PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys

ChrisXVI · 10-05-2015, 10:20 AM

— This was a busy off-season of rebuilding for the Saints, and their top two draft picks on defense stood out with strong performances, particularly against the run last night. Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) and Stephone Anthony (+2.5) both earned the highest grades of their young NFL careers last night, and led the New Orleans’ defense with a combined 11 stops. Each of them added a sack, taking down Brandon Weeden (+0.1) after he was moved out of the pocket by other pressure.

— Sometimes as a quarterback, you have to take advantage of your good fortune in having bad plays nullified—that’s exactly what Drew Brees (+0.9) did last night. An interception, a dropped interception and another miss were all nullified by penalties last night, leaving Brees’ passing grade on non-nullified plays at +3.8. When the plays stood, Brees was on point; particularly on intermediate and deep throws, compiling a stat line of five-of-seven, 167 yards and the game-winning touchdown (+4.7 PFF passing grade) on passes aimed 10 or more yards in the air.

— Playing corner in the NFL is a tough gig, and the difficulties in terms of performance and perception were highlighted very well by the night Delvin Breaux (+1.1) had in coverage. Targeted nine times by Brandon Weeden, Breaux surrendered only two catches, but one of those was the game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation. Prior to that, Breaux stood up to a barrage of deep throws, winning more than he lost, cutting off routes and preventing the receiver from reaching the target point; but his eventual loss in coverage will be what sticks in the mind.

Top performers:

OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1)

WR Willie Snead (+3.1)

HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9)

LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5)

DT John Jenkins (+2.4)

My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers!

K Major · 10-05-2015, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by ChrisXVI

Top performers:

OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1)

WR Willie Snead (+3.1)

HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9)

LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5)

DT John Jenkins (+2.4)

My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers!

Good work by all but Kikaha specifically ... those record number of sacks (I think 19 in college) don't appear to be a fluke. This kid is on pace for 15 this season.

Is it too early to call him K Sizzle

?

The Dude · 10-05-2015, 10:47 AM

I think it's worth mentioning that Ingram had a solid night. I believe there is something to the theory of giving him touches to gain momentum. If God forbid Robinson went down I think Ingram would really shine.

Also Evans was not missed. Our line wasn't great but it wasn't when he was playing.

ChrisXVI · 10-05-2015, 10:51 AM

I occasionally check out WalterFootball.com for his draft prospect coverage and it's always funny going back and reading his draft grades when he's completely wrong. He HATED us picking Kikaha in the 2nd round and this is what he said:

WHOA... I didn't even have Hau'oli Kikaha being drafted, and there were teams that didn't even have him on their boards because of numerous knee injuries. The Saints could've A) obtained safer players who are close in terms of talent, or B) waited several rounds to draft Kikaha. This is a major head-scratcher.

I was critical of us picking Kikaha in the 2nd round as well, but what do I know?! I'm sure glad I was wrong.

vpheughan · 10-05-2015, 10:54 AM

Should have drafted a PK

Beastmode · 10-05-2015, 11:03 AM

Dallas injuries took a toll for sure. Spiller TD direct result of it. It took all those starters coming out and a couple of dropped gift picks to squeak it out...I'll take it but that many fortunate circumstances happening again, if that's what it takes we are in trouble. Even getting the OT coin flip was huge, Dallas was worn out.

nola_swammi · 10-05-2015, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by ChrisXVI

— This was a busy off-season of rebuilding for the Saints, and their top two draft picks on defense stood out with strong performances, particularly against the run last night. Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) and Stephone Anthony (+2.5) both earned the highest grades of their young NFL careers last night, and led the New Orleans’ defense with a combined 11 stops. Each of them added a sack, taking down Brandon Weeden (+0.1) after he was moved out of the pocket by other pressure.

— Sometimes as a quarterback, you have to take advantage of your good fortune in having bad plays nullified—that’s exactly what Drew Brees (+0.9) did last night. An interception, a dropped interception and another miss were all nullified by penalties last night, leaving Brees’ passing grade on non-nullified plays at +3.8. When the plays stood, Brees was on point; particularly on intermediate and deep throws, compiling a stat line of five-of-seven, 167 yards and the game-winning touchdown (+4.7 PFF passing grade) on passes aimed 10 or more yards in the air.

— Playing corner in the NFL is a tough gig, and the difficulties in terms of performance and perception were highlighted very well by the night Delvin Breaux (+1.1) had in coverage. Targeted nine times by Brandon Weeden, Breaux surrendered only two catches, but one of those was the game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation. Prior to that, Breaux stood up to a barrage of deep throws, winning more than he lost, cutting off routes and preventing the receiver from reaching the target point; but his eventual loss in coverage will be what sticks in the mind.

Top performers:

OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1)

WR Willie Snead (+3.1)

HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9)

LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5)

DT John Jenkins (+2.4)

My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers!

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...in-saints-win/

halloween 65 · 10-05-2015, 11:46 AM

Well today(so far only today) I got to eat a little crow on Anthony. I'll give him credit were credit is due. He filled his gap assignment well and called a decent enough game. The guy still has a long way to go though, Dallas was depleted on both sides of the ball but maybe(maybe) this is the type of game needed to build a little confidence on. I'm still not close to being sold on his pick but it's up to him wheather I eat more crow or not.

Mardigras9 · 10-05-2015, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Beastmode

Dallas injuries took a toll for sure. Spiller TD direct result of it. It took all those starters coming out and a couple of dropped gift picks to squeak it out...I'll take it but that many fortunate circumstances happening again, if that's what it takes we are in trouble. Even getting the OT coin flip was huge, Dallas was worn out.

Dead on I believe. Maybe breaking the seal on finally winning will jump start this team, we'll see.

Danno · 10-05-2015, 12:22 PM

Complete grades...

10-05-2015, 10:20 AM	#1
ChrisXVI 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 11,482	PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys — This was a busy off-season of rebuilding for the Saints, and their top two draft picks on defense stood out with strong performances, particularly against the run last night. Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) and Stephone Anthony (+2.5) both earned the highest grades of their young NFL careers last night, and led the New Orleans’ defense with a combined 11 stops. Each of them added a sack, taking down Brandon Weeden (+0.1) after he was moved out of the pocket by other pressure. — Sometimes as a quarterback, you have to take advantage of your good fortune in having bad plays nullified—that’s exactly what Drew Brees (+0.9) did last night. An interception, a dropped interception and another miss were all nullified by penalties last night, leaving Brees’ passing grade on non-nullified plays at +3.8. When the plays stood, Brees was on point; particularly on intermediate and deep throws, compiling a stat line of five-of-seven, 167 yards and the game-winning touchdown (+4.7 PFF passing grade) on passes aimed 10 or more yards in the air. — Playing corner in the NFL is a tough gig, and the difficulties in terms of performance and perception were highlighted very well by the night Delvin Breaux (+1.1) had in coverage. Targeted nine times by Brandon Weeden, Breaux surrendered only two catches, but one of those was the game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation. Prior to that, Breaux stood up to a barrage of deep throws, winning more than he lost, cutting off routes and preventing the receiver from reaching the target point; but his eventual loss in coverage will be what sticks in the mind. Top performers: OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) WR Willie Snead (+3.1) HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9) LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5) DT John Jenkins (+2.4) My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers! jnormand, Danno, Beastmode and 2 others like this.
	"When you get into one of these groups, there's only a couple of ways you can get out. One, is death; the other, is mental institutions."

10-05-2015, 10:34 AM	#2
K Major Site Donor 2019 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedford, TX Posts: 24,018 Blog Entries: 3	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Originally Posted by ChrisXVI Top performers: OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) WR Willie Snead (+3.1) HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9) LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5) DT John Jenkins (+2.4) My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers! Good work by all but Kikaha specifically ... those record number of sacks (I think 19 in college) don't appear to be a fluke. This kid is on pace for 15 this season. Is it too early to call him K Sizzle ? dizzle88 and ctsaint01 like this.

10-05-2015, 10:47 AM	#3
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,006	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys I think it's worth mentioning that Ingram had a solid night. I believe there is something to the theory of giving him touches to gain momentum. If God forbid Robinson went down I think Ingram would really shine. Also Evans was not missed. Our line wasn't great but it wasn't when he was playing. Beastmode likes this.
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,006	Last edited by The Dude; 10-05-2015 at 10:50 AM..

10-05-2015, 10:51 AM	#4
ChrisXVI 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 11,482	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys I occasionally check out WalterFootball.com for his draft prospect coverage and it's always funny going back and reading his draft grades when he's completely wrong. He HATED us picking Kikaha in the 2nd round and this is what he said: WHOA... I didn't even have Hau'oli Kikaha being drafted, and there were teams that didn't even have him on their boards because of numerous knee injuries. The Saints could've A) obtained safer players who are close in terms of talent, or B) waited several rounds to draft Kikaha. This is a major head-scratcher. I was critical of us picking Kikaha in the 2nd round as well, but what do I know?! I'm sure glad I was wrong. jnormand likes this.
	"When you get into one of these groups, there's only a couple of ways you can get out. One, is death; the other, is mental institutions."

10-05-2015, 10:54 AM	#5
vpheughan 1000 Posts + Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,499	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Should have drafted a PK Rugby Saint II and ctsaint01 like this.
vpheughan 1000 Posts + Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,499

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10-05-2015, 11:03 AM	#6
Beastmode 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 9,126	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Dallas injuries took a toll for sure. Spiller TD direct result of it. It took all those starters coming out and a couple of dropped gift picks to squeak it out...I'll take it but that many fortunate circumstances happening again, if that's what it takes we are in trouble. Even getting the OT coin flip was huge, Dallas was worn out. Mardigras9 likes this.
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10-05-2015, 11:43 AM	#7
nola_swammi 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Monroe, La Posts: 2,626	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Originally Posted by ChrisXVI — This was a busy off-season of rebuilding for the Saints, and their top two draft picks on defense stood out with strong performances, particularly against the run last night. Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) and Stephone Anthony (+2.5) both earned the highest grades of their young NFL careers last night, and led the New Orleans’ defense with a combined 11 stops. Each of them added a sack, taking down Brandon Weeden (+0.1) after he was moved out of the pocket by other pressure. — Sometimes as a quarterback, you have to take advantage of your good fortune in having bad plays nullified—that’s exactly what Drew Brees (+0.9) did last night. An interception, a dropped interception and another miss were all nullified by penalties last night, leaving Brees’ passing grade on non-nullified plays at +3.8. When the plays stood, Brees was on point; particularly on intermediate and deep throws, compiling a stat line of five-of-seven, 167 yards and the game-winning touchdown (+4.7 PFF passing grade) on passes aimed 10 or more yards in the air. — Playing corner in the NFL is a tough gig, and the difficulties in terms of performance and perception were highlighted very well by the night Delvin Breaux (+1.1) had in coverage. Targeted nine times by Brandon Weeden, Breaux surrendered only two catches, but one of those was the game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation. Prior to that, Breaux stood up to a barrage of deep throws, winning more than he lost, cutting off routes and preventing the receiver from reaching the target point; but his eventual loss in coverage will be what sticks in the mind. Top performers: OLB Hau’oli Kikaha (+3.1) WR Willie Snead (+3.1) HB C.J. Spiller (+2.9) LB Stephone Anthony (+2.5) DT John Jenkins (+2.4) My takeaway: I believe we might just have us some bada$$ linebackers! https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...in-saints-win/

10-05-2015, 11:46 AM	#8
halloween 65 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Grand Haven, Michigan by way of a little Mississippi River town in Louisiana Posts: 5,893	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Well today(so far only today) I got to eat a little crow on Anthony. I'll give him credit were credit is due. He filled his gap assignment well and called a decent enough game. The guy still has a long way to go though, Dallas was depleted on both sides of the ball but maybe(maybe) this is the type of game needed to build a little confidence on. I'm still not close to being sold on his pick but it's up to him wheather I eat more crow or not.

10-05-2015, 12:16 PM	#9
Mardigras9 Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Land Mass between LA and AL Posts: 4,375	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Originally Posted by Beastmode Dallas injuries took a toll for sure. Spiller TD direct result of it. It took all those starters coming out and a couple of dropped gift picks to squeak it out...I'll take it but that many fortunate circumstances happening again, if that's what it takes we are in trouble. Even getting the OT coin flip was huge, Dallas was worn out. Dead on I believe. Maybe breaking the seal on finally winning will jump start this team, we'll see.

10-05-2015, 12:22 PM	#10
Danno Site Donor 2014 Truth Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Spanish Fort, AL (via NO and B/R) Posts: 24,640	Re: PFF Grades: Saints vs. Cowboys Complete grades... Attached Thumbnails

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