the first half of the Giants game, Eli Manning threw for a mere 171 yards while trailing the Saints 21-3. It was inevitable that he would pretty much pass for the rest of the game, hence him finishing with 406 yards. He also had a season high in attempts with 47, which is well above his average for the year in 35. The Giants offense only was able to put up 24 points in that game versus the Saints which was not nearly enough for them to even make the game interesting, going up against Brees’ offense, a well-oiled machine that scores at will. Now, back to the Lions game. Matt Stafford was only able to put up 159 passing yards in the first half (less than Manning), and went into halftime down 24-7. Once again, the Lions would have no choice but to take more chances downfield throwing the ball, becoming virtually one-dimensional. Stafford finished the game with 408 yards through the air (more than Manning) but astoundingly was only able to put up 10 points in the second half, finishing with 17. That’s quite a feat considering the Lions came into this game trailing only the Saints and Packers for most points a game, averaging right under 30 points. Normally when you see that a quarterback has thrown for over 400 yards in a game, you expect to also see that they demolished the opposing team in a blowout game. Not in this case. The Saints’ “bend-but-don’t-break” defense complements the offense’s quick-strike very well, and have equaled to back-to-back dominating wins. If the defense can continue to play exceptional early in games like they have been doing, along with the offense hitting on all cylinders, the Saints will have no problem continuing to rack up the wins and that is all that matters. Numbers may not lie, but they definitely don’t tell the whole story.

- TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL

The Saints are continuing to take care of the ball, while the defense seems like their finally turning the corner as far as taking away the ball from opponents. After failing to capitalize on interception opportunities for most of the game, Tracy Porter sealed the game late in the 4^th quarter when he intercepted Matt Stafford on 4^th down, wrestling the ball away from Nate Burleson on the catch. During the Saints four-game winning streak, their turnover differential has been +3, after starting the first eight games with a differential of –5. They also haven’t committed a turnover in the last three games. The turnover differential is the most important stat in football, and the Saints are excelling in the category and racking up the wins.

- DREW BREES’ DOMINANCE

If it weren’t for LaDainian Tomlinson in ’06, Peyton Manning in ’09, and Aaron Rodgers this season, all having stellar, record-breaking years, I’m almost positive Drew Brees would be well on his way to winning his third MVP Award. He has been playing at a superb level this season, especially during the Saints’ current winning streak. Through the four games he’s thrown 11 touchdowns to only one interception, along with rushing for a touchdown. He’s got the Saints peaking at the right time, as they are beginning to pull away in the race for the NFC South crown as well as keep pace behind the 49ers in an effort to jump ahead of them to claim the 2^nd seed in the NFC. He is on pace to break a copious amount of single-season passing records, as he was in 2008, but it’s a bit sweeter this time around seeing that the Saints have already won one more game through twelve weeks this season than the amount of wins they accumulated in the entire ‘08 season. The Saints go as Brees goes; they both look destined for the top.

What I didn’t like:

- DEFENSIVE BUTTERFINGERS

What in the world has happened to the ball-hawking defense that as recent as 2009 intercepted an astonishing 26 passes?! The Saints secondary of 2011 is arguably much deeper and talented than the one of ’09, but they just haven’t taken advantage of their opportunities to make plays on the ball when they’ve arisen. They dropped about five potential interceptions alone last night, which if caught, could’ve made the night much more ugly for the Lions. Going forward, the Saints need to find better balance on defense between either stopping the opposing team from accumulating a lot of yards or forcing them into turnovers. They are on track for the latter but they need to start producing some results. Super glue on their gloves might help a bit.

Keys to the Game:

- THIRD DOWN BATTLE

The Lions defense came into the Mercendez-Benz Superdome as the league’s number one defense on third down. Unfortunately they were going up against the league’s number one third down offense, in the New Orleans Saints. After failing to convert on their first third down attempt on their first drive of the game, the Saints offense was able to bounce back strong down the stretch, finishing the game with a 50% third down efficiency (6 out of 12). The conversions also came at critical times, particularly on the Saints’ last scoring drive when they converted on third down multiple times to keep the drive alive, eventually scoring a touchdown to effectively end the game.

- CONTAINING CALVIN JOHNSON

The Saints secondary did an exceptional job keeping Calvin Johnson from having the type of dominant game that he is very capable of having. He did not record a catch until half way through the second quarter and finished the first half with only two catches for 19 yards. The Saints were intent on not letting Johnson get behind them to make a game-breaking play. In fact, he didn’t record a catch that went for more than 25 yards. Gregg Williams had a great scheme in place for defending Megatron and the Saints executed it to near perfection. Johnson finished with six catches for 69 yards much below his average of average of almost 16 yards per catch.

Player of the Game:

- ROBERT MEACHEM

In my Game Preview between the Saints and Lions, I made Robert Meachem my “Player to watch for,” and boy did he show up. As expected, the Saints took advantage of injuries to the Detroit Lion’s secondary and took their shots down the field. Midway through the first quarter, on a key 3^rd down and four at the Saints own nine-yard line, Brees connected with Meachem down the sideline for a 38-yard gain which eventually led to the Saints first touchdown of the game. Then less than a quarter later, Brees found Meachem deep again for a 67-yard touchdown pass. Meachem definitely brought a game-breaking element to the Saints offense and was undoubtedly the player of the game.

Drew Brees’ Record Breaking Milestones:

- First quarterback to reach 4, 000 yards through the first 12 games of the season (4, 031).

- Continues to break his record of consecutive games of completing 20 or more passes (32).

- Continues streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass with 39, still only second to Johnny Unitas all-time (47).

- Becomes only the second quarterback in NFL History to throw for 4, 000 yards in six consecutive seasons (P. Manning-six seasons).

- Now 2^nd in NFL History with four consecutive seasons with 30 or more touchdown-passes, trailing only Brett Favre (5).

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Tags: lions, robert meachem, saints