New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Article ReFo: NO @ TB, Week 2

After having to sit and wait for 69 minutes in the middle of the first quarter both the Saints and the Bucs came out and played as flat as could be. Mental errors and shoddy offense were the two themes for the game as both teams tried to give the game away it seemed. With 1:06 remaining Rian Lindell missed a 47 yard field goal that gave the ball back to the Saints, down a point, with one last chance. Four plays later Drew Brees had the Saints spiking the ball at the Tampa Bay nine and Garrett Hartley would knock in the 27 yard field goal for the win.

The bright spots for both teams were the suffocating defenses. The Bucs secondary had made Brees gun shy by the second half and he kept reverting back to Jimmy Graham. Graham saw 15 targets for an amazing 179 yards, but Brees went to the well one too many times. A forced throw to Graham late in the game led to a Mason Foster 85 yard interception return for a touchdown that almost gave the Bucs the game.

The Saints have made quite the defensive turnaround of their own. Through two games last season the defense had given up 75 points and was 0-2. After facing two division rivals this season that number is cut in half. Here are the performances that have made the biggest difference:

New Orleans – Three Performances of Note
Cameron a Game Changer
There were times last year where you could see the ability. Like in week 1 when he had 10 stops against the Redskins or week 9 where he notched three sacks and nine total pressures against the Eagles. This year, though, it hasn’t been just flashes; it’s been a constant stream. Cameron Jordan looks like he’s finally putting it all together. The third year end out of Cal had his second straight monster game with a grade of +5.1. Jordan made four stops on the day and had three pressures including a sack. He currently has the second highest grade of any 3-4 defensive end (behind J.J. Watt) and has collected the most pressures. It’s been a truly remarkable start to the season for Jordan.

Coming into his Own
When Jermon Bushrod headed off to the Bears in free agency the sentiment at PFF was that he wasn’t worth what he’d be getting. So far through two games the Saints decision to let him walk looks brilliant. Bushrod has stumbled to a -3.5 grade games while his replacement Charles Brown is at +2.1 through two games with a superb performance on Sunday. The fourth year left tackle out of USC matched up against Adrian Clayborn all day and surrendered a single pressure. Brown’s PBE of 94.6 for the season while Bushrod’s is 90.8.

First Round Flop
It is interesting to think about where Mark Ingram (-1.5) would be if he would have been drafted elsewhere in the 2011 NFL draft. It’s not that he can’t run the football, his 40.9 elusive rating was one of the best in the NFL last season. It’s just that Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas’ elusive ratings were better and they’ve earned their superior playing time. Ingram doesn’t have the speed of Sproles or the power and elusiveness of Thomas. Ingram also doesn’t have the versatility of either. Last season the Saints passed around 64% of the time, but when the former Heisman trophy winner was in they passed only 41% of the time.

On Sunday it was more of the same. Ingram took eight handoffs in his 14 snaps for 20 yards, breaking no tackles and notably getting stoned at the goaline by Mason Foster. His power never quite translated to the next level and if Thomas stays healthy, Ingram may see his 15 snaps a game dwindle even more.

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Game Notes

- Drew Brees completed just three passes for a passer rating of 1.7 on the 15 dropbacks where he faced pressure.

- The Bucs linebackers were their best positional unit on the day. Lavonte David, Mason Foster, and Dekoda Watson had a combined grade of +6.8.

- The Saints missed just two tackles in 54 attempts for a tackling efficiency of 27.0.

PFF Game Ball

While the Saints tackles were superb in pass protections, no player impacted all phases of the game quite like Cameron Jordan did. He didn’t miss a snap on the day and played outstanding from start to finish.

Profootball Focus

2 missed tackles the whole game?

Out-frigging-standing!