O-Line Needs Time

If you are in that number of growing of Saints fans and prognosticators worried about the Saints offensive line, spare yourself the reflux, put the purple pill away and stop.

No, I’m not here to tell you the 2013 version of the Saints offensive line is not without its problems. I am here to tell you, though, we’ve been here before.

The same worries were present in the early part of the 2011 season.  “Brees is getting hit too much.” “The O-line is weak up the middle.” “The left tackle position needs help to keep Brees clean.” “Where’s our running game!” “We got STUFFED on 4^th and goal!”

Then after losing 2 of three games at the midway point of 2011, the Saints found themselves a shakey 5-3, and the O-line was just dominated by the Rams defensive line, losing 31-21 to a team that would go one to win only 2 games.

What happened next? The Saints finished with an 8-0 run to a 13-3 record. Wins included a sweep of Atlanta, a 49-24 thumping of eventual Super Bowl champion NY Giants and an outdoor road December win in the cold, the wet and the mud. A Saint was the leading rusher of the game in six of those final eight wins.  Something they could only do twice in the first eight games.

Did the Saints make a trade?

No.

 Cut someone?

 No.

Bench somebody.

No.

Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff figured it out. With the same personnel, the Saints made the proper adjustments and started railroading teams, scoring 40+ points in 4 of the final six wins. While scoring 49, 42 and 45 points against the Giants, Vikings and Panthers, the Saints’ Mark Ingram led all rushers with 80 yards, Chris Ivory with 74 yards, and Ivory again with 127 yards respectively. This after being stopped cold on not one, not two, but three 4^th and inches in season opener at Green Bay.

Again, I’m not saying the 2013 offensive line is without trouble.  Brees IS getting hit too much. The holes for the running backs ARE scarce. There HAVE been too many holding penalties.  Too many redzone opportunities ARE producing three points or less. We got STUFFED on 4^th and goal!

All this and the Saints are 3-0.

Offensive lines need time to gel. There’s a new starter at left tackle, a new blocking tight end and an injury to the cornerstone of the line, Jhari Evans.  Brees has a couple of new receivers he’s getting use to as well.  Causing him to hold the ball longer.

All this and the Saints are outgaining their opponents 404 to 295 yards per game. Outscoring them 23-12 per game. They are converting nearly 50% third downs. Brees is hitting 68% of his passes. In fact, the Saints lead their opponent in all but one offensive category.

The line must be doing something right.

Now, the schedule does get tougher.  Defenses will get stouter.

But my bet is on Sean Payton. He will get the O-Line to gel. And judging by the stats now, God help the NFL when they do.

Are Saints Fans Jaded?

Are Saints fans jaded?

Moments after the Saints thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs, Facebook and Twitter blew up with Saints fans DISAPPOINTED in how the Saints won the game, feeling bad about winning ugly. Yes there was the obligatory “WE DAT!”s and “Geaux Saints” posts from the soccer mom diehards, but the “boy we got away with one” or “we didn’t deserve that one” comments outnumbered them.

Monday call in shows were worse, the general mood of callers was of a Saints defeat. Some talk show hosts expressed their “concern” that yes, while the Saints did win the game, their poor play left much to be desired.

Balderdash!

Let me get this straight. The Saints went into hostile territory to play a division rival. A rival who a week earlier snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. A rival who, in only week 2, had to call a “players only” meeting feeling their backs, already, were against the wall. A rival so determined not to go 0-2, discipline and sportsmanship was tossed aside.  

And win?!

And we wonder why coaches get testy.

Sure, Drew Brees made a couple of poor decisions. OK, the OL had its problems.  And yes, Sean Payton is obsessed with making a player out of Mark Ingram.  But the Saints didn’t deserve to win?

Let’s take a trip down Saints memory lane. 

In 1990, week one of the NFL season, the Saints played the back to back Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The Saints were on the cusp of victory. The incomparable Joe Montana was sacked six times.  Perennial all-pro RB Roger Craig was held to 23 yards on 12 carries. The greatest NFL player of all time (as elected by an NFL Network poll) Jerry Rice had a grand total of one catch for 6 yards.  The Saints took a late 12-10 lead on a Morten Anderson 32 yard FG. Know what happened next?  That beaten down 49er offense of Montana and Rice connected on a 3^rd down 20 yard heartbreaker that turned a would be desperation 58 yard FG prayer into a 38 yard chip shot game winner. They made the necessary plays at the right time to win the game.

The 49ers finished that season 14-2, the Saints were 8-8. Do you think the 49ers cared they squeaked by a highly motivated inferior opponent, early in the season at their ballpark?

By all rights, the 49ers had no business winning that game.

By all rights, the Saints had every business winning the Bucs game.

The Saints outgained Tampa in total yardage 371-273, held QB Josh Freeman to 9/22 passing for 113 yards and a pic, a sack fumble and held the Bucs scoreless defensively. But for those poor decisions by Brees and a Tampa goal line stand, this was a Saints blowout.

Had the Saints lost this game, it would’ve been a giveaway.

The Saints inglorious past is littered with heartbreaking defeat after heartbreaking defeat.  Wins that were seemingly in the bag, teams beaten, tantalizing, only to be ripped away by a Hail Mary, a punt return or hyper-conservative coaching.

So come on, Saints fans, don’t be jaded. I, for one loved that ugly victory over Tampa. I’d take 17 more just like it.

 

 

Quick Results for Kindred Spirits

Well that didn’t take long.  Sean Payton’s return to the sideline produced, for the most part, the same result it has produced during the first six years of his tenure as Saints head coach.  That is an offense with a sharpshooting QB producing a ton of yards and points. 

After a sluggish first quarter, as Payton was finding his sea legs, the Saints had their way with the Falcons defense, outscoring them 23-7.  Payton also showed growth as a play caller. In the past, when the running game looked like it wasn’t working, Payton would abandon it and turn the game over to Drew Brees. Not yesterday. Payton was so determined to stick with the run; it may have prevented the Saints form scoring two touchdowns from first and goal. Instead, they had to settle for field goals. On each possession, Payton called first and goal running plays to Mark Ingram. Both plays proved unsuccessful as Ingram once again displayed a lack of NFL speed to the edge and power in close quarters. Payton stuck with the run to the tune of 29 carries. Although only 78 yards were gained for a 2.7 yard average, Payton accomplished his goal of softening up the Falcons pass rush and making their linebackers respect the running game enough to be susceptible to play action.

There were some hiccups, though, but correctable. First, Payton is making loyalty to a running back a new art form. Clearly Mark Ingram is not an NFL running back, at least not in Payton’s system.  Ingram is known as a bruising back requiring multiple carries to wear down a defense. But with Payton, a running back gets small doses of carries. Unless those carries produce, 4 yards or better, Payton is on to something and/or someone else. I will, however, defend Ingram in this respect, when he enters the game, every defensive player’s antennae goes up.  I don’t have the percentages but it seems the Saints are much more likely to run when Ingram is in the game.  Also the Saints lack that physical offensive line Ingram needs to keep initial defenders off of him.  Yet Payton keeps going to him time and time again.

No bigger was this point made than one fourth and inches. Payton rolled the dice. He installed Ingram into the lineup.  Every Falcon’s player, coach, and fan in the stands new Ingram was getting the ball. The result was a two yard loss and possession turned over to the Falcons.  Ingram was given eight more carries in the game gaining a grand total of 11 yards. His longest run was seven yards which means he gained only four yards on the other attempts combined. Now I’m not great in math, but that average can’t be good. Payton has become patient, but not that patient!

Second, the Saints must score touchdowns in first and goal opportunities. This game would not have been close had they accomplished this. Having to settle for field goals in those situations constitutes a win for the opponent’s defense and is deflating to your team. Even if the Saints converted just one of those chances the last Falcons’ drive would have taken on a different tone.

Maybe I’m just second guessing, but burning your second timeout on fourth and one from their three yard line with about three minutes to go is a waste. By Payton decided to try the old “draw them offside” routine anyway, he loses a timeout he may need later. In fact, I’m all for going for it in that spot.  Hey, you score a touchdown, convert a first down or pin Atlanta down inside their five yard line. It’s a win win win. Instead, you burn perhaps a much needed timeout, still up by only one possession, give up 18 yards field position and most importantly, now Atlanta’s to drive is for a touchdown to beat you instead of a field goal to tie and send into overtime.  I know it a philosophical decision, but I’d rather a team laying up with a wedge for a field goal to tie than pulling that 3 wood out and going for the win.

It didn’t take long for Rob Ryan’s new look defense to produce. Saints fans haven’t seen that type pressure since former defensive coordinator Greg Williams was paying coin for it.  Again, after the first quarter, once Ryan got a beat on what the Falcons were trying to do, he slammed the door shut. As for getting a heavy dose of Stephen Jackson punishing the Saints defense into submission, as predicted, Ryan had his men ready. Outside Jackson’s 50 yard run, he was a non-factor. On ten other carries he gained only 27 yards and dropped the potential game winning touchdown.  Matt Ryan was forced to attempt 38 passes. He was sacked three times and harassed the entire day.  One report stated he was hit total of 23 times. Talk about remember me shots!

All in all it was a nice return for Sean Payton and debut for Rob Ryan. From Payton and New Orleans icon Steve Gleason dropping the who dat chant to Roman Harper’s interception on the game’s final meaningful play, these two kindred spirits, both on a mission to right the wrongs they were dealt, accomplished step one. Here’s hoping the ride has only just begun.