SB Nation - Drew Brees

Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints: Game Preview

Saintsational — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:45 -0000

DALLAS COWBOYS (8-5) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-0)

SERIES

	COWBOYS	SAINTS
SERIES LEADER	14-8
STREAKS		Past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Phillips: 1-1	Payton: 1-0
LAST WEEK	L 20-17 vs. Chargers	W 26-23 at Falcons
LAST GAME	12/10/06: Saints 42 at Cowboys 17. New Orleans QB Drew Brees passes for 384 yards & 5 TDs as Saints tally 536 yards of offense in road win vs. Cowboys.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/28/03: Saints 13, Cowboys 7. New Orleans WR Donte' Stallworth catches 76-yard TD pass & K John Carney adds 2 FGs as New Orleans defeats Dallas in 2003 season finale.
BROADCAST	NFLN (7:20 PM CT): Bob Papa, Matt Millen. Westwood One Radio: Howard David, Randy Cross, Kevin Kiley (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 126 (Dal.), 125 (NO). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Dal.), 102 (NO).

STATS

PASSING	Romo: 276-444-3,574 (3C)-22-7-97.4	Brees: 302-432-3,832 (1C)-32 (1L)-10-112.3 (1L)
RUSHING	Barber: 166-716-4.3-4	P. Thomas: 135-713-5.3-5
RECEIVING	Witten (TE): 77 (3C)-793-10.3-1	Colston: 56-908-16.2-9
OFFENSE	391.1 (3L)	426.1 (1L)
TAKE/GIVE	-1	+16 (2L)
DEFENSE	329.4	347.6
SACKS	Ware: 9	Smith: 10
INTs	Jenkins: 4	Sharper: 8 (T1C)
PUNTING	McBriar: 44.9	Morstead (R): 42.7
KICKING	Folk: 84 (33/33 PAT: 17/26 FG)	Carney: 89 (50/52 PAT; 13/17 FG)

NOTES

COWBOYS: QB TONY ROMO aims for 4th in row with 100+ rating. Has 7 TDs, 0 INTs & 114.3 rating in past 3. Team is 24-5 (.828) when he starts & has 100+ rating...RB MARION BARBER has 35 rush TDs since 2006, 2nd most in NFC. RB-KR FELIX JONES averages 42.5 yards per TD in career...WR MILES AUSTIN ties for NFL lead with 7 rec. TDs of 20+ yards. Has 999 yards, 17.2 avg. & 10 rec. TDs & can become 1st Cowboy since 1979 (TONY HILL) with 1,000+ yards, 17+ avg. & 10+ rec. TDs. TE JASON WITTEN has 254 receptions & 2,890 yards since 2007, both 2nd most among NFL TEs. WR ROY WILLIAMS had 4 catches for 111 yards (27.8 avg.) in only meeting (12/24/05 with Det.)...LB DE MARCUS WARE has 43 sacks since 2007, most in NFL. Has 9 sacks in past 9. Had sack in last meeting. CB TERENCE NEWMAN had INT last week...

SAINTS: Are 13-0 for 1st time in team history. Lead NFL with 35.8 scoring avg. Head coach SEAN PAYTON was asst. with Dal. from 2003-05...QB DREW BREEScompleted 26 of 38 (68.4 pct.) for 384 yards with 5 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 140.8 rating in last meeting. Is 6-0 at home with 131 rating, completing 136 of 187 (72.7 pct.) for 1,926 yards (321 per game) with 18 TDs vs. 3 INTs. Needs 168 yards for 4th consecutive 4,000-yard season...RB REGGIE BUSH had 6 catches for 125 yards (20.8 avg.) & TD in last meeting. Had 2 rec. TDs last week. RB PIERRE THOMAS has 4 TDs (2 rush, 2 rec.) in past 3 at home...WR MARQUES COLSTON has 11 rec. TDs in past 10 Dec. games. WR ROBERT MEACHEM has TD in 5 of past 6 (7 TDs). In last meeting, WR DEVERY HENDERSON had catches of 50 & 42 (TD) yards...DE WILL SMITH has 3 sacks & FF in 2 meetings. Aims for 3rd in row vs. Dal. with sack. Has 7.5 sacks in past 7. S DARREN SHARPER has 57 INTs, 1,309 yards & 9 INT-TDs since 2000, most in NFL.

Saints @ Redskins: Prediction Results and Voting

Saintsational — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:00:19 -0000

Before we get to the prediction results from the most recent Saints game against the Falcons this Sunday, we need to vote for last weeks winner from the Washington game. So here they are.

Nobody got all three of their predictions right and we didn't have anyone correctly guess the score so it looks like it might come down to score predictions.

Begin voting now. Prediction results and voting for Sunday's game will be later today.

*CSC Member*	*Predictions*	*Analysis*
GobBluth	Brees throws 2+ TDs Colston and Meachem 1+ TDs each Saints D has a TD	Yes Yes No *Score Prediction: Saints 45-17*
nanvinnie	1) Shockey 1+ TD 2) Defense 2+ TOs 3) Payton No Challenges	No Yes Yes *Score Prediction:* Saints 41-13
whodatone	1. Brees with at least two TD passes. 2. Shockey gets at least one TD. 3. Sharper has no Int.	Yes No Yes *Score Prediction:* Saints 31-27
arcuate	Saints outgain Redskins in rushing yards. Meachem scores at least one TD. Saints D makes 2+ turnovers.	No Yes Yes *Score Prediction:* Saints 35-6
Cajun in CA	1. Skins score 1st. 2. Saints have only 1 turnover. 3. Brees gets to watch the end of the game from the bench.	Yes Yes No *Score Prediction:* Saints 31-9
Nate W	1) Redskins rush for under 100 yards 2) Saints 2 or more sacks 3) Devin Thomas 5 or more catches	Yes No Yes *Score Prediction:* Saints 31-6
cck781	1. Brees 2+ td passes but under 300 yds. passing 2. PT and Bell both score a TD 3. Defense 3+ turnovers	No No No
saints-nation	1. Saints score first 2. Saints up by double digits at halftime 3. Pierre Thomas with at least 100yds rushing and at least 1 TD	No No No
Alex Saints	Colston gets in the endzone David Thomas gets his 2nd TD Brees QB rating 30+ pts higher than Campbells	Yes No No
xen-cuts	1. Brees has 3x+ TDs 2. Meach has 1x TD 3. Shockey has 1x TD	No Yes No
MtnExile	1. The Saints have no problem running on the Redskins, getting over 100 yards. 2. Drew has an off day, throwing for only 2 TDs and an interception. 3. Darren Sharper returns an INT for a TD.	No Yes No
andyp111	Drew Brees has 3TDs Reggie Bush has a rushing and recieving TD Saints are +3 in the turnover battle	No No Yes
sernycrusher	1. pt bruiser goes over 100 yards 2. shockey get a td 3. harper leads team in tackles	No No No
Ponysaints	1. Brees has at least 2 TD’s. 2. PT gets at least 2 TD’s. 3. Brunell gets to play in the 4th Qtr.	Yes No No
CoastRebel	1. Brees 2 TDs+ 2. Saints D 2 INTs+ 3. Kickoff/punt return for a TD	Yes No No
lonBlitz	1. Brees with 1 TD 2. Bell with two rushing TDs 3. Sharper with 1 INT	No No No
viper4dx	1.Brees 2 TD,1 INT 200+ yards 2. Saints total 150+ yards rushing,2 TD 3. Saints D wins TO battle,also scores on Pick 6.	Yes No No
Steve the fan	1. Roby has a kick return TD. 2. Dave Thomas gets a TD. 3. Jenkins has an INT.	No No No
TigerPaw	1. Brees gets picked twice 2. Campbell gets sacked at least 3 times 3. Saints rushing game held below 100 yards	No No Yes
satchmo26	1. Carney misses a FG attempt, which causes Who Dat Nation to lose all confidence in him and demand Hartley. 2. Brees throws for less than 300 yards and less than 2 TDs, mostly because he won’t have to. 3. Saints D scores on a turnover.	No No No
mississippisaintsfan	1.We have our first shut out of the year 2.Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell both score on runs 3.No missed field goals by our kicker this week (which ever one gets the nod)	No No No
FLDune Patrol	1. Washington sacks Brees 3+ 2. Shockey has TD 3. Sharper gets interception and yardage record	No No No
Ace Venom	1) We shut out the Redskins 2) Carney misses a field goal attempt. 3) Brees completes two TD passes	No No Yes
bondcrash	1) Hartley is the only active kicker for the game 2) We punt 4+ times 3) Pierre Thomas has 100+ alll purpose yards	Yes No No
saint-sly	Brees gets 3+ TD passes Colston gets 2 TD’s Smith gets 2 sacks	No No No
bowlbound09	Brees 2+td’s, 1 INT Campbell 1+td’s, 2 INT Pierre Thomas will have big game	Yes No No
Grok Rocker	1. Brees has 3+ TD’s 2. Pierre Thomas has 75+yards and 1+ TD 3. 20th player gets a TD to get closer to NFL record	No No No
themarsist	1. Sharper gets a pick 6 2. Mike Bell has 100+ yards and TD 3. Brees throws two TDs	No No Yes
saintfever09	1. Jason Campbell throws 2+ picks. 2. Brees has 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns. 3. Will Smith will have at least 1 sack	No No No
Baggs5	1. Brees doesn’t play all 4 quarters 2. Both teams have a special teams return of over 30 yards 3. Saints defense records at least 3 sacks	No Yes No
Ron the fan	1- Drew at least 3 TD.s 2-Pierre gets in on the act this week with 2 TD performance. 3-Shockey gets back in pay dirt with a TD.	No No No
FuSoYa	Brees is sacked at least twice New Orleans wins the TO battle, but has offensive TO’s of their own(at least one) A Washington TD results from a starting field position on NO side.	No Yes No
saintsbrasil	Jason Campbell has 2 + ints Will smith has 2+ sacks Colston scores 2 tds	No No No
GSO Saints Fan	1) Brees: 4 TD, 0 INT 2) PT: 2 TD, 100+ yards rushing 3) Saints D scores another TD	No No No
saintsfan77	brees throws 2 tds thomas scores 2 rushing tds smith and hargrove each have at least one sack	Yes No No
SaintBevo	Saints D has at least 4 take-aways Brian Orakpo has at least on sack of Brees Pierre Thomas has at least 90 total yards and at least 1 TD	No No No
carolinasaintsfan	1. Colston has at least one TD. 2. S. Ellis get a fumble recovery, but holds on to this one. 3. Saints D. Ends have at least two sacks collectively.	Yes No No
sainteric	1. Saints hold Redskins under 100 yards rushing 2. Saints get 3 sacks 3. Saints rush for over 150 yards	Yes No No
darshiva420	180 or more yards rushing Shockey gets threes tds 2 defensive tds	No No No
daisy117	1. Brees throws 2+ TDs 2. Pierre Thomas has 100+ YFS 3. Brees has 0 INTs	Yes No No
benm316	1. Drew throws for at least 250 yards 2. Saints D gets 4 turnovers 3. Redskins convert on less than 50% of their third downs	Yes No No
bmi601	1. Saints defense gets a pick 6 2. Jason Campell gets sacked and fumbles 3. Redskins offense held to under 300 yards total	No No No
Philinwood	- Close game ( within 10 points) until mid- late 3rd qtr - Jason Campbell has 60 + rushing yds - Our special teams clearly outplay their special teams	No No No
BlackandGold4ever	1) Brees throws for 300+ yards, 3+ TD’s 2) Defense scores 1+ TD’s 3) Campbell is sacked at least 4 times	No No No
skinnykinney	1. Brees 3+ TDs and 250+ yards 2. Saints D gets 2+ turnovers 3. Our running game gets 120+ yards total and at least 1 TD.	No Yes No
Boo.	1. Brees 2 TDs of 40+ yards 2. Skins win T.O.P battle 3. Orakpo sack+forced fumble	Yes No No
PilneyPark	1. Saints 150+ yards total rushing 2. Saints force 2+ fumbles 3. Brees pulled before end of game	No Yes No
jray2000	1. Bush, Bell, and Thomas each get over 50 yards from scrimage 2. Saints DEF: 5 or more sacks 3. A Saints TE will score a TD	No No No
SaintsFanInIraq	1 – Sharper gets a Pick 6 2 – Jenkins and/or McKenzie gets a pick 6 3 – at least 4 offensive TD’s	No No No
jimfrotch	1. Saints win T.O. ratio 2. 20th player will score a TD for Saints this year (19 through week 11) 3. Brees throws under 300 yards	Yes No No
hakimdropstheball	1. Saints rush for at least 175 yards. 2. Saints win by at least 15 points. 3. Saints D get at least two turnovers against the Skins.	No No Yes
SaintsFanMD	1. Saints rush for more than 150 total yards. 2. Brees passes for more than 200 yards. 3. Saints D gets at least 2 turnovers and 1 pick 6.	No Yes No
coldpizza	1. Drew Brees will pass for less than 300 yards. 2. At least one tight end from each team will score a TD. 3. The Saints will fly home Sunday evening as 2009 NFC South champs.	No No Yes
RumDunnitt	1. Sean Payton gives game-ball to Greg Williams. Greg Williams wants a shut-out 2. Darren Sharper sets NFL record for INT. return yardage. 3. The Ellis Pressley D-Line makes Jason Campbell "All Shook Up" when they beat him like a "Hound Dawg" on their "JailHouse Rock". I suggest he not step on their "Gold Suede Shoes", because they will not "Love Him Tender"!	No No No
Deckape 69	Saints rush for over 150 yards Saints return a punt for a TD Brees throws 3 TD	No No No
HansDat	1) Bush 1 punt ret TD 2) Bush 1 short yardage rush TD 3) Bush 1 rec TD	No No No
saint boss hog	1.pierre thomas will rush for 75+ yards and a td. 2.saints defense gets a td 3.meachem gets atleast 1 td	No No Yes
Tigernut	1. 4 or more TD’s for Brees 2. 2 or more INT’s 3. Saints wear gold pants.	No No Yes
OldFartFan	water boy fills can’s with hot chocolate. Sharper + McKenzie wrestle INT into end zone each player receives half touch down. Sedrick Ellis recover’s fumble entire Saint’s defence dog pile’s Big E .	No No No
metryman	1. Brees 250+ yds.and 2 Td’s 2. Saints D 3 sacks and +2 TO’s 3. Lucky Pierre 100 total yds. and +1 Td	Yes No No
Scott2417	Saints defense scores 2 times Shockey 100+ yds. TD Brees 350+ yds. 2 TD passing, 1 TD rushing	No No No
jeremysherwin	Brees 3 TD Thomas 2 TD Defense gets 2+ turovers	No No Yes
Joseph William Stern	Saints score greater than 9 points in the first quarter. Redskins commit greater than three turnovers. There are exactly three video challenges in the game	No Yes No
simone219	1.Saints rush for ove 200 yards 2.Meachum catches 1+tochdowns 3.Our defense has 3+ turnovers	No Yes No
jgshocker22	1) brees will throw for 250+ yards, at least one TD and the redskins will no longer have the #1 pass D 2) Saints will get at least 1 INT and at least 2 sacks 3) Saints rush for 100+ yards	Yes No No
janepriceestrada	1. Brunell plays at least one snap. 2. Bell leads team in rushing, +80 yards. 3. Carney misses something prompting Payton to take him out back and toss him in the Potomac.	No No No
Malsby	1. Colston catches at least 1 TD 2. Brees throws for less than 300 yards 3. Redskins rush for at least 100 yards	Yes No No
DrWhoDat	1. Saints D scores a TD 2. Redskins will not score in 4th quarter 3. Saints rush for 150yds	No No No
Monkey Poop Battle	Saints defense records 6+ sacks Saints defense recovers at least two fumbles Pierre Thomas scored at least one TD.	No No No
Just 'Nother Day	1. Shockey scores two touchdowns. 2. Brees scores one rushing touchdown. 3. Bush scores two touchdowns.	No No No
redneckfan	Sharper has pick and sets NFL int. return record Brees throws for 3+ TD’s Saints combined rushing 150+ yards	No No No
WhoDat_OH	1) D/ST force 3+ Skins fumbles 2) At least 3 different Saints score TD 3) Skins do not score in second half	No No No
gavin31785	1. Saints get 3+ sacks 2. Saints have more rushing attempts than pass attempts 3. Saints get 1+ interceptions	No No Yes
Nez	PT has 100 yd day Colston 2 tds Drew throws for 200yds 3 tds	No No No

Poll

Who has last weeks most accurate predictions?

How the "Going Undefeated v. Resting Starters" argument has been severely dumbed down

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:39:25 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

5 days ago: FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2007, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, right, and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees meet after the Colts won 41-10 Colts in an NFL football game in Indianapolis. Brees was playing at Purdue when he first met Peyton Manning, then in his first couple season with Indianapolis. The two quarterbacks' bond strengthened when Brees began playing for the Saints in the Manning family's hometown. They've had more than a casual interest in each other's success since, which has made this season particularly gratifying for them. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

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As many of you are well aware of, I tend to take a rather (oh, shall we say) aggressive stance against big media outlets treating me, and other fans, like idiots. For some of you, my opinions on these kinds of issues have gotten old, tired, and predictable. I guess that is the price one pays for trying to be consistent.

However, on the subject of resting starters v. "GO FOR GLORY!" it is disappointing to report that, once again, the debate is getting watered down into two very silly, very unrealistic (and, in many cases, just plain stupid) opinions.

One option is to play all your starters, even those who are hurt, as if you are in a fight-for-your-life deathmatch for the last and final playoff spot. This is seemingly what the Patriots and Giants did two years ago, and both those teams played in the Super Bowl that season.
Another option is to completely shut your starters down until mid-January. Don't expose them to any kind of contact at any time. Let them rest, heal, take a vacation, and re-energize for the playoff run. Shutting it down completely is (supposedly) what the Colts and Titans have done the last few years as high seeds in the playoffs, and they did not win playoff games in those years.

If you watch debates like this on NFL Network, or listen to the demented ogre-in-retirement that is John Madden droning on and on, the points of view in this debate make about as much sense (and offer about as much insight) as debating over whether execution by firing squad or execution by Guillotine is preferred.

To have a true discussion on this topic, one really has to avoid and ignore anything and everything talked about at places like ESPN, NFL Network, and the like. They are dumbing down the discussion, assuming that you are a moron who only thinks in extremes and who knows nothing about what teams truly do when the games at the end of he season are "meaningless." I know this is hard to do, but for your own mental health, I implore you: Stop watching these networks.

We all know that, in the past, that resting starters did not cost the Colts playoff games. If you do truly believe they did, then I cannot help you. Facts and reality-based information have whizzed right over your head, and you have bought the junk bonds sold to you by entertainment networks disguised as news outlets. If you truly, deeply feel that resting starters cost Indy playoff games, kindly review the bulletins after the jump.

You can thank me later for blowing your mind wide open.

If the think resting starters was a big reason why the Colts have lost playoff games in recent years, well, that means...

You've forgotten that back in 2002, the Colts played all the way through to the end of the season, needing a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to secure a playoff spot. They won, and then promptly lost to the Jets 41-0 the next week in the playoffs.
You've forgotten that in 2008, the Colts entered the playoffs on a nine game winning streak. They played starters for part of the game against the Titans in Week Seventeen, and beat them 22-0 (the first shutout for the Colts since 1997, which was pre-Peyton Manning). I mean seriously, it doesn't get much "hotter" than that going into the post-season! The Colts then played the Chargers in San Diego the following week in the playoffs, and lost in overtime.
You've forgotten that in 2005, the then 13-0 Colts played their starters for the entire game against (you guessed it) the Chargers, then quarterbacked by Drew Brees. The Colts had locked up homefield the week before, and were playing the game despite it meaning "nothing" in the standings. Again, with the starters playing, the Colts lost 26-17. The next week, Tony Dungy's son hanged himself in his apartment, creating a horrible (but understandable) distraction for the team and then-coach. The Colts then lost in the division round to the eventual world champion Steelers.
You've forgotten that in 2003 and 2004, the Colts played starters very sparingly in the final games of those two respective regular seasons, only to go on and win playoff games against the Broncos and Chiefs.
You've forgotten that in 2007, the Colts entered the post-season sans Dwight Freeney, who was out for the year with a broken foot. They also had Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, and Marvin Harrison all humbling with severe injuries. Playing these guys in meaningless games at the end of the season would have been damn near criminal. The Colts lost in the divisional round to (ugh, I'm starting to get sick) the Chargers.

Again, for an entertainment outlet posing as a news network, all these important details simply muddy the waters. They force people to actually think of multiple options (GASP!) when looking at this issue, not simply boil the argument down to resting starters v. "GO FOR GLORY!"

So, when you hear Bill Polian tell people the concept of late-season momentum translating into playoff success is a fantasy, he's right!

Look no further than the 2002 or 2008 Colts as examples. Look at the 2008 Cardinals, who almost won the Super Bowl last year. They looked like one of the worst teams ever to enter post-season play when the playoffs began. Three of their last five games in the regular season were blowout loses to playoff caliber teams, with their only wins in the month of December against the putrid Rams and Seahawks.

So, when some studio nit-whit is jerking your chain about how "momentum is everything" heading into post-season play, kindly take your remote and switch it over to something like Food Network (love that Chopping Block show), History International (I'm a sucker for history docs), or Boomerang (re-runs of Justice League are like small vials of crack for me). All these sports media networks are trying to do is dumb down the discussion and transform it into a "quitters v. winners" debate, which is (of course) not what it is about.

I know this is hard to do. I too have sometimes fallen under the spell of big media dimwittedness. But, the reality is health is everything in the NFL. Momentum is over-rated. Anyone who tells you different is either ignorant or lying to your face. And while I would very much like my team to go 19-0 and etch another notch in the annals of NFL history, any talk of a championship run goes out the window if the team is not healthy.

However, such realistic and nuanced discussion is not for cable media networks. Thus, you see schmucks like Skip Bayless hack their way through soul crushing morning shows, selling you on the insane notion that championship teams always play their starters the entire game, start to finish; even in games that mean nothing. Hell, they even play their hurt starters, but that's what it means to be a "tough guy."

Vomit meets mouth.

A better way to spend your time obsessing about the Colts is to read articles like this from NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, and to stop listening to stupid people who treat you like an idiot.

[UPDATE]: From dmstorm22, in the comments:

2008 – Steelers rested guys (Ben had his concussion on that first drive) won Super Bowl
2006 – Bears and Saints rested starters, met in title game
2005 – Broncos rested guys, beat Pats who were 11-0 in playoffs at the time. Seahawks rested, made it to the Super Bowl.
2004 – Eagles, Steelers and Pats all rest, all make it to at least the title game, two to the Super Bowl, and Pats win.

Resting is good, historically, and even recently.

Boilermakings for 12/15

BoilerTMill — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:32:36 -0000

It is a slow basketball week as the guys take Finals, but I did find some nice links to chew on as we wait for Saturday's Wooden Tradition.

The Big 10 tour announces its "Bests" list - Some of you may remember me mentioning this group earlier in the year. Drew and his posse visited all 11 Big Ten Stadiums in 11 weeks. They picked the Ohio State game for their visit to Purdue, which only ended up being the biggest upset of the Big Ten season. The crew selected several "bests" involving Purdue, including this very blog as an honorable mention in that category. I got to meet Drew when he came through Indianapolis on his way to their IU visit. Great guy!

Can we get a recount? - CFN has an excellent discussion on why Drew Brees should have won the Heisman in 2000. I remember saying before the season he would win if he took us to Pasadena. He did that bu still didn't win. How much did the late losses to Penn State and Notre Dame hurt him? I do like how they call Brees' NFL career as Hall of Fame caliber. As a second question, does he make it to Canton before Alstott?

Despite loss, Orton enjoying career season - I went to Sunday's game and Kyle had a pretty good day. Put him in the NFL record book too as the quarterback who threw to Brandon Marshall for his record 21 catches. I bet the Bears have some buyer's remorse right now. Too bad Kyle is not a real NFL quarterback like Cutler and only, you know, WINS THE FREAKING GAME (Sunday excluded)!!!!

Journal & Courier calls it a Kramer moment - I want royalties! I called it that first!

Women's basketball breaks 3 game skid - Still looks like a long season when we struggle with teams like Oakland.

Jay Buente makes Marlins 40-man roster - I forgot to post this a few weeks ago, but this is a big step for the young righty. Being on the 40-man puts him likely at triple-A for the season and he'll be on the short list to make his Major league debut in 2010. The last Boiler to make the Majors was Dave Gassner, who had a cup of coffee with the Twins in 2005 (he even won a game). Reliever Josh Lindblom also has an excellent chance of making the Show in 2010 after a good year for the Dodgers at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Neal to play in east-West Shrine Game - Quite an honor for the departing senior, as the Shrine game is one of the top college All-Star games.

Big Ten expansion talk gets bigger - I haven't talked much about this because there has been nothing concrete short of "we're thinking about it", but is seems to be gaining more steam. As the article states, a more formal statement is expected later today. I think it is going to happen, the question is, who joins? Notre Dame is the obvious choice, but as others have stated, they would be stupid to do so as long as they have the TV contract and special BCS privileges. Iowa State and Missouri have been thrown around, but I don't see that happening unless the Big 12 grabs a team from somewhere else (Utah? Colorado State? New Mexico?) The two that make sense to me are Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, with the Panthers being my top choice. Pitt gives Penn State a true rival, their academics are on par with the Big ten campuses, and it gives us geographic balance with an East-West split. I can see the divisions lining up this way then:

East	West
Penn State	Iowa
Pittsburgh	Minnesota
Ohio State	Wisconsin
Michigan	Illinois
Indiana	Northwestern
Michigan State	Purdue

If that is too top heavy in the East (and it probably is) they might go North-South

North	South
Minnesota	Indiana
Michigan	Illinois
Michigan State	Purdue
Wisconsin	Ohio State
Iowa	Penn State
Northwestern	Pittsburgh

Thoughts?

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

2 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, left, avoids the tackle of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Marshall had 21 receptions for 200 yards in the game. The Colts defeated the Broncos 28-16. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Christmas is coming - and I, for one, am hoping for a much more joyous holiday season than I experienced last December. All I got for Christmas last year was the Broncos' historic collapse, and all I had to give was the one scenario that could possibly be worse than the season-ending Chargers game (it involved hypothetically cutting an apple, slipping, and stabbing myself in the groin WHILE watching that game).

I'm not much for moral victories, but today in Donny Deutschland, I will talk about why I feel better about Sunday's loss than I have about any Broncos loss in years. There's no time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. I learned on Sunday that what I suspected was the case, was in fact, the case. That is, the Broncos can play with Indianapolis, at Indianapolis. It happened a little differently than I thought it would, but the Broncos competed, and got back in the game after getting down in really ugly fashion. Consider these statistics, as I pretend that I care about statistics for a moment. The Broncos outgained Indianapolis 357-312. They held the ball for 31:27, versus the Colts' 28:33. They won the turnover battle 3-1. The Broncos advanced into Colts territory on 8 of 12 posessions. These measures would tend to indicate victory, but in this case, the Broncos fell a little short.

For next time, we can internalize a few thoughts:

a. The Broncos have the players and schemes to cover the Colts receivers, pressure Peyton Manning, and generally disrupt their offense.

b. The Broncos have the players and schemes to move the ball at will against the Colts defense.

c. As a fan base, we all mistakenly thought to ourselves "Here we go again" when the Colts got up 21-0 after four possessions. We can take this game as a lesson that the past doesn't indicate the future. Those Broncos teams which got their doors blown off by the Colts passing game are definitely not these Broncos.

One general concern is that the Broncos could have run the ball better, and will need to next time. I felt the run scheme was too zone-heavy and horizontal, and it played into the Colts' plan to run-blitz the gaps. A smaller, faster team needs to be man-blocked with a vertical scheme. Those are guys you don't necessarily want moving laterally, because they're comfortable doing so.

The other concern is that at money time, Dallas Clark needed more and better attention. Josh Barrett needed to be on the field manning him up, because he's the best guy in the NFL at covering TEs man-to-man.

All in all, I am proud of the way the Broncos stayed in the game, despite some reasons that lesser men would take to quit. This was really a game which turned on a few plays, and I am pleased to know that the Broncos can compete with Indianapolis, unlike in past years. This week, it's the Raiders, and luckily, JaMarcus Russell will be under center again. Expect Elvis Dumervil to get some shots at him. The Broncos can take care of business at home, and position themselves well to make the postseason. Happy Raiders Week, friends.

2. Information From My Eyes, Broncos at Colts:

a. Andre' Goodman got beat on a crossing route by Pierre Garcon on the first offensive play of the game, and in the moment, I wondered if there was a major speed mismatch. Goodman settled down to play Garcon spectacularly the rest of the game, breaking up four well-thrown balls. Goodman has been terrific all year, but I'd call this his best game as a Bronco.

b. When the Broncos drafted Darcel McBath, I'd never heard of him. I'm very impressed with his play as a rookie, though, and he had a fantastic game Sunday. He separated Dallas Clark from the ball on a 3rd down, and also baited Peyton Manning into his third interception. It's a real bummer that he broke his forearm and is gone for the season, but he showed well when he got the opportunities. I look for him to make a serious run at Renaldo Hill's starting job next season.

c. I really "misunderestimated" the Colts' DTs, Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson. They both played fantastic, and drove the Broncos' interior players backward consistently.

d. Ryan Clady didn't play very well in the running game, which was a departure from what we've been seeing lately. He got pushed backward several times when he lost leverage, and he misread a few run blitzes, and didn't hit the right guy. He's young and growing, and we can only hope he learns from this game.

e. Brandon Marshall was spectacular, of course. It's obvious that Kyle Orton really trusts him to make plays at this point. I wish he trusted Eddie Royal a little more, though. The truth is, though, Royal hasn't come up with some plays when he's had chances to do so.

f. I was happy to see Jabar Gaffney back in the mix this week. He's a pro's pro, and the Broncos offense is better when he is involved.

g. I was pleased with what I saw from Robert Ayers and Elvis Dumervil, despite the Broncos' lack of sacks. Both played well against the run, and generated pressure against Manning.

h. Peyton Hillis isn't a very good lead blocker, and I think a key part of the trouble the running game had was with the loss of Spencer Larsen. Larsen has been knocking heads the last two weeks, and he wasn't there this time, obviously.

Hillis is a good RB, but he's a true HB, not a FB. The truth is, he is where he should be on the depth chart; the third RB for the Broncos. Zappa said that some DP posters were calling for Knowshon Moreno to be benched, and Hillis to get the starting job. That's not going to happen, and frankly, it's asinine. Hillis could get more opportunity to make plays, but he deserves to be behind Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. There's no question in my mind of that.

i. The Colts' last drive was enabled by missed tackles by Vonnie Holliday (first play of the series) and Mario Haggan (3rd down inside the Broncos 10).

j. Oh, Dallas Clark. Ty Law did a good job on him, but he often was assigned to cover Austin Collie. Wesley Woodyard is a good zone player, but he can't cover a Clark in man-to-man. That 4th-and-4 was badly schemed, because Brian Dawkins shouldn't be manned up on Clark, either.

Finally, at the end of the game, the approach should have been to look at the formation. The power was left, and the only receiving threat was Clark, playing with his hand down on the right side. You need somebody to drive him straight into the ground, so he can't get out in the pattern. That's how I would coach that situation, anyway. Tackle him when he pretends to block, without getting called for holding.

k. D.J. Williams had a very good game, except for the one stupid penalty. Darrell Reid got (another) one of those too, while we're at it.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games

a. I thought Thursday's Browns-Steelers game was pretty riveting, and I almost wish I went (but not quite). Several of my friends tried to get me to go, because everybody in the world was trying to dump their tickets. It was 12 degrees, with 50 mph winds, and felt negative-7 in Cleveland that night. That's a recipe for freezing your hind-parts off, as Omar would say.

The Browns are changing for the better, and I wonder if it saves Eric Mangini's job. They're doing some very interesting things, like using Mike Furrey at FS. He's played both ways in his career, but has been more of a WR in the NFL, and caught 98 passes for the Lions in 2006, which was second in the NFL.

He did some nice things at Safety in the game, and it reminded me of Troy Brown playing defense for the Patriots, though, as I mentioned, Furrey has played defense at the professional level. You have to be impressed with a player doing what it takes to help his team win.

b. A guy who I have always liked, who the Browns found for free is Matt Roth. He got on the wrong side of Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano in Miami, and they put him on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, and then waived him in November. The Browns smartly claimed him, and he's played very well for the Browns thus far. The Sam position in a 3-4 is pretty hard to fill, because it's a unique skill set. Lamarr Woodley and Mario Haggan are both very good at it, and Adalius Thomas used to be, but like RT on offense, there are a lot more average 3-4 Sams than there are good ones. Roth is a good one, because he sets the edge well, and generates a good pass rush when he's called upon to do so. Finding a guy like him in-season is what a bad team has to do.

c. Two unheralded guys who the Browns have discovered on offense are RB Chris Jennings and TE Evan Moore. Jennings won a Grey Cup recently with the Montreal Alouettes, and looked like the best back on the Browns roster last Thursday. He ran with power and explosion against an excellent run defense.

I meant to mention Moore last week and forgot; but I know a football player when I see one, and he's a player. He was a big WR at Stanford for 4 years, and also played basketball for his first 2 years. His fluidity, body control, and overall athleticism jump off the screen, and really remind me of Antonio Gates. I don't know if he's as fast as Gates, but he looks to me like he could definitely be a Brent Celek-caliber receiving TE. He's been key to Brady Quinn's recent improvement, because Quinn does his best throwing work inside the numbers.

Jennings and Moore are two players who the Browns can be very excited about, as they figure out what their program is during the offseason. Like Roth, they came with no significant cost. Now the Browns just need to nail their offseason.

d. I had a friend who is a Steelers fan ask me what was wrong with his team, and I think I may have disappointed him by not having a real definitive answer ready. It's kind of a tough question to answer, really, because Mike Tomlin had it exactly right when he said it was a function of struggles in all three phases of the game.

The defense really misses Troy Polamalu, who I think might be the most irreplaceable defensive player in the NFL. No safety plays with the speed of Polamalu, and the Steelers are much more conservative in their blitz packages without him. Their CBs are also playing pretty poorly over the last five games. On offense, I think the Steelers play-calling has been suspect. Rashard Mendenhall has emerged as a good RB, and the Steelers seem reluctant to commit to letting him run. I'm not surprised at the rumblings Sunday that some offensive coaches are likely going to get whacked after the season.

e. Now, on to why the Browns won Thursday. There were two reasons. One reason is that Joshua Cribbs is a great football player, and he carried his team on offense and special teams. The other is that the Browns covered the Steelers' receivers at a shockingly high level. ST&NO Favorite Brandon McDonald was fantastic. He might have had the best coverage game I have seen from a CB this year (although Andre' Goodman was awesome on Sunday, too). Eric Wright was strong on the other side too, though he gave up a few completions to Santonio Holmes. As has often been the case with the Broncos this season, the coverage allowed the pressure to get to Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 8 times.

f. It was another annoying weekend when almost every game was early, including the Broncos. I had the Chicago-Green Bay game on at the same time as the Broncos game,. and as I watched some of it, I was struck by the fact that neither team showed me anything that I didn't already know about them. Aaron Rodgers continued his recent run of getting sacked less, and the Packers defense was strong again. The Bears had some flashes, but self-destructed at key times.

The only real takeaway from this, to me, is another reminder why I don't really like fantasy football. The number one player in the Official MHR League this year has been my QB, Rodgers. In real football terms, he played fine on Sunday. He completed 16 of 24 throws for 180 yards, and lost a fumble on a blind-side sack. His team won the game, so no worries, right? Well, in fantasy terms, he tanked. Not only that, I am playing Zappa in the playoffs this week, and he has Ryan Grant, who had a monster game with 137 yards and 2 TDs, because the Bears were playing coverage to prevent big plays in the passing game.

g. Speaking of guys who tanked on my fantasy team, Randy Moss, this skunky, warm Miller High Life is for you. One catch for 16 yards, and a lost fumble? Really? He really looked like he wasn't trying hard, too; it was a total flashback to the Oakland days. Good thing I had Brandon Marshall and the Eagles (TD scoring) defense.

h. I think the Patriots are in trouble, and that their culture needs an adjustment. I read Bill Belichick's sending tardy players home as a clear indication of that. Adalius Thomas lipped off in the media, and got benched for it, and Randy Moss did it with his play somewhat on Sunday. I wouldn't be shocked if both are gone after this season. Thomas is gone for sure, and Moss is a possibility. The Patriots have a lot of draft assets with which to restock the WR position, and they're pretty solid at LB anyway, with guys like Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich making positive contributions.

It was pretty interesting how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick came to Moss's aid on Monday, after he clearly was dogging some pass routes. Michael Lombardi had a good point on NFL Network that Moss has done that his whole career, and that the Patriots probably weren't too alarmed by it. I think it's pretty bad, personally.

i. Scary moment in Arlington, Texas, when DeMarcus Ware was carted off the field with a neck injury. The Chargers had a false start, and then went right down the field in two plays to score the deciding TD afterward. Reports on Monday were that Ware would miss the next two weeks, which would really handicap the Dallas defense. Most casual fans think of Ware as just a pass rusher, but he is a rare player who stars against the run, and in zone coverage too.

j. I alluded to this thought last week, but it was well-articulated by Michael Lombardi last night; Dallas's struggles have nothing to do with what month it is. The same can be said of the Chargers and their success in the month of December. If you're playing in a lot of places where there's bad weather, then maybe the month is a semi-meaningful data point, but neither Dallas nor San Diego particularly qualifies. I know somebody is going to say that a game in December is a pressure game, but even that's not true a lot of times. San Diego has tended to be healthy in December, and Dallas has tended to be banged up. San Diego has tended to play weak late-season schedules, and Dallas has tended to play difficult ones. Don't get caught up in things which Peter King would incorrectly call a factoid.

k. That Radio Shack commercial with the sleeping scruffy dude saying "Dance, Sugar Plum Fairies" is bizarre. It makes no sense at all to me, and I can't imagine how it would make anybody want to shop at Radio Shack, or buy that craptastic phone from Sprint.

l. NBC lucked out with a great game on Sunday night between the Eagles and Giants. Neither defense looked particularly good, but both offenses lit it up. The difference in the game was a defensive TD from Sheldon Brown, and a punt-return TD from DeSean Jackson. Those plays also provided the difference in the Shallow Thoughts team beating Zappa's Sactown Beavers in the playoffs.

m. I would never let Jackson get off the line of scrimmage without getting hit. Teams just insist on letting this guy run free through their secondary, and he kills them. Little, fast guys like him must be re-routed off the line, and then you want over/under coverage on him after that. He's not the typical big, physical number-1 WR like Brandon Marshall, but he does need double-team attention, or at least Cover-3 behind him, so he can be hit at the line with confidence.

n. Brandon Jacobs, to me, is like a 98-mph fastball that's a little too straight, and rarely misses bats. Jacobs has been running harder lately than he was early in the season, but he doesn't make anybody miss. He takes so many hits, and this year, he's going down more easily than he used to. I think the Giants offense is better when Ahmad Bradshaw is getting more carries than Jacobs at this point, even as Jacobs has been better lately.

o. Speaking of the Giants, I want to share some ST&NO light with a Giants fan, because I've coincidentally been listening to his music as I wrote this part of the column. If you like hip hop, you ought to check out Nickel at his website www.SpotMeANickel.com. He's got a couple albums worth of MP3s available for free download there. I went to high school with the guy at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT, and it's cool to see him doing well, and making good music.

p. As always, I watched 5 games on Monday night, and the one I learned the most from was the New Orleans-Atlanta game. Very simply, New Orleans deserved to lose the game, and I haven't seen or heard anybody acknowledge that. I take that as a reaffirmation that my effort is worth the time.

Brent Grimes got called for two horrible pass-interference penalties, on plays where he reached around his man to play the ball. Those two plays directly led to 14 points being scored, and the Saints won by 3. The officials bogusly penalized ST&NO Favorite Thomas DeCoud on an even better play in the fourth quarter too, but Garrett Hartley subsequently missed a Field Goal, so it didn't affect the scoreboard. The Saints are a very good team, and they don't need any bonus help, but apparently you can't breathe on their receivers. It reminded me of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Dwyane Wade got "fouled" practically every time he touched the ball, and it disgusted me just as much to watch.

q. Jonathan Vilma deserves credit for sealing the win for New Orleans. He intercepted Chris Redman with 3 minutes to go in the game. Then, after the Saints arrogantly tried a fake field goal, rather than taking the points and going up 6, Vilma tackled the formidable Jason Snelling cold in the open field, a yard short of the first down on 4th and 2. He made the plays that were there to be made.

r. While I'm on the topic of the Saints, here's an E! True Hollywood Story for you. Or maybe it's a Letterman-style Top 2 list. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Top 2 Things Ted Bartlett Currently Doesn't Give A Damn About (And Al Roker's Forecast Calls For No Change:)

1. Whether or not the Colts or Saints go 16-0, and on a related note, whether or not they rest their starters.

2. Who wins the NFL MVP Award.

Going 16-0 doesn't matter to anything. All it would do is create something which Peter King would someday mistakenly call a factoid (even though it's actually a fact). The only thing that matters is going 3-0 (or 4-0) in the Playoffs. Plus, the whole thing puts Mercury Morris back in the spotlight, and he's a jerk who doesn't deserve it.

As for the MVP Award, really, who cares? I may start caring if somebody other than a QB or RB can win, other than the rare Lawrence Taylor in 1986. (Since the AP award began in 1957, only DT Alan Page, K Mark Moseley, and Taylor have won the award from positions other than QB or RB. Taylor is the only winner for the Pro Football Writers Association award, which began in 1975. This is an absolute farce.)

Remember ST&NO Rule #1: If reporters vote for it, and decide it, it's usually not particularly worth paying attention to. That includes any and all power rankings, the NFL All-Pro team, all season-ending awards in all sports, and membership in all Halls of Fame. Reporters often mean well, and they add some value to the overall football discourse, but the value they add ends when they're not asking questions, finding things out, and reporting those things. When you ask them to judge something, most can't get past the very obvious, or what other people tell them, and nearly all are biased by what they consider to be the most interesting story. While that's understandable, given the fact that they're in the interesting story business, it's also self-serving, and represents noise rather than a reflection of truth.

s. The more I watch Chad Henne, the more I like his mechanics, all the way through the process of playing QB. I most especially like the way he carries out his fakes after he hands off the ball. You can tell that he's very well coached, both at the collegiate level and the professional level.

t. Speaking of good coaching, if Head Coaching jobs were being handed out based only upon excellence as a coordinator, Mike Mularkey would be looking pretty good for a shot at another job. People who know things about offense, and pay attention, know that Mularkey has been getting a lot of production out of some pretty marginal talent the last two seasons. It's equal parts scheme, knowing the capabilities of his players, and getting his guys to execute, but Atlanta's offense overachieves. Remember - Mularkey didn't get fired in Buffalo; he resigned in 2006 because he didn't see eye-to-eye with the recently hired Marv Levy. He's up there with Houston's Kyle Shanahan on offense, and the Broncos' Mike Nolan, Cincinnati's Mike Zimmer, and Arizona's Bill Davis on defense as guys who I think are adding a great deal of value to their sides of the ball.

u. I tend to dislike University of Texas players, because they have a well-known reputation for being coddled in Austin, and often coming into the NFL as soft players. A limitation of making evaluations from a distance is that you sometimes have to rely on information which may or may not be meaningful, such as the fact that coaches are prohibited from cursing at players at UT. That's pretty absurd in my opinion, like the urban legend about stress cards in basic training.

I didn't take to Brian Orakpo much coming out of college, partially due to the UT factor. Turns out, he's very good, and he's brought a lot to the table for Oakland. He has had a very good rookie season, but he was dominant on Sunday against the Raiders' bad offensive line and indecisive JaMarcus Russell. I still prefer Knowshon Moreno to Orakpo for the long haul, and I still think the Redskins should have taken Michael Oher (after the Packers should have taken Michael Oher). Orakpo was a good choice though, and is a good player, so I missed on that one.

v. I said a couple weeks ago that I was pretty sure that the Chiefs didn't regret acquiring Matt Cassel, and he's proceeded to have the two worst games of his career the last two weeks. His ability is very clear, so I still don't think they regret it, but he needs to step it up, and buy Todd Haley and Scott Pioli some cover. Kansas City has an aggressive local sports media, led by Adam Teicher and Jason Whitlock. Whitlock has already renamed Pioli as Scott Egoli, so it would be mighty helpful to this regime if they and Cassel could finish the season stronger than they've been showing, and feel like there's something to build on.

w. A vital part of a 3-step drop passing play is that the outside blocker on the throw side (usually the Tackle) needs to cut the Defensive End and get him on the ground. The 49ers RT, Adam Snyder, failed to cut Darnell Dockett twice in the first half Monday night, resulting in an Interception by Dockett, and another deflection by Dockett, which Alex Smith caught himself, and promptly was tackled for a 6-yard loss. Neither play was Smith's fault; his job is to get to the top of his drop, and let the ball go. Snyder's job is to clear the throwing lane.

x. Speaking of guys clearly not doing their jobs (and jumping back to the Dallas game because of the topic), Tony Dungy was right on when he was asked if coaching was the problem in Dallas. He said that he knows Terence Newman has been coached to jam a WR and re-route him in Cover-2, and that coaching definitely wasn't the problem on the big Vincent Jackson 39-yard catch on 3rd and 12 (right after the aforementioned Ware injury).

That was the key play of the game, and Newman didn't make it. As the play happened live, I yelled out "Where's the f$%^&* jam, 41?" I was glad Dungy called him out, although I bet he wasn't moved to profanity like I was. I've always thought Newman was highly overrated, by virtue of being a Cowboy. It comes with wearing the blue star, I am afraid.

y. Usually, when a defensive lineman is drafted highly, you expect him to be a big sack guy. The Bengals once drafted Justin Smith fourth overall, in 2001. His career high in sacks, mostly as a Right DE in a 40-front, was 8.5 in his rookie season. He had 6.5, 5, 8, 6, 7.5, and 2 in his next five seasons, which are respectable numbers, but not for an open-side DE drafted that highly.

Smith signed a 6-year $45 million deal with San Francisco in 2008, and moved to 5-technique in a 30-front. It's the role he should have been playing all along, because he's always been a physical, block-defeating player more than a speed-rushing player. It's not too different than the highly drafted Derrick Harvey from the Jaguars, or Jamaal Anderson for the Falcons (who moved to DT eventually). Their skill sets are just better suited to playing with physicality than with speed. (Harvey got only his second sack of the year Sunday, and Anderson has 0.5).

Anyway, Smith was dominant on Monday night, and consistently held the point of attack, while often penetrating and disrupting the Cardinals offense. It sure seemed like he is earning his money. I was also very impressed with the pass-rushing skills of Ahmad Brooks, who used to be just a MLB.

z. Another rookie I criticized for seeming to be soft was Beanie Wells, and he continues to play like he isn't. His TD run early in the 4th quarter Monday night was a man's TD run, all second effort. He did fumble later in the 4th quarter, but it was on a kill-shot by Dashon Goldson, who had a couple of those in Monday night's game.

aa. Genetics are a funny thing. In my family, we have something called the Bartlett Calves. My dad and all his siblings have them, and all my siblings and I have them, even my 8-year old half-sister Abby. The Bartlett Calves are notable for being disproportionately muscular and large, compared to the rest of our bodies. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 235 pounds, and when flexed, my calves are 18 inches around, which is 3-4 inches bigger than the average man's calf, and an inch bigger than the average man's neck.

I bring up this genetic oddity, because it makes me feel a certain kinship with Frank Gore, who has thunder thighs like whoa. He's found out a way to make good professional use of his thighs, because they're what give him such impressive power in traffic. Mine don't really come in too useful as an accounting manager and blogger.

ab. The jury is in as far as I am concerned for San Francisco. The 49ers are on the right track, and ST&NO Favorite Alex Smith has definitely emerged as their long-term QB. They have 2 first-round picks this season, which are both going to be in the 10-15 area. They need a CB and an offensive lineman with those picks, or maybe even two offensive linemen. This team is not far at all from the playoffs, and they're not even going to miss by much this season.

ac. The Cardinals are still legitimate championship contenders, but they got their hind parts kicked Monday night. The result of the game was more a reflection of good play by the Niners than it was of bad play by the Cardinals. The bright spot for Arizona was the excellent Adrian Wilson, who baited Smith into a dumb INT, and was around the ball constantly, the whole game.

4. I couldn't agree more with TJ Johnson's piece about deferring the option yesterday, and a smart analyst got out ahead of me before I wrote about it, which happens once in awhile with a Tuesday slot. I'm always glad to see an in-house MHR guy do it. Big up TJ! If you haven't read his article, you should. So should Don Banks (and Dan Fouts.)

From Banks:

• Did I hear that right, the Broncos won the coin toss to start their game at Indy and deferred to the Colts? And Peyton Manning? Why exactly would you give Manning the chance to get the ball in his hands any more than you absolutely have to? What were you thinking, Josh McDaniels? That's a dubious, rookie-like call for the Broncos new head coach. I do believe McDaniels was guilty of overconfidence in his defense.

My two cents was going to be that each team gets the ball kicked to them to start one half, and there's no way around that fact, so if you consider just this fact, it's utterly meaningless which half a particular team gets their opportunity to receive. TJ goes much further, and finds that there is actually evidence that teams who get the ball to start the second half tend to experience more success. Very interesting stuff.

5. That first-rounder from the Bears is looking really good right now. Chicago fell to 5-8 Sunday, and I like them to finish 6-10. They play at Baltimore and home against Minnesota before finishing at Detroit. For the Broncos' playoff chances, I'd like to see the Bears beat the Ravens, but I doubt it happens. A 6-10 record is probably good for a pick in the neighborhood of 9th or 10th overall. I gave a cursory look at the remaining schedules of every team with a losing record, and this is what I came up with for season-ending records, and way-too-early possible picks.

1. St. Louis 1-15 Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

2. Tampa Bay 1-15 Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

3. Detroit 2-14 Gerald McCoy DT Oklahoma

4. Kansas City 3-13 Eric Berry S Tennessee

5. Cleveland 4-12 Russell Okung T Oklahoma State

6. Oakland 4-12 Carlos Dunlap DE Florida

7. Buffalo 5-11 Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

8. Washington 5-11 Trent Williams T Oklahoma

9. San Francisco ~~Carolina~~ 5-11 Joe Haden CB Florida

10. Seattle 6-10 Anthony Davis T Rutgers

11. Denver ~~Chicago~~ 6-10

12. San Francisco 7-9

13. Pittsburgh 7-9

14. Houston 8-8

15. Tennessee 8-8

With a 10th or 11th pick, you can get yourself a difference-making defensive player like a Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain, or Brandon Spikes. You could also go outside the box, and draft a guy like C.J. Spiller from Clemson, who projects as a major home-run threat, a la Chris Johnson, at the NFL level. You have to admit, he'd make a nice tandem with Knowshon Moreno. My move, though, might be to try to trade down, and enjoy some of the depth of this Draft. (I say try, because you can't always do it.) I am treading kind of lightly with this line of thinking, because I am a well-known believer that players are better than draft picks. (A player is a real asset, and a draft pick is a derivative asset; when you're needing to operate now, it's better to have a barrel of oil than a contract guaranteeing the delivery of a barrel of oil at a future date and price.)

To me, the Broncos could get back once or twice to #20 or so, and take someone like either Mike or Maurkice Pouncey from Florida, if they elect to enter the draft. (Incidentally, I think Florida is going to lose a bunch of underclassmen.) Both are 6-5 320-pound interior offensive linemen, and would fill what I think is the Broncos' biggest roster need. The overall point, though, is that it's good to be in the position the Broncos are in right now, with this pick coming in higher than their record would earn. For those who were sure the Broncos erred in trading their own pick rather than Chicago's, I'd hope they remember that you don't know how things are going to play out until they play out.

6. Bad news emerged for QB-needy teams yesterday that Washington junior Jake Locker will return for his senior season. It was not altogether unexpected, but I believe that Locker would have been the first QB selected, and maybe the number-1 overall pick. His talent as a thrower and runner is way ahead of the other guys in this class. The guy who benefits is Sam Bradford, because if he checks out healthy, his size and arm are both a bit better than Jimmy Clausen's. I, personally, am not in love with either guy. Bradford looks like a young Matt Hasselbeck to me, while a comparison for Clausen doesn't come to me so easily. Clausen is short, average athletically, looks like he needs to get a lot stronger, and has an average arm. He looks a bit like a young Drew Brees, before Drew worked so hard to become what he became. I am reluctant to make that comparison, but it's the best one I can come up with.

7. Retired for John Elway.

That's all I have for this week. We'll be back next Tuesday with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Until then, have a fantastic Raiders Week, and Go Broncos!

The VRR: DeMarcus Ware is the Dallas Pass Rush

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:03:56 -0000

More photos » by Michael Thomas - AP

To win the third-down battles on defense, the Cowboys could use more pass rushers to help out the secondary.

Browse more photos »

DeMarcus Ware's injury in yesterday's game scared many of us, but it's now not seen as something too serious. In fact, Coach Phillips said in his press conference today that Ware is considered day-to-day. That's great news!

Having been released from the hospital with what is considered a sprain at the base of the neck, Ware is feeling much better and could be back soon.

"There is a possibility - again he came back a lot better today," Phillips said. "He was let out of the hospital early last night. He came back a lot better today so we will just have to see."

Though it is a shortened week because Dallas travels to New Orleans for a Saturday night game, Ware has yet to be ruled out. That's even better news for the Cowboys. Going up against the number one rated passer in the league in Drew Brees, they will need all the pass rushing help they can get.

Hat tip to OCC for the FanShot.

So what happens if Ware is not able to go on Saturday? The team could very well look to rookie Victor Butler to start.

The 6-2, 246-pound Butler has three sacks in limited playing time, all of which have come late in games. Phillips said the rookie, who played defensive end at Oregon State, is still learning the Cowboys' scheme and adjusting to playing outside linebacker.

"He's not a real big guy," Phillips said, "so that's part of it, too."

With or without Ware, I think we can all agree that the Dallas pass rush is rather inconsistent. Until recently, Jay Ratliff and Keith Brooking had been getting a rush up the middle. Perhaps Stephen Bowen can play a more prominent role against the pass-happy Saints.

If Ware is out, who is going to demand double teams? It's time for Anthony Spencer to step his game up one more level. DWare may make the game, but he'll be banged up. I saw Spencer maul the Chargers' tackles at times, yesterday. Although both the Saints' tackles are listed at 6-5, 315 lbs., Spencer brings a strong power rush.

Like Coach Phillips said, Butler is not too big a guy; and neither is the other option: Steve Octavien. He's more of a LB in the mold of Al Singleton instead of a DE/LB tweener like Ware and Spencer.

Whoever it is must be able to cover, too. Both RBs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas each have caught more than 30 receptions.

Speaking of covering - what's up with the third-and-longs? The secondary could definitely use some help on passing downs. Can't blame it all on the lack of a pass rush, but something's got to not give.

For the season, Cowboys' opponents have converted four times in seven chances on third-and-12, an abnormally high rate. In the last five games, Cowboys' opponents are 11-for-34 on third-and-eight or longer, also higher than the league average.

In other injury news, SS Pat Watkins sprained a PCL in yesterday's game. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. That's a big blow to the special teams coverage units.

TE Martellus Bennett will return to practice, but is not expected to play until the Redskins game.

FS Ken Hamlin will also return to practice this week. His status will probably depend on whether he participates fully or on a limited basis.

Phillips put the blame on the offensive line, not Marion Barber, for coming up short on the goalline.

"He hit it up in there good, but there was somebody there that we felt we could have come off and blocked. They played it a little bit different from what we had seen, but it wasn't that much different. We felt like we should have scored.''

Here's what Jason Garrett had to say about the series.

"Those were three different plays,'' Garrett said. "We had knocked them off the ball fairly consistently on that drive. Logic tells you we should be able to do it again."

"They did a good job making the stand.''

Week 16's Cowboys @ Redskins matchup will remain on Sunday Night Football.

The NFL and NBC have decided that Week 16 game between the Cowboys and the Redskins will remain in prime time.

New Orleans Saints' Offensive Player Grades @ Falcons

saints-nation — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:00:17 -0000

by Paul Abell - AP

2 days ago: New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush (25) dives into the end zone in front of Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson, right, during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Atlanta. New Orleans won 26-23. (AP Photo/Paul Abell)

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Below are the grades for the Saints' offensive players for the game at Atlanta. Overall you'll notice very good grades across the board, but I will say the offense's inability to get the ball in the end zone at times kept the game closer than it should have been. The letter grade represents the player's individual performance and the GPA represents the player's cumulative effort over the course of the season. Don't worry if you think I'm being too nice, just wait for the defensive grades. They are horrendous.

Saints vs Falcons coverage

Saints vs Falcons recap

Saints vs Falcons boxscore

Drew Brees: A (3.28) Another fine and masterful performance by Brees. He's gotten his GPA dangerously close to Jahri Evans' with this string flawless games. It should be fun down the stretch to see who wins my team MVP based on highest GPA. He missed a couple of throws under pressure, but how can you complain with the game he had? Once again he wasn't sacked despite dropping back to pass 40 times. He finished 31 of 40 for 296 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers. My only complaint is that he burned two timeouts with poor play clock management, and he could've been more precise in the red zone.

Reggie Bush: A- (2.61) Where did this performance come from? Bush came back in a big way, running the ball well, catching it effectively, and, brace yourselves, he even returned a punt well. The speed he showed on the screen pass was impressive. That touchdown 21 yard reception on a 3rd and 18 play, catching the Falcons in an all out blitz. He finished with 33 yards on 6 carries, 6 catches for 46 yards, 2 touchdowns receiving and a punt return for 23 yards. Give Bush credit for making one hard cut every time he touched the ball and then running with authority ahead. Amazing how much more effective he is when he's not "dancing". You all know what I'm talking about. He also bounced a 3rd and 1 play outside and ripped off a good run for a necessary conversion. Way to go Reggie.

Pierre Thomas: B+ (3.12) Thomas was used fairly often in the passing game, and had mixed results in the running game. As the game progressed he was more effective rushing, but I think the Saints could have used him more. At one point he looked banged up which is why the Saints may have abandoned their usual commitment to the run. He had 6 receptions for 53 yards, and 13 carries for 47 yards. He made no mistakes and showed great effort and toughness finishing off runs.

Lynell Hamilton: B- (2.67) Hamilton had limited reps, but he came in and gave the Saints a spark. I can't imagine there's many 4th string tailbacks in the NFL that are better. He had 13 yards on 4 carries and showed good force and physicality through the hole. He did have a nice run get called back by a holding call. He gets a B- because, let's face it, it's not like he made a huge impact on the game.

Marques Colston: B+ (2.95) Colston finished with 6 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't one of his dominant chain moving performances, but he made plays out there and he was solid. He made a catch on the opening drive showing off his freakish reach and reeling in a pass with his fingertips. He made it look easy, but that was a sick catch.

Devery Henderson: C- (2.95) Devery had some receptions and was dangerous after the catch, finishing with 3 catches for 31 yards. He also had two very bad drops. I worry after seeing him drop a few the past 3 weeks that he's reverting back to his old inconsistent ways. This was a mediocre performance. He got his hands on a ball in the end zone and couldn't secure it as he got hit, which was disappointing, but his second drop was an easy sideline pass that he flat out dropped. Unacceptable there, you've got to catch that one. He also got flagged on a holding call on a wide receiver screen to Meachem.

Robert Meachem: B+ (3.21) Meachem had another very solid performance. He finished with 4 catches for 57 yards, most on short routes. He also caught a 42 yard bomb downfield, and converted a 3rd and short on a 4 yard reverse. Based on the GPAs, Meachem has been the best Saints' receiver this season.

Jeremy Shockey: B (2.87) Shockey is pretty banged up. The Saints don't use him on clear running downs, and they avoid putting him in the game when they feel like they can manage without him. You've got to give the guy props for going out there on a bum ankle and showing some grit. Shockey was pretty effective in the passing game, finishing with 4 catches for 46 yards. Shockey has been clutch all season on 3rd down plays, and you can tell he's most often the primary option when the Saints really need a play. He did get caught for holding once, so that costs him the B+.

David Thomas: B- (2.36) Thomas finished with 2 catches for 9 yards. His role in the passing game has declined as he's been transformed into a fullback. I think it's safe to assume he'll be the lead blocker for the rest of the way, barring injury. It's no surprise the run game has been a little less effective given that Thomas isn't a natural fullback and that he's got major shoes to fill in Heath Evans'. He's done a pretty admirable job overall, though, and he'll get better. He does manage to still make contributions from time to time in the passing game, too.

Jermon Bushrod: B (2.70) Bushrod got pushed around early by John Abraham, and got help later to neutralize the dangerous pass rusher. Thank God this isn't the same Abraham as in his peak years, because I think Bushrod would have been eaten alive. None the less, Brees was never sacked and the running behind Bushrod was at times spectacular, and at other times average. He was pretty good overall. He fought hard.

Zach Strief: C+ (2.30) Strief was caught holding and had some miscues. He did fill in for Stinchcomb briefly at right tackle, though, and did a good job while he was in as a replacement there. The main issues he had were as an extra tight end on short plays, which is odd as it's been his calling card this year. Regardless, it's nice to have in Strief a guy who I feel is marginally inferior to both of our starting tackles. He can come in at any time and fill in and I don't think we miss that much of a beat. He's a nice reserve to have.

Carl Nicks: A- (3.10) Very solid in run and pass blocking. The majority of the runs came to the left side, and Nicks handled his man with ease. That said, why one earth is he primary option on a fake field goal? Why are we even running that play in that situation? Too bad Brunell didn't give him a chance because he was looking for an A+ if he scores a touchdown to put the game away.

Jonathan Goodwin: A- (3.18) Pretty solid game overall by Goodwin. On the Reggie Bush screen pass touchdown play, Colston did a pretty good job of blocking his man, but as Bush neared him around the 5 yard line, the defender was coming free to potentially take a shot at stopping Bush. Goodwin was pulling on the play and he absolutely blew up the defender, giving Bush an easy stroll into the end zone. Goodwin has a nice little nasty streak in him. I wish I was grading Jeff Faine on a per game basis because I'd love to see how his GPA would stack up to Goodwin's. I can't imagine there's any way it would be as good.

Jahri Evans: A- (3.31) Another textbook performances. I just didn't really feel like I could hand out A's despite the terrific pass blocking all day because the Saints finished with 95 yards rushing and a 3.7 average per carry. I did get a chance to watch Evans, mostly on passing plays, stand up his man and completely neutralize him. He would stand straight up and push his man back like he was playing with a 5 year old boy. Evans wasn't as nasty or powerful as Nicks/Goodwin in the running game for this one, but Brees would have had all day if it were one on one blocking drills. Seriously, go back and watch the tape. He completely shut down his man and rendered him useless on passing plays. It was almost like the defensive tackle gave up on rushing Brees and just decided he was going to do his best to limit the rushing plays by holding his ground.

Jon Stinchcomb: B+ (2.87) Stinchcomb banged up his leg (knee maybe?) and like Shockey he got a little band aid put on it, got the trainers to kiss it, and he was back out there. Just kidding, both guys should be applauded for shaking off injuries to go back out there and perform at a high level. I don't think anyone can question the character of Jon Stinchcomb. The guy is a very respected locker room influence and he lays it all on the line for the Saints. His mobility was a little hampered by the injury, but he was helped out by Brees' terrific pocket presence and footwork.

Darnell Dinkins: B (2.06) Going back to that ridiculous decision by Sean Payton to fake a field goal, Dinkins was the intended receiver. Seriously, Coach Sean, what were you thinking (said in Frank Caliendo doing Dr. Phil voice)? Anyway, Brunell bypassed Nicks, his primary target with non existent speed and zero flexibility and athleticism for his secondary target, Dinkins. Dinkins, mind you, is the blocking tight end who has a better chance of catching a ball with his feet. Dinkins not only wasn't able to keep his feet in bounds, he ran his route a good yard or two short of the first down anyway. Even if he comes down with that, it's a beyond stupid play made to look even more stupid by Dinkins' execution of it. Too bad, because I'd give the guy an A- if it wasn't for that. Finally he showed me some of his blocking skills and I can understand why the Saints kept him on the active roster injured early in the season. His blocking was masterful. He sealed the edge when he needed to, and he created huge lanes by using brute force. I have a feeling Mike Bell would have had a good day running behind him.

My Offensive Player of the Game: Drew Brees

Poll

Who Was Your Offensive Player of the Game?

New Orleans Saints 26 @ Atlanta Falcons 23: Lucky Number Thirteen

Saintsational — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:33:55 -0000

That was fast...literally. The game took less than three hours to complete and just like that, the Saints have set a franchise record for total number of victories in a season and secured a first round bye in the playoffs. We can officially deem this the best Saints regular season in history. No matter how hard they tried to give this game away.

Drew Brees and the offense looked splendid as usual, moving the ball at will. As is becoming the theme late in the season, the defense left a little to be desired and is still showing the effects of injury.

I don't have anything inspirational to write. This victory makes me feel lukewarm. How much longer can the team play like this and expect to win? I should be happier. Just read the bullets.

Bullets!

Here we go again with Reggie. I'm sure today's game will ignite all of the usual talk. I always like to refer to the words of Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden on this one..."Bush, a Heisman winner and second overall pick, has a great knack for making an otherworldly play just when it seems appropriate to question his production in relation to his pedigree." He looked solid out there and had he been given the opportunity, probably could have done more. For those of you who think he doesn't get used enough, that might be fair but I think he should just be considered a talented weapon in a healthy rotation of a three-man backfield, operating much the same was as the receivers.
Speaking of not living up to their pedigree...it seems definitely appropriate to question Charles Grant's production in the second half of this season. He had one tackle today and a stupid, costly personal foul penalty. What's worse is that Grant also seems to lack a great knack for making an otherworldly play, which begs the question, "What the hell is he doing on the field?" We always hear talk from the coaches about putting the best guys on the field and benching starters, regardless of their contracts. I'm not seeing that because right now I feel there are hungrier players on the roster while Charles Grant is still out there dogging it. Charles Grant is officially on notice. So are the coaches.
I need to get myself a Thomas Morstead jersey because he's been one of the most consistent players on the team. He was nailing his kickoffs deep into the end zone all day. Do they even sell Morstead jerseys?
The penalties today were abundant. Some were called that shouldn't have been. Some weren't called that should have. Some favored the Saints. Some favored the Falcons. Some were just downright stupid. Still, the world spins on.
How about the offensive line? Great effort by all of them today. Drew dropped back to pass 40 times and never took a hit. No need to question whether to rest Brees if we know he isn't going to be in harms way.
Should we be happy or angry about what we saw from Garrett Hartley today? He made all three of his field goals, which wound up being crucial., but he also missed an inexcusable extra point which could have been costly. I think I'm okay with it.
While we're on the topic of inexcusable...what the hell was Payton thinking? Payton's smart timeout in overtime last week practically won the game for the Saints. This week he nearly lost the game with the fake field goal late in the game. I mean, really?!? Really!?! Take the three points and force Atlanta to score a touchdown. End of story.
That being said, Brunell could have easily made Payton look like a genius had he thrown the ball earlier instead of holding on to it too long.
Probably the worst game I've seen from Darren Sharper so far this season. He was left in single coverage often (on the double corner "Chuckie" blitz) and got beat a couple of times, one I believe was on a double move by the receiver, a play very similar to the one the Saints had so much success with last week against Washington.
Give some credit to Chris Redman who did a great job filling in for Matt Ryan and had a hell of a game. Definitely better than I was expecting. Also give credit to the Saints beleaguered secondary who helped make him look that way.
As bad as the Saints defense continues to look they came up big when they needed to, particularly their fearless leader, Jonathan Vilma. Vilma came up huge with the interception over the middle late in the game, the days only turnover and a crucial one at that. Then, on the second most crucial play of the game it was Vilma coming up big again with a tackle and a stop on a fourth and short dump pass.
Just as the Saints got lucky last week with Suisham's missed field goal, they again got really lucky with the spot that the referees gave Marques Colston on his second down reception. Wasn't even close. Thank your lucky stars.
I have ragged on Randall Gay a lot these past two seasons but I am always willing to applaud as well. Randall Gay did a pretty good job filling in as a starter today. Certainly better than I expected. Randall had a nice pass breakup and also sniffed out the wildcat play on first down late in the game, making a 12-yard tackle for a loss. He's no Jabari Greer or Tracy Porter but for today, he was just good enough.
The Saints were very solid on third down today, completing 66%.
Did anyone notice Aaron Stecker return a kickoff?
Lynell Hamilton looked good in the little work he received today.
Congratulations to Drew Brees for notching his 120th career touchdown pass as a Saint, now tied with Aaron Brooks.

Here is the roll call. Great work guys,

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Poll

Who was the Saints player of the game?

Saints Sunday Morning A/V Club

Saintsational — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:00:18 -0000

Sorry guys, there isn't as much here as usual. Just wasn't a lot out there for this game. All quiet on the undefeated front.

Outside the Huddle

Audio

Here are your WWL Sports Talk clips. First is Drew Brees, followed by four straight clips of the regular show.

Saints @ Falcons: Time to go from Sprint Mode to Marathon Mode?

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

by Rob Carr - AP

9 days ago: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass against the Washington Redskins during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Landover, Md. The Saints won 33-30 in overtime. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Before I even touch on this matchup, I just want to say how crazy of a week it's been. After that improbable and ridiculous Redskins win we somehow managed to pull off (I'm still not quite sure how), the aftermath has been comical. By now you've all seen the TV Shot to Death video that's been circulating, and you've also seen the rise in popularity to celebrity status that The Uknown Who Dat has gotten. Funny, this "news" has been courtesy of the fan base almost entirely as the national media, relatively speaking, continues to ignore us (though the Brees appearance on Leno was nice to see). Add all these strangely funny things happening this week to the laughable underperforming play of Charles Grant, and you've got yourself the trifecta of hilarity.

Anyway, I digress, and as the Saints enter this weekend's clash against the Falcons it's time, in my opinion, to shift gears from sprint mode to marathon mode.

Saints vs Falcons coverage

Don't confuse my title for saying that I don't think the Saints should go for 16-0. I'll settle that by coming out and saying the following: If the Saints are 15-0 going into Carolina in week 17, I think Drew Brees should start the game. What I am saying is this: The ultimate goal of the Saints is winning the Super Bowl, and the less risks we take to ensure that the ultimate goal has the best chance of happening, the better.

There's a fine line between what you can and can't do when you're seeking perfection at 16-0 and winning a Super Bowl, but at this point with the division sealed up, being one win away from a first round playoff bye and having a two game lead on home field advantage with four games left, I think a slight tweak in approach is called for.There is nothing I would have changed from the approach the Saints had throughout the Redskins game. It was close, sloppy, and it saw the Saints go down two scores multiple times. They had to go for the win and give it their all. Should the same scenario happen this week at Atlanta, then they shouldn't change the approach there either.

That said, it's entirely possible with both Michael Turner and Matt Ryan likely out Sunday that the Saints could have a three posession lead in the third quarter. Yes, they had trouble against a struggling Redskins team; Yes, the defensive backfield is in shambles; Any given Sunday, that's why they play the game yada, yada, etc... I get all that. But they're also capable of blowing them out. If that happens, I saw some things in the Patriots game I would not want repeated.

At this point it's not one game at a time anymore. You have to consider what's best long term now. After Bill Belicheck quit on the Saints down 38-17, I remember thinking to myself as Mike Bell took the clock running carries: "Why not run Lynell Hamilton here. He's active..." Sure enough, Bell went limping to the sidelines and had me cursing, "You idiots!"

And who came in for Bell but Pierre Thomas. Ok, fine, Bell is the closer and you don't want to give the Patriots any new signs of life because of their pedigree. At this point, though, I would argue we have too much to lose. Kyle Eckel was about to be cut, for God's sake. Throw him to the wolves and let him run the football. If we happen to be up 21 points in the third quarter against Atlanta on Sunday, I not only want Lynell Hamilton running the ball, I want Mark Brunell handing the ball off and I want him running behind Zach Strief, Jamar Nesbit, Nick Leckey and Darnell Dinkins. I also want Usama Young, Pierson Prioleau, Marcus McCauley and Chris Reis in the defensive backfield. Yes, the Saints would potentially be exposed to a comeback but they can always put their starters back in without risking them during that potential comeback run.

I'm not saying we don't go for 16-0, but I'm saying the Saints have to be smarter about how they try to do it, and it can't be a guns blazing effort. No one here wants to see the Saints get 16-0 at the expense of the ultimate prize. Over the next four games I'm sure we'll see the Saints build a big lead at least a time or two, and I'm hopeful they've learned their lesson from how the game ended against New England. It's not one game at a time anymore, because they've clinched a playoff birth and they're about to clinch a first round bye. The Saints are now in the full blown marathon discussion, and some pacing would be smart.

Do you guys think I'm being too cautious? I'm sure there's some of you that are thinking 16-0 at all cost. I know you can't play worrying about injuries, but isn't there a difference between being scared and being smart?