New Orleans Saints Review

As a child of the 80′s, I’m very fond of the catchphrase from classic TV show The A-Team that states:  “I love it when a plan comes together”.  I think it perfectly describes the Saints’ 38-7 win in Tampa Bay.  Essentially, the Saints accomplished everything they set out to do and, as a result, are now 10-0 with a 5 game lead in the NFC South.

There was no question coming into this game that the Saints were the clearly superior team.  After all, the Buccaneers came in a pathetic 1-8.  What impressed me about this particular game is that, for the first time in several weeks, New Orleans didn’t give their opponent any opportunities to stay in the game.  They didn’t turn the ball over and played fundamentally sound football in all 3 phases of the game.

Although the Bucs jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on an 18 yard Josh Freeman to Michael Clayton touchdown pass, that was about the extent of what Tampa was able to do in this game.  The rest was all New Orleans.

Drew Brees (19/29, 187 yards, 3 TDs) was very efficient and made key plays when he had to.  Most importantly, there were no interceptions, although there were a couple of tipped balls that were close.  I think it says something about Brees and this team that they can put 38 points on the board with a sub-200 yard passing day.

The running game was outstanding with Pierre Thomas (11 carries, 92 yards), Mike Bell (13 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs) and the Saints offensive line punishing the Buccaneer defense.  The Bucs wore down in the second half as New Orleans seemed to rip off big gains on play after play.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints made life miserable for rookie quarterback Josh Freeman (17/33, 126 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 1 fumble).  Freeman clearly has some talent and made some nice plays.  He moves around very well in the pocket and was able to make some plays with his feet.  But his inexpierence played right into the hands of Gregg Williams and his unit.  Consider the fact that the team was missing starting corners Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter, along with defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and it makes the effort all the more impressive.

The Tampa running game was effective in spurts but that didn’t last long, as the Saints opened up a big lead in the second half.  Cadillac Williams carried the ball 11 times for just 29 yards.

Although the Bucs weren’t exactly a top-flight opponent, it would have been easy for the Saints to overlook this game.  With the 7-3 New England Patriots coming to the Superdome next week for Monday Night Football, there’s always that possibility of a team looking past a weak opponent and focusing in on the big game on a national stage.  That certainly didn’t happen here.

This was the kind of game I wanted to see from the Saints.  They needed to not only win, they also needed to get back to fundamentally sound football.  With this victory, the Saints are now back on the right track heading into a great match-up with New England.

Next week will be a great measuring stick for both teams.  And now, the NFC South is all but wrapped up as Atlanta lost a heart-breaker in New York to the Giants.  Thanksgiving week is going to be very jubilant in the Crescent City.

Who Dat Awards:

• Drew Brees – Even though the yardage numbers weren’t big, they didn’t need to be.  He was outstanding and very accurate.
• David Thomas – The backup tight end acquired from New England has been a real find.  He had 4 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.  It’s pretty nice when even your #2 tight end is a weapon!
• Marques Colston - Had 5 catches for 74 yards and had a nice rebound after two sub-par games.
• Mike Bell – Ran very hard, took a pounding and helped to wear down the Bucs front seven.
• Robert Meachem – The young play-maker had just 2 catches, but they were both touchdowns.
• Malcolm Jenkins – A big day for the first round pick.  Had his first start on defense, his first interception and led the team with 7 tackles.  He has been a contributor in every role the team has put him in this year.
• Jonathan Vilma & Chris Reis – Each had an interception.  Vilma is such a great leader on this defense.
• Leigh Torrence – Made 4 tackles, had .5 a sack and came back after a painful shoulder injury.
• Devery Henderson - For stepping in on punt returns as Lance Moore and Reggie Bush did not play due to injury.
• Sean Payton – For making the smart moves in sitting the injured players who were iffy (Bush, Moore, Greer & Ellis).  Also kudos for playing Zach Strief at left tackle – the Bucs didn’t sack Drew Brees on the day.

Rating:

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 8:44 am and is filed under Opinion, Super Bowl Season. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.