Tag: saints

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The Buckles Report: Colts vs. Saints Preview

Keys to the game:

 

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL:

The New Orleans Saints defense has struggled to force turnovers all season forcing a mere four through six games, which doesn’t bode well for a team who is 17^th in total defense and is giving up 25 points per game. In 2009 the Saints defense were able to force turnovers at will, finishing second in the league, while in 2010 they didn’t force near as many but were able to finish fourth in total defense. This season the team has been abysmal in both categories and has struggled to find that happy medium between forcing timely turnovers and not giving up excessive yardage. To make matters worse the offense has turned the ball over eleven times already, eight of them coming off of Drew Brees-interceptions. After starting the season with six touchdowns to zero interceptions through two games, Brees has uncharacteristically thrown for seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in the last four games. The Saints are extremely fortunate that their record is 4-2 at this point considering the lack of turnovers forced, and the turnovers by the offense. I have no doubt that there will be a significant emphasis on the defense pressuring the quarterback and taking the ball away on versus a Colts offense that will be without Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai.

 

GET SPROLES MORE CARRIES:

Darren Sproles has carried the ball only 27 times this year but for 201 yards, averaging a staggering 7.4 yards a carry. Last week in Tampa he was given only one carry and he went for 16 yards. He is arguable more effective and explosive as a runner between the tackles rather than being spread out as the slot receiver, which Sean Payton loves to frequently line him up as. With the Indianapolis Colts ranking 30^th in total run defense, this would be a perfect opportunity for Sproles to have a nice bounce back game in the dome where he’s already scored twice this year. 

 

GET MORE PRESSURE UP FRONT:

After sacking the quarterback nine times in the first two games of the season, the Saints defense has only gotten five sacks in the four games since. Six of their fourteen sacks came against the weak offensive line for the Bears, and only half of their sacks have come from defensive lineman. The Saints rely way too heavily on the blitz to create pressure, which puts a huge burden on the cornerbacks. Will Smith, Cam Jordan, Sed Ellis, and Shaun Rogers must do a better job of dominating the line of scrimmage, generating better pass rush, along with stopping the run. With Gregg Williams sending the blitz on 71 percent of the opposing teams passing downs, there is absolutely no reason why the Saints shouldn’t be getting more sacks and producing more turnovers. However, they could have better success Sunday versus Colts quarterback Curtis Painter who has struggled mightily when being blitzed. But it all starts up front, and that where the defense needs to get it done.

 

Key Matchup:

 

SAINTS OFFENSIVE TACKLES VS DWIGHT FREENEY/ROBERT MATHIS:

Jermon Bushrod and Charles Brown will have their hands full this week with Freeney and Mathis chomping at the bit to get at Brees, maybe seeking a little revenge from Super Bowl XLIV. In that Super Bowl, Bushrod did a decent job blocking Freeney (despite Freeney playing on virtually one leg the entire game), but he is 100 percent healthy and has gotten off to a great start this season with 4.5 sacks in six games. Robert Mathis has gotten of to a decent start too with 3.5 sacks. The Colts’ dynamic duo of pass rushers feed off of each other regularly so the Saints offensive line need to be on their “P’s and Q’s” all night. This will be a pivotal matchup so look for the Saints to definitely look to help Bushrod and Brown out by having max protection on critical passing downs, and helping neutralize their pass rush by running screens and running the ball in between the tackles.

 

Player to Watch for:

 

MARK INGRAM

Sean Payton has repeatedly said that he feels that he needs to get the rookie running back more carries, and with him only having nine last week in Tampa, I fully expect him to see more action from him versus the Colts. Ingram has rushed for a touchdown in three of the last four games, finding an early nitch for getting in the endzone. With the dome rocking, going up against the 30^th ranked run defense in the league, I expect Ingram to have his biggest game as a New Orleans Saint.

 

Prediction:

 

The Indianapolis Colts have been very competitive in recent games and have been itching for a victory to finally put in the win column.  However, I expect the Saints to come out firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball. So in their first home game in a month, I predict the Saints pummel the Colts, 38-17, improving to 5-2.

 

 

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Shockey Runs Off Gamefield without Shaking Hands of Former Teammates

As the clock wound down to triple zeroes on the scoreboard Sunday in New Orleans’ dramatic 30-27 win over Carolina, most players streamed onto the field, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the afternoon’s opponent.

Well, most people did.

Carolina tight end Jeremy Shockey, formerly of the Saints, darted away from the field, immediately heading for the home team’s tunnel.

“Plain and simple, I love Shockey,” Saints safety Roman Harper said. “He’s a great teammate. He may be a little crazy. But I love the dude. Love him to death. I could hang and bang with my man Shock all day.

“He’s probably just a little mad. I will definitely give him a call, though, telling him, ‘You have to come dap me up and hug me.’”

Read the entire WWLTV.com article

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Jimmy "The Bruiser" Graham has Monster Day against Jags

Bradley Handwerger / WWLTV.com Sports Reporter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When New Orleans’ No. 80 makes a big play, you know it.

Jimmy Graham either stands up and emphatically goes through the first-down motion.

Or he’ll crawl on his knees and slam the ball on the ground with authority.

On Sunday, in New Orleans’ 23-10 win over Jacksonville, he chose another option – a dunk over the goalpost to celebrate a touchdown reception.

Graham finished the game as quarterback Drew Brees’ top target and the team’s top receiver. Brees threw to him 14 times, completed 10 and Graham finished with 132 yards, including a game-long 59-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

“He continues to get better every week,” Brees said. “Today, he got rolling. We liked his matchup, a lot of zone coverage for the most part.”

Indeed, the Jaguars’ (1-3) Cover 2 was perfectly for Graham’s comfort. The game was in his wheelhouse, you could say.

At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, he’s a big target. With his basketball background, he knows how to use his body to get open in the middle of the field.

“He’s a threat certainly running down the middle,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “You can see he’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

He’ll only get better, Brees said.

“He knows we expect a lot out of him and he expects a lot out of himself, too,” Brees said. “He’s always asking questions to learn more about the position, the game, this route and that route. He wants to be a great player in the league and he loves football.”

A week ago, Graham finished with four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

He has 24 catches for a team-high 367 yards and three touchdowns this season.

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Drew Brees: Saints need strong start to games! (NOLA.com - Video)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he's not worried about the team not putting up points on first drives right away, that will come.

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Saints: Trap Game vs Jags? (NOLA.com Video)

The Times-Picayune's James Varney, Jeff Duncan and Kevin Spain talk about whether the Saints might be looking beyond the upcominmg game against Jacksonville. They also discuss the Saints banged-up offensive line. Sports columnist John DeShazier says it's time for the Saints defense to step up its game.

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Saints Can't Look Past Jacksonville Jaguars (Jeff Duncan - Video)

Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan gives his take on the state of the Saints as they begin preparation for therg game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

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Return to the Dome - (Kevin Buckles Blog)

On the fifth anniversary of “Return to the Dome,” the Saints persevered and prevailed with a 40-33 victory over the Houston Texans. I know there are no moral victories in football but the Texans sure got one today. They were the ones who came out aggressive, running the ball extremely effectively and moving the chains with ease. Ben Tate was a force to be reckoned with all game until he was nicked up in the second half and BACKUP tight end James Casey had a huge game, finishing with 126 yards and a touchdown off of five catches. Not to mention Andre Johnson looking like a man among boys compared to the Saints defensive backs. Their new-look defense also continued to impress forcing two timely interceptions from Drew Brees. HOWEVER, the Texans forgot that the game is 48 minutes rather than 36 (three quarters). After an early fourth quarter touchdown by Houston, the Saints quickly seized control with a five-play 49-yard drive when Brees connected with second-year tight end Jimmy Graham. That was the beginning of the end for the Texans, getting outscored 16-7 after that to lose the game. The Saints’ D showed flashes of that 2009 opportunistic defense also with a timely turnover in the 4th to set Brees and the offense up with great field position en route to taking their first lead of the game. They also did what they do best (or most that is), pinned their ears back and blitzed the quarterback and got a sack on a 4th and long to close the game. All in all the Saints found a way to win today, despite all of their shortcomings, definitely displaying resilience, a characteristic of a championship team. Look out Indi, the Who-Dats are coming.

What I liked:  WINNING AT HOME The Saints get consecutive home wins and have gained momentum to begin their relatively easy road-trip @JAC, @CAR, @TB. With the Dome crowd behind them, Saints are taking full advantage. Something they struggled to do last year losing three of eight home games and overall underachieving at home.

FOURTH QUARTER PLAY The level of play not only in this game, but in the previous two games as well, has definitely been inspiring. Being able to close out a team in a game is imperative in this quarterback-driven league. Not being able to execute down the stretch of a game could be detrimental (see Minnesota Vikings), and I love how the Saints are finishing games.

COOL BREES Down nine early in the 4th quarter, All-Pro QB Drew Brees showed no signs of panic, but a fiery confidence to lead his offense to a franchise-record 23 4th quarter points. And also I believe the turning point of the game when Brees got into the face of second year cornerback, Kareem Jackson of the Texans after being speared by him after scrambling. Boy oh boy did the Texans defense pay the price after that.

What I didn’t like:  INCONSISTENCY ON DEFENSE Granted Jonathan Vilma didn’t play in this game, the Saints’ defense HAS to be better. Yes, they played exceptional redzone defense but they cannot continue to give up the type of yardage and big plays that they did today. Especially when only producing ONE turnover. That is not a formula for success, and there is no doubt in my mind that Gregg Williams will remind them of that EVERY chance he gets in practice this week.

NOT ENOUGH OF THE RUNNING GAME Drew Brees has thrown the ball 130 times in three games with an average of 43 passes a game and the Saints are in the bottom quartile of the league in rushing as well (what else is new?). Maybe I am being a little facetious, but I do think the Saints need to be running the ball a lot more effectively to continue to be successful. I mean hey, we didn’t give up three draft picks for Mark Ingram for nothing.

WHAT TOOK GREGG WILLIAMS SO LONG TO BLITZ? Although I believe the Saints have one of the best secondaries in the league, a secondary and pass rush go hand in hand. There was a lack of overall disruption from the Saints defensive lineman today, and the DB’s paid the price for it most of the game. But as soon as Williams started dialing up the blitz, it disrupted the flow of the Houston offense and allowed the Saints to come back and get the victory late. Had the blitzing started earlier, maybe the game doesn’t come down to the wire like it did.

Key to the game:  REDZONE DEFENSE Thank goodness for Neil Rackers’ leg rather than Matt Schaub’s arm in the redzone in today’s game, otherwise it would not have been a game AT ALL. The Texans have much more of a downhill rushing and passing offense, which would explain their trouble in the redzone. Arian Foster being out didn’t hurt their cause either. However credit has to go to the Saints bend-but-don’t-break-defense that kept the game at a mere 16-7 when it could’ve easily been 28-7.

Player of the game:  LANCE MOORE Perhaps maybe the most valuable re-signing of all during the offseason, Lance Moore came up HUGE in the 4th quarter not only catching a touchdown, but catching, not one but two, two-point conversions that looked eerily similar to the conversion he made in Super Bowl XLIV. But the staggering stat, is that he was targeted nine times and caught nine balls. He is extremely reliable and consistent, and today’s player of the game.

Milestones: - Drew Brees threw a touchdown pass for the 30th consecutive game, which now ranks third behind only Brett Favre (36) and Johnny Unitas (47). - Rookie running back Mark Ingram scored his first touchdown as New Orleans Saint, which was also the game clinching touchdown today. Loved his patience on the run, hope to see more to come! Article by Kevin Buckles - Guest Writer on SaintsNews.net

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Saints Prove they are an Elite Team against Texans (SI.com)

The Saints have developed into one of the NFL’s elite teams by showing the knack for winning games they shouldn’t. Houston is still trying to figure out how to win games it should. That difference played itself out again Sunday in New Orleans, with the Saints somehow erasing a 26-17 deficit — and, later, a 33-32 disadvantage — en route to a thrilling 40-33 win over the Texans. Houston had this game right where it wanted it. The Texans were moving the ball at will and doing a nice job limiting Drew Brees and the potent Saints’ attack. It all fell to pieces in the final 15 minutes, though.   Make that the final 10 minutes, actually. Houston scored early in the fourth quarter to go up nine and still held that 26-17 edge when Brees hit Jimmy Graham for a TD with 9:30 left. On the next possession, Matt Schaub, who’d been nearly flawless all day, threw an interception. The Saints turned that into another touchdown and a two-point conversion to take a 32-26 lead. Even when Schaub answered his mistake with a TD drive of his own, which put Houston back up, he never really recovered the game’s momentum. New Orleans followed by marching 93 yards for another TD, then stopped Schaub one more time to win the game. Is it the end of the world for the Texans? Of course not. And yet, they’ll spend the next few days — and, if they fall short of the playoffs again this season, possibly the next few months — looking back on four red-zone trips that ended with Neil Rackers field goals. Think about that: Houston scored 33 points on the road against New Orleans … and left another 16 out there. But that’s the difference between wanting to win and knowing how to do it. The Saints have shown that they have what it takes to finish games, a lesson that Houston apparently has not yet learned. What must make Sunday even more frustrating for the Texans is that it looked like they had turned the corner this season. They buried a Peyton Manning-less Colts team in Week 1, then refused to let Miami back into the game in Week 2. In the past, you could have counted on Houston to cough one of those games up. Now, the Texans find themselves facing a familiar challenge: making sure a brutal loss doesn’t turn into something worse. Over the next four weeks, Houston faces Pittsburgh, Oakland, Baltimore and Tennessee. Letting Sunday’s meltdown linger could turn a promising 2-1 start into a 3-4 record — and another disappointing season — pretty rapidly. Last year, the Texans also started out 2-0 before finishing at 6-10, so it wouldn’t be new for the Texans to stall after a quick start to the season. To prevent that from happening, Houston needs to do, well, what the Saints did after dropping a heartbreaker in Week 1 to the Packers — turn the page. New Orleans rebounded from their opening loss by hammering Chicago, then rallying past the Texans Sunday. Suddenly, falling to Green Bay feels like it’s miles away. Getting bad losses behind you is the mark of a good team. Closing out games on the road, against elite competition, is the mark of a great team. Houston proved again Sunday that’s it not quite there yet.

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Saints TE Jimmy Graham talks about Texans Defense

Saints TE Jimmy Graham talks about facing the Houston Texans Defense.

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Texans vs. Saints Injury Report for Sunday's Game

TEXANS: OUT: CB Sherrick McManis (hamstring), RB Derrick Ward (shoulder, ankle). QUESTIONABLE: RB Arian Foster (hamstring), WR Jacoby Jones (knee). PROBABLE: G Thomas Austin (knee), G Mike Brisiel (hip), LB Brian Cushing (knee), CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle), LB DeMeco Ryans (elbow, Achilles), QB Matt Schaub (foot), RB Ben Tate (back), WR Kevin Walter (shoulder, thigh), LB Mario Williams (thumb). SAINTS: OUT: WR Marques Colston (shoulder), K Garrett Hartley (right hip). DOUBTFUL: LB Jonathan Vilma (knee). QUESTIONABLE: CB Tracy Porter (calf). PROBABLE: S Jonathon Amaya (shoulder), LB Jonathan Casillas (foot, knee), S Roman Harper (ankle), DT Tom Johnson (calf).