Not Surprised, Saints 1-0
Posted 09-09-2013 at 05:03 AM by BoudinSandwich
Considering the domination of the Falcons during the Sean Payton-era, it's absolutely no surprise that the Saints took home the Week 1 victory. How the win was achieved may be a surprise to many, but not to me - nor should it be to the readers of this blog. Sean Payton's teams show their true colors in the preseason.
The most intriguing aspect of this match up against the Falcons was how the Saints defense was going to handle an offense that seemed perfectly catered to exploit their biggest weaknesses. The biggest concern coming into the game was how the Saints' linebackers were going to handle the short-passing barrage that is the Falcons' offense. Guys like Tony Gonzalez, Steven Jackson, and even Julio Jones eat defenses up within the first 10-yards. Falcons WRs have a knack for YAC. The key for the Saints was to try to exploit a weak Falcons' offensive line, but most importantly, tackle the ball carrier and keep the YAC at a minimum. If we were to believe the preseason, then we should have been encouraged that the Saints would be able to execute. But, it's just preseason, right?
We seen the same trends in Week 1 that we've seen in the preseason. And, if you've read my blogs, you know what they are by now. The Saints have a stout D line that can stuff the run. To most, it was a given that Steven Jackson was going to break the 100-yard mark. He didn't. And, aside from 1-big run, he may not have even sniffed it. It wasn't just about stopping the run, though. The young guys in the front 7 have proven that their pass rushing ability isn't just a matter of them playing the Raiders and Chiefs. These guys can flat-out get pressure on the QB. The young guys are hungry. And, while YAHOO! Sports calls them "no-names", they will soon make a name for themselves in this league.
Also, the Saints have been tackling. It can be a bit frustrating watching receivers catch the ball from time to time, but tackling them right where they catch the ball pays huge dividends. I don't know what Rob Ryan has done to change things in that department, but it has worked. A lot of credit can also go to Kenny Vaccaro. The rookie looks more and more like the perfect choice for our first pick from this year's draft. He a play-maker who tackles and brings a contagious attitude to the rest of the unit. He's a defensive leader in his rookie year. I have no doubt that he will eventually be a star in this league.
Another trend I've mentioned in my past blogs is that the Saints D tends to start off a bit slow, then begins to settle into the game. By the 2nd half, they're full strength. It just takes them a while to settle in. And, don't worry that the Saints let the Falcons all the way to the 3 yard line on the last drive. It was clearly a relaxed defense to keep the Falcons from scoring a TD with a big play. When it came time to step up and keep them out of the endzone, they did their job.
I'm not saying this defense will be in the top 10, but I don't think there's any denial that they have the talent to be in the teens. This is in no way, shape, or form last year's defense. All of your analysis, if it concerns last year's team, can be tossed out of the window.
Unfortunately, there is another lingering trend from the preseason that actually works against the team. The offense is not punching the ball in for touchdowns and are settling for too many field goals. This theme has been repeated in every game so far. With the way the defense is playing, the Saints can get by with it at the moment. However, they're going to have to start getting in a rhythm by the end of the year if they want to go anywhere. Hartley has been solid so far, but they shouldn't be using him. Also, there remains to be quite a few big plays dropped off finger tips. Kenny Stills has been really impressive, he just has to bring the ball down. The Saints have way too many weapons on offense to be dropping passes and stalling drives. I hope this issue will resolve itself eventually... if nothing else, by the will of football karma.
Other notes...
I love this organization. Every seat in the dome had a newspaper composed of about 6 or so pages. It featured, for the most part, the story of Steven Gleason. It was just an incredibly classy move. And, SP and Gleason leading the Who Dat chant made a whole lot of men in the dome pretend to have something in their eye.
Week 1 couldn't have went any better. We're not only 1-0, not only the only team in the division with a win, but also already have a division win. The Falcons are the only team in the division with a division loss, which drops them to 4th place... lol Suck it.
And, I stand by my season predictions. Atlanta maxes out at 9-wins.
The most intriguing aspect of this match up against the Falcons was how the Saints defense was going to handle an offense that seemed perfectly catered to exploit their biggest weaknesses. The biggest concern coming into the game was how the Saints' linebackers were going to handle the short-passing barrage that is the Falcons' offense. Guys like Tony Gonzalez, Steven Jackson, and even Julio Jones eat defenses up within the first 10-yards. Falcons WRs have a knack for YAC. The key for the Saints was to try to exploit a weak Falcons' offensive line, but most importantly, tackle the ball carrier and keep the YAC at a minimum. If we were to believe the preseason, then we should have been encouraged that the Saints would be able to execute. But, it's just preseason, right?
We seen the same trends in Week 1 that we've seen in the preseason. And, if you've read my blogs, you know what they are by now. The Saints have a stout D line that can stuff the run. To most, it was a given that Steven Jackson was going to break the 100-yard mark. He didn't. And, aside from 1-big run, he may not have even sniffed it. It wasn't just about stopping the run, though. The young guys in the front 7 have proven that their pass rushing ability isn't just a matter of them playing the Raiders and Chiefs. These guys can flat-out get pressure on the QB. The young guys are hungry. And, while YAHOO! Sports calls them "no-names", they will soon make a name for themselves in this league.
Also, the Saints have been tackling. It can be a bit frustrating watching receivers catch the ball from time to time, but tackling them right where they catch the ball pays huge dividends. I don't know what Rob Ryan has done to change things in that department, but it has worked. A lot of credit can also go to Kenny Vaccaro. The rookie looks more and more like the perfect choice for our first pick from this year's draft. He a play-maker who tackles and brings a contagious attitude to the rest of the unit. He's a defensive leader in his rookie year. I have no doubt that he will eventually be a star in this league.
Another trend I've mentioned in my past blogs is that the Saints D tends to start off a bit slow, then begins to settle into the game. By the 2nd half, they're full strength. It just takes them a while to settle in. And, don't worry that the Saints let the Falcons all the way to the 3 yard line on the last drive. It was clearly a relaxed defense to keep the Falcons from scoring a TD with a big play. When it came time to step up and keep them out of the endzone, they did their job.
I'm not saying this defense will be in the top 10, but I don't think there's any denial that they have the talent to be in the teens. This is in no way, shape, or form last year's defense. All of your analysis, if it concerns last year's team, can be tossed out of the window.
Unfortunately, there is another lingering trend from the preseason that actually works against the team. The offense is not punching the ball in for touchdowns and are settling for too many field goals. This theme has been repeated in every game so far. With the way the defense is playing, the Saints can get by with it at the moment. However, they're going to have to start getting in a rhythm by the end of the year if they want to go anywhere. Hartley has been solid so far, but they shouldn't be using him. Also, there remains to be quite a few big plays dropped off finger tips. Kenny Stills has been really impressive, he just has to bring the ball down. The Saints have way too many weapons on offense to be dropping passes and stalling drives. I hope this issue will resolve itself eventually... if nothing else, by the will of football karma.
Other notes...
I love this organization. Every seat in the dome had a newspaper composed of about 6 or so pages. It featured, for the most part, the story of Steven Gleason. It was just an incredibly classy move. And, SP and Gleason leading the Who Dat chant made a whole lot of men in the dome pretend to have something in their eye.
Week 1 couldn't have went any better. We're not only 1-0, not only the only team in the division with a win, but also already have a division win. The Falcons are the only team in the division with a division loss, which drops them to 4th place... lol Suck it.
And, I stand by my season predictions. Atlanta maxes out at 9-wins.
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Comments
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Great read. It was definitely a game where the focus was gonna' be on the defense and I think they passed the audition. It says a lot about the heart of the defensive unit when, with a new DC, a new scheme and a lot of new faces, they stop their biggest rival and last year's Division Champs in the last seconds of the game, at the goal line, to preserve the win,
.Posted 09-09-2013 at 07:11 AM by SloMotion
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