D24pick

Geesh, we won man

LKelley67

to each his own opinion on grades. for me anytime we get over 150yds rushing then the O-line and backs are definitely better than a C, average.

I am enthusiastic about the D just for progress. This is the franchise (hardly the team) that let pathetic Green Bay score 52pts last year. Next week will be a real barometer of improvement.

Sarsippius

Im afraid im going to have to ask you to turn in your "Captain Sunshine" title Euphoria.

Euphoria

I don't know how I got that tittle... I had a couple of others, they keep changing.

LKelley67

usa today today...

REPORT CARD VS. BROWNS

PASSING OFFENSE: B — The Saints weren't spectacular, but they were productive. After a slow start, Drew Brees hit on 17 of 31 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception. More important was the protection he received as he was not sacked behind an offensive line that featured four new starters. Young wideouts Marques Colston and Devery Henderson looked good, combining for seven catches that each produced first downs. Colston also had a 12-yard scoring catch. Running back Reggie Bush, who lined up wide or in the slot on numerous occasions, added a team-high eight receptions for 58 yards.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus — The only things that kept this grade from being a little higher were a third-quarter fumble by Deuce McAllister and a 3.8-yard average, although McAllister and Bush averaged 4.1 and 4.4 yards per carry, respectively. The Saints ran hard and tough most of the afternoon, especially between the tackles. McAllister finished with 90 yards on 22 carries, while Bush complemented him perfectly with 61 yards on 14 attempts.

PASS DEFENSE: B-minus — The Saints had two interceptions and sacked Charlie Frye five times, but most of that havoc was caused by the heavy rush created by the front seven. Free safety Josh Bullocks came up with the key interception to clinch the game in the final two minutes, but the secondary was guilty of four penalties — including two on rookie strong safety Roman Harper as he drew the assignment of covering tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — After being pummeled for more than 130 yards a game last season, the Saints were outstanding against the Browns. Frye hurt them a little when he scrambled out of the pocket and gained 44 yards with a 1-yard TD on his six carries. But the Saints held their ground and did a solid job on the running backs, limiting them to just 41 yards and a 3.8 average on 16 attempts. They topped off their big day by holding Rueben Droughns, a 1,200-yard rusher last year, to 27 yards on 11 carries with a long run of 9.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — John Carney was 4-for-4 in field goals and rookie punter Steve Weatherford averaged 45.0 yards on three kicks, but the Saints were only average in the return game and kick coverage. They gave up a 40-yard kickoff return and a 31-yard punt return. On the punt return by Dennis Northcutt, Terrence Copper saved a touchdown with a nice diving tackle from behind just as Northcutt was about to spring into the clear.

COACHING: A — First-year coach Sean Payton and his staff certainly had the Saints focused on the game from the start as they played smart and with a purpose. Of the six penalties the Saints committed, only one — a false start by tight end Ernie Conwell — was of the pre-snap variety. Payton also did a solid job with the playcalling, mixing things up and using Reggie Bush in a variety of ways to keep the Browns' defense guessing.

Chump_Lee

>>Oh your "THAT GUY".

LOL. I think he's So what and kool-aid on some of the other sites.
But judging by your quote, he may be you? hahaha

B - Offense
A - Defense
B- - Special Teams
Chump

neugey

We played solid enough in all areas to win. Here's my like and dislikes:

LIKES:
- We didn't try to chuck the ball 60 yards down the field, but instead concentrated on getting the yardage necaessary for the first down and controlling the ball. I like the way that
Payton and Brees play the percentages.
- I love the way Reggie Bush turns the corner and gets to the sideline but still picks up a major chunk of yardage.
- Defensive reads were better than what I saw in the preseason.
- We shut down Droughns on the inside run.
- Fujita created turnovers for our D. Shanle played well. If Payton wants to continue to sign ex-Cowboys, I'm all for it.

DISLIKES:
- We let Frye run free in that 3rd quarter and missed some tackles on him.
- The ST coverage was bad overall, and we nearly allowed that PR touchdown to Northcutt. The tackle by Copper to save the TD was amazing - he did not have a great angle to make
the play and Weatherford was the only man left - somehow Copp came through.
- A lot of Cleveland's momentum was killed by their own penalties. We can't count on GB to give up tons of penalty yardage at home.
- Should get Deuce a few more outside runs. Don't want defenses to cue on the inside run whenever Deuce is in and Reggie is out. Sure Deuce doesn't have the speed that Reggie
does on the outside, but can power through smaller defenders and pickup extra yards.
- Seems like we were outmatched by Winslow and never found an effective way to deal with him.

shackney

Actually its a pass or fail type of grade! They passed!

Savant

I give them a A for winning a game they were supposed to. Also, they only allow 180 or something yards. When was the last time that's ever happened? Even when we played teams with no offense, they always had their breakout day against us. No more.

FanNJ

A-On coaching all around
C+ on execution on offense.....Passing percentage was way to low for high percentage passes. Brees was off the mark more often than not. By saying such, he was more in the area of the reciever most times than right on the numbers, however he throws a nice quick slant. Running game suffered from loss of full back, but anytime both backs average 4+ on the ground then the line was doing it's job. Short yardage suffered from loss of fullbacks.

Defence B- Overall looked great against the run. Against the pass to many penalties...(Some looked more like offensive with Windslow running into the defender but I'm no Zebra). If it was not for the penalties we would have been down 7-0 on the first drive, and the probably would have scored another late in the third.

D line looked good pinned back and pressuring upfield.

Special Teams c+ only because carney hit on 4 of 4. Way to many return yards allowed on kickoffs and punts