SB Nation - Jammal Brown

Q & A with Canal Street Chronicles

MaPatsFan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:00:19 -0000

Yes sir, ladies and gentlemen. This coming Monday, we have one heck of a matchup. The undefeated New Orleans Saints host our very own New England Patriots in the Big Easy, Nawlins', home of gumbo, Dixieland, and Drew Brees. However, there's more to this team than the incredibly talented quarterback who seems to have firmly planted himself in any discussion about top quarterbacks in the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints are loaded with talent, the type of talent us Patriots fans are used to having on our own team. Very few are tops at their position, but they excel at playing as a team, a formula Coach Sean Payton is not shy about crediting the Patriots for:

"You look to duplicate, or try to duplicate," Payton said. "You spend more time talking about doing all the right things and trying to pay close attention to what New England has done as an organization. Certainly, they have been at the forefront of our league. If you were in business, it would be silly not to pay attention to how they’ve been successful, their formula and their recipe.

Leading up to what purports to be an awesome matchup, the Canal Street Chronicles "head coach" Saintsational and I exchanged questions with each other. Without further delay, our Q & A after the jump.

Do you feel like the 10-0 Saints aren't getting the respect they deserve for an undefeated team? If so, is it the media driving this lack of respect?

Well, first I think we should define the term "respect" in this situation. If we're talking about respect from the general football fan, I think the Saints get plenty. Everything I've read on Canal Street Chronicles from other teams fans proves they acknowledge the talent. Furthermore, I've had a lot of people tell me the Saints are their second favorite team behind their own and that they're rooting for us.

But if we're discussing respect in terms of media coverage, I don't think they get as equal a share as other teams like the Cowboys, Patriots and Colts, even when they're playing just as good or better football. But I understand the reasoning behind it. The Saints have shown brilliance before but never been able to sustain it. That just doesn't compare to ten solid years of success like the Colts and Pats have had. I think there is a hesitance by most people to start heaping praise for fear that the Saints are just a flash in the pan. I think much of the media still needs a little more proof. I'm hoping the Saints have it in them.

Educate us Patriots fans. We know all about Drew Brees, but who are the "other guys" you would consider at the top of their game, the guys making Drew (and the Saints) successful?

The offensive line is first and foremost. Without them doing an excellent job of protecting Drew and keeping him clean, he wouldn't be able to do the amazing things he does. Guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks are having superb seasons and Jermon Bushrod has stepped up big time protecting Drew's blind side, filling in for starting left tackle Jammal Brown.

Give credit also the the gaggle of talented receivers the Saints have collected like trophies over the past couple of years. Each and every one is a threat and with so many, game planning is a headache. Probably most at the top of his game right now is third year receiver Robert Meachem out of Tennessee. Sean Payton said himself that good things just happen when Meachem gets the ball.

Finally, the emergence of a running attack and a more balanced offense has a lot to do with the success of Drew and the Saints. With a trio of running backs to hand the ball off to, the Saints just haven't had to rely on Brees and the passing game as much this year. That's very important.

Talk a bit about the Saints' cornerback situation. Veteran Mike McKenzie was brought back after being released in March, a move that makes the Saints look a little thin at corner. Is that your perception? Is that a spot you worry about or do you feel NO is capable of compensating?

The Saints are definitely a little banged up at the cornerback position. Before signing Mike McKenzie this week, the Saints also signed former Ravens Pro-Bowler Chris McAlister. With starting cornerback Tracy Porter out a few more weeks and backup Leigh Torrence placed on IR, these signings were necessary from a depth standpoint. I don't expect either McKenzie or McAlister to start on Monday but I do believe they will be called in to help cover Randy Moss, Wes Welker and company as part of the Saints game plan.

Most importantly will be the status of starting cornerback Jabari Greer. If he's healthy enough to return on Monday night, then the cause for concern is significantly reduced.

Where do you think the Saints will have the most trouble with the Patriots? Conversely, in what area do you think New Orleans has a clear advantage?

First and foremost, I think both of these teams are very talented, very well coached and match up well.

I'm definitely worried about the Patriots passing attack. Brady is obviously a supremely talented quarterback and he's got quite a few weapons at his disposal, all of whom can spread the field. With a banged up secondary, I'm afraid the Saints will need to play conservative defense for fear of giving up the big play, which won't allow for an aggressive pass rush on Brady and will allow him to take all day with his throws.

I think the Saints have an advantage on offense because of their balance. We all know Drew Brees and the passing attack is extremely potent but so is the Saints running game. They have the ability to keep defenses guessing, wear them down and go with whatever's working.

I also think Sean Payton is at the top of his coaching game right now.

Which Patriots player(s) do you feel are the most dangerous, the players Sean Payton will key on the most? What will be the matchups to watch?

Randy Moss is the obvious answer which is why the status of starting cornerback Jabari Greer is important. Having played for Buffalo and against the Patriots twice every year, he's the Saints best option to cover Moss. I also expect the Saints to bring in extra help for him.

Because of the attention Moss will demand and his ability to stretch the field vertically, I think Wes Welker becomes equally dangerous. He's a great receiver with great hands and a knack for finding open field. Brady and Welker have a certain chemistry and I worry about a lot of short, quick strikes that eat up clock and wear down the Saints defense.

A big shoutout to Saintsational for answering my questions. Don't forget to checkout Canal Street Chronicles for my answers to his questions.

Saints Offensive Player Grades vs. Panthers

saints-nation — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:00:49 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

about 1 month ago: New Orleans Saints receiver Robert Meachem (17) scores on a long touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of their NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. New Orleans won 30-20. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

View full size photo »

Below are the offensive players grades against the Panthers. The letter grade represents the player's performance in the game and the GPA in parentheses represents their cumulative performance for the season.

Drew Brees: B- (3.09) Prior to the drive just before halftime, I was seriously considering whether or not Brees was worthy of the first "F" I've given out. He fumbled inside his own 20, threw an interception in the red zone, botched a snap that cost his team, and was settling for little passes underneath. But of course I knew he would turn it around and he was nearly flawless in the second half, so he saved his grade. He wasn't helped by a few Colston drops, including two in the end zone. Brees finished 24 of 35 for 330 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and 1 lost fumble. He also converted a 3rd and 1 on a 5 yard sneak.

Reggie Bush: B+ (2.42) Bush did all the little things very well. He carried the ball twice, rushing for 9 and 7 yards respectively. On both carries he hit the hole and showed a nice burst. He was heavily involved in the passing game, finishing with 7 catches for 37 yards. He helped the Saints convert big 3rd downs when they needed it. He returned one punt for 4 yards, avoiding his backpedaling tendency. His best play of the game was chasing Chris Gamble downfield after an interception to save a touchdown return. Despite being blocked by a couple Panthers on that play he was able to catch Gamble, and as low as the Saints were at that point in the game he helped limit the damage already done.

Mike Bell: C+ (2.95) Bell converted twice on 3rd and short, so give him credit for powering through with his aggressive running style. Otherwise he just had 5 carries for 17 yards. Quiet day.

Devery Henderson: B+ (3.12) Henderson came up with a HUGE 63 yard reception on3rd down to set up the Pierre Thomas score. He finished with 3 catches for 93 yards. He also had another 3rd down conversion and made the most of his opportunities. He had no chance on an end around that went for a 3 yard loss as Thomas Davis read the play perfectly.

Marques Colston: D+ (2.92) Colston had at least 4 drops and had by far his worse game of the season. While a couple of those were gimmes, a couple of those were admittedly tough catches to make. None the less, we've come to expect Colston to make those spectacular catches and he just didn't show up. Poor performance for the Saints' star receiver who finished with just 1 catch for 45 yards. His one catch did set up the field goal before halftime, which was important for the Saints' momentum going into the locker room, but the bad overshadowed the good. He specifically had two drops in the end zone on plays I've seen him make countless times.

Robert Meachem: A- (2.83) Meachem was the most targeted and reliable Saints' receiver on the day. It was a nice surprise to see him so involved and performing well. He finished with 5 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown was a 54 strike from Brees where he was able to show off his terrific hands and speed, and it was crucial as it tied the game at 20.

Pierre Thomas: B+ (3.22) Thomas was off to a slow start, especially in the first half, but played a terrific second half when he got more touches. Finished with 50 yards on 13 carries, none bigger than the 10 yard touchdown run that pulled the Saints back within 4 to start the second half. As the game wore on he refused to go down and was seen shedding two to three tacklers before going down. He also had 5 catches for 31 yards.

Jeremy Shockey: C- (3.21) Shockey had his worse game of the season. He didn't block particularly well, and he wasn't looking on a pass in the end zone that Brees threw to him. A little embarrassing, considering Fox analyst Brian Billick spent the better part of a drive talking about how Shockey and Brees were finally on the same page. He was flagged for an offensive pass interference call that was suspect, and finished with 3 catches for 26 yards.

David Thomas: D+ (1.89) Thomas played a decent amount of snaps at fullback, but didn't seem to throw great lead blocks. He did throw a couple good blocks on screen passes to the running backs, but he was never targeted in the passing game. His low grade is mostly due to the fact that I saw him beat by Thomas Davis and pushed around by Jon Beason.

Jermon Bushrod: A- (2.81) Brees got little pressure from Bushrod's edge all game, and when he did he was able to step up in the pocket. Bushrod did an admirable job in both pass protection and run blocking. While it seemed like he went out for a portion of the game with an injury, Julius Peppers had just 1 tackle and was almost non-existent in the game. Give Bushrod credit, Jammal Brown has never kept Peppers that quiet.

Jahri Evans: B- (3.29) Hard to forget about the most costly penalty of the game. On a screen pass to Thomas that converted a 3rd down inside the Panthers' 5, Evans was called for a hold, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal and a 23-20 lead. The Saints were fortunate it didn't come back to haunt them, but Evans picked a crucial time to make a mistake. Otherwise, he was pretty solid but not as dominant as usual.

Jonathan Goodwin: B (3.04) Goodwin was back to pulling on screens and showing a nasty streak inside. He showed no ill effects from the knee injury that forced him to leave the game early last week. The shotgun snap that was dropped by Brees was not his fault.

Carl Nicks: B (3.00) Nicks was terrific run blocking, mauling ex Saint Hollis Thomas on a couple of occasions. Thomas is a load, so it was fun to see Nicks bullying the hefty veteran. I only remembered him get beat once on a passing play.

Jon Stinchcomb: C+ (2.88) Stinchcomb was responsible for the sack and strip in the 1st quarter. There was a lot of pressure coming from his edge, but Brees was able to step up in the pocket to avoid most of it. Stinchcomb did spring one of Bell's 3rd and 1 conversions, but he also did a bad job containing linebackers bringing backside pursuit.

Offensive Player of the Game: Robert Meachem

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:30:29 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall tries to pull away from San Diego Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer after a pass reception for nine yards during the third quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday friends, and welcome to another (shortened) edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. This is MileHighReport.com, the premier source of Broncos new and analysis in the entire world. I have been feeling like we're still kind of peripheral, in the eyes of the rest of the worldwide media, but we beat the bejesus out of them every day, when it comes to covering the Broncos.

As they say, game recognizes game, and correspondingly, it also recognizes groupthink and suckiness. By your being here, reading this today, and hopefully, every week, you mark yourself as having good sense, and at least a partial desire to be part of what is a collaborative learning and growth experience for us all. I'm a front-page staff guy, obviously, but I learn interesting things from FanPosters all the time. Those people are the lifeblood of the MHR community, and they should be commended for their outstanding contributions.

If you're a lurker, you obviously have the good sense to consume our front page content. I wanted to take a minute to ask you to consider joining as an MHR community member, and participating in the discussion. We always welcome people just like you, and chances are, you know something that will be of value to the rest of us, or you have a question which will spark a discussion, which has value to the rest of us. Either way, we all win.

Okay, Ted's Own Personal Membership Drive is over. My local NPR affiliate, 90.3 WCPN in Cleveland, has been doing a drive lately (seemingly, every time I am in my car), so I decided to do a quick one in Donny Deutschland this week. I don't want your money, just your participation. (For one thing, I think this is a great week for my lurking brother Chris to join.) Do a smart thing, and get down with MHR. As we say in the US Navy, welcome aboard.

OK, on to football, and whatever else pops into my head. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready....?

Y'all weren't ready. Okay, get ready, and let's try this again. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. I have some early thoughts on the Ravens game, which i consider to be a pretty favorable matchup for the Broncos. First, the Ravens are extremely physical, so it's good to be playing them, healthy and coming off a bye week. The Broncos will have to match their physicality on both sides of the ball, and I have every reason to expect that they will.

Offensively, the Broncos need to attack the Ravens outside the numbers, with Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler. The Ravens are bad at CB, and really their only good DB is Ed Reed, so throwing it where he isn't is a solid plan. They also need to run the ball, and I believe that they'll have good success in doing so. The Ravens went about 3 years without giving up a 100-yard rusher, and then got hit back to back by Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson in their last two games. This is a good defense, but it's not the vintage great defense we're used to.

Defensively, the Broncos absolutely must tackle Ray Rice, who has arguably been the second-best RB in the AFC this season, just behind Benson. Rice is averaging 6 yards per carry (73-441-3) and 9.8 yards per catch (33-325-1). Rice is very short, and very stocky, which makes him hard to tackle. Joe Flacco can make all the throws, but I love the Broncos secondary against Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, and Todd Heap. I'm not worried about any of those guys consistently beating anybody in the Broncos secondary. Rice is the key player.

2. Information From My Eyes:

a. I like the vision and decisiveness with which Ryan Grant ran on Sunday. There have been some rumors that the Packers want to replace him, but he hasn't been the problem with the running game in Green Bay. He could use a good tandem back to work with, and better play from the offensive line, but Grant is definitely a starting-caliber back.

b. The Browns are just unwatchable, so I haven't been talking about them much lately. If I were Eric Mangini, this is the all-inclusive list of guys I'd want to keep on the roster after this season: Joshua Cribbs, Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, Eric Steinbach, Alex Mack, Mohamed Massaquoi, David Veikune, Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, and D'Qwell Jackson. (I like Brady Quinn better than he does, but since he clearly doesn't like him, I excluded him). That's the only 10 players who I think are good players (or potentially good players) on winning football teams. Maybe you keep 10 more for next year, which is still going to be transitional. For the rest of the roster, you take a page from your friend Josh McDaniels, and go out and find some professionals to fill your holes, and try to have a very good draft. It is a talent problem in Cleveland, and all the other stuff is red herrings, until they fix the talent.

c. At a total team level, I am very impressed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and I think that they are a serious threat in the playoffs. I know I have smart readers, and I exchanged emails with a guy in the UK named Jake last week. He thought that the Bengals were a lock against the Bears, and I agreed. The Bengals controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and they hit and frustrated Jay Cutler all day.

d. I don't want to be too inflammatory with any of our Cutler lovers (if any are left), but has anybody noticed that he took his personal tendency for being on the losing end of blowouts with him to Chicago? I am sure the Broncos will eventually lose a game, but I find it impossible to imagine this team losing any game 45-10. It takes a certain kind of team to have the wheels just totally fall off in all phases of the game. I looked at the Bears Sunday and saw a complete lack of gameness and mental toughness. We all remember the games the 2006-2008 Broncos had like that, and I don't mean to attribute it personally to Cutler, or take a cheap shot. You simply can't deny, though, that this bad team-wide trait followed him out of town, and joined him in Chicago.

e. Cutler still seems to have the Favre-ian effect on the media and his fan base, where he manages to completely avoid personal blame, even when he plays very poorly, as he did Sunday. I visited the Bears' SBNation side, Windy City Gridiron, and there was virtually no criticism of Cutler, and you can see that he has again escaped much MSM accountability, too. I know I used to rationalize his bad play, and I think everybody here pretty much did too, at least to some degree. It's really a pretty amazing phenomenon, in a bad way. (By the way, I was proud to see that none of our members were over there trolling. Big up, MHR.)

f. Nobody gets picked in the top 5 of a draft because they look like they can't play in the NFL. Cedric Benson's talent just jumps off the screen. He's so fast for his size, and he has changed everything for Cincinnati. He's the main reason that the Bengals are so good on offense, because defenses are having to play eight in the box against him. That allows their good WRs to run wild, and Carson Palmer to hit his choice of open players. Benson is 10 times the player that Matt Forte is. The magnitude of the difference is akin to comparing Brian Dawkins to (Safety) Roy Williams.

g. The Bears' 7-man fronts were getting blown off the ball consistently. Just wait until Andre Smith gets started playing at RT. He is going to flat-out dominate in the running game, if he can keep his head on straight. He was clearly the best lineman in the 2009 Draft, and only his erratic pre-Draft behavior made him last to the sixth-overall pick.

h. Tank Johnson has been excellent all season for the Bengals, and was particularly terrific Sunday. Frostee Rucker and Robert Geathers had big games too, and the Bengals didn't seem to miss Antwan Odom too terribly (for one game, anyway).

i. Remember that business about top-5 guys going in the top 5 for a reason? ST&NO favorite Alex Smith had that on display Sunday. If he is ever put in a position to succeed, and can stay healthy, he will be the second coming of Rich Gannon. He's had 5 offensive coordinators in 5 years, and had the really bad shoulder injury, which he foolishly tried to play through for awhile. Remember, he is still only 25 years old. He's smart, athletic, and throws a pretty nice ball, and he's a humble, team-first player. I think Smith has an opportunity to get his career back on track, because Shaun Hill has played poorly for most of this season. There is no question that Smith is more talented than Hill.

j. It took him awhile, and some tough love from Mike Singletary to get there, but Vernon Davis is the best two-way TE in the NFL. I'd say the next best guy is probably Jason Witten, but there's a big drop-off between the two. Davis is such a fantastic blocker, and he's improved greatly as a receiver.

k. On the topic of pride and mental toughness, you have to be impressed with the job the Saints did Sunday, in coming back from a 24-3 first-half deficit against Miami. They just kept plugging away, and started executing, and eventually overtook the Dolphins. It was a great team effort, on a day where they didn't have their best stuff.

l. One serious concern I have for the Saints is how susceptible they looked to backside pressure on Drew Brees, with Jermon Bushrod filling in for Jammal Brown at LT (Brown is out for the year). Brees was shaky when he was getting pressured Sunday, like most QBs. You especially want to pressure the "A" gaps against him, because he has a strong predisposition for aggressively stepping straight up into the pocket. The Dolphins were especially successful when they generated interior pressure.

m. The Dolphins are probably going to miss the playoffs this year, and they'll look back with regret on letting the Colts and Saints get off the mat, when they had both teams pretty well beaten. Miami is a good team, which has just whiffed on opportunities to beat other good teams.

n. I don't think there is anything particularly noteworthy about Miles Austin, from a skills perspective. I watched the Dallas/Atlanta game when I got back from Dallas on Monday afternoon, and my first thought was that a good portion of the torching Austin put on the Falcons was from the slot in 3-WR packages, against base defensive personnel. I got all set to rip the Falcons for not subbing to match the offensive personnel grouping, but then I thought about it, and found myself wondering if I wouldn't be sticking to base too, if I were their Defensive Coordinator Brian Van Gorder. The Falcons lost their best CB, Brian Williams, to injury last week, and, remember, he was a Jaguars training camp casualty. Behind him are Chris Houston (who is talented but inconsistent), and Brent Grimes (who is not really talented, but tries hard). Nickel offense is the way to beat the Falcons, because they severely lack the quality players in the secondary to match up with it. I think Sunday was the first step to them having that deficiency cost them a playoff spot this year.

o. Isn't it great to have 4 CBs we can trust, as well as two safeties, in Darcel McBath and Josh Barrett, who are very good in man-to-man coverage?

p. One thing that jumped out in the Dallas-Atlanta game was that the Falcons receivers (including Tony Gonzalez) had a great deal of trouble separating from the man-to-man coverage they were getting from the Cowboys (whose secondary is average, at best). Matt Ryan had a lot of really tight spots to throw to, and largely since he got hit a great deal Sunday, he missed a lot of those throws.

q. So, I promised I'd interject some fraternity-man wedding hijinks, whether anybody wants it or not, so here goes. Have you ever had a snakebite? It's a shot my contemporaries and I favor, and it consists of Yukon Jack and lime juice. It strikes a good balance between being masculine and manageable, and it's kind of that one shot that everybody agrees is doable. Anyway - apparently, Yukon Jack hasn't penetrated the Dallas-Fort Worth market very effectively, because these local bartenders there have never heard of it, or a snakebite. Well, Scott (the groom) came to play, and he made sure that there was Yukon Jack at the reception, and that the caterers knew how to make the shot.

So, at some point, when the music shifted from craptastic country dinner music, and moved on to Run DMC, the 5 Tekes who were there did a snakebite. Good times. Then we did another, and we were joined by the cool girls in the wedding party, and a couple of Scott's cousins. The Tekes put it down like it was water, the rest of them struggled, and made faces while choking it down. Scott looked at me, with this extreme solemnity, and he nodded and said, "This is how we do."

Five eloquent words, and truth was achieved. This is, in fact, how we do. He was absolutely right. There's an easily discernible identity about us, as a group of men, and part of that identity is that we dominate some snakebites. I thought of this, as I watched the Short Cut of the Colts-Rams game. The Colts have an easily discernible identity. They play a lot of Cover-2 on defense, and try to limit their exposure to big plays. On offense, they take the whole play clock, try to shorten the game, and Peyton Manning works to always take what the defense gives him. They want to get a 10-14 point lead, and then send Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis after your QB, once you have to throw the ball. There's no secret or mystery to it, and they don't even particularly game-plan much for specific teams, beyond adjusting some protection schemes, maybe. There is a great deal of comfort to knowing exactly what you're going to do, and exactly who you are.

r. Why in the world would the new Twilight movie be advertised during Monday Night Football? I am sure a few people like (or would like) both Twilight and pro football, but can it possibly be more than 10% of the viewers? Seems like little value for the advertising dollar, there, pinning your hopes to a mostly male audience being interested in the visual depiction of chick lit.

s. So, I have a half-sister, Abby, who is going to be 8 in November. She's a smart kid, but when I was over last week, her mother was telling her that she needed to learn how to think outside the box a little more. Abby didn't know what that meant, so I drew her the classic MBA school exercise that our father shared with me when I was about 13 (and he was in MBA school, and this was a brand new idea). This exercise is actually where the now-tired phrase came from.

The objective is to connect all 9 dots, using 4 or less straight lines. As the term "outside the box" indicates, this is how you complete the objective.

I dislike the term "outside the box," because people who have no idea what it means use it all the time. (It's one of those concepts that would have been better off being compartmentalized to smart people only, like any number of concepts I can think of, actually). Anyway, I am taking a long route to applauding the Eagles for making an "outside the box" huge trade last week, just ahead of the deadline.

Will Witherspoon is not particularly famous, because he has toiled on irrelevant teams for his whole career (first, some mostly bad Carolina teams, and then some awful St. Louis teams). He's very good, though, and he has experience both in the middle, and on the weakside. He's a run-and-hit player, like the kind of guy you'd probably see in a Jim Bates- or Larry Coyer-kind of design. It seems to me that Steve Spagnuolo didn't think that Witherspoon particularly fit his system, which is, of course, basically the same system used in Philadelphia and with the New York Giants. It's a big, blitz-happy 40-front, which is designed around getting A-gap pressure consistently. It's stylistically similar to a Phillips 3-4, and it favors interior front-seven players who are basically 3-4 profile guys.

The Jim Johnson tree has always favored big, downhill thumpers in the middle. Power trumps speed at that position. The quintessential guy is Jeremiah Trotter, who was the size of a DE in his prime, and is now closer to a DT. (Trotter, you'll remember, once struggled mightily when he signed a big contract with Washington, and they tried to make him fit their scheme.) The Eagles brought him back this season, and he was a huge liability in the passing game (to wit, see the Raiders game last week). By bringing in Witherspoon, the Eagles went outside of type, but the impact single-handedly returned them to real-contender status. He had a huge game Monday night, with an interception for a TD, and a strip-sack, and I expect that it's only the beginning.

t. I hope Jon Gruden doesn't get and/or take a coaching job next season. He is fantastic on Monday Night Football, and y'all know I am not too prone to wantonly complimenting much of anything about ESPN. He had a great piece of information on the Redskins, which was really shocking to me, actually. Clinton Portis told him that the last time he heard an audible, he was a Bronco. Gruden's point was that if Jason Campbell could at least change the protection scheme to account for overload blitzes, it could put him in better position not to get crushed, while knowing the crushing is coming.

Umm, you think? That's just scratching the surface of the benefits of audible-ing. The Redskins are a total Mickey Mouse operation, and I am just shocked that they didn't have anything in place, even when Joe Gibbs was there. That strikes me as having to be an organizational policy, and if it is, it's the stupidest thing that I have ever heard of, in 22 years of being a serious football observer. I know high school teams that audible, for God's sake.

u. Jason Peters, who I have been wanting to take a close look at, looked pretty cockamamie to me on Monday night, which agreed with my long-held perception of him. He gave up a sack, and generally looked like a low-effort, I-already-got-paid kind of guy. There were several plays where I saw him watching the play, and not looking to hit anybody. I see and hear all these glowing reports on the guy, but where's the beef? I am starting to understand why Buffalo thought paying Peters was a bad idea.

v. I don't like gambling, but I had to take the bet my friend Paul offered me. I had Philadelphia, straight-up against Washington, with dinner as the stakes, the next time Paul is in Cleveland around Thanksgiving. That was such a lock, it's almost unbelievable that he offered me the bet. And, no, he's actually a Dallas fan, in case you were wondering if he was just a silly Washington homer.

3. I have been something of a Brett Kern apologist, but he wasn't getting it done. I like the message that replacing him sends to the rest of the team. Even a 6-0 team has room for improvement, and everybody needs to handle the job they're hired to do.

4. I was thinking about roles over the weekend, how we all have certain roles to fill in life, and how that's true of football too, which was the context I was thinking in. All good teams are full of role players who understand their roles. As a member of the MHR creative team, I have a role, and so do the rest of the guys. (I don't know if what my role became is what John had in mind when he asked me to join last year, but it is what it is now.) Snark, discussion about offense, courage, media criticism, pop culture, snark, meandering, community building, snark, detailed football analysis, play diagrams, obscure references, lots of (now correctly punctuated) parentheses, righteous indignation, commentary on other teams and games, optimism, prescience in 2009, and snark. That's my role, and that's ST&NO.

I like that the Broncos were constructed and operate with a lot of thought devoted to roles. As a coach, when you sign a veteran like Vonnie Holliday on the eve of the season, and you tell him that he'll be a rotation player, primarily on the field in pass-rush situations, there's a clarity of understanding between you and the player. That clarity is good for business, and it comes through when you see all 53 players knowing their roles, and playing them well.

5. I think MSM NFL reporters are mostly dorks; that's pretty well-established here. (I don't mean the stringers and the local AP guys, per se, I mean the scoop-seeking talking heads.) The most dork-tastic one, in my opinion, is Jay Glazer from Fox, and he's several laps ahead of the field. Here are some recent Glazer tweets:

i'm reporting dallas and d ware have agreed on new 6 yr deal worth up to 13 per yr and nearly 40mil guaranteed. well worth it!

about 9 hours ago from txt

I reported Dan Snyder was urged to give Zorn vote of conf but opted not to. Also didnt wanna speak to press, fearing he wouldn't bite tongue

11:24 AM Oct 25th from web

i'm so tired from spending the whole dang day workin the phones for scoopage i really don't wanna go out. wait, wait... my arm is a twistin

8:28 PM Oct 23rd from txt

Cindy Crawford was here at this party, gotta admit she is one of the my physically beautiful and elegant women I have ever seen! stunning!!!

12:37 AM Oct 23rd from web

dumbest line of our night! Strahan: "There's TWO things i can do: spell, add and subtract." yes, he really said that! my friend is a moron

6:42 PM Oct 19th from txt

Have you ever known a person who is always name-dropping, and was at this party, and saw that celebrity, and is always claiming credit for themselves, because they're so much better than everybody else? That's Jay Glazer. Really, how hard is it to be an MSM NFL reporter? You offer yourself up as a convenient mouthpiece for anybody who wants to use you, and then they use you. You try to make them let you use them once in a while, too.

The Cowboys signed DeMarcus Ware; okay, that's admittedly news. Does it matter if Glazer heard about it 10 minutes before Adam Schefter did? With these guys, it's always about who had information first that everybody was going to have soon anyway. None of these guys is ever finding out anything significant which wasn't meant to come out. The Snyder thing is meaningless. Who cares? Everybody knows he's going to fire Jim Zorn after the season, so how he felt last week, when he didn't make any news, is worthless. It's just something Glazer can claim that he knew, that nobody else did. There's no Woodward or Bernstein covering the NFL, you know?

Since we're all friends here, I just wanted to vent, because Glazer makes me crazy, with his "scoopage," and his name-dropping, and his day-drinking in Beverly Hills. Thanks for listening/reading.

6. From Stuart Scott, trying to sound smart by saying that Donovan McNabb is an H-back when he's lined up outside in the Eagles "Wildcat" look:

H-back means good speed, some heft to him, runs good routes, and can catch the ball.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I don't care for Stuart Scott, and all of his contrived, Berman-esque, shucking and jiving, but I would like him a little better if he'd not talk about things he has no clue about. Just stick to worshipping Michael Jordan, mmmmkay, Stu? And while we're at it, how is Matt Winer the analytical counter-balance to Trent Dilfer, on the ESPN Monday Night 3-man set? Those two with noted other shucker/jiver Scott Van Pelt is a weird trio.

7. Retired for John Elway

8. I had occasion to drive by the new Dallas Cowboys stadium over the weekend, and TV doesn't do justice to how enormous it is. It's a really impressive-looking building from the outside. One thing, though, which I found interesting about my DFW experience, was how few people and cars I saw rocking Cowboys gear. I saw more on Monday morning, which is probably no surprise.

I hope everybody has a good Ravens week. All you get is about 4,200 words this week, because I am out of interesting things to say, and we're on some all-killer, no-filler here, like always. Really, that would be about an 18-20 page term paper in college, so it's still not too shabby. Look for Lighting Up The Scoreboard Saturday afternoon, and follow me on Twitter @TedBartlett905. And join MHR, if you haven't yet. There's no time like now.

New Orleans Saints' Offensive Player Grades @ Miami Dolphins

saints-nation — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:39 -0000

by J Pat Carter - AP

about 1 month ago: After defeating the Miami Dolphins 46-34 the New Orleans Saints celebrate with fans after NFL football action Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 in Miami. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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See below for the grades of the Saints' offensive players. We saw lots of mistakes and lots of pressure on Drew Brees, but they still managed to amass yards, put up points, and most importantly, get the win. Remember the letter grade represents the performance in the Miami game and the GPA behind it represents the cumulative performance on the season.

Saints vs Dolphins coverage

Saints vs Dolphins recap

Saints vs Dolphins boxscore

Drew Brees: B- (3.17) I struggled with this grade. Part of me wanted to give him a worse grade because he turned the ball over 4 times, including 3 interceptions. While the first interception was a terrible throw and a bad mistake, the other two were defensible. The other part of me saw Brees showing grit when he scored on 2 touchdown runs, and he should be applauded for talking Sean Payton into going for the touchdown before halftime. From what I remember Brees has NEVER led the Saints to a 4th quarter come from behind win. Check that stat off his list. He made the plays when the game was on the line and finished 22 of 38 for 298 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles (1 lost), and 2 rushing touchdowns. It was a mix bag, but pressure was in his face constantly. His stature limitation was also evident, leading to a few batted passes at the line of scrimmage. Give him props for a great block on Bush's touchdown run.

Reggie Bush: C (2.22) I struggled with this grade, too. Bush was honestly in line for a D- until he made one of the most athletic and incredible plays I've seen this season. His touchdown leap was an absolute thing of beauty, and it single handedly saves his grade. He also converted a HUGE 3rd down play by shedding a tackle late and tip toeing the sidelines before turning upfield. Those plays came with the game in the balance, so give him credit. His punt returning was once again an atrocity, and his stats were forgettable: 3 carries, 10 yards, 3 catches for 16 yards. He had a touchdown and he also fell down for a loss with no defender in sight earlier in the game. He also had a terrible block on a blitz pickup that allowed Brees to get sacked.

Mike Bell: A- (3.42) Bell didn't play in the 1st half, but ripped a monstrous 35 yard gasher on his first carry in the 2nd half. He ran with brutal authority, and continues to have that violence about him that always get extra yards at the end of his carries. He did everything the Saints asked of him and finished with 12 carries for 80 yards. Give him credit for milking some clock as the Saints had the lead late. The only regret was him not scoring on a couple goal line carries inside the 5, but Heath Evans was banged up so he didn't have a true lead blocker.

Pierre Thomas: C+ (3.17) Not Thomas' best game, as he ended with 8 carries for 30 yards. Bell's second half emergence kept Thomas benched for the latter parts of the game. Thomas turned a 3rd and 16 play early into a 14 yard screen pass, just shy of a 1st down. The only reproach I really have was a play he tried to bounce outside that turned into a loss - it was very reminiscent of Bush's trademark screw ups.

Heath Evans: B- (3.11) Evans was blown up for a 5 yard loss on one screen pass and he made a nice first down play on another 8 yard screen. He had 1 carry for 2 yards to give the Saints breathing room outside of their own end zone. The running game was mediocre early, so hard to give Evans a better grade. Give him credit for Bell's emergence. He left the game with what looked like a sprained ankle. Knowing the kind of guy he is I'm sure he'll be ready to go next week.

Marques Colston: B- (3.06) If you look at his stats you'd think he played pretty well. Colston was the most targeted player ending with 5 catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Colston did have a couple drops, though, and he should have hauled in a pass that was stolen away from him at the goal line for an interception. Colston did make some impressive plays downfield, though.

Lance Moore: C- (2.78) Very quiet day for Lance Moore. Almost too quiet. 2 catches for 18 yards.

Devery Henderson: B+ (3.11) Devery was his usual self making plays for the Saints in the passing game. He ended with 4 catches for 71 yards, none bigger than a 37 yarder downfield as the Saints were mounting their improbable comeback. He also showed off his terrific speed taking an end around for 13 yards.

Jeremy Shockey: A- (3.39) Shockey was very quiet for a long stretch in this game, but he made some of the biggest plays when it counted. His most memorable was a 66 yard reception where he broke a tackle, then stiffed armed his way down to about the 10 yard line setting up a touchdown. Brees looked for Shockey often in the 2nd half, and Shockey ended with 4 catches for 105 yards. As always he showed terrific and reliable hands.

David Thomas: D+ (1.92) Poor blocking and poor catching day for the Wendy's founder namesake. A bad game overall for the Saints' backup tight end. The one pass he did haul in was a screen that went for a yard loss.

Jermon Bushrod: C- (2.74) Bushrod gave Brees some time late and did an effective job run blocking; otherwise, he almost got Brees killed. He gave up 2 sacks to Jason Taylor, allowed Joey Porter to knock Brees down a couple times and overall just didn't pass protect the way he had to this point in the season. The Saints really missed Jammal Brown in this game. He also had a bad false start inside the Saints' 5. He needs to improve if the Saints want to win the ultimate prize. He also missed assignments on blitz pickups.

Zach Strief: C- (2.67) Didn't make a difference run blocking like he normally does.

Carl Nicks: C+ (3.17) Pass blocking was overall pretty suspect for Nicks against Miami. When Brees would step up in the pocket his man would typically get some contact on the Saints' quarterback. He failed to help Bushrod on a couple plays and he wasn't his usual dominant self run blocking.

Jonathan Goodwin: C (3.06) He's typically terrific at pulling on screen passes and springing them free, but he missed his assignment on screens to both David Thomas and Heath Evans that resulted in lost yardage. A very average performance from the Saints' center.

Jahri Evans: B (3.45) Evans was by far the most solid Saints' offensive lineman on the day. Given how much Brees was hit all day it's hard to give anyone on the line better than a B, but Evans handled his man throughout the game and sprung some nice runs on his side. Bell's longest run was set up by a terrific seal job on Evans' part, and many of the hard nose medium running gains the Saints had were behind big Jahri.

Jon Stinchcomb: B- (2.83) Stinchcomb had at least one penalty that I can remember, and was quite frankly playing a miserable game getting beat on the edge and doing a poor job of run blocking. Then a weird thing happened. He seemed to go down with an injury, but he returned on the next drive and was lights out for the rest of the game. His run blocking was effective, and I never saw pressure again come from his side. He finished out the game very nicely.

My Offensive Player of the Game: Jeremy Shockey and Mike Bell (tie)

Poll

Who Was Your Offensive Player of the Game for the Saints?

Jeremy Shockey

322 votes

Mike Bell

154 votes

Marques Colston

17 votes

Drew Brees

270 votes

763 votes | Poll has closed

Five Good Questions: New Orleans Saints

Matty I — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

Among running backs with at least 45 carries, guess who is 5th in the NFL in yards per carry. That's right - it's the Saints' Pierre Thomas, averaging 5.9 ypc. He's New Orleans' best kept secret.

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With Sunday's big game between the Dolphins and Saints nearing, it's time to get to know our opponent better. To do that, let's welcome in "Saintsational" from Canal Street Chronicles. You can also head over to his blog sometime today to check out what he asked me about the Dolphins.

I could go on and on about Drew Brees - as I'm sure you could. But I've been more impressed with your offensive line. They've only allowed five sacks this season after allowing just 13 last year. But it seems like that unit gets overlooked despite a year and a half of outstanding play. Why is this?

It's easy to get overlooked as an offensive line when your splendid play means Drew Brees has plenty of time to rack up ridiculous stats and garner lots of attention. But you're absolutely right, those guys have been very impressive as a unit. Interestingly enough, the offensive linemen were all applauded by coaches and fans alike this week after they shut down the touted pass rush of the Giants number one defense this past Sunday. Even better, we're finding out that backup left tackle Jermon Bushrod may be just as good, if not better, than the Saints starting Pro-Bowl tackle Jammal Brown.

Last season, the Saints were just 28th in the NFL in rushing. But they've seemed more committed to a balanced offense in 2009, leading to an average of 10 more rushing attempts per game this year ranking 4th in the league in rushing. What do you attribute this sudden rushing attack to and how will New Orleans continue to use their three talented backs?

You've done your homework, young grasshopper. The revival of the Saints ground attack post-Deuce McAllister can mainly be attributed to a renewed effort by head coach Sean Payton to dedicate his team to running the football. A balanced offensive attack was something he seemed to pick up on only late last season. Prior to that, it seemed he felt only Drew Brees could win games. That was also the time the Saints picked up Mike Bell, who had a great training camp this season and filled in remarkably for Pierre Thomas during the first two games of this year. It also doesn't hurt that the Saints have had a lead all season and don't need to pass the ball a ton in an effort to come from behind.

As far as what the future holds, I think what we saw this Sunday against the Giants is what we can expect for the rest of the season now that both backs are healthy: Pierre Thomas as the main rusher with Mike Bell coming in for short-yardage and goaline work.

The biggest improvement from last year to this year has got to be the drastic improvements made on defense. Through six weeks, the Saints are 9th in total defense - which probably surprises many football fans. Is this all because of Gregg Williams? Which players have made the biggest impact to this incredible turn-around?

Most of it really does have to do with Gregg Williams. He has completely changed the culture of this defense as a whole and has already gotten so much more out of mostly the same players from previous years. 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.

The rest of the improvement can be credited with the great play of wise off-season acquisitions like safety Darren Sharper - the league leader in interceptions - and cornerback Jabari Greer.

Clearly, the Giants' gameplan to slow your offense didn't work too well. But you've seen the Saints play for the past few years with Drew Brees under center. If you were a defensive coordinator, how would you attempt to contain Brees and New Orleans' passing attack?

Chances are, the Saints have more talented receivers than opponents have talented defensive backs to cover all of them. There is always going to be a mismatch so the most important thing for defenses to do is get to Brees quickly. If Brees doesn't feel any pressure, he'll find the open man every time. The Giants never did this last week and it's what did them in. To be successful, teams must bring pressure from all angles, keep their hands in the air and cause as much confusion and disruption as possible.

How do you see Sunday's game playing out? And what do you think will be the biggest single factor in the outcome of the game?

I hope this doesn't come off as cocky but not only do I think the Saints have a very good chance of winning this game, I expect them to win. The Saints have looked just too good thus far for me to think otherwise.

The Wildcat is certainly my biggest concern. The Saints have already faced teams that also utilize the Wildcat but the Dolphins are the real deal and have perfected it. Keeping it contained and not letting it bite them in the ass will be most important for the Saints defense.

Saints Place Jammal Brown on IR; Sign Nick Leckey

Saintsational — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:56:50 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

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It didn't take very long for my concerns to prove correct. After expressing just this very morning how worried I was about the Saints health at offensive tackle, the Saints have placed their best player at the position and former Pro-Bowler , Jammal Brown, on injured reserve and ending his season. I guess his injury was worse than expected.

To make up for it the Saints re-signed lineman Nick Leckey. Welcome back Nick. Though Leckey is versatile enough to play both center and guard, he does not play the tackle position. Technically, this still leaves a very thin offensive tackle unit but perhaps the plan will be to move Carl Nicks over to tackle in case of emergency and have Nesbit fill in at guard for Nicks.

Payton was asked yesterday whether or not he would address the lack of depth at offensive tackle and said that wasn't the plan.

Do you feel you might have to make a move at offensive tackle?

Right now I don't envision any move. We'll continue to work and get these guys treated and healthy. Like a lot of players this time of year after the third game, there are some nicks but we'll keep battling.

Technically, he's right; they haven't.

Poll

Are you worried about the depth at offensive tackle?

Absolutely.

198 votes

Nah.

89 votes

I never even notice those guys.

8 votes

295 votes | Poll has closed

Tuesdays with Saintsational: Week 3 Wrap Up

Saintsational — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:59 -0000

What a Differential a Year Makes

The Saints lead the entire league in a pretty cool and pretty important stat: Point Differential. A high point differential doesn't necessarily equal wins - the Saints finished last season ranked an impressive 10th - but it definitely bodes well. The five teams just below the Saints so far this year, in order, are the Ravens, Broncos, Giants, Vikings and Jets. All of those teams are also undefeated so far. Coincidence? I think not. Does that make the Saints the best of all the undefeated teams? You might be able to make that argument.

What's also funny is that the Saints have the number one offense in the league, as we all know, but it's the running game pulling all the weight. The Saints actually have the second ranked rushing attack, averaging 170.7 yards a game, and only the sixth best passing offense with 267.3 yards a game. Who would have thought?

But the most impressive numerical fact worthy of note is that the Saints are currently the owners of a top ten defense. I won't say I saw it coming. Through three weeks of the 2009 NFL season the Saints defense has given up an average of 312.3 yards per game, good enough to earn them the title of tenth best in the league. They are ranked fifth best at stopping the run, making their 22nd ranked pass defense the weak link of the unit yet again. That last stat could be deceiving, however, because the Saints took an early lead against Detroit and sat back in prevent a majority of the time.

Like many of you, all I've ever wanted to know was how good the Saints could be with an actual defense behind their powerful offense and thanks to the Gregg Williams experiment, I've finally got my answer. That's what I love most about this season. Even if it all goes to hell from this point on, Saints fans will know that much more about exactly what this team needs to win and when it's failing miserably.

And just in case you are planning on racing down to the comment section so you can tell me that they're only three games into the season and there isn't enough data yet, let me be the first to say: I am aware and I don't care. Numbers don't lie and until the Saints prove otherwise, they're a damn good football team.

Shutdown Corner

I should have included Greer's name as a candidate for player of the game against Buffalo on Sunday because I thought he did an excellent job against his old team. Like some Saints fans, I made the mistake of overlooking him. But he played a large part in shutting out Terrell Owens this weekend, the first game Owens has not caught a pass in thirteen years. That's gotta say something, certainly about Greer and even Tracy Porter, but also about the defense as a unit. Darren Sharper seems to be getting a majority of the attention as this off-seasons biggest free agent pick up, due in large part to his interceptions but like I've said before, I think Jabari Greer deserves that honor.

Pundit Poo Poo

Why are all Saints fans so concerned about what the national media guys think? I understand it's frustrating to feel like nobody gives any recognition to just how good our team is; I feel the same way. But we've all been following these guys for a long time and knew the possibilities for this season even before it began so we're not surprised, more affirmed. This just happens to be the year it looks like we actually got it right. So you can't expect every commentator from every major network or publication to start chanting "Who Dat!?" and proclaiming the Saints are a dynasty, no matter how accurate that statement may be. If I may borrow a quote from Dana Carvey doing his George W. Bush Sr. impression: "Wouldn't be prudent." So let's all chill out a little bit and let the Saints keep winning games. The praise from the big boys will come when it's truly deserved. And then you won't want it anyway.

Domecoming

Here's some uplifting news: Four out of the next five games for the Saints will be at home in the dome with a bye week stuck in the middle to rest up and get healthy. That's good, especially given that the schedule is about to get a little tougher with those games being against the Jets, Giants and Falcons as well as an important division matchup against the Panthers. The Saints will want to stockpile those wins at home while they can because then the tables will be turned and their next five will consist of four road contests.

Cause for Concern?

M-E mentioned this in a comment on another thread but I felt it was worth mentioning right here on the front page. Jammal Brown is already out for a couple more weeks and his replacement, Jermon Bushrod, continues to get nicked up. That leaves only Jon Stinchcomb and Zach Strief officially on the roster at offensive tackle and nobody technically backing them up. Shouldn't this be a concern? With the best quarterback in the league world galaxy universe, offensive tackle is not a position to be taken lightly. It's pretty damn important. What if Stinchcomb or Strief gets injured? Apparently, coach Payton is not nearly as concerned as I am.

More Mare Misfortune

It's been great to finally see the Saints attain some quality and consistency at both kicking positions this season. Lord knows it's been a long road and taken a couple of draft picks. So don't tell me listening to Jim Mora, Jr. rip Olindo Mare a new one doesn't put at least a small smile on your face and make you wish those were really Sean Payton's words two years ago. I'm a sadistic person, I know. Good luck Seattle.

Bills' defensive ends face stiff challenge Sunday

Brian Galliford — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:45:09 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

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The Buffalo Bills were bad at the defensive end position in 2008. Aaron Schobel was lost for most of the season with a foot injury, and reserves such as Chris Ellis (who saw very limited action) and the now-departed Copeland Bryan were not able to keep starters Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay fresh. With that in mind, Buffalo used its first-round selection in this past April's NFL Draft on Penn State end Aaron Maybin. With Schobel's return to health, the Bills would once again have depth at the position.

Through two games, that depth has been apparent - Bills ends are staying fresh into the fourth quarter, and though their production has not yet hit a point where they're revered league-wide (by any means), they are a far more active group than they were in 2008. That's a start - but clearly, it's not enough for a Bills defense that, based on the type of scheme they play, need as much pass rush from their front four as they can muster.

The "start" of the season is over. In case you hadn't heard, Drew Brees and his high-scoring New Orleans Saints are coming to town, and if the Bills are to pick up a win, they'll need to show at least a small degree of competency in slowing that offense down. These Bills defensive ends have a tall task ahead of them on Sunday, as Buffalo's No. 28-ranked defense tries to slow down a team putting up 46 points per game.

Bills ends through two games
Health and energy only get you so far in this league. Through two games, Buffalo's ends have picked up two sacks (one each to Schobel and Denney) and an interception return for a touchdown (from Schobel). The top four ends - Schobel, Kelsay, Denney and Maybin - have combined for 11 tackles in two games.

The low statistical output, particularly in the tackling department, isn't overly surprising - opposing teams have thrown over 100 passes in those two games, and while you'd like to see more sacks, certainly, the lack of tackles is hardly alarming. If you're picking a word to describe the ends collectively rushing the passer, however, it's "inconsistent." On the occasions when they're able to generate significant heat on the passer - and it's more often than most of us realize, by the way - the ball is generally out before the end has an opportunity to make an impact play.

Impact plays are needed from this defense. They have come in the team's first two games despite any flashes of dominance from these defensive ends. They'll be harder to come by with Brees on the field.

A quick glance at New Orleans
Over the past two seasons, Brees has been one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, he's thrown more interceptions (35) in those two seasons than he's been sacked (29 times). Thus far this season, he's thrown two interceptions and been sacked twice.

New Orleans is currently playing without stud left tackle Jammal Brown, who is nursing a hip injury. His backup, Jermon Bushrod, has performed admirably in his stead, however - just last week, he did a nice job against Eagles DE Trent Cole, although Cole did pick up his second sack of the season in the loss. Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb is as solid as they come. Getting to Brees is going to be difficult, most particularly because Brees is super-efficient reading defenses and getting rid of the football.

Sacks aren't likely on Sunday. But Bushrod isn't proven to the point where it's impossible for the Bills to, at a minimum, fluster Brees and force him to make a mistake or two. Considering Brees' strengths, a heavy dose of blitzing, such as we saw the Bills employ against Tampa Bay, is not likely. But we can't get away without getting some pressure on Brees. It'll be on this healthy, fresh defensive end group to pick up their game. Without steady play from this group, it could wind up being a totrurously long day in Orchard Park this Sunday.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

DrewsLions — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:12:47 -0000

More photos » by Bill Feig - AP

3 months ago: Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith (34) reaches for the ball as New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (51) defends in the first half of an NFL football in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

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Sean did a great job on the write-ups for the drive-by-drive summary and game recap, so I'll just give my take on the game very informally. My hope is that I can tweak the perspective on the game just a tad. It was a very disappointing outing... no bones about it. But the comments I've read since the game, not only here, but on other major Lions blog sites have been quite disheartening to say the least. Because I think we all need a dose of positivity today, I will tackle the bad first and end with the good. Yes... there was some good.

The Bad

Let's get the 800 lbs. gorilla out of the room right away. Matt Stafford's performance was not what we'd all hoped it would be. It was a very rookie-like performance against a tough opponent under tough circumstances. He forced the ball several times trying to make big plays and got caught in the act. He will quickly learn that this is not college and that he has to do a better job in his risk-taking management. I like that he's a risk taker, but he's got to know when not to take that risk. Right know, he is clearly suffering from Jon Kitna syndrome... you know, taking the burden of a weak defense's early deficit and trying to force things to happen to narrow the opponent's lead. We all know what typically happens in that situation. He just needs to settle down when the defense turns up the heat and he'll be fine.

Probably the most disheartening thing for me was the play of the defensive line. Not that I was surprised, but that my fears were now officially confirmed. I guess I secretly was hoping that this group - which was a bit of an unknown - would shock us all. But like my title states, they are who we thought they were. Avril and White were rendered helpless for most of the game - and this was without Jammal Brown. There was simply very little pressure on Brees and he had an absolute field day. Looking at Hill and Jackson, you would think that the run game would just clog at the line of scrimmage. Instead, they wore down quickly and by the fourth quarter, they were utterly gassed and the Saints were having their way with them completely. I'll have to watch the game again to see if there were any bright spots here, but I'm not expecting to see much.

I've seen many comments about the lack of blitzing, but I think Cunningham was right to dial it back. Blitzing is only effective if you are actually getting pressure on the passer. And in order to get pressure during a blitz, the line needs to get pressure too. I think that Cunningham realized that the Saints were easily picking up the extra defenders or Brees was simply seeing the blitz in the pre-snap reads and getting rid of it too quickly. Either way, the choice was to take your chances in coverage or take your chances with the blitz. Not very good options against the Saints' offense and I believe we were doomed in either case.

I thought the weakness of the offense today rested with the offensive line. They were a liability in both the passing and running game and the Saints' defensive line simply got too much push. My hat's off to Gregg Williams, who executed a very good defensive strategy against the Lions. They brought pressure effectively when they needed to and got a good rush with just their four down lineman. When you can't block four, you can't block five or six. The Lions' offensive line just wasn't good enough in this game.

I think a lot of people are blaming Kevin Smith for the lack of running game, but I don't think that was the case. Far too often, the defenders were in the backfield before Smith had the ball in his hands. Some of the playcalling was questionable as well.

Yeah, there was a lot more negatives I could dwell on, but I think those were the big hitters. I think I'd like to spend more time on the "good" section below and then finally, offer up a perspective to help take us into next week's game.

The Good

I'll start with what I think was a real positive, the return game. With respect to last year, the difference was night and day. Aaron Brown is a real find for the Lions and he is going to take a few kickoff returns to the house this year. He would have had one yesterday if not for the blazing speed of Malcolm Jenkins. It's not just the returners, though. I thought the blocking was improved as well. Again, I'll have to watch the game a second time, but for the most part I thought it was a solid outing.

You guys are going to think I'm crazy for putting this in the good section, but here goes... Matt Stafford's first half performance. Yes, I think he got a little rattled in the second half, but in the first half he at least looked the part. I thought he was confident and in control of the offense. It's simply going to take some time for this offense to click. For his debut game, the first half was admirable. My Dad, who is a casual football fan, was watching the game with me yesterday. He knew we drafted Stafford, but didn't know much beyond that - i.e. he's not an over-analytical headcase like his son and all of his son's colleagues on POD. After the first half, he said something like "Tell you what, that kid doesn't look like a rookie. He looks calm and poised, like he's been there before". And he's right. As far as rookies go, Stafford looked ready in the first half. Most likely, the pressure and picks rattled him in the second, but did we really expect it not to? Schwartz and Linehan will calm him down and watch the tape with him. So listen to me very carefully... HE WILL BE FINE. It was his first outing and we knew it would be rough... and it was. Let's see how he rebounds next week and the week after that. That's the real test for him.

Don't make me bring historical first games for first overall draft picks into the mix here. Aikman, Manning... they've been exhausted, but they are relevant. Heck, look at Jay Cutler's game last night... even vets can struggle and throw three picks... in a single half!

For the most part, I thought that the tackling was much improved over last year. The underlying problem is that the Saints' offense was picking up too many initial yards in the air (versus a lot of YAC) and with the run, they were getting past our front four far too easily. I thought that the linebackers and even the secondary tackled very well. I couldn't think of more than a few plays where missed tackling was a huge issue. I think this will be a strength when we play against teams with a lesser offense.

The forced turnovers were another element to yesterday's game that hopefully signals a positive step forward in this team's progression. Although we couldn't always translate the opportunities to points, the fact is that there were opportunities there to be had. This is a big difference from last year, where those opportunities were completely absent from games. It's all about being a little better than you were the day before. So in this sense, they were.

The coaching factor is also something that is night and day from last year. I feel immeasurably more confident having Jim Schwartz walking the sidelines versus Rod Marinelli. He looks in control and acts like a head coach. He had the passion to get after the refs when they blew a call (and there were MANY) and yet even when it was obvious we were overmatched, he remained even-keeled and poised. I didn't get to see his presser after the game, but I expect that same poised guy to come out and handle losses as well as he will handle wins. This team is in good hands. It's simply a matter of talent with this team right now and hopefully he can get more out of less and get us a few wins this year.

Look guys, I know this was a depressing opener, but did we REALLY expect it to go any differently? That's why I titled this article They Are Who We Thought They Were. Yeah, we all talked a little trash in the end and some of us were intoxicated from a week of crapulous kool-aid binging, but we all knew that this was likely to be the outcome. In the end, I thought the Lions were better in many aspects, but the questions we had about this team going in were simply confirmed. We already had a pretty strong inkling that the pass rush and defensive line was a liability, so why are we so surprised when it was established? We knew that our coverage was going to be a liability as well, so again... why the shock and awe when Brees torched us? Same with the offensive line and with our rookie quarterback. They are who we thought they were.

I am not trying to belittle anyone's discouragement with the Lions' poor performance yesterday. In actuality, I come offering solace and hope as I try to make sense of perplexing expectations. This team IS better. It's tough to see it after yesterday's loss, but they are. They will not go 0-16, yet I highly doubt they will go 10-6. Not every week will our defense be playing against Drew Brees. Not every week will our offense be down 14-0 in the first quarter. The circumstances for each game will vary. Some match-ups will play to our strengths (which we undeniably have) and some, like yesterday, will not.

The underlying problem is that this team lacks talent... a fact we all knew coming into the season. But there is now a solid group of base players to build from and each week we will progress. I do not believe for one second that Jim Schwartz will allow this team to regress... not for a single second. This team has stronger leadership from both the coaching staff and the players in comparison to last year and they will not buckle under mounting pressure to win. Our rookie quarterback is headstrong, mentally tough and more determined than any rookie that I've ever seen. He will not wither from the defensive pressure or the media fodder or even the oh-so-fickle Detroit fans. He will learn and get better each game and in time become the leader of a very potent offense. But guys... it's gonna take time. And by that, I mean more than a few preseason games and one... count it... one regular season start. We as a fanbase, must be patient and allow this team to learn and bond. Remember, we've turned over nearly two-thirds of our team and our roster is still very weak in comparison to most teams. We are building, not contending.

The thought I want to end on is that there IS progress. There were glimpses yesterday. Had we been playing a different opponent, maybe those glimpses would have been more pronounced, but I saw them. There is still a great hope for me in this base group of players, especially the young ones like Delmas, Stafford and Pettigrew that tells me in time, we will no longer be the laughing stock of the NFL. But when you've been down for so long, it's sometimes hard to see the positive in losses. It was an old familiar feeling... losing, I mean. It's tough not to say, "Same old Lions". But we just can't. We cannot simply throw in the towel as fans after one game and start the same old cynical chants of the Millen era. For me, I look to next week as a perfect opportunity. I will be at the Vikings game with my son (his first Lions game). What an ideal scenario for redemption... the home opener against a division rival and an old familiar foe in Brett Favre. Maybe they win, maybe not. For me, I just want to see an exciting game and a little progress. I just think that's where our expectations need to be.

Saints @ Texans: Training Camp Update - The Ruckus at Reliant

Saintsational — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

4 months ago: New Orleans Saints' Marques Colston makes a catch during a joint NFL football training camp with the Houston Texans on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Browse more photos »

The title of this post was borrowed from Jeff Duncan's tweet

Twitter

JeremyShockey 1 more practice with texans before game... Drew is back and i see that look in his eye.... look out

bawtp Twitter-dee, twitter-dum ... Saints smell the blood of the houston tex-uns ... That's my prose 4 the day!

jeffduncantp Back at Reliant Park. Sun already on high wattage. Gonna be another sweat-fest. FYI: Drew Brees is reportedly back.

wwltvsports Jammal brown not out yet. Brees on field.

jeffduncantp Houston Cougars and Rice Owls football teams are attending the morning workout as guests of the Texans.

jeffduncantpFirst major skirmmish of the two-day workouts. Troy Evans involved.

bawtp First fight ... 9:04 ... More details later

wwltvsportsFight breaks out in inside run with n.o. On d. 1st of camp with texans

wwltvsports Not sure how fight started or who started it, but it was not small

jeffduncantp Pierson Prioleau (ankle) is new addition to injured list. Jammal Brown also out. Saints are thin at tackle. Bushrod working with 1s at LT

wwltvsports Troy evans starts 2nd fight with houston's 21

jeffduncantp Another huge scrum. Dogpile of Texans and Saints at midfield.

bawtp Second fight. 9:04

jeffduncantp Huge SRO crowd at this workout, ringing field three and four deep. Feels like Fat Tuesday on St. Charles Ave.

jeffduncantp Local boy Jacoby Jones with a nice punt return on a punt by Pakulak.

wwltvsports Shockey starts fight, throws punch. It's an active day at camp

jeffduncantp Two more scrums. Buck Ortega and Jeremy Shockey engaged in separate fracases. Shockey throwing haymakers.

wwltvsports Practice is over. Let's say it got a little physical out here. 3 fights and kots of tackles to the ground by Saints defense.

wwltvsports Jammal Brown in Philly getting checked out for possible sports hernia.

wwltvsports 4 fights, 2 on each field hilighted bt Shockey's brou ha ha and Troy Evans' melee.

jeffduncantp Update: Jammal Brown with potential sports hernia. Flew to Philly for evaluation by specialist Dr. William Myers. Out Sat., indefintely

jeffduncantp Texans players called Saints cheap-shot artists afterward. Some didn't take to defensive players constant ballhawking. Quotes to come.

jeffduncantp Darren Sharper: "I haven't seen this many fights in my whole career. From our team, now against another team."

GregBensel we welcomed drew back to the team; met us in Houston where the practices were intense

jeffduncantp Brees returned to practice & didn't skip a beat. Said it's been an emotional week but was glad to rejoin "my other family."

wwltvsports OK fans, there seems to be a lot of concern over Bush. No one in the media saw anything happen. Ergo, nothing to report at this moment.

MalcolmJenkins it got a lil chippy today in practice... this is gonna be a great game!!

jeffduncantp I've asked Saints officials about Bush. No official word. I didn't see the injury & after his "iced knee" prank I'll withhold speculation

ltorrence24 We play 1 of the last gladiator sports on earth! 1 of the few places U cn smack some1 in the mouth & not worry abt going 2 jail. I luv it!

jeffduncantp More Ruckus at Reliant ... Texans LB DeMeco Ryans: "I told our defensive guys that nobody's going to come in our house and push us around."

jeffduncantp Texans FB Vonta Leach on R. Coleman: "Nothing was being said - it was a cheap shot, our guy came off the blocks, and they started swinging."

wwltvsports Bush sitting on bench while team goes through walk thru practice. Will talk with Payton post practice.

wwltvsports Stay calm Saints nation. Don't jump to conclusions.

jeffduncantp Bush not working at pm prax. Walking gingerly on right leg but nothing wrapped. No official word from Saints til post-practice.

wwltvsportsBush now standing with team. Light practice with no helmets

jeffduncantp My take is the Bush injury -- if indeed there is one -- isn't serious

wwltvsports Bush seems to be spending practice sitting on the sideline, content to watch practice.

wwltvsports Payton on Bush: strained calf,

jeffduncantp Payton: Reggie strained calf. Not serious. Could play if needed

wwltvsports Bush on Bush: said it's just a bad cramp. Payton says it happened during post practice conditioning, nothing to worry about

wwltvsports Bush after practice was limping slightly, but Payton said if it were reg season, Bush would be playing. Just a mild calf sprain.

jeffduncantp Payton: Brees will play first half Saturday and Joey Harrington will finish game with second- and third-teams.

jeffduncantp No word on Jammal Brown's sports hernia. Evaluation to be done later today, Payton said. Specialist is same doc who worked on Will Smith

SupaFreak69 great day so far....headn bak to telly to relax...

Linkage

Photos from the New Orleans Saints Jeremy Shockey and Houston's DeMeco Ryans fight - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush suffers strained calf - Times-Pic

Video: Shockey at the center of brawl with Texans - WWL

Deke: Saints/Texans Day 2/Practice 1 - WWL

Saints and Texans Squabble - New Orleans Saints official website

Kristian: Shanle quietly leads Saints in tackles - WWL

New Orleans Saints left tackle Jammal Brown sidelined indefinitely with possible sports hernia - Times-Pic

New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans tangle in fight-marred practice Thursday morning - Times-Pic

"Being tough is part of it, I don't think we want to take it to the level of fighting because that's going to hurt our team," Sharper said. "But being tough and challenging and being competitive are all things that (defensive coordinator Gregg Williams) preaches with his defense and being aggressive, also. All those things come along. Something us guys as players take it a little too far and that's when it boils over into ruckuses."

-Darren Sharper

New Orleans Saints defensive end Jeff Charleston working overtime - Times-Pic

"Every day, I've got to get a little extra work," he said. "Me and (fellow defensive end) Charles Grant, we've been working every day. That first week of camp is brutal -- it kills you, it wears you down. We just figured after every practice, we're going to do a little extra, run a little more. It's gotten easier.

"More time means more time for me to work. I get off my feet, I ice. I do the proper methods to recover. But if (Coach Sean Payton) gives us a little extra time to get a little extra work, we're going to get a little extra work."

-Jeff Charleston

"I don't feel right unless I do a little bit more than everyone else," he said. "If I don't do just a little bit more, I feel like I'm on the same level. And I know I've had to work for everything I've gotten. So I'm just trying to get a little bit extra, a little bit more. Then, when I go to sleep at night, I feel a little bit better."

-Jeff Charleston

"There's a young man that loves the game of football," defensive line coach Bill Johnson said. "He's got a great passion for it, he's got a great work ethic, a person that wants to excel. To me, he's headed in the right direction. All he has to do is start getting some playing time. Experience is what he's got to go after, but he plays fast, plays hard and he studies the game. That's what I love about him.

"He's the type guy you look for as a coach. A guy that loves it, a guy that wants to get better, a guy that doesn't just want to come out and practice, but he wants to study tape and learn more about football. He's got a big heart."

-Bill Johnson

"We're going to rotate, and we're going to play him," Johnson said. "Once we get our roster set -- in this league, if you get on the bus, you play.

"You know our situation (with the pending suspensions). It's pretty obvious what's going on. He's going to get that chance. He's doing all the things he needs to do to get that chance."

-Bill Johnson

"I've always felt like I have belonged," Charleston said. "Any team I've been on, I've always felt I had a role. Any place you go, you have a role. If you're on a 53-man roster you have a role -- if it's special teams, if it's backing up someone, if it's coming in on third down. And this is a game with injuries.

"You've got to be ready at any moment. I've got friends and college teammates that were backups and never thought they'd see the field and they become starters, because one guy goes down and they shine in their opportunity."

-Jeff Charleston

Video

Jeff Duncan's New Orleans Saints video log from Houston, Day 22 (Aug. 20, 2009)

Drew Brees Press Conference Transcript

From the New Orleans Saints official website

Q: How was it to get back?

A: It was good. I got back last night, watched the film, it looked like there was some great work yesterday. I think this is important work to get anytime you can go up against another team you're not familiar with since they're not in your division and in fact in a whole other conference. You just get new looks that you haven't seen all training camp, because it's competitive because everybody wants to get out here and play well and you have something to prove.

Q: Has it been therapeutic for you to get back on the field after your mother's passing?

A: It's always nice to get back. Certainly my mind has been on my family and my mother. I have a family back here with our team the Saints, so when I got back it was great to see everybody, great to flip on the film and just start kind of getting back focused on football again.

Q: Can you compartmentalize things relatively easily?

A: I definitely think I can. I think unlike maybe when my mom first passed away, it was such a shock. Now that it's been almost two weeks and the fact that we've already had the memorial services. We've already had a family, friend memorial service on Monday and another yesterday. Now there's some sense of closure. I'm able to compartmentalize that and think about football.

Q: Does it take some time to feel completely comfortable again on the field?

A: Yes. It did. It's only been three days and I practiced Sunday morning and it hasn't been that long, but you feel out here, it does take a few snaps to get back in it. I don't want to say it's working the rust off or some kinks, since it's only three days, but just getting your mind back in it.

Q: Who won the battle between Jeremy Shockey and DeMeco Ryans?

A: I think I'd take Shockey over just about anybody in that deal. Tempers flare because it's competitive. Things are physical and it's football. Obviously we're not trying to get hurt out here. We're trying to help ourselves get better and they're trying to get better as well, but in the end when you have competitive people and you're in a physical sport like this, it's bound to happen. You just don't want anybody to get hurt because of it.

Q: Do the fights serve as a prelude to Saturday?

A: Last year it was the same thing. There's more fights as you go on because in the beginning you're kind of going at it and you kind of understand he's going faster than me, so you pick it up or I'm going a little faster than him. The second day you're more agitated. That's usually the way it happens. The longer you practice, the more you're going to see it happen. You wouldn't see it in the first or second drill. Once the second day rolls around that's what happens. It makes for a competitive game on Saturday.

Q: Are the fights with quarterbacks kind of like with goalies in hockey? Did you look for Matt Schaub when the fights broke out?

A: He was on the other field here. No, I'm just trying to get my guys out of there. You don't want anybody to get hurt.

Q: How do you evaluate the job the offensive line has done in camp?

A: I think they've been doing well. It's a group that's been together for a very long time. You mention the injuries. Obviously Jammal (Brown) and some other nicks and dings, but for the most part, our guys up front have been together a long time. Even the backups have been here for quite a while. (Jermon) Bushrod and (Zach) Strief have been here a few years. When those guys need to step in and get the job done along with (Jamar) Nesbit, those guys get the job done.

Q: How uneasy would you be if Jammal is sidelined?

A: That's tough, because obviously he's the anchor on that left side. I mentioned Strief and Bushrod. I'm very confident in those two guys. I certainly want to have Jammal back as quickly as possible, but that's a part of the game.

Q: Can you talk about the support of your team and teammates when you had to deal with your mom's passing?

A: It was awesome. In fact, Mr. Benson gave his plane to Sean Payton and six or seven guys to come out to the memorial service on Monday. It was awesome. They walked in and it brought a tear to my eyes, because I know how much they mean to me, just the fact that they were there to support me and my family was great.

Q: Can you tell which team members attended the service?

A: It was Sean Payton, Pete Carmichael Jr. our offensive coordinator, who I've been with a long time, Billy Miller, Jon Stinchcomb, Charles Grant, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Reggie Bush.

Q: Do you think the circumstances will make it difficult to start preparation wise?

A: No, having today, this afternoon and then tomorrow, we'll be fine. I've been playing a long time. I hope it doesn't take more than a few throws to get me back in it.

Sean Payton Press Conference Transcript

From the New Orleans Saints official website

Opening Statement:

"One quick injury update: we're having Jammal Brown looked at. He has some pain in his upper groin area and he's flying to Philadelphia to have Dr. Meyers give him an exam and see if we get to the bottom of it. It's something that has been troubling him a little bit; yesterday it flared up and he wasn't at practice this morning. This afternoon's practice will be indoors and separate and we'll get ready for Saturday's game."

Is Jammal out of Saturday night's game?

"I think he would be right now. As soon as I know more in regards to the feedback we get from Philly, I'll pass it along."

What is your reaction to the fights on the practice field this morning?

"There were a couple on both fields but I don't think it was anything significant."

Is that something you expect when you go up against another team in practice? Is it indicative of the attitude of this defense?

"When you practice against somebody like we have for the second day now and it's hot, tempers get flared up a little bit. It happened twice on both fields and both teams handled it well and got back to playing."

Does it concern you when your starting tight end is involved in the fight?

"No, it's just what I said. Regardless of position, it was just guys getting a little frustrated on both sides of the ball. Nothing serious."

How tight is the competition between Skyler Green and Courtney Roby for the kick returner spot?

"It's not just those two players. Both of those guys are competing for a roster spot and it would have to include being a returner, yet that doesn't mean that one or the other is going to make the team. It's pretty competitive for those players who are having to play defense or offense as well as the kicking game."

What did it mean to have Drew Brees back today?

"It was great to have him back. He means a lot and obviously he's one of the leaders of this team. A lot functions around him offensively so it was significant."

How did the offensive line look in practice?

"I think he did pretty good. We're nicked up a little bit with Zach Strief, Jammal Brown, Tim Duckworth - there were three guys that weren't able to practice so these young guys are getting a lot of reps. Jermon Bushrod got a lot of work today and it was a good experience for him."

Is the concern with Jammal a sports hernia?

"That's what he's being examined for. We'll wait and see and get some feedback. He's having the exam later this afternoon after flying out this morning."

What was your overall take on the three practices with the Texans?

"I thought it was good work. I just talked to Gary (Kubiak) as we were finishing practice. We get so much because you get different looks and it changes the routine. For the players, that's most important because this is the hard part of training camp, the latter part of it. To try to keep the focus and the edge becomes a little easier when you're going against someone else; you can't really let up and try to just glide through practice. You have to get ready and that's what I like about it."

Usama Young was working with the first-team defense today. Is that something he'll be doing more often?

"We're going to continue to work him into that group. He's doing real well and he's pushing. That's a good competition right now."

How is Chris Reis doing?

"He's battling and you're going to see him in and out of the lineup. He's doing well, so we have good competition there. We'll try to get all of those guys work on Saturday."

With Chip Vaughn out, is Reis working at both safety positions?

"He's flexible enough to work both positions, but primarily we have him at strong now."