Ball should've been in Drew Brees' hands on New Orleans Saints' last play
 

GREEN BAY, WIS. - The last play of the game, with a chance to score a touchdown and two-point conversion and force overtime, wasn't the time to take the ball out of Drew Brees' hands. That should've happened earlier at Lambeau Field, twice in the third quarter, when the New Orleans Saints desperately needed to pound the middle of Green Bay's defense and move it backward and take by force the couple of yards they wanted.

But not on the last play of the game, an untimed opportunity for New Orleans to even the score against the reigning Super Bowl champions in the NFL's regular-season opener Thursday night.

Not trailing 42-34, and on Green Bay's 1-yard line only because Brees - who had completed 32 of 49 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns - had worked his offense down the field and had drawn a pass interference penalty in the end zone with no time remaining, which led to the final play.


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Ball should've been in Drew Brees' hands on New Orleans Saints' last play | NOLA.com

I totally agree. As Payton said, he'll be kicking himself for a couple of those plays.

Couldn't agree more.

True Dat.

Drew passes for 419 yards and just hands the ball off to Ingram runs into a wall of people up the middlehttp://209.85.12.234/7361/20/emo/jum...ticonbybn1.gif

Insert this play into Sean's war manual: ----> play action.

Still all in all, a great game for Drew and a good benchmark for the season.

I looked at the play again. Green Bay knew we were running up the gut. QB sneak would have been perfect since we rarely see that done with Drew.

Play action to a TE

Like Madden used to say: the redzone is where TEs become the most dangerous.

Don Capers did a get job plan and simple. He had the right defenses called all night long when the game was one line. It was almost like he had Paytons head phones bugged. Plan and simple he out coached Sean at every key moment.

Second guess is what fans do. but if u invest so much into a running game u have test it out. To bad Sean decided to do it in GB. Kind like opening up a new car for the first time and blowing right by a cop before getting out of 3rd gear. so sorry charlie

Great post, Hagan. Unfortunately for you guys, though, it reminded me of yet another story. Remember, if you are tired of all of Uncle LB's stupid ol' BS (yeah, Mike...it's OK for me to point it out...:)) stories, then just don't read it.

Anyway, back to the story.

When I was 18, I had something that everybody dreams of. I had an uncle with money...not a millionaire or nothing...just pretty good about not wasting his money and saving. But more important to me was that he used his money to buy a '63 Corvette Stingray.

He used to let me take that car out on dates from time to time...or just go cruise the B/K Lounge. (Burger King for you that didn't grow up in Gulfport) I would drive up to that parking lot and I would assign those girls numbers. OK...you first, and you 2nd...etc.

One night, though, I was out on a date with a girl from the other side of town. Man, when I look back...I really liked that girl...but that's another story.

We were driving down the beach (Hwy 90) and we were near the Lighthouse. I had been nursing this beer for a long time and I took a swallow and it was hot. Well, I had the top down on the 'Vette, and like a stupid kid might do...I tossed the remaining beer over my left shoulder.

Within 2 nanoseconds I heard the siren and saw the blue lights in my mirror. Not hard to miss when you have the top down. The guy pulled me over and asked me if I knew what the fine for littering was.

I said, "No, why do you ask?"

He said, "Because you just tossed you beer out of the car."

I said with a shocked look on my face, "Beer? I didn't have a beer."

He stopped for a second...took a real hard look into my eyes and with a stern look that only your dad would give you, he said, "Son...you threw a beer out of your car, and I know you did this because it hit my car! We're going to go over here and look at my fender, and if I see just 1 scratch, I'm hauling you in even though I am really suppose to be somewhere else right now!"

Well...we went and looked as he shined his flashlight on the front right fender of his car...and fortunately he didn't find the scratch. There had to have been one...but, believe it or not...he let me go on my way with no ticket.

So, Hagan...you can see that I pulled something just as stupid as what you mentioned. Couldn't help but remember that when you said that.

Anyway...back on topic. I agree with the people who said that hindsight is 20/20. We all would have liked to have seen different results...and I really do believe that Drew should have had the ability to go to the line and make his own call or audible...but if things would have gone differently...and he would have audibled to a roll-out or something and got stuffed there...we would all be hollering, "Why didn't he just try to run it up the middle?"

LMAO good one.

Mine was popping the clutch in a 67 stang and taking of like a bat out of hell.I tapped the hust shift into third, there pinned in the seat i was in heaven and watching the the tac as i blew past a cop.

"Never take ur eyes of the road and learn to drive that thing by ear and feel" was the last thing the cop said as he ripped the ticket from the book.

And true enough drew could have opt out of the play

I couldn't question the call and you can't question putting the ball in Brees hands. Green Bay made the play like they had been doing all night. Their DL undercut our OL so their LB could meet Ingram in the air to knock him back.

Was a great game. We lost. Time to move on.

After this much time being the HC, Payton shouldn't be making those kinds of bonehead calls, and having to kick himself. And though Aaron Rogers is one of the most arsinine people to ever walk the planet and you can't blame Brett Farve for wanting to get away from this horses patoot, I hope the coaches and players enjoy the resurgent ridicule as much as the fans do.

I liked the call.

The problem was execution.

Payton calling on Ingram = "You're my guy".

That will go a long way this season

Thank you - CHicago is our concern now!!

Doesn't everyone agree with this one. Brees could've run around the outside they had some many Packers on the line. We'll get them next time. Everyone's been hypin the dream team the Smeagles but I don't think they have a chance against the Packers or Saints. Dumbledork out!

A bootleg or play action would have had a better chance..GB had 9 in there to stop the run...fake the hand off and hit Jimmy..simple as a dimple

Coulda, woulda, shoulda, but they didn't and we lost. Please move on now!

I love all the armchair QB's. lol

But when you see it before they snap the ball, and scream no no no, don't run it!!!! its obviously a bad call.

I'll bet 80% of the people watching knew what that play was gonna be, so I know GB knew it too.

Oh so true..

armchair? get it right. i paid way to much money for my chair.

Lazyboy QB if you do not mind

Thing was, in that situation you needed two back-to-back scoring plays from basically the same exact spot on the field, and both had to be successful. You do something real "fancy pants" and slick on the first play, and then it takes a lot of that stuff off the table for when you have to line up to do the 2 point conversion right after. I think the intention was to run it up the gut first with Ingram, then do a Jimmy Graham number or a Drew rolling out type of play for the 2 point attempt. If that play had been going for the lead and the WIN, with just the one play, I think you would have seen a much different and more creative play call by Payton.

No push from the O-line, it's done, next the Bears. Everyone in the division lost so moving on.

I always remember what Haslett said about when the game is on the line you want the ball in the hands of the best player(s). There is a lot of truth in that statement.

We tried play action on two earlier goal line stands and we lost 20 yards on each of them, and almost got Drew killed. Payton probably didn't trust his offensive line to give Drew enough time to make a throw on play action. I know I didn't. He had no choice but to call a running play. I had no problem with the call...except that it didn't work.

Stupid article, I am so tired of all this "bad call" or "put the ball in Brees hands" stuff that people are talking about, it is just ridonkulous. I wish it would go away already. ON TO THE BEARS.

Payton was so spot on with this call, and almost nobody in the media is seeing it correctly, because it didn't work....but in order to TIE and extend the game, the Saints needed not one scoring play, but TWO PLAYS IN A ROW, from almost the same identical spot on the field, and BOTH had to be successful. If you do your exotic, amazing, Brees-pulls-a-Miracle Saints play first, then the defense will darn sure stiffen and make adjustments, to take all THAT stuff off the table for the 2 point conversion. Which the Saints STILL had to make, to tie the game.... it's about what were Payton's options in a situation that needed TWO back-to-back goal-line scoring plays, not just one....because running up the gut for the FIRST play, keeps all the "putting the ball in Drew's hands for the final play" options OPEN, all that stuff is ON THE TABLE for the second try right after it. Because if Ingram gets in, the Packers D would have been completely flipped out and vulnerable to the "amazing Drew" play for the PAT, every play in the Saints playbook would have been on the table for the 2 pointer! But if you run your "amazing Drew" play first to get the TD, then what on earth do you pull out the hat for the NEXT play, right after it?

Also - it was an untimed down, the play clock is running but you can't call time out, even though you might want to change the play at the line to adjust to the defense, even if you're the amazing Drew Brees you really can't do too much there, in that situation.

And a QB sneak in that situation is no good either, folks -- because what happens when Drew dives for the TD, and is at the bottom of a pile with 1800+ pounds of Packers and Saints piled up on top of him -- think about it rationally for a second, now he is gonna be potentially all banged up with his face mask twisted around backwards, and people in the pile will be yanking and twisting at his knees and all that...but if he gets the TD, you STILL need Drew to line up and go for 2, and you still need him to play another overtime period as well. So I could see a QB sneak in a situation to WIN the game, or to tie it, but not to just get within 2 points and STILL maybe lose the game.

It was the right call, just bad execution.

I thought it was a good call. On a previous short yardage situation we had them hook line and sinker on a fake pass/run/pass. No way they knew it was a run. They gambled. Still, no single play defines a game. We did plenty of things wrong to lose on defense.

The reason we are discussing it is, there are 15 games left, and we ALL know we will see it again...and again.
What does he do the next time?
I still say, spread the field and give yourself options, and the run option doesn't have 8-9 people in the box.

if anyone were watching the fins game verus tom brady, well to get to the point what tom bretty did was not even think of a huddle , u go to the line and snap the ball and lean over and thats it TD. nobody gets hurt because nobody knows whats going on. now in the middle of the field when they took there time to the line and the fins knew what was coming, the qb sneak or the dive or the jump over the line YES , YES, YES. THERES A CHANCE SOMEONE GETS CLOBBERED, because they know whats coming.
the element of suprize it works for the armed services it will work for us.
somehow in paytons play calling its atomatic on short yardage calls everyone and there granma "no fun intended" knows what paytons calling.