The biggest problem...
 

In my opinion, is that teams have now developed a formula for the best opportunity to beat the Saints. Run the ball, and keep time of possession in the minus column for Brees & Co. No team is gonna win a superbowl allowing the run yards that we have allowed these past weeks. I was concerned watching the Rams game when the commentators spoke about thier discussions with Greg Williams, and how Williams "really wasn't concerned at all " about his run defense.
Our defense seems to be so focused on turnovers and interceptions, they are getting away from the basics of stopping the run, and deflecting passes. Without Greer, Sharper, Ellis, and Porter, we're back to last years defense, talent wise, until Jenkins matures. Williams has GOT to focus on stopping the run and pressuring the QB or a few games comming up are going to cause us a lot of problems.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Yet we played 6 of the top 9 run teams in the NFL, and beat them all.

Our run defense will get better when we get Ellis back.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Teams know from film or experience what SP and the offense wants to do and they will try their best to stop it. But, I haven't seen another team stop our Saints for a full game yet.



There have been some great posts here lately regarding the D's fall in statistics. As you said, our starters are out in the middle and in the secondary... Look man, other teams have talented players and they can make plays. But no teams have really been able to beat our defense apart in the second half of any game.

That's Gregg Williams doing his job with the players he has.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Certainly, other teams have been running on us for various reasons. But it seems as in the last couple of games the other teams primary RBs, Williams and Jackson, seemed to run wild in the first quarter or so and then the D stiffened up and pretty much shut them down except for an occasional long gain. But getting Ellis back by the NE game will definately be a good thing for the run defense. If we can get Sharper back maybe they should use Young as a CB until we get Greer and Porter back, just sayin'.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

I have a wait and see attitude for when Ellis is back. For now, i'm more concerned with our OFFense turning the ball over.

Saintsfans1976...In regards to your gif image, that was an INT and a great play. The ref should have got that one right, ...but it wouldn't have helped. LSU had managed 9 yards in the 4th quarter and less than 100 all half.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Kristomac makes a great point. If we keep giving up turf, it won't fare well for us in the post season, and that would REALLY be tragic. Run stop is a mind-set that becomes an action, just as on the offensive side of the ball. When we start being satisfied giving up 100+ (even 150+) to opposing backs, we are well on our way to a change in our net results. Sure, take away the big gainers and we are somewhere back near acceptable - WRONG! Truth is we can't take the long runs back, neither can we take back the missed tackles, or the near misses with teams we SHOULD be blowing out. How do we put pressure on opposing QB's if backs are blowing past us for 9, 14, and 22? Anybody else notice how we are giving up 3rd-and-7's , 3rd-and-12's - on the ground? With our injuries/or without, how good can our coverage continue to be when our leading tacklers are our safties and corners (and Vilma)? Our cover guys, bless their heart, are not made for pounding all game long...it takes a toll...and we are paying the toll with blood, bruises, and breaks. Even if they manage to avoid being sidelined, they can't help but lose a step (or two) over the course of a game, especially when the guys they are covering are fresh, and aren't getting banged up. We are treading on dangerous ground. Don't be shocked if play starts to fall off in the defensive backfield. At some point we need to get back to the basics of blocking and tackling, with our emphasis in the near term on tackling. I won't be back later with "I told you so...", I just said it!

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Darstep,

That's some serious panic sirens going off there.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Remember when the Denver Broncos were going to be the second coming of the 2000 Ravens and the 85 Bears? A lot has changed in the last month.

Two simple questions:

How was the run defense when the Saints had all 11 defensive starters on the field?

When was the last time the Saints had all 11 defensive starters on the field?

When the defense gets healthy again, it'll get better again. For each and every position, the backups that we have are backups for a reason.

SFIAH

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Oh, come on, Danno!!!. You know better than letting the cold hard facts get in the way of a passionate doom-sayer post. :)

I posted this question on another thread:
Why is it that, all of these alleged great running teams who enter the 3rd and 4th quarter with 10+ point leads due to offensive mistakes, why do they abandon their running game, get outscored 1000 to 0 in the 4th quarter, and end up getting beat? Don't they want to control the time of possession, eat the clock, shorten the game? Isn't that what the running game is supposed to do for you?

I'll give that opposing teams have gashed and dashed the Saints in the 1st quarter, even the second, especially since Ellis has been out and Fujita missed some games. But then Gregg Williams makes adjustments in the second half with what he's got on the sidelines based on what the opposing offense is showing, and so far, he's come up a winner. And that is why the Saints offense has been able to atone for their sins in the first half: because the defense stops the run in the 2nd half.

Of course, I would love to see the defense stop the run all 4th quarters, but not as much as not seeing the offense fumble and intercept their way to a 0-21 start.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

SFIATLH - All that being true...who says we are going to be healthy? We are still playing ball. Bodies still banging all over the field. I believe Ellis' return will help but we still have to get better up front and not make our DB's have to work so hard. Its not so much panic...I see a pattern, and would like to see it change shape before it gets burned in. We can beat any team in the league, but the way we've been winning lately, we can be beat by any team in the league - including Tampa Bay. I can care less given any 4 of the next 8 games, its the next 3 after that that concerns me, and we are laying the groundwork for those right now.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

It's tough to look good when your not healthy. That goes for individuals as well as the whole team. We have had players hurt that make a difference when they are in the game. There is no guarantee that our injured players will return to form when they get back or that no one else will go down. We have gotten better with our depth, but there is still a marked difference when the backups are in. We just have to hope that GW keeps his defense motivated and ready to play. Also, GW has made some excellent adjustments during the game and is stopping the run later in the game.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

Healthy? Always a crapshoot. Point is that I agree about next 7 games. More important to be healthy for playoffs than anything else. So if a defensive starter is injured, let them heal instead of bringing them back early for a somewhat meaningless game.

Pattern. I repeat that backups are backups for a reason. On some of those long runs in the past few weeks, the backup LBs (Mitchell, Dunbar) have been out of position. Fujita wouldn't be. On the TD passes last week, Sharper and Greer would have played them completely differently than Young and Gay (how's that for Rainbow Power! ;-) ). Point is that with backups in, it's a different defense that's going to get some lumps.

My beef is that the offense needs to recognize that and stop putting the defense into tough positions. It's a whole lot easier to stop the running game by running up the score by 21 in the middle of the second quarter than anything else.

Finally note the second half rushing yards in each and every instance. Somehow at halftime, the Saints defense makes the adjustments to get the job done, no matter who's out there.

The great thing though is that all this complaining is going on with a team with 9 wins in the bank. And the 4 non perfect tough, scratch and claw wins both feeds the team enough humble pie to keep working to get better, and enough confidence to know that even if they get into the same situation as the Colts on Sunday night, that the game isn't over.

As for Tennesee and their one and done last year (I think it was this thread that referred to them after a 13-0 start) that game with Baltimore was an epic titanic battle. It wasn't a rollover.

Use the 9 wins in the bank. Be smart with the starters. Realize that being healthy in January is more improtant that anything else at this point. Win the turnover battle.

That will get us all to the promised land.

SFIAH

Re: The biggest problem...
 

I challenge anyone to find a team that has all 11 starters playing on either side of the ball. As Payton keeps saying, injuries are part of life in the NFL and that is why depth and coaching are so important.

What's amazing to me is how successful our boys have been stopping the run in the 2nd half the last few games, after being gashed in the first half (by very good rushing teams as Danno pointed out).

Re: The biggest problem...
 

We are 9-0 we are everyone else's problem.

Re: The biggest problem...
 

I believe the closest are the Vikings, with only 1 starter out.