Losing the Win

Good news! Saints win their season finale!

Bad news. Saints win their season finale.

A season ending victory closes the year on a positive note. Players, coaches and fans can now look forward to next season without that lasting gut wrenching feeling a loss hits you with. A feeling which can only be tamed by the thought of an upcoming game and a chance at redemption. Winning the finale provides redemption, however so remotely, needed to carry you through the off season. After all, after today, the only team that will taste victory in their season finale will be the Super Bowl champion.

At least it's better than losing the season finale.

Or is it? .

It was once said that when you win, you never examine it as much. But a loss invites reflection and reformulating and a change of strategy. It hurts and bleeds. It follows you home and taunts you at the breakfast table.

I think this team could use an off season of taunting at the breakfast table. They need that nagging burn inside. They need to be pissed.  They need to be reminded of how poorly they played.

Winning today will deny them of that. They couldn't handle victory for a week. How are they going to handle it for eight months?

So now we turn to 2015. Coaching changes, salary cap issues, player personnel decisions will be addressed in the coming months. Free agency, the draft, will all be discussed.

Personally, I would like to see a nasty mean guard added to shore up the middle of the OLine. A talented pass rusher is always welcome. A playmaker in the secondary and a game changer at WR would also help.

One more important thing. Add smart, mature players. But with the influx of underclassmen coming in, that feat will be harder to accomplish. Most of these guys are more Johnny Football than Russell Wilson.

Which takes us to what to do about Drew. Some would suggest drafting a young QB to groom as Brees's successor. I say cross that bridge when you get to it. In forty plus years of watching the NFL I've seen "grooming the heir apparent " work three times. Danny White for Roger Staubach. Steve Young for Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers for Brett Favre. Otherwise you have to ride out the QB you have hoping to get more good than bad from him and let the team pick up the rest.

Then you take the Colts route. The Colts have had three quarterback legends in my time. All three were eventually replaced by at least an equal if not a superior QB. None had the legend as their mentor. Johnny Unitas was gone when Bert Jones was drafted. Jones was gone long before Peyton Manning was drafted. Manning was gone when Andrew Luck became the first pick in the draft. If you're smart and have good scouts, when the time comes, that QB will be there.

So I'll just pass on drafting Brees's future replacement.

To sum up 2014. The Saints had a four game road winning streak concurrent with a five game home losing streak. If that don't some up 2014, nothing does. Good bye, Good riddance!

2015 can't get hear fast enough!

Surviving 4th and Ten

Four weeks ago the Saints were 4-4 and a 4th and ten stop from going 5-4 on three straight wins and gain a stranglehold on the NFC South. The dome was deafening. A stop here then two more home games and this division is ours!

All Who Dats know what happened next.

Clad in red, Colin Kaepernick struck the Saints defense like von Richtofen suddenly firing on a Niueport, causing the stunned crew into a nose dive. A dive which gained momentum as two more ugly defeats seemed to crash and burn the 2014 season.

Then out of nowhere, Pittsburg. WTF was that!?

That was a peek into what the '14 Saints were supposed to be. Complimentary football consisting of an offense so productive they force opponents into turnovers as they race to keep up. A defense with a pass rush capable of facilitating those turnovers with no fear of opponent's run game and focusing solely on getting to the overly stressed and anxiety bitten QB. A secondary in position to make drive killing and field position plays, providing Payton and Brees short trips to the end zone. Opponents finished by the 4th qtr. either desperately hoping for a miracle or giving up to fight another day.

However '14 is a version of the old cliché. You are what your record says you are. And the Saints are a 5-7. Optimist would say a play here or there and they're 8-4 maybe 9-3 if they play Cincinnati with their heads right. Others would say 3-9 or 2-10 is but a dropped pass or missed fg away.

But here's the thing.The Saints are leaders of their division. Most times 5-7 makes you start planning for next season. But the Saints are legit favorites to win the division and host a playoff game or two. Amazing.

The Saints have been granted a do over by the football Gods.

This Sunday we will see if they can take advantage. Free falling Carolina, losers of eight straight, comes to the dome with just enough left in the tank to rip the hearts out of the Saints and who dats everywhere.

To do it, though, the Saints must once again overcome their biggest 2014 obstacle.

Themselves.

Legion of Gloom

Not since that fateful week in January 2012 has the football faithful had such a gut-wrenching weekend.

Saturday night.

With another chance to further enhance the mystique of Saturday night at Death Valley, LSU was lining up to kick-off to the University of Alabama. Having just knocked down the field goal that put them up by three with roughly :50 seconds remaining. Sweet victory over the biggest nemesis in my history of watching LSU football was dancing on my taste buds.

Then I can hear myself thinking.

Way way WAIT?! Did I just hear what I thought I heard?!

A voice. In the background. It's not CBS game announcers Vern Lundquist or Gary Danielson. It's LSU PA announcer Bill Frakes. His voice, that bland, monotone, nondescript voice through all the hysteria in the stadium is bleeding through my TV. Burning my ears."Attention Tiger fans, during your celebration please do not rush the field after the game".

HUH?! Did he just say that?!

That's like bagging the bats in the top of the 9th! You just don't do it!

Before I could get the thought of how much bad luck it is to make such an announcement, ball is kicked out of bounds! Bama's drives for a FG. Game goes to overtime. Fourth and ten pass falls incomplete. Game. Over.

Every LSU fan is left with that "WTF just happened" feeling.

Sunday afternoon.

After overcoming a 14 point deficit, the Saints home winning streak was a forth and ten from remaining intact.

The 49ers convert. Kick a field goal. Game goes in to overtime.

It's ok. The Saints win the toss. They cross mid-field inside the 40 yard line. It's third and one. Mark Ingram time.

Nope. It's Drew Brees time.

A play-action fake to Ingram fools no one. Three Frisco defenders are standing near Brees target. Brees, with more time than he thinks he has, rushes his throw into triple coverage anyway. A choice he has made way to often this season.

Incomplete.

Saints choose to punt on 4th and 1. Thomas Morestead chips a beauty that bounces and dangles tantalizingly at the one. However, Nick Toon, barreling uncontrolled toward the ball, slides into it and carries it into the endzone for a touchback. Killing twenty yards of field position.

Saints hold. 49ers punt. Down the ball near the Saints seven. Brees fumbles. 49ers kick game winning field goal.

Saints fans meander about stadium in a daze, forgetting how to exit as losers.

While LSU's season is all but finished. Les Miles is left to consider whether to play promising young QB Brandon Harris. Word is that Harris doesn't put enough time in the film room while Jennings is a film room junkie. If this is true, one can't blame Miles for hesitating to insert him as the starter. If it's true than LSU's future at QB is in trouble.

The Saints, by the grace of the NFC South, are still in the thick of the playoff race. So last week's loss was not as devastating. But a win this Sunday against Cincinnati is a must. I think they will. But though the Bengals are reeling now, the Saints have a bad habit of playing down to their competition. And the way the ball has been bouncing for them this season, it's no gimme.

Get Off His Back and A Rivalry Re-Born

If you're like me and growing weary from all the Brees bashing lately, here's something a little different.

But first something off my chest.

This season I made the decision to wait till at least Wednesday after the game to write. I did so to be less visceral in my take. Written last Monday, this would've been an ugly rant aimed at the further decline of Brees, his Farvian transformation and Powerball salary.

But I'm glad I waited. Because as my emotion faded and I calmed the eff down, I started to think about Heath Shuler, Kerry Collins, Doug Nessmeier. Jim Everett, Mike Buck, Wade Wilson, Steve Walsh, Danny Wuerfel, the Billy Jo's(Tolliver and Hobert) and Aaron Brooks.

Then I started counting my blessings. Because there isn't any one of those QB's, NONE, that  I would take over Drew Brees, with all his troubles, right now. And It ain't even close.

He's being called overrated(as opposed to who?). He's called overpaid. Resented for a salary that he only asked for but forced no one to pay him. Fans and media are turning against him.

Not me.

Only next time, Drew, take the sack.

This Saturday, LSU plays Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium and are 3 point underdogs. Think about that. LSU is an underdog at home to Ole Miss. Some would say this is a statement on how down the LSU program is in 2014. However I say this a bigger statement on how much the Ole Miss program has risen. Since Hugh Freeze took over as HC of the Rebels only three seasons ago, he has brought them back to the glory days of Archie who?.

Most people may not realize this, but the LSU vs Ole Miss game was once the biggest rivalry in the south. Yes, bigger than the Iron Bowl. The problem is since the era of Archie Manning ended, the Ole Miss football program has been stuck in the bowels of the SEC, save for a few sporadic winning seasons. Sure, LSU had its down years but the one game LSU fans could generally count on was beating Ole Miss. In fact, an argument could be made that at least  two coaches were fired because losing to Ole Miss was the final nail in their coffin.

Now the situation has completely turned.

It used to be when Ole Miss beat LSU, you got the feeling they got away with one. LSU was the better team having a bad night. Maybe looking ahead to a stronger opponent or flat from the week before. Example, in 1997, LSU beat #1 Florida and Steve Spurrier only to lose to unranked Ole Miss the very next week. That or something flukish happening like clock mismanagement or trick plays.

That won't happen this week. After beating Alabama at home followed by thumping Texas A&M in College Station, possessing perhaps the best defense LSU has faced since the 2012 BCS championship, Ole Miss has LSU's full attention. Which leads me to this.

How will Ole Miss handle success? Hugh Freeze and the Rebels are playing with house money. It's less difficult for a good coach to start winning when nothing is expected of you. But now every Ole Miss fan is expecting them to waltz into Tiger Stadium and do to the Tigers what Mississippi St did. In fact, since beating Alabama, Freeze can say goodbye to the good old days when just becoming bowl eligible made you an Oxford legend.

Now it's LSU who can be loose, at home, no expectations. "Hey, we're rebuilding. This is your best season ever, Ole Miss. Let's see whatcha got."

No one. I mean no one expects LSU to win this game save for some flukish things happening.

It will be interesting to see if Ole Miss can handle success or fold under the pressure they've created for themselves. I'm certain LSU would love to be the ones to make them.

THAT'S why they call it a rivalry!

This Fall is Revealling

As the calendar turns to October, in our football world, we've had better falls.

After a promising off season of signings, draft picks and country club training, five games in, the Saints have the look of a team teetering on decline. The Payton/Brees mystique is all but gone. A once feared road team, today they are greeted with open arms by their host cities. Now, something more disconcerting than the road woes and perhaps the signal of decline, the most dominant home team since 2011 is struggling to win against even the NFL's weaker opponents. At home!

A respected coach lauded as cutting edge in talent evaluation, motivation, play design and a master play caller, Sean Payton has seemed to have lost his magic touch. Sure, statistically, the Saints remain near the top of the NFL in most offensive categories but in reality, this is hardly the pinball machine offense we've grown accustomed to. Every yard seems to be a struggle. Every score a minor victory.

It doesn't help that his defense has once again abandoned him. Actually, it's always been a drag on his team in one form or another. It's not like he hasn't tried to improve it. High draft picks, free agent signings and multiple defensive defensive coordinators all produced pretty much the same results. Though the statistics have been all over the board since Payton arrived, the one constant(except 2009) and the most important factor has been the lack of creating turnovers. Forcing even the most prolific offenses to continuously drive the length of the field to score causes more and more stress increasing the risk of turnovers and injury.

But the biggest sign that this is the beginning of the end to the Payton/Brees era is Drew Brees.  Brees will always be the greatest player to ever wear the black and gold.  He is permanent royalty. It's been the most fun I've ever had watching the Saints. Ever. But like that teeny tiny little snowball that slowly begins its slide down the mountain, Brees has begun his descent.

It starts with poor road showings against elite teams then average teams then hapless teams. Those road woes start to purge into home games. The deep ball first discreetly falls short then eventually floats and flutters. The interceptions first credited to great plays by opposing defenders become the unforgivable type thrown in the waning seconds of the first half of Sunday's game. Usually thrown by an unseasoned rookie or an aging QB feeling pressure and fearing injury. Even worse to come right back and commit the same sin the very next possession is stunning.

What's happening to Brees is not unusual. In fact, it's expected. A 36 year old with a family and multiple business and civic interest is nearly impossible to commit the type of focus of a 26-30 year old just hitting his prime. Even if it's a minute, almost undetectable loss of focus. Once it goes, its tough to get it back. Couple the lost focus with the natural deterioration of an athletes ability and you get those poor road performances then eventually those poor home performances.

I understand he just shot a Pepsi commercial this week on his day off. That's where his focus is. I once did a commercial shoot for a one minute spot for a Magazine Street merchant. It took about four hours. A national commercial with a huge budget is taking all day. A man with less distractions and more focus(and who doesn't need the money) would be in the film room on his day off trying to figure out a way to compensate for his new physical limitations. One would think.

At LSU the decline is more obvious. As people point to the defections of juniors and loss of seniors the last two seasons as the main culprit, I take a different angle. Sure, there has been an inordinate amount of attrition but at the same time the SEC West has gotten stronger. Les Miles can no longer count on easy victories against weak sister SEC opponents such as Ole Miss and Miss St. Auburn, up and down during the Miles era has ended Miles three game winning streak against them as they have become a perennial power.

People who state Miles overall record as an indication of his superior coaching ability fail to mention this. Where was Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida and Kentucky in 2011? Miles greatest season. A combined 11-29 in SEC play. Also with an incredible amount of NFL talent on that defense, the offense could be hyper-conservative with below average QB play and still succeed. Not anymore.

Not only the defections but Miles' indecisiveness to pick a starting QB and his unwillingness to use that QB to best suit his athletic ability have lead to agonizing predictable play calling. His overprotectiveness of either starting QB is destroying both of their confidence and crippling the talents of highly recruited and potentially explosive players at WR and RB. Now that the league is much stronger, the offensive deficiencies are heightened.

On defense, his affection for players on defense who are clearly overmatched by SEC talent has been disastrous. The lack of developing highly touted defensive linemen results in undersized and slow-footed D-tackles being manhandled. LSU has given up 645 yards rushing in two SEC games. When a team is leaking yards at that rate, nothing else needs to be stated.

Can these teams turn their seasons around?

Sure. But it will be tough.

The Saints seem to have less daunting road as six of the remaining eleven games on the schedule are in the dome. However their opponents are much tougher. At Detroit, Chicago, Carolina. Home against Green Bay, San Francisco and Carolina.

Guess who has the nations #1 toughest remaining college football schedule?

LSU.

"Communication breakdown, It's Always the Same...

Having a nervous breakdown, drives me insaaaaaaane!!!!!"

No, that's not a Robert Plant falsetto backed by Jimmy Page riffs. That's LSU DC John Chavis last Saturday after the drumming laid on his defense by MSU QB(and Louisiana native) Dak Prescott. In LSU's lockeroom every level of defensive personnel sang the same chorus. "We just didn't communicate well", said one defensive lineman. "We lacked communication on some key plays", an LSU linebacker said on tape. "We just had some communication breakdowns", said Jalen Mills, LSU's junior and most experienced member of the secondary. A secondary that was supposed to be the strength of the defense this season.

If Jalen Mills name sounds familiar it's because he was the LSU DB seen jumping up and down in disgust last season during similar defensive collapses against Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas. UGA and Ole Miss resulted in season killing losses. The reason for the collapses? Communication breakdowns.

It seems to me that when a defense continues to have the same problems from one season into the next, then either the players just aren't good enough or the system is too complicated. The defense is loaded with four and five star recruits. These players were recognized by scouts throughout the country as some of the best coming out of high school. Frank Herron, a five star DE from Memphis. Greg Gilmore, the #1 D-lineman  form North Carolina.  Kendall Beckwith, a four star LB form LA, top 5 in the country. Tre White, a five star DB from LA and Rashard Robinson, a standout CB from talent rich Florida.

Some say LSU missed on those high profile recruits. No way! Sure every class has their busts, but usually the highly touted recruits pan out and play to their high school rankings. At least at Bama they do.

Some say the recruits are still young. Attrition has hit the defense and the offense so hard, it will take time to recover. I ain't buying it. Texas A&M lost a Heisman winning QB, a left tackle picked in the top ten of the NFL draft and a starting RB. They start this season with a sophomore QB with zero starts on the road in top ten ranked South Carolina and put up 52 points. That's with a true sophomore with less starts than LSU true sophomore QB Anthony Jennings. That's with a true freshman WR and redshirt freshman WR, and new starting left tackle, right tackle and RB.

Attrition has hit LSU, but the OL is as experienced as any in the SEC. They return a QB with two springs, two falls and a bowl season running the offense. Also returned are two senior RBs and FB, a third year Sophomore WR and a senior TE.

So what's my point? I don't know.

I do know that other schools seem to be doing fine with similar experienced talent. I do know that other schools are running twenty first century offenses successfully with lesser rated talent than LSU.  These schools are all coached by men less than 60.

Les Miles isn't less than 60. He also isn't a bad coach. He's an old school coach caught in a new school revolution. He's running an offense no longer being used in high school. Therefore he's recruiting round pegs for square holes. He's the old guy in the club. Denny Terrio on late night infomercials hustling 70's disco.

As for Chavis and the communication breakdowns. All I can say is defense is so passé now. All the communication in the world wasn't stopping MSU spreading the defense beyond the numbers. Until some defensive genius figures out a way to slow these jetset offenses down, defensive coordinators should concede between the twenties and try to hold teams to field goals. Otherwise high powered offenses are the wave of the future.

And the future is now.

0-2 Could be Worse

As I flip back to Auburn v K-State, leaving the Atl 35-0 first half TKO of Tampa Bay, mute the tv to rest my bilateral tympanic membranes from the tinnitus that is Jessie Palmer, I start to feel better about our 0-2 Saints.

The following will either sound like a rationalization of Yenlike contortions or a big giant glass of half full, but I get the feeling the Saints are about to go on a run.

Why?

Those hated Falcons.

Atlanta at home is like most NFL teams at home. Different. They are explosive offensively and opportunistic defensively. And they needed an end zone int from Drew Brees, an overtime Marques Colston fumble in FG range and two 50+ yard buzzer beaters to beat the Saints. Remember, this was Atlanta's season home opener. That cannot be understated. Also, this game was huge for the Falcons psyche. Had the Saints won, Atlanta's season would be toast. Even in victory, deep down in their minds, they know they got away with one. The rematch in December will put things back in order.

The Saints followed that heart stopping loss having to face yet another team's home opener. Again, this cannot be understated. This time it's Cleveland and the infamous Dog Pound. One of the NFL's best home field advantages. What happens? Home team plays like most home teams do in their season opener. At hyper-intensity, feeding off the crowd that's at a hemorrhagic fever pitch. Throw in some early bad field position and a Paul Kruger sack and your down 10 before Sean Payton's first pack of juicy fruit is unwrapped. A lesser team would've been blown out. But because the Saints are well coached, poised, and have veteran leadership, they were a coverage breakdown away from coming all the way back and winning.

Ohhh that Roger Goodell! Not only does he have his schedule makers put the Saints on the road for their first two games, but facing two home openers! Then, forces the Saints to wait until week three for their home opener!! Clearly his manhood envy with Sean Payton continues.

I'd say all and all, the Saints are looking about as good at 0-2 as you can possibly look.

Now the Vikings come to the M-B Superdome. With issues. On and off the field. Minus their hall of fame running back and starting a journeyman QB.  But the Saints are 0-2 and the Vikings have the their undivided attention. This is the Saints home opener. The Saints are 6-1 in home openers under Sean Payton. They will be 7-1 as Payton's boys will beat his friend Mike Zimmer's Vikings.

The Saints then have the Cowboys in Dallas, the NFL's worst home field advantage, and the Bucs at home, who are down 56-0 in the 3rd as I type. That's 3-2. Then a bye.

Then it's on.

My One and Only 2014 Saints Mock Draft

Here it is, the night before the 2014 NFL Draft. The Saints and the rest of the league have done all they could to find the players they feel will get them closer to a Super Bowl. If you're like me, a draft nerd, your head is swimming from the doses of speculation provided by the Kipers, McShays, and Mayocks of the world providing us with their mock drafts, prospect lists, and scouting reports.

Well I'm going to do a little speculating of my own. My first(and only) Saints 2014 mock draft:

Round 1. Pick #27: Xavier Su'a-Filo, OG  UCLA. 6'4" 307.  Su'a-Filo is the #27 prospect on many draft boards, the Saints need help on the interior OL. Saints fans screamed and prayed for Drew Brees' life as he was battered more times than ever as a Saint in 2013.  Help is on the way as more bulk needed in the middle of an aging Saints offensive line. Need filled, best player available.

Round 2. Pick# 53: Donte Moncrief,  WR Ole Miss 6'2" 220 4.34. Big, strong, fast and great hands. I love this kid. Saints are getting old at that position and efforts to reload recently have been hit and miss.  Kenny Stills is a play maker while Nick Toon has been a flop.

Round 3. Pick #91: Pierre Desir, CB Lindenwood 6'1" 200 4.5. Saints are giddy that Desir is still there as they passed on Phillip Gaines in round 2. Tall corner with good ball skills makes up for lack of elite speed.

Round 4. Pick #126: Jarick McKinnon, RB Georgia Southern 5'9" 210 4.37. Saints pass on Lache Seastrunk for McKinnon's similar measurables to Darren Sproles and his ability to run between the tackles as well as use his speed to get to the edge. McKinnon can also be used in the passing game much like Sproles with Sean Payton creating matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.

Round 5. Pick #167: Wesley Johnson, OT/C Vanderbilt 6'5" 300. The Saints find their center of the future with the athletic Johnson. A four year starter, he played left tackle for the Commodores, yet projects as a center in the NFL. He was considered the conference's most versatile O-lineman, earning him 2nd team all SEC honors. Johnson was flagged for only 2 holding penalties in four years and allowed just 7.5 sacks in 1281 pass plays. The book says centers must posses intelligence and quick learning ability.  Johnson scored a 36 on his ACT and earned a 3.54 GPA at Vandy. He will be the steal of the draft.

Round 5. Pick #169: Larry Webster, TE, Bloomsburg. 6'5" 250 4.58. The four year starter on the Bloomsburg basketball team set the school record for blocked shots. Webster played one season at DE but many NFL scouts feel he projects as a TE. He's tall with a frame that can build more muscle, long arms and quick in and out of cuts with flexible ankles. Sound familiar? Admittedly, this is a slight reach and Webster will need time to develop. However, he is on a number of teams' radar, so he will be drafted. Why not here? Imagine the possibilities of having two Jimmy Grahams!

Round 6. Pick #202: Jonathon Dowling, FS, Western Kentucky 6'3" 190 4.5. I know, I know, another safety! This pick is purely best player available, With Dowling's range and ball skills, the safety loving Rob Ryan will have another toy in his arsenal. Also with the Kenny Vacarro coming off a broken ankle, this will supply some insurance and depth.

These are my picks and I'm sticking to them, Good luck and enjoy the draft, Saints fans!