SB Nation - Jamar Nesbit

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

8 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)

View full size photo »

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?

49ers-Saints: Matchups to watch

Fooch — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:11:43 -0000

The final injury reports were released, and depending on which of the questionable people are playing, the matchups will be rather intriguing.

49ers Pass Rush vs. Saints offensive line
The Saints will be without starting left guard Jamar Nesbit, center Jonathan Goodwin is questionable and left tackle Jammal Brown is probable after being limited in practice all week. For the 49ers, the pass rushing is starting to gain some traction as we've seen the likes of Parys Haralson and Roderick Green step up and make plays. Justin Smith will continue to be moved all around the field to create matchup havoc. And of course the impact of Manny Lawson is unknown at this point since we have no idea what defense the 49ers will roll out. I'd say that more 3-4/4-3 than nickel/dime would make sense, but after the Seahawks game, who knows what will happen.

Either way, I think this is one area the 49ers may have the advantage. If Drew Brees gets enough time he'll absolutely pick apart the 49ers defense. Once again, I'd let the corners play man-to-man and come with an extra blitzer to create havoc in the backfield.

Whomever v. Reggie Bush
Although it's only a guess, I think it's safe to say somebody will be spying Reggie Bush the entire game. Bush has absolutely shredded the 49ers in his short career, but the 49ers might finally have the talent to contain him...at least somewhat. The two primary options for defending Bush would be either sticking a DB on him all game, or going with Manny Lawson for the first ten yards and a DB thereafter.

Personally, I think this is a perfect opportunity to unleash Dashon Goldson in a one-on-one situation. He's listed as questionable this week but it sounds like he'll be able to play. The other options is running a cross between zone and man on Bush. Lawson would cover him in the first five or ten yards and then hands him off to a DB for the rest of the field. The problem with that is confusion could result leaving just enough of a hole for Bush to run wild. This is the most intriguing matchup of the day in my opinion.

49ers Receivers vs. Saints secondary
Bryant Johnson is questionable for Sunday and I'd imagine is a game-time decision. Randall Gay is also questionable due to a hamstring injury and has been limited by the injury since week 1. If Gay is out Mike McKenzie gets the start opposite Tracy Porter.

If Johnson is sitting for the 49ers, I'm honestly not sure who would start opposite Isaac Bruce. Arnaz Battle has settled in as the #3 receiver, so it's entirely reasonable to see Jason Hill or Josh Morgan starting opposite Bruce. Hill has been getting more time on special teams, but he showed some impressive skills in the preseason. I'd like to see either of the two get a little more playing time, but for my own personal benefit I've got Josh Morgan starting in one fantasy league where week 4 byes are killing me. A quality game from Morgan would certainly be all the more beneficial.

One other brief point on the passing game is the effectiveness of Vernon Davis. There has been plenty of discussion about Vernon Davis and his issues with catching the ball. However, folks seem to agree that Davis's speed has been sufficient to at least spread out the defense and open up holes underneath. The counter would be that eventually they might let Davis roam a little more free, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. He makes big plays on the short passes so I'd imagine there is still the worry about what he could do catching balls up top. Hopefully we'll see Davis explode tomorrow at the Superdome, but as long as he's being covered, hopefully the underneath remains open.

Niners @ Saints: Players to Watch

Saintsational — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:00:07 -0000

Carl Nicks' Tattoo (Photo Source).

Reggie Bush Bush has done well against San Francisco in the past. He has looked great so far this season and there is no reason why this won't continue. In fact, its scary to say, but I think we haven't even seen Reggie get hot yet. The Niners will definitely be keying on him so Reggie will definitely need to elevate his game. Patrick Willis makes a lot of tackles so Bush has a tough matchup over the middle on Sunday.

Lance Moore/Robert Meachem This is a big opportunity for the two young receivers. Matter of fact, this is really a big opportunity for all of the receivers. Lance Moore has continued to show improvement and we know that Drew has a lot of trust in him. Meachem has also continued to turn in respectable games with big catches. We could definitely see a break-out game from either of these, maybe 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. Maybe even both? That would be sweet.

Carl Nicks Time to step up. Nicks is a rookie so he's no where near perfect but I hear good things about the rookie. Losing a good player like Jamar Nesbit hurts but his pass blocking was better than his run blocking and run blocking is what we need more of. With Nicks' size, maybe he will be the key to opening up bigger holes for our running backs.

Sedrick Ellis/Kendrick Clancy With Frank Gore and DeShaun Foster toting the rock for San Francisco these two are going to have a long day. The Niners run the ball straight up the middle more than any other direction and average 5.6 yards per carry when doing so, 4th highest in the league. Their success in this matchup with be very key in the Saints stopping the run.

Deuce McAllister All signs point to yes. I doubt we will see him much, certainly not 20 carries but this should be the official beginning of the comeback. If he dresses and doesn't see the field again, heads are gonna roll.

J.T. O'Sullivan/Jamie Martin I just thought it was interesting that the Niners have two former Saints quarterbacks.

Dolphins @ Saints: The View from Section 108

Saintsational — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:00:08 -0000

I know pre-season games are usually sloppy and sometimes boring, particularly the final one, but man, this was awful. 99 total yards of offense?!?! Obviously this wasn't our real team, but c'mon! That said, the good news is that the defense still seemed to look pretty good and last weeks performance against Cincinnati may not have been a fluke. Heck, even Jason David played well. All of the attention and work the Saints have put into that side of the ball seem to be paying off. If that's the case and this continues, then we should definitely expect big things this season. I am officially excited again!

Here are my initial observations from tonight's game. Don't kill me if I am way off. This game was so hard to watch I stopped paying close attention. I did stay till the bitter end however, which I can't say for a majority of the fans.

Well, Payton lied to us again! No Shockey. He dangled that carrot in front of our face then took it away right at the last minute. I guess we will have to wait until next week to get a look at #88.
Deeeeeeuuuuuuucccceeeee! I said from the beginning that I wanted to see consistent improvement and growth in Deuce's play, and I think we have seen that these last three weeks. After catching a screen pass, he had a nice little run that included a shimmy and a shake to juke a defender. The knee must be doing pretty well. One thing we haven't seen from him though is that ability to bust up the middle and move the pile.
Staying with the running theme, the offensive line certainly wasn't giving our runners much help. Jamar Nesbit did not have a good game. I was frustrated when we couldn't punch the ball into the endzone on the goal line. Fortunately, Brunell hit Moore on 4th down.
I hate to tell all of you Jason David haters out there, but he may very well have saved his arse tonight. He actually looked pretty good. After one punt he brought down the returner after a few other Saints whiffed. Half the fans cheered and half of them booed following the play. On another punt, he timed his hit perfectly as the returner caught the ball. As I was typing my notes about his improved play tonight and his great special teams contributions on my iTouch, he intercepted the ball. As he walked off the field he pointed skyward and threw up his arms and hands. This was a different JD from games past. Does this mean it's simply a problem of motivation with him? Can he really play at a high level but choose not to because of laziness? We know the team would rather not take the cap hit by releasing him and tonight may give them reason to keep him around. Prepare yourself Saints fans. Hey, maybe this is the turning point and David will actually become the player we thought we were getting last year to help improve this defense.
In case you needed a little more reassurance about McKenzie's health, this game should have spelled your fears. He again looked good in the first quarter making a nice pass breakup and almost picking off a pass yet again. I know we acquired Ellis and Vilma and they will be important cogs in this defense, but I think McKenzie's contribution and value on this team is overlooked. Take away McKenzie and this defense looks a lot different and gives up a lot more big plays.
I noticed Aaron Glenn out on the field telling telling the other cornerback to adjust their position a couple of times immediately before the snap.
I am really excited about Sedrick Ellis. He may have a legitimate shot at being defensive rookie of the year if he keeps this up. Man Child knocked the ball loose to force a fumble and cause a turnover, which will be crucial in the regular season. He also got himself a sack. Not bad for one quarters worth of work.
Palko looked like crap (I am biting my tongue, not using the word I really want to use). With a limited number of roster spots up for grabs it wouldn't surprise me to see Palko put on the practice squad or cut outright. I would much rather keep a wide receiver or cornerback who is going to contribute on special teams then Palko.
Devery dropped another one. How much longer are we going to have to deal with this? I am hoping only another day or two.
Lance Moore looked solid. I said it last week and I will say it again, I think Lance Moore replaces Devery. He definitely deserves to be higher then Devery on the depth chart. He did what I believe is now his signature celebration, a double bow to the crowd, after scoring his touchdown.
Linebackers Marvin Mitchell and Jo-Lonn Dunbar both looked pretty good out there. Mitchell led the team in tackles tonight and also notched a sack. They both definitely helped their cause as far as making this team. Time will tell.
Not looking so great for Mehlhaff. His kickoffs looked okay but he missed his field goal attempt. I believe that is the first miss by either him or Gramatica, the later now having the slight edge. This game might have sealed his fate.
None of the receivers really stepped up and I think most of that has to do with Palko. Although Copper led the team in receiving, not sure whether he makes this team.
Lynell Hamilton didn't look as impressive as last week. Again, either did the offensive line's run blocking.
It was nice to get a chance to sort of forget about all the crap associated with the impending doom of Gustav for about 3 hours. I have been stressing out all day about it, but the second I got to my seat, all is forgotten. It's truly is amazing how that works. Saints football is the ultimate panacea. The Dome was significantly more empty then the last home pre-season game against Houston. Not sure if its because of the hurricane threat or whether everyone knew this game wasn't going to be too great.
Some teenage girl in the next section over was crying the whole game because she either got into a fight or broke up with her boyfriend. Either that or the reality of Jason David being on this team for another year and Devery dropping yet another pass finally sunk in and was too much to handle. I feel you sister.
My camera ran out of batteries so I couldn't take a picture of it, but they were selling these gigantic turkey legs still on the bone, medeival times style. I think that is new, as I haven't seen them before. Needless to say, it is hilarious to see people noshing on and waving around a giant turkey leg in the dome. Just plain weird.
There was this incessant buzzing noise during the game, like a flourescent light about to go out, that was driving my friend nuts all game. Didn't bother me.

Getting there!

Kinda hard to see but it was fairly empty last night.

UFO? Nah, it's the roof. This one's for Stu.

The one on the right is mine! They look a little lonely. I think we need to get them a friend this year.

Roll Wave!!

Pre-Snap.

Huddlin' up.

The bad guys.

Bad quality but it's actually the forced fumble by Big Sed.

Check out Payton in his "serious" stance again. They haven't even walked up to the line yet.

More Meachem.

I sit behind the whistle head guy.

The brass band walking through the concourse. I think this is so cool. I know a lot of teams probably have/do special, quirky and interesting things at home games that reflect the team and the city, but I am curious to know whether any of them are culturally relevant. Only in Nawlins!

Dude!? Really? Was your Aaron Brooks jersey dirty? You're killin' me!

Here is the roll call from last nights open thread. Glad to see NYSaint make his open thread debut.

Name	# of Posts
satchmo26	18
NYSaint	10
xen-cuts	10
Steve the fan	6
asaint	4
jjwest11	1
stujo4	1

On a much more serious note, I am not sure what is going to happen with Hurricane Gustav or what I will have to do. I am hoping to avoid evacuation. In the event that happens however I may not be able to post. Actually, I may not be able to post if I don't evacuate either. I will try and let you know what my decision will be and how it will effect CSC. If I can't do my job and post regularly, I ask that you all step it up and maybe try to put up FanPosts and FanShots to keep everything fresh. Between work, CSC and now Gustav, my stress level is through the roof. More on this later. Keep your fingers crossed. Happy freakin' Katrinaversary!

Poll

How do you feel about this game?

I could go either way.

3 votes

Doesn't matter. This game shows us nothing.

25 votes

I saw a lot of positive things.

7 votes

You call that a game?

15 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed