SB Nation - Randall Gay

Cowboys @ Saints: Resurrecting a Pass Rush?

saints-nation — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00:21 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

Eleven games into their season, the Saints showcased a formidable pass defense in part thanks to a very capable pass rush. The last two games have left most of us feeling concerned as the Saints have looked somewhat vulnerable. The main stat that jumps out is the pass yardage they are giving up and the lack of pressure they are getting on opposing QB's. Tony Romo is known for hanging onto the ball and making things happen with his ability to escape pressure while behind the line of scrimmage, so there will be opportunities to sack him. Romo has been sacked 28 times this season, good for 8th most in the NFL. Compare that to Brees, as a reference, who has only been sacked 15 times. The key to regaining confidence for the Saints will be to resurrect their pass rush.

Cowboys vs Saints coverage

Cowboys vs Saints preview

Check out these key average numbers the Saints were posting through eleven games:

Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 217.5

Sacks Per Game: 2.3

Interceptions Per Game: 2.0

Then, facing mediocre quarterbacks in Jason Campbell and Chris Redman, these are the numbers they posted in comparison:

Pass Yards Allowed: 367 vs Redskins and 303 vs. Falcons

Sacks Per Game: 0 vs. Redskins and 1 vs. Falcons (if you can even call Sedrick Ellis' tackle at the line of scrimmage a "sack")

Interceptions Per Game: 1 vs. Redskins, 1 vs. Falcons

So all of the numbers aren't as good across the board and those are the main reasons why the Saints haven't played nearly as well in the last two games. Both Washington and Atlanta got the ball out quickly, trusting their receivers to make plays around the line of scrimmage. While injuries to starting corners Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter have a lot to do with the pass yardarge the past two opponents have amassed, let's consider the fact that Saints have gone from a 2.3 sack average per game over the first 11 games to a half sack per game average over the last 2. That one "sack" in two games, by the way, could have easily been ruled a tackle for no gain.

It's a small sample size, sure, but the Saints are getting a decreasing amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Part of that has been the gameplan for both Campbell and Redman to get the ball out of their hands quickly, and part of it has been the lack of production by Bobby McCray and Charles Grant specifically. They've both performed so poorly it's allowed offenses to double team, chip, and focus on the one real threat off the edge: Will Smith.

With the ball out more quickly, the Saints haven't been able to rely on their playmakers in Porter and Greer. Malcolm Jenkins, Mike McKenzie and to a lesser extent Randall Gay are missing tackles and assignments. Add to that the increasing demand for Roman Harper to help out in pass defense, where he's a liability, and the drop in the level of Darren Sharper's play; we've got ourselves a bit of a problem. Right now the performance of our corners and safeties is so subpar that I don't really think the Saints can afford to send the crazy blitzes that Gregg Williams is so in love with. We've seen how that's worked out the past two games.

So, I think it falls on the Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove, Sedrick Ellis, Charles Grant, Bobby McCray and Jeff Charleston to start getting more pressure as a front four. If they can do that, the Saints will get more sacks, more turnovers and yield less pass yardage. Right now I think their drop in performance of the front four is more to blame than the injuries to our starting corners.

Do you agree that the lack of pressure has been more of an issue than the starting cornerbacks being out with injuries? How many sacks do you expect us to get Saturday against Romo, a quarterback that's known for hanging on to the ball longer than most?

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Falcons

saints-nation — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:24 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

9 days ago: New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) reacts after the Saints stopped the Atlanta Falcons on fourth down near the end of their NFL football game in Atlanta, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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Here's the defensive and special teams grades. They are really, really bad. Keep in mind that while, yes, they held Atlanta to 23 points, they were torched by Chris Redman.

Saints vs Falcons recap

Saints vs Falcons boxscore

Saints vs Falcons coverage

Will Smith: D+ (2.74) Smith was completely neutralized on his pass rushing attempts. I don't know what teams are doing differently, but I sense they're taking advantage of Grant's nonexistent play to load up against Smith. Smith finished with 1 tackle on a nice hustle play downfield inside the Saints' 5 to tackle Tony Gonzalez from behind and save a touchdown. No matter, the Falcons would score on the next play. An extremely quiet day for the normally more active end.

Charles Grant: F (1.97) Congratulations, Charles, you've received my first official F of the season. It's quite an impressive feat, actually, that of all the performances I've graded throughout the season Grant has been the only one bad enough to get this grade. It takes a true commitment to laziness, failure and apathy to pull this one off. To get an F despite playing on a 13-0 team is even more impressive. Wow, Charles, you've outdone yourself. At one point Grant was beaten around the edge and showed decent pursuit, only to make his one and only tackle around the line of scrimmage as the play was held up on the sideline, I was almost disappointed. I thought to myself, "man that was a decent play Charles, are you going to pull off another D-?". But screw it, I'm done with the guy. He deserves an F. He's lining up pitiful performance after another, and on top of that he's rewarding the opposition with personal foul penalties and free first downs into field goal range. It's bad enough that he's being manhandled and completely useless, but he's got to cost us 15 yards too? Saintsational mentioned he's not hungry. I beg to differ, he's obviously very hungry, have you seen his stomach? His GPA is plummeting faster than the stock market was in March. Pass rushing? Forget about it. I'm telling you all right now that the chance of this guy getting another sack this season are zero. Run defense, his supposed strength? Forget about it. He's now too fat, too slow and too effortless to make a play. Am I too hard on the guy? Probably. But enough is enough. He's one of the highest paid players on the team and he has sucked. Am I even allowed to say that? Saintsational might dock my salary.

Bobby McCray: D (1.97) Nice GPA, Bobby. You guys might notice that McCray's GPA is dangerously close to someone else I've been ragging on. So close in fact, could they be the same player? McCray is getting less and less playing time in this defense. I know he's listed on the injury report and limited in practice each week. Is he too hurt to play? He's regressed majorly from a season ago. When he did get in against Atlanta, Redman had all the time in the world. No tackles for McCray.

Anthony Hargrove: C- (2.31) Hargrove had decent push up the middle, and had a nice tackle against the run. That was his only tackle, though, despite extended playing time. Ultimately, the defensive line as a whole got absolutely no pressure on Redman and they were manhandled by the Atlanta pass blocking depsite the fact that they were battling numerous injuries.

Sedrick Ellis: B- (2.70) Ellis wasn't great, but he was much better than his counterparts. He has still seemed rusty to me, and at one point I saw him walk gingerly off the field. I don't think his knee is close to 100%. One thing is undeniable, though, and that's that even when Sedrick Ellis isn't playing lights out, he's not giving up. Same came be said for Smith, and effort goes for a lot. Sometimes good things happen to you and plays find their way to you when you go out there and make some effort. Ellis finished with 3 tackles, and he got a borderline "sack" when he stopped Chris Redman around the line of scrimmage. That play was nice, though, because it forced Atlanta to kick a field goal on a 3rd and 2 play.

Remi Ayodele: B (2.31) Ayodele did an excellent job again clogging up the middle and limiting Atlanta's ability to run the football with a skeleton crew. He just had one tackle, but his impact was evident and useful. He's lined up a couple straight solid performances, so he's starting to grow on me. Atlanta finished with 89 yards rushing, but that didn't stop them from passing almost at will on the Saints.

Scott Shanle: C- (2.59) It's not that he was particularly bad in this game, it's that he wasn't really involved. This was a hard performance to grade because I couldn't really point to any things that Shanle did that disappointed me. You guys all know by now I'm a bigger fan of Shanle's than the average Saints fan. I always have been. Just 2 tackles though, and he was very quiet.

Jonathan Vilma: A- (2.98) I was upset with Vilma for allowing Jason Snelling to slip into the middle of the field for a 38 yard gain on the opening drive. Vilma took a bad angle on the play and showed poor speed catching up. Beyond that mistake, though, Vilma was pretty solid throughout. Then, when the game was on the line, he went from pretty solid to instrumental. First, Vilma intercepted a pass and set up what should have been the game killer. Oh, the offense couldn't put it away? No problem. On the next Falcon drive, Vilma hit Jason Snelling on 4th and 2 on a pass over the middle and blasted him backwards, stopping him short of the first down marker and ending the game. Make no mistake, despite a very poor performance by the offense, special teams and coaching staff down the stretch, Jonathan Vilma won this game for us. with those two plays. He finished with 7 tackles.

Randall Gay: B+ (2.67) Gay was by far the most performant player in the defensive backfield. He finished with 8 tackles. He was solid and physical in coverage, either breaking up passes or making sure tackles when he gave up a play. He also assisted his teammates in tackles, often cleaning up their mistakes. Some of you will remember the woeful performance Gay had against the Rams, but against the Falcons he showed how he can handle himself when he's not lined up against a blazing speed receiver. When used to his strengths, that is: playing in the slot, the box and close to the line of scrimmage covering underneath routes, Gay impresses. He deserves credit as well for blowing up an end around to Eric Weems for a 12 yard loss.

Malcolm Jenkins: C- (2.63) Malcolm made strides after last week, but he's still struggling to come into his own. I wonder if his destiny will be replacing Darren Sharperat free safety like we all speculated about after the draft. He's an aggressive and physical player with good instincts, but I wonder if he has the foot speed to play corner as well asTracy Porter and Jabari Greer. You could tell against Atlanta he was giving more cushion to the receivers, most likely because he's lost a little confidence after getting beat deep. He finished with 4 tackles, but his coverage and tackling wasn't impeccable.

Roman Harper: D (2.87) The recipe for moving the ball by and large the past two weeks has been to find Roman Harper on passing plays. He's been victimized in the passing game and he's really struggled. You can say the absence of Greer and Porter hurt the Saints' ability to play pass defense, but Harper and Sharper's play has been most suspect of late. You can't blame the poor pass defense on the corners this week nearly as much as the safeties. The Saints dialed up the blitz early and often, leaving Harper on an island often, and they paid for it almost every time. He finished with 5 tackles.

Darren Sharper: D- (2.89) Sharper had his worst game of the season, by far. He flirted with an F as well. He bit badly on a double move by Michael Jenkins and was victimized by 50 yard touchdown pass. Jenkins beat Sharper deep to get wide open on another play, but fortunately for Sharper the pass was overthrown because that would have been 14 points on Darren. Sharper looked very slow and vulnerable. This was not the same Darren Sharper that discovered the fountain of youth earlier in the season. He wasn't particularly good coming up and making tackles, either. He finished with 3 tackles. Let's just hope he can rebound from this disastrous performance.

Troy Evans: B (1.92) Evans was the biggest surprise of the day. He was good against the run, and while he wasn't great against the pass he was at least active and around the ball. Evans is never going to blow anyone away with his play, but he played within the defense and tackled well. If he can play like this while Fujita is out, he won't be the defense's problem. He finished with an impressive 5 tackles.

DeMario Pressley: B- (2.75) He finished with 1 tackle, doing a good job on a running play. He had limited action, but once again looked promising when he was in.

Pierson Prioleau: C (2.43) Prioleau never makes major mistakes and you can tell he's a Gregg Williams favorite because he's a high IQ football player. That said, the guy gives too much cushion to his receivers in an effort to limit the damage. He finished with 1 tackle.

Mike McKenzie: C+ (2.22) McKenzie played a decent amount in the second half and he was picked on by Redman with mixed results. At one point Roddy White was wide open and McKenzie was fortunate that Redman's pass lacked accuracy because he was beat. That said, McKenzie showed good spirit and energy out there. He had one tackle, but more importantly he showed he still has that fire in his belly.

Thomas Morstead: A- (3.05) He only got to punt once, and it was fair caught after a pedestrian 35 yard effort. He earned his keep this time with consistent depth on kickoffs. Of the 6 he hit, 4 were kneeled for touchbacks. Good thing, because Eric Weems is a dangerous returner and he was able to take one out for a 37 yard gain. Morstead has been incredibly valuable in setting opponents up with bad field position.

Courtney Roby: C (2.92) A plain performance from Roby who averaged 19.5 yards on his two kick returns.

Garrett Hartley: C+ (3.00) Hartley hit a big field goal from 28 yards out to break a 23-23 tie. That ended up being the difference, so give him credit. That said, are the Saints incapable of finding a guy that doesn't miss extra points? That's now 3 on the season and this is really starting to get ridiculous. What's more, that 23-23 tie I speak of was thanks to the shank. Hartley was also perfect on a 33 yarder earlier in the game, but the missed extra point is flat out inexcusable. While the fake field goal wasn't his fault, I wonder if the call was partially due to the coaching staff's lack of confidence in Hartley? The pathetic crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman mentioned that he was "big time struggling" and "couldn't make a kick in warmups". Not sure how accurate that is, considering he was 4-5 last week and his only miss was an unrealistic 58 yarder in bad conditions. Perhaps they were basing their statements on what they saw in the pregame. For what it's worth, I also read a Jeff Duncan tweet that mentioned Hartley nailing a 58 yarder in warmups that would have been good from 60. The bottom line is I am not asking to Hartley to be perfect, but I do expect him to be perfect on PATs.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Jonathan Vilma
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Thomas Morstead

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Saints @ Falcons: Official Wednesday Injury Report

Saintsational — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:37:02 -0000

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Practice Report
	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	LB Scott Fujita (knee), CB Jabari Greer (groin), LB Marvin Mitchell (hamstring), CB Tracy Porter (knee)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	RB Mike Bell (knee), RB Reggie Bush (knee), T Jermon Bushrod (thumb), TE Darnell Dinkins (foot), DT Sedrick Ellis (knee), G Jahri Evans (toe), CB Randall Gay (hamstring), C Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), RB Lynell Hamilton (shoulder), DE Bobby McCray (knee), WR Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring), RB Pierre Thomas (quadricep), LB Jonathan Vilma (knee), S Usama Young (hip, calf)

ATLANTA FALCONS

Practice Report
	DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	G Harvey Dahl (ankle), CB Chris Houston (hamstring), C Todd McClure (knee), TE Justin Peelle (head), QB Matt Ryan (toe), RB Michael Turner (ankle)

	LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), T Sam Baker (elbow), WR Michael Jenkins (ankle), T Will Svitek (ankle), WR Roddy White (knee)

	FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
	Wednesday	CB Christopher Owens (shoulder)

Redskins IR list isn't the Worst in the NFL; Cerrato Still Making Mistakes

KevinE — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:36:08 -0000

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

Another Redskins OL...let's add a practice squad guy!

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The Redskins are obviously decimated by injuries, but I couldn't help but think. Is it really just bad luck? Of course not.

I reviewed the Injury reports for all 32 teams, which I included after the jump. The majority of the NFL has between 2-5 players on their IR, while the Redskins are tied with 3 other teams that have 9 shelved. Amazingly, there are 3 teams with more IR injuries, one of which being the UNDEFEATED Saints. So what's the big difference? Cerrato prefers to plug holes with practice squad players while the Saints add veterans.

The Saints have been crushed with secondary injuries, including: Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer, Randall Gay, and Leigh Torrence. With the additions of Mike McKenzie and Chris McAllister the last two weeks, the Saints continue marching on. It helps their offense is #1 in the league, but let's be real. Their defense did an excellent job of shutting down the Pats and the D has had to carry their weight in a couple games (Rams most notably).

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, when the Redskins take on injuries, the Front Office starts nabbing other teams' practice squad, journey men players (usually undrafted free agents). The Saints on the other hand pick up veterans who have played the game and can be productive immediately. Take a look at the Redskins Offensive Line roster from the beginning of THIS year. There are STILL two OL that the Redskins grabbed from other practice squads in December of 2008 when Samuels went down (D'Anthony Batiste and Will Montgomery) . Vinny, this is your idea of building an OLine? I mean, what talent can be left in December of a season from all the teams hitting the practice squad pools?

OK, back to 2009. Levi Jones has been playing well, but I start to think to myself, why wasn't Pete Kendall brought back in? Why not a Jon Runyan on the right side? These practice squad players are going to get Jason Campbell killed and their mistakes (false starts/blown blocks) have cost numerous drives and games.

The argument can be made: "Well, the majority of the Redskins injuries are pro-bowlers: Chris Samuels, Chris Cooley, Randy Thomas, and Clinton Portis."

This argument is ridiculous because as fans we knew it was more likely than not these players wouldn't make it all season (save for Cooley). The fans, who are not the ones at Redskins Park EVERY day evaluating our own talent, knew these players wouldn't make it all season, yet the front office refused to build depth where it was most needed.

Undrafted rookie free agents, not veterans, are now being asked to protect the Quarterback. It's so ass backwards. Mr. Snyder, please do the right thing and give your Executive VP of Football Operations and former ND scout the same fate Charlie Weis just faced.

Team	Injured Reserve*	Other **	Total
Detroit Lions	12	7	19
Tampa Bay Bucs	11	3	14
New Orleans Saints	10	9	19
Washington Redskins	9	7	16
Cleveland Browns	9	5	14
Green Bay Packers	9	3	12
Baltimore Ravens	9	3	12
Carolina Panthers	8	7	15
Buffalo Bills	7	8	15
Houston Texans	7	2	9

Philly Eagles	5	10	15
NY Giants	4	5	9
Dallas Cowboys	3	4	7

TEN Titans	1 (Punter)	3	4
MIN Vikings	0	2	2

* IR: Includes IR, Out for Season
**Other: Includes Probable, Questionable, Doubtful, Out Indefinitely

MNF Patriots @ Saints: Malcolm Jenkins' Baptismal by Fire

saints-nation — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:00:14 -0000

by Bill Haber - AP

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I hope rookie first-round draft choice and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins enjoyed the first start of his career, covering a tough receiver in Antonio Bryant and facing a raw and mistake-prone rookie quarterback in Josh Freeman. His second start is about the get a lot harder. Coming into the Dome will be Tom Brady, a first ballot Hall of Famer who probably has a claim as the best quarterback in the league and top ten of all time. He's quarterbacked his team to three Super Bowl victories and a Super Bowl loss on the heals of the first 16-0 season in NFL history. Oh yeah, and one of his receivers happens to be one of the best of all time, too, in Randy Moss. For the Saints' sake, I hope Jabari Greer can make it back in time for this game healthy. He's their best cover corner and the Saints are depleted enough with Tracy Porter assuredly out and Randall Gay probably out as well. If Greer can go, that probably leaves Jenkins to cover Wes Welker. Welker leads the Patriots with 79 receptions and has had over 110 receptions in each of the last two seasons. If Greer can't go, then Jenkins will probably have to man up on Mr. Randy Moss. I'm not going to lie, my first thought is: YIKES. Welcome to the NFL, Malcolm. Either way, it's going to be an enormous challenge for the rookie to take on; one that will likely see him fail a few times.

Patriots vs Saints coverage

There's really no way of knowing what the Saints corner rotation is going to look like Sunday until we see it on the field. The only thing at this point that's certain is that Malcolm Jenkins will start, and Malcolm Jenkins will have his hands full. Beyond that, the following are questions we can ask ourselves:

1. Is there any chance Randall Gay will play? Any at all? Probably not, right?

2. If Jabari Greer can't go, who starts next to Jenkins? Chris McAlister? Usama Young?

3. How much action does Young even see at corner now that McAlister and McKenzie are in the mix? Are the Saints more confident right now in Young, who was converted to safety in training camp, or the veterans they signed?

4. Will McKenzie even be active, regardless of whether Jabari Greer plays or not?

5. If Greer plays, but is still sore, can he even run with Moss? Is a Greer at 90% covering Moss better than anything else we have?

My head is spinning, and part of the problem is that Sean Payton won't reveal how injured his players are or what his rotation plans will be. Nor should he, but that doesn't mean I am capable of sitting and waiting. By God I am going to speculate.

The wild cards in the equation are Pierson Prioleau and Usama Young. We've seen both come in to cover slot receivers in passing down packages. In Young's case last week, he even had to match up against outside receivers because the Saints were so short-handed. I think Chris McAlister is a given active this week. With Mike McKenzie, I'm going to say there's a 40% chance he's active. Hopefully the starters will be Greer and Jenkins. If Greer doesn't play, that's where the equation really gets dicey. I think it's fair to say that whatever rotation the Saints go with, their offense will have to score a lot of points to give them a chance.

So since Jenkins is the only real given, how do you think he'll do? He'll face Moss or Welker, and either way he's in for arguably the biggest challenge he'll ever face in his career. How does he fare?

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Bucs

saints-nation — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:24 -0000

by Chris O'Meara - AP

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Below are the grades for the defense and special teams @ Tampa Bay. Some terrific play all around.

Saints vs Buccaneers coverage

Saints vs Buccaneers recap

Saints vs Buccaneers boxscore

Will Smith: B+ (2.83) Smith finished with 3 tackles and a sack. He did a reasonably good job of putting pressure on Josh Freeman, and was able to waltz in untouched for an easy sack on a missed blocking assignment. It was nice to see Smith help against the run on a number of occasions, too.

Charles Grant: C (2.37) Grant finished with just 2 tackles, and he knocked Freeman down once on a pass rush. His pass rushing was mediocre, and his run defense was mediocre... so he gets a mediocre grade to go with his mediocre GPA.

Bobby McCray: D+ (1.89) What happened to this guy? He was a very solid pass rusher last year, but his reps get lessened each week mostly due to his complete lack of production. At one point in training camp they were talking about installing packages that would include McCray blitzing from the linebacker slot. Whatever happened to that? No tackles for McCray in this game despite a decent number of snaps. He was complete neutralized on pass downs, too.

Anthony Hargrove: B- (2.44) Just one tackle for Hargrove, but he did a good job getting push on passing plays up the middle, and he recovered a CRUCIAL fumble that broke Tampa Bay's back.

Remi Ayodele: B (2.19) Ayodele plugged up the middle much better than usual and forced the Tampa backs to often bounce their runs outside, allowing the Saints' linebackers to make plays. He finished with 3 tackles and also showed more effort than what I've seen in the past. The main problem I've had with Ayodele is he has a lazy streak where he won't play to the whistle, but I didn't see that in this game.

Scott Fujita: A- (2.72) Fujita is back and playing at a high level. This was arguably his best game of the season. He was making terrific reads and had a very impressive play getting in the backfield and hitting the Bucs' runner for a loss. His tackles were sure and he showed no ill effects from the calf injury that slowed him down. His biggest play was a blitz off the backside where he sacked Freeman and knocked the ball loose, leading to Hargrove's big recovery. Nice to see Fujita making plays, he's been missed. He was a major reason the Bucs struggled to move the ball after that first drive.

Scott Shanle: C+ (2.77) Quiet day for Shanle, who really didn't do much until the second half. There were no major mistakes, but some of the bigger runs early in the game were plays going right at him where he didn't absorb the blocks very well.He was solid in coverage and ended with 2 tackles.

Jonathan Vilma: A- (3.00) Vilma was all over the field, looked fast and was steady. He finished with 6 tackles, a defended pass, a knockdown on a blitz, and an interception. When he gets a clean look at stopping a rusher he almost always makes the play. I don't think he's playing at quite the level he was a season ago, but he clearly makes everyone around him better. Nice to see him get that pick, he made a fantastic catch covering a tough customer in Kellen Winslow Jr.

Randall Gay: C (2.59) Gay was pretty solid in coverage before leaving early with a tweaked hamstring. From what I've heard it sounds unlikely he'll be back in time for the Monday Night game.

Malcolm Jenkins: A- (3.07) Jenkins made a terrific interception, the first of his career, going to the ground to come up with a low pass. He benefited from Antonio Bryant slipping, but still jumped the route well and showed terrific hands. He led the team with 7 tackles on the day and 2 defended passes. He held a very good receiver in Antonio Bryant to just 3 catches. Bryant did have a 21 yard reception against Jenkins at one point, but the coverage was picture perfect and Bryant just made a ridiculous catch on his outside shoulder - not much you can blame the rookie for there. He really stepped in and did not miss a beat.

Roman Harper: B (3.23) Harper dropped an easy interception, jumping a route well but failing to come up with the catch. If there's one thing I've learned from watching Harper all the years is the guy has the worst set of hands I've almost ever seen. He finished with just 3 tackles, but was sent blitzing a number of times. He was able to register a half sack, and he also knocked Freeman to the ground two other times.

Darren Sharper: B- (3.15) Sharper was fine. No real chances to get a pick this time. The few times he was in a good position, the ball by Freeman was so poorly thrown that Sharper had no chance. He finished with 5 tackles and was especially helpful against the run. His grade suffers because of yet another personal foul 15 yard penalty. He's had at least 4 or 5 this year. It was a blatant facemask penalty, and there really was no need for him to do that.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar: C+ (2.73) Dunbar finished with 3 tackles and played in spot duty late in the game at linebacker. He was aggressive and did ok. He over-pursued twice but with the game so far out of reach it's hard to grade him. I'll give him some love for doing a great job on special teams, though.

DeMario Pressley: B- (2.78) This guy deserves to start alongside Sedrick Ellis. There, I said it. I know there's a love affair going on with just about any avid Saints watcher and Anthony Hargrove, and the coaching staff seems enamored with Ayodele, but Pressley has been the tackle performing most consistently. I see him sometimes get pushed off the line of scrimmage, but once when that happen he bounced back up the middle and ended up making the tackle. Even when he's beat he plays to the whistle and shows terrific effort. He finished with 3 tackles and did a decent job rushing the passer.

Pierson Prioleau: B- (2.67) He finished with 3 tackles and did a fairly good job in coverage. With the Saints depleted at corner thanks to the injuries to Torrence and Gay, he stepped in and helped hold down the fort.

Usama Young: B (3.17) Young also lent a helping hand at corner with the Saints shorthanded by injury. He was pretty good, especially helping in run support. He finished with 2 tackles. His grade gets a boost, too, from 2 spectacular special teams plays. First he forced a deep punt to be fair caught inside the 20 with terrific downfield coverage, then he dove on a ball and downed it at the 1 yard line after another great punt by Morstead.

Leigh Torrence: C (2.00) Torrence was placed on IR, I'm told, and that's too bad. The guy was finally getting some playing time. Sure, he wasn't the best corner but you can't argue with the guy's toughness. He separated his shoulder and came back in the game to play and make a tackle due to the Saints' injury problems. He finished with 4 tackles and teamed up with Harper to get the other half of a sack on Freeman. He was also responsible for the touchdown pass to Michael Clayton, though, and I feel like his coverage was spotty enough that a better quarterback could have made him pay. I'm surprised as far as he was playing off receivers that Freeman didn't take advantage of the short routes in front of him.

John Carney: A- (2.77) Carney did his job, so it's hard to give him a worse grade. He hit a big 38 yard field goal to break a 7-7 tie, and at the time it was important. He also hit all 5 of his extra points, but once again got one or two barely inside the upright.

Thomas Morstead: A+ (3.03) He was booming the ball all day long. I tip my cap to you, Mr. Morstead, and I can't tell you how glad I am the Saints kept you over Glenn Pakulak. He was, in a word, fantastic. Every kickoff he booted went into the end zone, and as the game progressed they kept getting deeper and deeper (I believe his last 3 were touchbacks). Clifton Smith is known for being one of the most dangerous returners in the NFC, and Morstead completely neutralized him. He also blasted 4 punts for a 48.8 average, and pinned two inside the 20 (one of those at the 1). He only had one of his punts returned for 11 yards, so he ends up with an extremely impressive net average of a little over 46 yards. Without question his best game as a Saint.

Courtney Roby: B+ (2.93) Roby was pretty good returning kickoffs. No standout plays but he returned 2 kicks for a 25.5 average. His coverage skills, however, are what earned him his grade this time. The play that Usama Young made at the one was only thanks to a great athletic and head's up play by Roby, as he dove into the end zone and tipped the ball back into the field. For some reason the Bucs challenged that play, too, which had to be one of the dumbest challenges of all time.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Malcolm Jenkins
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Thomas Morstead

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Malcolm Jenkins

200 votes

Scott Fujita

113 votes

Jonathan Vilma

111 votes

Chris Reis (didn't play enough to get a grade, but I'll give him props for his pick)

17 votes

441 votes | Poll has closed

Chat with Canal Street Chronicles' Dave over Bucs/Saints game.

Niko Houllis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:11 -0000

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You can check out my convo with Dave over at their SB Nation blog site and see what He asked Me and what I answered, as well as checking out their comments!

Here we go...

Niko: Its pretty well accepted the Saints of 2009 are better because of improved defense. What do you think are the biggest changes on defense that have helped?

DAVE: Most of it has to do with Gregg Williams. He has completely changed the culture of this defense as a whole and gets a lot more out of the defense than former coordinator Gary Gibbs ever did. Williams' defense emphasizes blitzing, turnovers and populating the ball; all in an aggressive manner. Former defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs ran a very plain scheme but Williams has proven these guys are capable of so much more, and runs many different schemes including both the 4-3 and 3-4.

That's not to say the off-season acquisition of players like Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer haven't proved to be genius. Those two alone have made a huge difference. But I still think the coaching and culture change is the more overriding factor.

Niko: How has Reggie Bush's role changed over the last year or two?

Dave: It's been a roller coaster to say the least, even up to today, and it's a controversial subject among fans. The first two seasons he usually saw a fair number of touches on a very regular basis. I would often complain that the offense was built too much around Reggie. Earlier this season, however, his role was greatly reduced with the emergence of Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas, leading many to wonder whether he was being phased out of the offense. But he's stepped it up the last few weeks, culminating with his two touchdown performance this past Sunday. But even then, in a game when he's playing incredibly well and the Saints are in need of offense, his touches were curiously limited. He is also used as a punt returner but hasn't been as effective as in years past.

Niko: How do Saints fans feel about TE Shockey? What does he do for the team?

Dave: I think they like him. My wife loves him and he's her favorite player. I like him but I'm a Drew Brees man myself. Shockey brings great energy. I have season tickets and sit two rows behind the Saints bench. Shockey is always standing on the bench, waving a towel and trying to get the crowd pumped. After last year I think fans were a little pissed and would rather have kept the draft picks they gave up for him. Now I don't think as many fans would say that.

From an on-the-field standpoint, he does all the things you always hear the TV announcers saying. Shockey is a threat in the red zone. He's a better-than-average run blocker. He opens up the field for Drew Brees and the other receivers. All that stuff.

Niko: After the NFC Championship appearance in 2006, The Saints have been average at best. Now they are undefeated at week 10. Do you think they are more liekly to be the 07 Pats; undefeated and a trip to the Superbowl ? or 98 Vikings whos high powered offense got them a 14-1 record and homefield advantage but a loss in the Championship game?

Dave: Neither. Both of those teams failed to win a Super Bowl. The Patriots lost that 2007 Super Bowl; certainly nothing I want to see for the Saints. The one goal for every single Saints fan is to see the team win a Super Bowl. As for going undefeated the entire way, I think that would be cool but only as icing on a Super Bowl championship cake. Maybe made by Duff from Ace of Cakes or the dude from Cake Boss.

Niko: My standard no.5 q- Who on the Bucs would you like to have, and who would you be willing to trade to get him if you could?

Dave: Barrett Ruud. I know he plays the inside of a 3-4 but if he was versatile enough to play in the Saints system, I think he would really round out the defense. If I have to be serious about a player I would be willing to trade I guess it would probably be a receiver. Saints have enough talent there to afford. Choosing one is the difficult part. You can have anyone but Colston. But I'll throw in Randall Gay just to sweeten the pot.

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Rams

saints-nation — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:15:20 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

about 1 month ago: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) is stopped by New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant (94) as Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, left, looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in St. Louis. The Saints won 28-23. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Below are the grades for the Saints' Defense and Special Teams @ the Rams.

Saints vs Rams boxscore

Saints vs Rams coverage

Saints vs Rams recap

Will Smith: B- (2.78) Smith registered yet another sack which also forced the ball loose, but unfortunately the Saints weren't able to recover. The Rams ended up scoring on the next play on a long pass to Avery. He's been getting better and better this season rushing the passer. Against the run he was mediocre. He finished with just 2 tackles.

Charles Grant: B+ (2.41) Grant was terrific against the run for the second straight week. He finished with 5 tackles and was present on many of the stops the defense made against the run in the second half. 2 of his tackles were plays where he beat his blocker and was able to meet Steven Jackson in the backfield for a loss. His play was aggressive and his tackles were hard to break. He even had a couple of decent pass rushes, and I felt he deserved a half sack on the sack given to Ayodele.

Bobby McCray: B- (1.96) McCray showed some nice ability against the run for once, and this time he got more pressure on the quarterback. Just one tackle for McCray in the game, but I at least saw him involved, active, and always in pursuit. A promising performance given how invisible he's been.

Anthony Hargrove: C (2.42) Hargrove did finish with 4 tackles, and his pressure on Marc Bulger was good, but he's still a little light to play the run effectively. He was pushed out of the way often and mauled on several of Jackson's big runs.

Remi Ayodele: C (2.09) Ayodele got a coverage sack, and just 1 tackle. He was surprisingly pretty good rushing the passer and he pancaked Bulger on another play just as Bulger released his pass. Otherwise, he was eaten alive on running plays and did a poor job of playing at the point of attack. Sedrick Ellis needs to get back in the lineup healthy because the last three weeks watching the Saints attempt to stop the run have been painful.

Scott Fujita: C- (2.53) Fujita was feeling things out early and he seemed rusty in his first game back from a calf injury. He was juked a couple of times by Jackson and allowed him to run through weak arm tackles at other times. As the game wore on, though, he seemed to get better and better as he adjusted back to the game speed. He was in the right place for most of the game and played well in coverage. He finished with 4 tackles, and I hope he'll play more like he did in the second half for all of next week.

Scott Shanle: B (2.81) Nice to see Shanle bounce back and play a pretty solid game. Like Fujita, he was pushed around a little early and seemed to be too tentative in his reads. He did make a couple of terrific open field tackles on a very hard to bring down Steven Jackson, though, and those plays could have been massive gainers if Shanle doesn't come up with the tackle. His tackling technique is very sound, and it's nice to have a linebacker you can trust. True to form he also did a good job in coverage. He finished with 6 tackles including one for a loss.

Jonathan Vilma: B- (2.93) Mixed bag for Vilma. He did have 8 tackles and seemed to get better as the game wore on, but he also had a number of opportunities to make plays where Jackson made him look like a backup. Vilma did a good job on a blitz of hitting Bulger, and almost got a sack at one point but Bulger released the pass as he was going down. Vilma also missed a couple of assignments in the passing game, allowing Daniel Fells to make plays.

Marvin Mitchell: B- (2.45) Mitchell had 2 tackles, including one which was a vicious hit. Overall he didn't make mistakes and looked good against the run and pass in limited duty.

Tracy Porter: C (3.11) Before Porter left the game with an injury, he was having a forgettable game. Assigned for a large part of the game to cover rookie Brandon Gibson, who had no catches on the season going into this game, he was beat all too often. On the play he was injured, he was not only beat but completely blew the tackle. Porter finished with 2 tackles. The news that his injury is only a strain is huge, though. The Saints need him desperately, and the fact the he should be back in time for the stretch run and the playoffs is crucial.

Randall Gay: D- (2.67) Gay was beat on two touchdown passes to Donnie Avery and the Rams in general picked on him all day. He looked slow and despite good coverage on the second touchdown he showed terrible ball skills. Gay did finish with 4 tackles on the day. Gay in my estimation is best used in the slot as a physical corner. I know the Saints were short handed, but matching him up against a burner like Donnie Avery was a terrible matchup. I heard whispers of Jason David comparisons (ahem, Saintsational) and that is going a little too far. Just because he can't run with Donnie Avery it doesn't mean he has no clue out there. Gay will be fine, just a rough day for him lined up against a receiver that is as fast as just about anyone. Next week against Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton I think Gay will look better.

Malcolm Jenkins: C+ (2.92) He was ok, not great. He finished with 2 tackles and put nice pressure on a couple of blitzes. He did have one devastating hit on Bulger that the Rams' quarterback barely got up from. He also had a big "defended pass" late in the game, where he ran with Avery before getting hit in the back with the ball. One thing I was impressed by was a running play where it was Jackson, a blocker and Jenkins, and Jenkins did a good job of sticking his head in there and trying to take out Jackson's legs. He slowed Jackson down enough to make it an easy tackle for his teammates. Malcolm is pretty physical for a corner.

Roman Harper: B+ (3.26) Another solid game from Harper. He's becoming a pretty steady performer for the Saints, and brace yourselves because he actually looked good against the pass. He was around the box a good amount, especially in the second half, and finished with 8 tackles. He did a good job, mostly, of limiting Jackson's effectiveness at the second level. He had a key pass breakup late in the third quarter on a 3rd down in the red zone forcing a Rams' field goal, and he was involved on the hail mary attempt breakup.

DeMario Pressley: B (2.84) He was pretty good against the run. Sure he was pushed around at times and somewhat responsible for the yardage Jackson amassed, but he looked aggressive and I liked his hustle. Given the fact that Pressley is essentially a red shirt rookie that's only in his second game as a pro, he's performed admirably. He had 5 tackles including 2 for losses.

Pierson Prioleau: C+ (2.67) Prioleau gave up a couple of passes but also laid some nice hits. He finished with 3 tackles and helped the Saints out when they were so thin on the final drive in dime coverage.

Usama Young: B+ (3.33) At times Young looked like a harder hitting, faster version of Darren Sharper. He had a terrific break on the ball on his interception, and he also defended another pass showing nice anticipation. He finished with 4 tackles and had some nice hits. His grade could be better, but he took a couple of bad angles on Jackson at the second level and did a bad job of wrapping up at other times which allowed the Rams to gain more yardage.

Leigh Torrence: C (2.00) Torrence did finish with 4 tackles, and showed pretty good coverage specifically on a deep ball late in the game, but in general he played too far off his man allowing easy throws underneath. He was beat at least twice on slants. He was responsible for Gibson once Porter left with an injury and he did very little to slow him down.

John Carney B- (2.67) No field goal attempts and Carney finished 4 for 4 on extra points. I'm sure some of you are thinking: well, he did everything we asked him to do, why doesn't he get an A or an A-? Well, first off, the best I'd give him for that minimal of a contribution is MAYBE a B+, but couple that with the fact that the Saints were forced to punt once and go for it another time on 4th down because Carney's leg strength was unreliable and there you have it. As much as I like Carney and trust his accuracy, it's a bummer that we don't have an option we currently trust with the game on the line and the ball at our opponent's 35 yard line.

Thomas Morstead D+ (2.89) Morstead didn't have any touchbacks on kickoffs, but his depth was ok. His punting performance was actually pretty dismal. He averaged just 37.3 yards on 3 punts, and netted just 20.6 per punt if you count 2 touchbacks and a 10 yard punt return. On his last punt he blasted it out of the end zone, but it sounded like there was a coaching mix up and he was just following instructions.

Courtney Roby A (2.88) Roby took one to the house to open the second half and break a 14-14 tie. His speed hitting the hole on that return was impressive and no Ram ever had a chance at him. I'm happy to see Roby solidify his standing as the team's returner. I also liked that on a deep kickoff later in the game, he didn't let the big play go to his head and he downed it for a touchback. He also came close to making a nice play as a gunner on a punt that bounced inside the 5, but punt returner blew him up before he had a chance to down the ball prior to it going in the end zone. Glad he didn't get hurt on that play, it was a vicious hit and we need him.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar: B (2.83) Dunbar threw an awesome block on Roby's return, and he was credited with a tackle as a gunner. I could have SWORN I remember him making two tackles, though. None the less, he was involved downfield and had a good day on special teams, so I thought I'd give him his props.

My Defensive Player of the Game: Roman Harper
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Courtney Roby

Poll

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Usama Young

108 votes

Jonathan Vilma

20 votes

Roman Harper

102 votes

Charles Grant

55 votes

285 votes | Poll has closed

New Orleans Saints 28 @ St. Louis Rams 23: Who Dat Say!?

Saintsational — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:35 -0000

Twitter

LanceMoore16 Congrats to my teammates. It wasn't pretty but we got the job done. Feels great to be 9-0!!!

ChaseDaniel Win is a win! Loving this brisk air up here in the Lou, headed back to the airport! Lots of support out there today! Thanks!!

ltorrence24 Winning aint easy! This team has a lot of heart, Saints 9-0! Who Dat!

reggie_bush 9-0 baby feels good!!!!!

SupaFreak69 ain't notin worse than sumone farting on the plane nxt to u...not gonna say no names..

ChaseDaniel Just landed..heard a rumor around the plane that there are going to be 5,000 fans waiting for us outside the airport! We'll see!

SupaFreak69 Who dat who dat who dat said dey gonna beat dem saints....

usama_young28 Another big win NOLA! Thanks for the support everybody. Icetub, icecup, bed... Here I come! WHO DAT!!!

reggie_bush Come on Patriots! Lol! Saints only undefeated team? Sounds good to me!!!

LanceMoore16 There's still two undefeateds and ill take it as long as we're one of them!!! 9-0 gotta keep it going.

reggie_bush First the fat boys break up and now the Patriots makin bad decisions! What is the world coming too!

Harp41 9-0- WHO DAT

robyslyfe 9-0 Truly BLESSED and So Thankful.

Linkage

Saints hold off stubborn Rams 28-23 to remain undefeated - Times-Pic

"I don't know if satisfaction is the right word. But we're excited; 9-0 is a great place to be. What's even more exciting is how much better we can play, "

-Jon Stinchcomb

"I've been on those teams where we've ended the season with a losing record. I understand that wins are not easy to come by in this league. So to be 9-0 is something special. And we're proud of that fact, but we're also aware of how much better we can play once we cut out some of these things that are costing us."

-Jon Stinchcomb

"We're not just content with where we are, and certainly not content with the way we've played these last few weeks,"

-Drew Brees

"This wasn't a comeback, it was just one of those where we had to close it out in a manner that I think we would have liked to (avoid), " Saints linebacker Scott Fujita said. "Our level of play has to match our expectations. We've got to raise the bar. We are dodging some bullets here."

-Scott Fujita

"We thought we had a good play called, and they just kind of got him down," Saints guard Jahri Evans said. "I don't know exactly what happened. I just know we didn't make it.

"We've got to be better at that as an offensive unit, to where we have the ball, finishing it out and not leaving our defense out there to have to finish the game every time."

-Jahri Evans

"The second one was a great throw and catch. But I feel like I've got to make that play, "

-Randall Gay

"I was pleased we got the win, " Payton said. "You know, it ended up being certainly down to the finish, closer than we would have liked. There's a number of things that I think are going to get us. There's a number of mistakes we made that we're going to have to continue to work on. I was proud of the way we were kind of able to battle through it, though."

-Sean Payton

"We know we've got to take care of this, or eventually it's going to come bite us in the ass, "

-Jahri Evans

Saints defense finds its groove in second half - Times-Pic

"We had to tackle better, " Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "There were times when we had guys in the hold, and he'd make a move, somebody would miss a tackle. . . . We wanted to shore that up, and I think we did a better job in the second half of doing that.

"We have to give credit to him. He's a very good back. He had his mind set on running the ball today, and he did a very good job."

-Jonathan Vilma

"Well, they always had eight in the box the entire game, " he said. "To explain it in simple (terms), they misdirect. They know a running back has to read a defensive line, so they were just doing stunting with their D-line and linebackers, which they weren't doing at first."

-Steven Jackson

"I hate to say too much positive when you lose, " Bulger said. "It's not what this league is about or what this organization is about. There were a lot of positives. At the same time there were a lot of negatives."

-Marc Bulger

"That's all we can ask for, to have a hard-fought game and be in a winnable situation within the last two minutes. Going up against a great opponent like we did today, that's all you can ask for. No one can walk out of this locker room with their heads down."

-Jason Brown

Recapping the New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams game - Times-Pic

"We're not content with where we're at and the way we've played these last few weeks, " said Brees, who threw a laser to wide receiver Robert Meachem for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. "We as an offense need to close the game out when we're given the opportunity. We didn't do that (today)."

-Drew Brees

"I was just reading my blocks. They did a great job of covering people up. Then, I just tried to find the kicker, and once I got around him, I just wanted to be sure I stayed in bounds, "

-Courtney Roby

"I think we were catching them in their nickel personnel, and I think that's why we were so successful in the running game when I was in there, "

-Reggie Bush

"I say this all the time: Your roster has to be ready to play, and that is the nature of this league. "

-Sean Payton

Saints, though 9-0, not juggernaut that started the season - Times-Pic

"It's already hard enough to get wins in this league, it's even harder when you have a team that has two weeks to prepare for you," running back Reggie Bush said. "I don't care who they are. I don't care if they haven't won a game, period, it's going to be a tough game."

-Reggie Bush

"Obviously, we're not happy with the turnovers," Brees said. "It's going to get our butts beat pretty soon if we don't fix it."

-Drew Brees

"Glaring issues like stopping the run, turnovers, those are things that if we don't get corrected can come back to bite us,"

-Jonathan Vilma

"We have a lot of confidence in all of our guys, but you're only so deep," Fujita said. "It's challenging."

-Scott Fujita

"We're happy with the win, but we understand we have to play a lot better," Fujita said. "Clearly, we have a lot of things to clean up."

-Scott Fujita

New Orleans Saints' injuries in secondary mounting - Times-Pic

"I couldn't see what happened..."All I could do was feel it. "I'm happy that we got a win, but I'm hoping that Tracy isn't hurt too seriously."

-Usama Young

"I was going for an easy (interception), then it became a trash pile and everybody train-wrecked me, "

-Roman Harper

"I went to try and hit one of their receivers, " Young said. "Then I saw the ball hit the ground and I said 'game over.' "

-Usama Young

"This is the NFL, " Torrence said. "Everybody on the roster has to be ready to step in when needed."

-Leigh Torrence

"When something like this happens, we got to come together as a group."

-Roman Harper

"Everybody is going to give us their 'A' game. It's lonely at the top, and we've got to keep battling to stay up there."

-Roman Harper

Saints at Rams Game Story - New Orleans Saints official website

"A win is a win in this league. It’s tough to win any game, much less one on the road. It’s never easy. The records get thrown out when you line up. We just passed the halfway point of the season and there is still a lot of football to be played. We will stay focused on just taking it one game at a time. It’s worked for us so far."

-Randall Gay

"Steven Jackson is a hell of a running back. It was clear they wanted to run on first and second downs and pass on thirds. But the thing to take out of the game is that we won and now we turn our attention to Tampa. Everyone is dangerous and it’s a division game next week."

-Scott Fujita

Grading the Saints' performance against the Rams - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints able to turn ugly into victory: Peter Finney - Times-Pic

Rams Report Card vs. Saints - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Saints at Rams Notes - New Orleans Saints official website

NINE IS FINE Bush’s two touchdowns help Saints hold off upset-minded Rams, stay unbeaten - Sun Herald

Escape from St. Louis: Bush lights out as 9-0 Saints survive 28-23 - New Orleans Pro Football

Saints vs Rams: The Imperfect Path to Perfection - Chicks In The Huddle

Video

Jeff Duncan's Saints-Rams Vlog (Nov. 15, 2009)

Audio

Here are your Sports Talk audio clips. In order: Sean Payton, Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Carl Nicks, Bobby Hebert, Hokie Gajan, then two Point After Show clips.

Key to Beating the Rams: Don't Party too Hard the Night Before

saints-nation — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:30 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

Browse more photos »

The Rams are awful. They rank DEAD LAST, or 32nd in the NFL, in points scored per game and they are 29th in points given up per game. They don't even average scoring ten points per game, and they average giving up over 27. Granted the 1-7 Rams are fresh off a bye which was preceded by their first win of the year, a 17-10 effort over the lowly Detroit Lions. But this matchup couldn't be much worse for the Rams because the Saints rank first in the league in both offense and points scored per game. On paper, this should be a blow out of epic proportions. But the NFL is a league of parity and they play games like these for a reason. For the Saints the game plan is simple: Don't party too hard the night before.

Saints vs Rams coverage

Pure and simple, there is almost no way the Saints can lose this game. As hard as they tried to lose against Miami, Atlanta and Carolina in their last three games, playing that badly against the Rams will still probably secure them a three score win. Playing worse than those three games might narrow it to a two score game? Maybe? Seriously, short of 50% of the Saints team's roster treating their Saturday night in St. Louis like a fraternity lord on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, they will win this game. If the Rams were somehow able to find a way to contaminate the Saints' pregame meals with the H1N1 virus, they'd still lose. You get the idea; the Rams have close to no chance.

But I'm sure they're looking at tape, and I'm sure they've seen what Michael Turner and DeAngelo Williams were able to do to the Saints most recently. Turns out they have a running back of comparable ability in Steven Jackson, so expect him to be worked like a runner on Wall Street. With Jabari Greer out, you might see the Rams target Randall Gay and Malcolm Jenkins on passing plays to keep the Saints honest. But make no mistake, as long as the Rams are in the game, expect Jackson to run the ball over and over and over and over.

On the flipside, pretty much any play the Saints call on offense could work. As long as the Saints execute, don't turn the ball over and avoid penalties they should be able to move the ball at will. A serious hangover could complicate their ability to execute, avoid turnovers and penalties. The Rams' only chance on Sunday is a mammoth game from Jackson behind a shaky offensive line and a hurricane party celebration from the Saints' offense.

My question to you is this: How many beers would Drew Brees need to have the night before to ensure the Saints lose this game?

SB Nation - Randall Gay

Cowboys @ Saints: Resurrecting a Pass Rush?

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Falcons

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Saints @ Falcons: Official Wednesday Injury Report

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

ATLANTA FALCONS

Redskins IR list isn't the Worst in the NFL; Cerrato Still Making Mistakes

MNF Patriots @ Saints: Malcolm Jenkins' Baptismal by Fire

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Bucs

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Malcolm Jenkins

Scott Fujita

Jonathan Vilma

Chris Reis (didn't play enough to get a grade, but I'll give him props for his pick)

Chat with Canal Street Chronicles' Dave over Bucs/Saints game.

New Orleans Saints' Defensive and Special Teams Player Grades @ Rams

Who Was Your Defensive Player of the Game?

Usama Young

Jonathan Vilma

Roman Harper

Charles Grant

New Orleans Saints 28 @ St. Louis Rams 23: Who Dat Say!?

Linkage

Video

Audio

Key to Beating the Rams: Don't Party too Hard the Night Before