Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

I thought it was interesting to hear that the Packers started all 22 original starters from training camp last night.
The Saints are starting 6 of the original 11, and now 5 of the original 11 with Jones out.
Over 1/2 our starters are out! And we were supposed to be a middle of the pack defense to start with.
Take out Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, and John Lynch and the Bucs would look just as bad as we do. (Don't even try to argue it).

I'll bet you a 6-pack of your favorite beer there isn't one team in the NFL that’s lost 5 of their original 11 starters on defense.
There probably isn't one that’s lost 4. So don't give me any Peter King crap about "this is the NFL, its called depth". One or two key players and I'd agree its no excuse, but 1/2 of the defense? Give it a rest you fat overpaid under-informed loser!
Our depth on defense isn't even expansion team quality as of right now.

I think its unfair and shortsighted to pile on this defense considering all the devastating injuries we've had to KEY players on this unit.
But I'm sure some of you will. :mad:

The offense, now that’s fair game! ;)

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Tweeky --

You are right to a degree. I feel that Venturi isn\'t the best or maybe not even a good D coordinator, but it\'s really unfair to him to criticize so much considering the players that are out. On the other hand, these players that are in on defense now are professional atheletes and should be playing better than they are. Venturi and the players have to be held accountable for playing at least average, which they aren\'t by any stretch of the imagination.

I don\'t have the answer for the defense, but something has to be changed. At this point i would be willing to blitz 75% of the time just to see if it helped. It\'s broke and it needs fixed. If it\'s not fixed this offense cannot be expected to out score every team.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Tweeky, I got my stick in hand right next to you. I have been saying this same thing since the Tampa game last year. The defense has played well enough to win games at the end of last year. The team would be at least 2-2 right now if the offense would have shown up for at least one game. Its all on the offense and I have been saying it for a long time.

This may be a strectch, but if the offense would not be making the defense play so much of the game maybe there would not be so many injuries on the defense. Think about it.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Billy, if you blitz 75% of the plays with the players left on defense you will have a track meet instead of a football game.

This defense cannot cover for the offense, it was suppose to be the other way around.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

I also wonder if all the injuries may have a lot to do with the horrible turf at the dome.
We have great turf at practice, then play on green concrete on Sundays.

I also saw a report that showed a change in playing surface can increase injuries in the 1st year of use.
Of course those are only statistics and we know statistics aren\'t worth much.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

I\'m not saying it will work. What I am saying is something has to change scheme wise on the defense. True, the offense needs to carry the defense more, but it cannot make up for all the points the defense is giving up. If you think so then we disagree!!

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

BillyCarpenter1 said: \"At this point i would be willing to blitz 75% of the time just to see if it helped.\"

Yeah, and then you\'d have the 49er defense. Unfortunately you looking at it from the perspective that all the other teams have a QB like Aaron Brooks that\'s unable to read the blitz and react accordingly. They don\'t...and while blitzing 75% of the time might work in the short term adjustments would easily be made to counterract it.

The problems with the defense are really quite simple. The Saints really didn\'t have the injuries last year on defense that they do now yet that group was awful as well. Before last year Venturi said the defense was too complicated and needed to be simplified. That didn\'t work. Before this year Venturi said the same thing. And that\'s not working either. How much simpler can a defensive scheme be than the Saints\' current scheme of eight in the box and Jones playing center field. Answer: not much.

The main problem is the coaching staff is a lousy judge of personnel. They go out and get players that don\'t fit into their scheme. Jones is an adequate safety but he doesn\'t fit well. New England didn\'t use that scheme when he was there and they sure didn\'t use it against the Rams in the Super Bowl when Jones made a name for himself. That\'s one example.

Here\'s another: They get Orlando Ruff to supplant Darrin Smith and start at middle linebacker. They talk him up, \"He\'d be a starter at San Diego if it wasn\'t for Donnie Edwards and Junior Seau\", and what happens? He\'s sitting on the bench behind the guy he was supposed to replace. Another brilliant move.

Here\'s another example: Jay Bellamy was a strong safety at Seattle. What do the Saints do? They bring him here and make him the starting free safety...and a slow one at that.

Great coaches all do one thing that Haslett and Co. just don\'t understand. Most players don\'t have global talent, that is, they don\'t do everything well. A smart coach puts players in a position to excel. The Saints plug players in and then find out too late that their strengths don\'t fit the scheme. That\'s either stubborn or stupid but either way it\'s always unsuccessful. And before we place all the blame on Loomis let\'s remember that each one of these players was hailed as the right missing piece of the Saints\' defense by Jim Haslett.

The above is true of every successful coach and GM. Jim Finks knew it. Bill Parcells knows it. So does Bill Walsh. And the list goes on and on. Until the Saints\' understand this concept they are doomed to mediocrity...or worse.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Billy, How many times has the offense made the defense come out on the field with the ball in saints territory? I am done with this argument with you. let me know when you understand the game.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

FWtex -- If you think that the offense can play well enough to hide the FACT that our defense is playing like sh!t then one of us has a real problem. They can help, but the defense has got to try something different. Whether that be blitzing more or whatever!!!

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

55 points. Nuff said.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

blake6900\'s post seems to support my theory about what\'s wrong.Haslett can\'t coordinate talent.We need a strong GM who has knowledge of the game ,and who will pick people who can play within the scheme.He will also get coaches who put great schemes on the field.Loomis can\'t be all the blame.Benson promoted him because he\'s a yes man.He dosen\'t know about talent and schemes.All he knows is dollar amounts and salary cap figures.Believe it or not there are GM\'s who can coordinate talent and control the cap.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Oh you mean like a Randy Mueller. Benson is part of the problem as well. Mueller was willing to spend any amount to be a winner and Tommy Boy didn\'t like that. Look where we are now with Haz picking the talent. Stinchcomb, Cie Grant, Kareem Kelly. Great pickups!

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

55 points is not NUFF said.

Defense gave up 24 points to colts on drives longer than 50 yds. that means the saints offense put the defense in bad position for 31 points.

Here is what the defense was forced to play.
Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards
Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards
Drive: 2 plays, 12 yards
Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards
19 Yd fumble return

You still want to blame the defense?

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

19-21 games giving up 20+ points. Now, you don\'t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to see where the main problem lies. If the D holds the Colts to FG\'s instead of td\'s we\'re only down 6-0. Right? Perhaps then we wouldn\'t have needed to try idiotic fake field goals with one of the oldest kickers in the league. Our D as well as our DC sucks big time.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

This post is not about whether the D or DC sucks. I think we already came to that conclusion. Its about stop blaming the D when the offense has no injuries and can\'t do anything to help the D. It about the offense under performing. Its about the offense putting the D in bad situations.

I was not expecting much out of the D with all the starters on the field. Now they have 6 starters out and they are playing about as well as anyone can expect them to play. Unless they put players on the IR this means the D is playing with 6 less players on the depth chart.

In the mean time the saints have an offense with no injuries and they can\'t play up to half their expectations.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Your right. I agree. The offense has most definately disappointed. The D is worse than expected and the offense is underacheiving. Add to that horrible coaching and you get what we have now. Nada.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Here\'s an idea.

Calculate the points this offense has scored on drives not resulting in turnovers. Now, calculate the points our opponents have scored on drives resulting directly from an offensive give away. I haven\'t actually done this yet, but I would bet the our offense has outscored itself with turnover points so far this season.

Yeah, this defense is bad, but they could have pitched a shut out every game (save for the points resulting from turnovers) and this team would still be 1-3. This defense sucks, but is anyone other than Billy surprised? Everyone knew it would, or at least had a ton of question about it coming in to the season. Venturi is terrible and the offseason moves they made were bad. However, heads should roll for the play of the offense.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Somebody in the front office that the Saints are allegedly a FOOTBALL team. All I heard this off-season is speed, speed, speed.

You\'d think we were either
1. Trying to field a track team
2. Trying to deal drugs OR
3. Opening an over the road trucking company

Maybe we should have spent more time trying to find guys who play FOOTBALL with some degree of proficiency.

But then I guess if we did get real players, they\'d just be labeled \"locker room cancers\" and shipped out at then end of the season.

Stop the Defense Bashing Dummy!!!
 

Listen, some people think being a fan is having memory loss. I mean, noone can tell me after watching the four games this season that this team in NOT in big time trouble. There is only one way to rectify our situation. A leadership change. Seeing that Benson is not going to sell, you have to go to the next obvious source. Head coach. Now, that being said, everyone knows you have to have one of two qb on your team to be successful offensively. One, a bright guy who has just enough talent to move the chains and be a leader both on and off the field. Two, a superstar talent who just is a perennial probowler year in and year out. Brooks in nowhere near bright enough to run this team on a consistant basis, nor is he a SUPERSTAR talent. Talented, yes, probowl talent, no. So, in conclusion: If you can\'t get rid of a crap owner, then do the next best thing and dump the loser head coach and the loser/lockeroom cancer qb.