Halo

The Saints lost Sunday, so the balance police have been patrolling the airwaves all week.

You know their beat. They are the guys who attribute almost every New Orleans loss to coach Sean Payton’s abandonment of the running game. Their tired refrain grew even louder when Payton admitted his plan going into Baltimore was pass heavy, giving them all the ammunition they needed.

One problem. They’re dead wrong.


The Saints lost 30-24 to the Ravens because their tackling was atrocious. Far, far down the list of issues was Payton’s unwillingness to run against one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses.

Actually, that goes under the category of being smart.

New Orleans passed 46 times and ran only 14 times for a variety of reasons, none of them involving Payton losing his mind.

1) The Saints fell behind 21-7 in the first half and were in catch-up mode the rest of the way.

They trailed for their final seven possessions and felt compelled to throw. Sometimes the run-pass totals have the appearance of balance because a team throws for three quarters to establish a healthy lead, then runs repeatedly in the fourth to bleed the clock. New Orleans never was in that position.

2) The Saints’ only running back with a 100-yard game this year, rookie Chris Ivory (who has two), was unavailable with a hamstring injury.

With a healthy Ivory, you can bet Payton would have called more running plays. He is a physical back who matches up well with Baltimore’s aggressive defense.

Instead, Payton was left with Pierre Thomas, who still was trying to get in the flow after missing nine games with an ankle problem, and Reggie Bush, who rarely has been an effective runner in the NFL. For proof, note Bush’s average per carry of 3.8 or less in four of his five seasons. Or check out his four attempts for minus-4 yards against the Ravens...

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