In watching the foibles of the New Orleans Saints over the course of three games, I have been as confused and surprised as anyone in watching the fortunes of this franchise disintegrate. The foundation has crumbled as fast as a Saltine cracker. In retrospect, after gathering information, organizing thoughts, and seperating my professional opinions from my personal feelings, my vision has been restored.  Johnny Nash wrote a song which became a big hit called "I Can See Clearly Now" which reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1972.

Ken Trahan - WGSO Sports - In watching the foibles of the New Orleans Saints over the course of three games, I have been as confused and surprised as anyone in watching the fortunes of this franchise disintegrate. The foundation has crumbled as fast as a Saltine cracker. In retrospect, after gathering information, organizing thoughts, and seperating my professional opinions from my personal feelings, my vision has been restored.

{sidebar id=9}Johnny Nash wrote a song which became a big hit called "I Can See Clearly Now" which reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1972. It proved to be the perfect song to clear my mind in viewing the carnage that is the 2007 New Orleans Saints: "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, it's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day. I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for. It's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day. Look all around, there's nothin but blue skies. Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies. I can see clearly now, the rain has gone, I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that he had me blind. It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun shiny day."

After attending the Saints-Titans game and doing my radio show from the Superdome prior to the game, I wrote down a number of thoughts about what I had said and what I had seen. It always a good idea to collect your thoughts before expressing them. After collecting my thoughts, here is what I arrived at. The Saints did not improve during the off season. Obviously, the 2007 draft was not kind to New Orleans. The Saints did a very poor job. Just a few months past the draft, here is the report card. First round pick Robert Meacham would not have made the team had he not been a number one draft pick. Despite occupying a place on the roster, he is inactive weekly on a team that has a glaring need for a number one or number two receiver. Guard Andy Alleman and tackle Jermon Bushrod are projects. Cornerback David Jones was cut. Ditto for Antonio Pittman, who was released despite being traded up for in the draft. Marvin Mitchell did not make the active roster. Only Usama Young is dressed and playing for the Saints on Sunday from this potentially disastrous draft.

When you examine moves in free agency, only tight end Eric Johnson has made any contribution that would be considered significant. Having said this, the upgrade has been slight, not substantial, at this position. Otherwise, wide receiver David Patten is a journeyman. Defensively, the Saints signed Kendrick Clancy to help stop the run. He has been hurt and has made no difference. At linebacker, the team signed veterans Brian Simmons and Dhani Jones to upgrade the position. Jones did not even make the team. Simmons is a reserve. In the secondary, Jason Davis has been awful at one corner. At safety, Kevin Kaesviharn cannot even start despite the fact that Josh Bullocks is below average and Roman Harper is essentially a rookie.

As for returning players, the collapse has been collective. There is not one area of this football team that has performed well. Offensively, the Saints are 24th overall through three weeks after finishing last year first overall. They are 27th in points scored per game (12.7) and 28th in rushing yards per game (79.7). Drew Brees has gone from terrific to terrible, losing accuracy, making bad decisions, and turning the football over. After throwing just 11 interceptions in 18 games a year ago, he already has an astonishing total of seven in just three games this season. He is averaging a paltry 8.1 yards per completion in what has been a dink-and-dunk offense. Reggie Bush, despite a couple of touchdowns against Tennessee, has largely been ineffective. Deuce McAllister is likely done for the season and possible for his career with the Saints following another knee injury.
The offensive line has been woeful, failing to open holes for the running game while acting as a matador in their effort to protect Brees. Outside of Marques Colston, who has 18 catches for 185 yards and a score, the receiving corps has been irrelevant. The team has been outscored 103-38. 

Will Smith and Charles Grant have been admirable but not outstanding. At linebacker, all three starters return but they have made no impact thus far despite some good hits by emotional Scott Fujita. As for the secondary, they are the NFL's worst. Jason David is a square peg in a round hole, trying to play man defense when is clearly a "cover two" zone man. To call him toast would be an understatement. Young has promise and needs to play more while Jason Craft is okay. At safety, Josh Bullocks continues to show no ability to make plays. Roman Harper is a work in progress. Kevin Kaesviharn has had no impact.

The kicking game is no better. The punt return game is non-existent. Kickoff returns are decent but Michael Lewis was better. Olindo Mare is kicking off rather well but has come up short in the field goal department. John Carney was 23 of 25 in this department a year ago. Mare has already missed twice this season. Perhaps the team MVP through three games has been Steve Weatherford, who has punted very well. That is a sad statement.

To illustrate the desperation of the Saints, one needs only to examine five pivotal moments in the Saints game with Tennessee. On the first play from scrimmage, they ran an end-around with Reggie Bush. It gained three yards. Typically, that is a play utilized after setting it up with a sweep or two. There was a screen attempt on first down that got blown up, resulting in Bush losing yardage. Again, the screen is typically used to offset a big pass rush, not on first down. There was a fake handoff on the kickoff return featuring Aaron Stecker and Reggie Bush. And to start the second half, the Saints attempted a flea flicker which did nothing. Trick plays will not work if you cannot run the football or have no threat of the run. Most notably was the decision by Sean Payton to go for it on fourth down and a half yard on his own end of the field down only 3-0 on just the Saints' second possession of the game. Drew Brees threw deep for Marques Colston. The pass was nowhere near him.

While Coach Payton and his players continue to say that there is no panic in this team, these plays clearly say otherwise. Sean Payton did a remarkable job with the Saints a year ago. He richly deserved NFL Coach of the Year honors. I still believe that he is a good NFL Head Coach who is going through a slump in his play-calling duties. Of course, players can make coaches look good by executing and make the look bad by not executing.
I have heard many theories about why the same players are playing at a far lower level than a year ago. The one I have heard the most is that the Saints "overachieved" a year ago. I find that notion to be ridiculous. If you have achieved something, it simply means that you were capable of doing so, maximizing your abilities. I believe the Saints maximized their abilities a year ago. They have tapped into their talent in minimal fashion this season. Fans actually booed at the Titans game. Seems like old times.....

The big question is not whether this team can rebound from 0-3 to have a special season. As B.B. King once sang, that "thrill is gone." The bigger question is whether this organization can withstand the difficult times that are the here and now, right the ship, make good moves, and improve the team. With the bye week upon us, look for a running back to be signed. Pierre Thomas, Stecker, and Bush are speed backs who cannot run between the tackles. One real possibility is Corey Dillon, who is the 14th leading rusher in NFL history. Though he is long in the tooth at 33 years old, Dillon averaged 4.3 yards per carry, ran for 812 yards and scored 13 touchdowns a year ago. He could be a short-term fix to a long-term problem--replacing Deuce McAllister. Desperation has thus far produced desolation and sleep depravation for shocked Saints fans. The key now is to avoid devastation.

Back to Johnny Nash--"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone." It rained the day of the Titans game. "I can see all obstacles in my way." That would next be the Panthers. "Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind." Sleep helped erase the depression of the Saints performance. "It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day." The sun did rise the morning after. "I think I can make it now, the pain is gone." Time is such a healer! "All of the bad feelings have disappeared." No doubt that there are more important things than football. "Here is the rainbow I've been praying for." In my life, all things become more optimistic following real prayer. "It's gonna be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day. Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies. Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies."

Have a positive outlook. Try to avoid depression. Anger will accomplish nothing. It is just a game, after all. With some talent on hand, the Saints are bound to find something within them that will allow them to play better than what we have seen. Sean Payton and Drew Brees were both "The Magic Man" that Heart once sang about in 2006. As Bob Dylan once declared, "The Times, they are a changin'." Things may soon improve. Things may grow bleaker before rising again. Today the present is past. Tomorrow brings another day, a brighter outlook, where hope springs eternal. As U2 and Green Day sang, "the Saints are comin'." Let us hope that they come sooner, rather than later, displaying a sense of urgency, rather than one of desperation.  

The Saints continued their stumble out of the gate this week with a loss to Tampa Bay.  Perhaps the three biggest areas that hurt the Saints this week were the offensive line, overall offense, and the defensive secondary.  These three seemed to plague the Saints for yet another week as they try to figure out what is wrong.

The Saints continued their stumble out of the gate this week with a loss to Tampa Bay.  Perhaps the three biggest areas that hurt the Saints this week were the offensive line, overall offense, and the defensive secondary.  These three seemed to plague the Saints for yet another week as they try to figure out what is wrong.

Heading into this season the Saints thought they had addressed all the problems that they had, adding help on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  However, for the second week in a row the Saints stumbled on offense and the defensive secondary appeared unable to stop anybody.  Tampa Bay seemed to pass the ball at will, able to pull off big play after big play.  However, unlike last season, the Saints offense appeared unable to keep up with the Tampa offense, leading some to wonder what types of changes Coach Payton and his staff will make this week.  With a loss to the Colts and to the Bucs, the Saints appear not to have addressed some of their glaring needs in the off-season, which leads fans to wonder how long before Saints rookie Usama Young is given the start to determine if he can help add some support to the secondary.

Hopefully next week the Saints will go into the game prepared and able to contain their opponents, something they were unable to do to the Bucs this week.  However, if the Saints are going to want to turn their season around they will need to make corrections to the offense, offensive line, and the defensive secondary, all three areas that have plagued the Saints so far in this early season.  If there were any positive to take out of this week’s loss is the fact that in the second half the Saints appeared to have a few moments where the offense appeared to be coming to life, something that they were unable to do for the first game and a half.

 

Saints vs. Titans Game Preview

The Saints will be facing the Titans this week in an effort to turn their season around.  While there are many areas the Saints will need to focus on this week if they want to compete next week against the Titans, perhaps one stands out the most.  That one area is for the Saints to limit the big plays by Titans quarterback Vince Young.  Young is a game breaker who can keep any team in the game if given the opportunity.  The Saints will need to assign somebody either to spy the quarterback or make sure that the defensive front four stays in their zones during the game and not to allow Young to make any big plays with his legs.  

Offensively the Saints will need to stretch the field and find ways to open up the run and the screen pass.  It appears that teams are not currently worried about the deep pass and if the Saints receivers continue to drop passes, it could make next week another long game for Saints fans.  Hopefully the team will be able to make corrections and the real Saints will show up for the Titans game.

 

Saints Player of the Game

Once again it was a struggle to determine who should be named player of the game for this game, not because of the fact that the Saints played that well, but instead because the Saints played so poorly that it’s tough to give any player a pat on the back for performances so far.  With that in mind, this week’s player of the game award goes to David Patten.  While Patten didn’t really have an exceptional week, he did do one thing that many on the offense seemed to struggle with this past week, catch and hold onto the ball.  Patten had two catches for 66 yards.  He has the potential to be that go to receiver that the Saints need with sure hands who can provide them with a solid third down option.  Hopefully the coaching staff will take a look at the game film and the struggles some of the young receivers had and then notice how Patten made the most of his chances and give him the opportunity to play.  With that in mind, Patten gets this week’s player of the game award and hopefully the opportunity to win a few more.

 

Q & A

Q & A is the question and answer section.  If you have a question you would like answered, email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.

 

Psycho’s View

Okay, while this is only the second week, I have to say that it is time to start calling for the rookie Usama Young.  He is a star quality cornerback and while he will have growing pains, it can’t be any worse than what we are seeing from the secondary right now.  Offensively and defensively the Saints need to get their heads in the game and start making some adjustments or by the end of the season the Saints will have to focus on whom they are going to take with an early draft choice instead of who they are going to be playing in the playoffs.  Perhaps the one bright spot is that the rest of the division has stumbled out of the gate also and leaves the door open to the Saints even with the slow start.
 

Northshore and Southshore Forecast-Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of evening & early overnight showers & isolated thunderstorms, 30% after midnight.  Lows 74-77 with east winds 5 to 10 mph.

Southshore Forecast: 

Tonight:
Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of evening & early overnight showers & isolated thunderstorms, 30% after midnight.  Lows 74-77 with east winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday:
Becoming partly cloudy with a 40% chance of scattered afternoon thunderstorms, 20% by evening.  Highs 85-88, lows 74-77.  East winds 10-15 mph.

Wednesday:
Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of widely scattered afternoon thunderstorms, 10% before sunset.  Highs 84-87, lows 72-75.  Southeast winds near 10 mph.

Thursday:
Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front.  Highs 84-87, lows 70-73.

Friday and Saturday:
Fair to partly cloudy, highs 83-86 with less humidity, lows 69-72.

Sunday and Monday:
20% chance of isolated afternoon thunderstorms.  Fair to partly cloudy with highs 85-88, lows 71-74.

Northshore Forecast: 

Tonight:
Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of evening & early overnight showers & isolated thunderstorms, 30% after midnight.  Lows 71-74 with light east winds.

Tuesday:
Becoming partly cloudy with a 40% chance of scattered afternoon thunderstorms, 20% by evening.  Highs 86-89, lows 72-75.  East winds near 10 mph.

Wednesday:
Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of widely scattered afternoon thunderstorms, 10% before sunset.  Highs 85-88, lows 66-69.  Southeast winds near 10 mph.

Thursday:
Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front.  Highs 85-88, lows 67-70.

Friday and Saturday:
Fair to partly cloudy, highs 84-87 with less humidity, lows 64-67.

Sunday and Monday:
20% chance of isolated afternoon thunderstorms.  Fair to partly cloudy with highs 86-89, lows 68-71.