Your game observations
 

Pros:
- Darren frickin' Sproles
- Running game showed we can run when we want to... we just need to make the effort.
- Robert Meachem is extremely consistent when he's thrown the ball.
- It's great to have Lance on third downs.
- I've been comparing Jimmy Graham to Jermichael Finley for two years... if Graham keeps this up, it's going to have to start being the other way around.
- Harper is a blitz monster.
- Greer had a great game and was on his receiver like white on rice... similiar to two years ago when he was one of the top 3 corners in the league.
- Great to have Will on the field.

Cons:
- Two of the top interior tackles in the league hasn't showed us much on defense.
- This game should have been a big blow out. Must start converting FG's into touchdowns.
- We need better linebacking play... especially in coverage.

Anything else?

Agree wholeheartedly on all your points, papz.
You took the high road by not mentioning SHANLE by name, and he appreciates that.

Spot-on observations.

Alaska

Reggie Bush sucks.

We dont run enough

Brees throws too many interceptions

Ingram is a bust

We should have kept Reggie and Shockey


/

On a serious note, we need to start intercepting the ball when it is thrown right to our defensive backs. Also going for the strip is too big of a gamble, we need to start tackling. All in all alot of positives to take away from the game. Yes our offense appeared sluggish at times, but credit Jax defense. They may wind up having one of the best if not the best defenses in the league when it is all said and done. Our defense held on when it had too save a few big plays. I think our D is improving and our O will have a much better game against Carolina.

I agree completely. I'm very concerned about our defence....give up waaaay too many big plays!

Good win though....lots of upsets today! we're sitting in a nice spot right now.

Garry42

Good points. We just don't try to run enough and Drew has to be more careful with the ball. When Wilson and Herring get back on the field, hopefully we'll see a lot less Shanle.

Take it for what is it worth....a win is a win. Saints 3 wins 1 loss.....money in the bank. You could see there was no real effort to pull this off. More than likely a typical practice schedule of pre determined plays and suspected outcomes. Saints adjusted and overcame!

Sites are on the LIONS....

Definitely agree with you. First thing that came to my mind as well. We left a few plays out on the field but their d played really well today.

I don't think there's any need to panic, but Charles brown got exposed today. I'd really be nervous if he were protecting the blind side right now and its made me appreciate bushrod all the more.. also, on that note I think bushrod has quietly developed into a very solid LT. I've thought all along that if he was given enough time he could be really good. Seems to me that loomis and payton don't keep guys around if they don't believe they can start for this team. I could see brown continuing to develop on the right and it being the two of them for the next several years.

We stiiiiiill need to upgrade the LB position. Love casillas as a situational guy right now, still think he's a year or two away from being an all around player. We could really use another elite guy on the outside.

I think Carolina is next..

Carolina is a very resilient team. Cam Newton looks like the real deal and playing excellent for a rookie quarterback. Our linebackers are going to need to come up big next week if we're going to contain him. It's going to be a good game... even though we're going to win that is.

Hey jp... how does Cam Newton the bust looking to you?

I think the patch work "O" line did really well in opening lines for rushing. 170+ yrds I beleive.

THe run "D" held one of the top RBs in the league to 84 yrds of rushing.

Shanle sucks donkey balls!! :hump:

Good:
- Pass rush looked good again
- Sproles is seemingly one step ahead of the defense on most plays. What a weapon!
- Graham is turning into Gates 2.0.
- Good start w/ 2 long scoring drives to get us out ahead in front.

Bad
- Not a good scene with the Brees scuffle. We need to keep our heads and let the other team be the punks.
- Need to give the ball to Morestead instead of Kasay on those 50-60 yard situations. The way our D was playing and with Gabbert's passes being off, it made more sense to pin them back.

Bad:
- We'll need to limit Cam Newton next week.

They were trying to bait us hard. Honestly if I were Nicks or Evans, I might have gave Session a nice little shove. Wanna be bully... he's lucky we aren't stupid. We have loved to see what Turley would have done to him.

Is anyone else waiting for that bully-beatdown statement game?

I fully expected to see that this week.

Not ONE Jax fan in the crowded bar I was in. And honestly, I can't remember EVER seeing one. EVER!

Alaska

Jax played max cover, which allowed us to run off tackle for serious yards. However, running up the gut continues to be a problem. Brees is jot paying attention in crucial situations, like watching the defenders' position before he throws short dump offs.

Lastly, why are we allowing bubble screens to gain >40 yards per attempt?

I give Jax credit. They've been a fairly stingy defense all year. I didn't expect them to allow us 40. I agree with everything in the original post. Great comments.

I not so worried about this year but in about 3 years, I hope he gets traded to Kansas City or Oakland. :D

Agree for the most part, but I still haven't seen anything that makes me think we can run the ball when we have to. We did well today and seem to do better when we're in the open field, so to speak, but we simply don't own the line of scrimmage near well enough. That's just my .02 on that.

Happy with the win, but disappointed that we didn't put that team away early. I think their defense is pretty good, but our wounds were self-inflicted for the most part.

We're 3-1 and looking good, but a performance like that one next week and the results may be different.

Jeckyl/Hyde game. There was some great plays and great calls but also some poor play calling by both coaches.

Jacksonville didn't ride their only stud offensive player and Payton can't keep from throwing all the time. When you have a good lead in the fourth you should not be calling pass plays on first down (leading to an interception).
I know that Payton can coach better than most coaches but sometimes he just can't seem to help himself.:confused:

It's already the other way around for me. Rodgers threw the ball all over the yard today, Finley had 3 catches for 38 yards, even Donald Driver had a TD. Rodger only uses Finley in case of emergency. Ala a matchup against us!!!!

Graham is making us forget we ever had Shockey. He is becoming the best TE we ever had.

other thoughts

- Darren Freakin Sproles....... The Front Office is looking smarter and smarter every day.

- Jabari Greer is way better because he took his lumps against Andre Johnson. He's not done taking lumps but better for it. I figured after taking Dre's best routes all day with little to no help he would blanket any other no name reciever he saw, and so he did.

- Saints 1 road 0

- Linebackers and DT's must get sea legs. Rodgers and Franklin invisible and Ellis was doing better without there help. Who wants to step up and replace Scott Shanle its patch work when he's on the field and other teams know it.

- A win is a win, I 'll take em however we get em see you in Carolina.

bushrod got smoked all game long.

Negatives
- The playcalling is too predictable and pass heavy. With two new starters on the o-line, it's just not smart to expose Brees and the season to so many hits. He's not a big guy. One of these times he's not going to get up. Plus, on 3rd or 4th and 1, it's going to be a run up the middle.
- I know the Saints have to mix it up some on defense, but the the zone looks get ate up every time.
- Devery stepped up big with Colston and Moore out. But, when he's not a feature player, he disappears. All the RB's get their snaps. Payton needs to make sure Henderson gets his. (See * in positives below.)
- With a week to get ready as starters, Brown and De La Puente were not good.
- The Refs were horrible again. The hit on Brees was as bad as it gets. The call on Casillas is a close second.
- Kasay missed.
- Tough road game this week at Carolina.

Positives
- * It's great to have so much talent at RB and WR with an emerging star at TE.
- The d-line is getting more active and has played well against the run.
- Having Vilma and Dunbar on the field at the same time is a good thing.
- Greer is playing great.
- Robinson is very improved and is looking like a legit NFL starting CB.
- Porter looks healthy and ready to compete.
- Sproles deserves individual mention. He's the best RB on the team right now. With his versatility, it could be argued he's the best player on the team.
- A week without injuries.
- 3 - 1.

We won by 2 scores so I can't be too critical but Payton and Brees just can't go the safe route. They have to throw deep on 3rd and short. Multiple times the dump off pass was available and we didn't take it. Yes we had the most rushing attempts so far this year but still should have had more. I understand sharing the carries but when Sproles is getting 7 yards a pop, keep feeding him the ball until they stop him. Would like to see a game where we have more run plays than pass plays this week should be it. Forte ran all over the kitties D. Defensive side, can't believe what I'm about to say but I can't believe GW was conservative on play calling. Too many 3rd and long and he dropped back in zone coverage instead of pressuring Gabbert. It did work once with the Robinson pick but we also gave up a few conversions and extended drives by some weakass LB penalities. Good news we are 3-1 with a great chance of being 4-1 after this Sunday.

Still looking at too many 1's on the book for our interior defensive lineman, and too many big numbers for safeties and corners. Too much run support will turn into too many injuries on the backside, AGAIN.

There were good and bad plays all around, but one thing that was eating me up were the drive sustaining penalties!
On at least 2 occasions, Jax had 3rd and long, didn't make the 1st down, but got flags against us for the 1st down... Not Good!
The guys need to keep their heads in those situations and not give the opponents a big first down gift-wrapped with a bow on it.

Yeah, a team like the Falcons or Lions will eat our lunch if we keep giving them easy penalties on 3rd downs like that.

Pros
-Decent protection considering 2 guys making their first NFL starts
-Brees was actually scrambling and had another past the line of scrimmage carry
- pass rush & defensive play calling

Cons
O: touchdowns, forced throws
D: big plays & LB's