Handwerger: Saints still hard to figure out at bye week
 

Most in-season reviews happen after an NFL team’s eighth game. The midpoint, you know.

But we at WWLTV.com – and by we, I mean myself – roll with a different calendar.

So today, the Monday of the Saints bye, we’re putting out our off week review.

New Orleans is 7-3 and leads the NFC South by 1½ games.

This hasn’t been a perfect Saints season. They’ve escaped some games with wins and stoned teams big for others.

But there are two losses on the schedule that are painful and, when Week 17 is finished, could come back to haunt New Orleans.

It’s not necessarily that the Saints lost at Tampa Bay that will chap folks at the end of the year. It’s how they lost – lack of effort and an interception in the end zone on a play that would have given New Orleans the lead.

And with St. Louis, well, yeah. It’s that the Saints lost to the formerly winless Rams.

It’s hard to get a handle on this Saints team. Just when you think you have them pegged, say, like after the Indianapolis game. And then throw a stinker out there like against St. Louis.

His grades and the rest of the article below.
Handwerger: Saints still hard to figure out at bye week | wwltv.com New Orleans

"New Orleans is 7-3 and leads the NFC South by 1½ games"

It's not hard at all.

Saints Grades At the Bye
 

He gives the "D" a C+. What do YOU think?

Handwerger: Saints still hard to figure out at bye week | wwltv.com New Orleans

"Prior to Monday night’s game, they rank 19th overall. They’re last in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt. They’re 29th in the league in interception percentage per pass attempt."

If they actually caught the ones that bounced off the palms of their hands this season, that 29th place would probably look more like an 8th place.

I think he reads this website too much. Look in my 30 something plus plus years as a Saints fan, I've never heard so much criticism of a Saints team that is 7 and 3 in my entire time rooting for the Saints.

7 and 3... division lead... 7 and 3 (seven and three).

Yep SEVEN AND THREE AND LEADING THE DIVISION.

That's an overall A+. We can add another "+" when we clinch the division. Anything beyond that is a crap shoot anyway (more or less).

I give the O a B and the D a C.

The O-line can't run block and can't deal with athletic DE's. The Offensive Coordinator has no clue what a real run play is supposed to look like.

The Defense has inexplicable lapses of cohesion, are oblivious to the cutback, and can't tackle bait. What's with the DB's playing 10 yards off a receiver??

If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was one of our regular sky is falling posters.

Offense - B
Defense - C
Special teams - B+/A-

I give our record, 7-3 leading the Division, an "A"

Offense - B+ (A if we could run the ball)
Defense - C/C- for obvious reasons
Special Teams - A (except for that one runback by the Packers for a TD)
Coaching - B+ (Gregg Williams brought the average down)

First thing that came to my mind when I thought about grading them. :cool:

Over all its a B or ya fooling yourselves.

Offense B
Defense F
Special Teams A
Overall B

Defense isn't getting any better. A win is a win but they still play the same in a win or a loss.

Our season is going to end like last years.

Right on cue.

Only Saints fans can give the defense more than a D. I think Williams is trying too hard to create something and to outsmart the other teams. Line up in man and vary from that in more subtle ways. All of the Saints CB's are good in man coverage. I would like to see them jump a route on occasion. Coming up to the line and running in the other direction into zone isn't working. Showing the all out blitz before the snap isn't working. If the Saints drop in zone, it's an easy underneath or over the middle play. If they blitz, it's a quick slant or out. If I can figure the defense out, it's real easy for a NFL coach and QB to be prepared for it.

Offense- B
Defense- C
Special Teams-A-
Coaching -B+

Fans a D-

Overall-B
Offense- B
Defense-C- I am being generous here.
ST's- A-
I am a Defense freak, I love to watch hand hitting, skull crushing defenses play, to the point you say "Damn what a shot. I expect our defense to be that defense in every way, not the way we have been playing. Every where, from the news to the analists to all of us, I know our D has really good players, I'm starting to wonder if they are ever going to show up. That is what I am so pi$$ed about. We are getting laughed at by every one, who wants to be laughed at. Not me.

Overall B like most.
I have a hard time thinking St. Louis was not a bookie game, hope that is not the case bet it sure seems that way with some of these scores.

Offense - B Plus,
A+ passing game
C+ run game

Defense - D
Weak front seven but a stong back 4.
Inconsistent

Special Teams B
Return units - Good
Coverage units - Good

Why on earth does anybody think we CAN'T run the ball? We are averaging 4.6 ypc and have the best short yardage and 3rd down backs in the league

Being 8th in the league in ypc average is meaningless when we are 23rd in the league in attempts at 25 rushes a game

Nobody should complain about our line or our running backs...it's just plain ignorance

Tell us how you really feel why don't you.

As great as you think they've been, there has been deficiencies and consistency issues. One could say to completely ignore it, would be just plain ignorance as well.

Yep, we're too inconsistent. One game we do well, the next we're pathetic.

While I agree its not as bad as some suggest, it's certainly not great either.

Inconsistency is probably why most view it as average to below average, and there's nothing "ignorant" about that.

2.6 per carry, 41 yards against Atlanta?
2.8 per carry, 56 yards against the Rams?
6.2 per carry, 236 yards in the Colt blowout?
3.5 per carry, 70 yards in the 1st Bucs game?
7.0 per carry, 195 yards in the 2nd Bucs game?

inconsistancy is created by rotations

ingram averaged less than 2 carries per quarter against the falcons. our leading rusher is getting less than 2 carries a quarter and you expect anything to be consistant about that? over the season hes only averaging 11 carries per game(8 games). do the math.....less than 3 carries per quarter of each game

what other running back in the league leads his team in carries with less than 3 per quarter?

the only thing consistant about our offense is 40+ passes per game

you wanna talk about consistancy? play calling makes us inconsistant on the ground.....not the execution of those plays

So it sounds like you agree with the inconsistency issues raised by many. Glad you finally figured it out.;)

inconsistancy in balance and play calling is completely different from not being able to execute

we are a very good passing team and a pretty good running team.....we just pass too much and run too little and it creates a lot more problems for our team than it solves

Hence the average grades for the rush offense.

which is 8th best in the league.....im not sure what you are arguing here?

we are a good running team

But we are inconsistent, as you also stated.

It appears you're arguing with yourself.

I don't think we are running the ball effectively. I also don't care much for stats either, one can make them into anything you like to make them into.

I haven't seen that we can run the ball effectively in any game this year. One that would require us to run the ball and not throw a lot.

If we had to rely on a running game we are SOL.

But I am also a believer that you can't come out and say 'ok we are a running team, lets run the ball' and be a good running team. Running game takes time to develop. So I give them a pass at the moment but next year... look out. Its do or die for the running game.

I was wondering what I was going to respond with. Is there even an debate or someone just validating what we're essentially saying?

Yes, Halo, agreed, but the "Aints" is now the "Is's"!!!!
We've seen near-perfection and we like it!
There's no disrespect in demanding respect!

LOL

Alaska
(basking in the glow of a division lead)

if you agree why the smug response? im trying to figure out why you are arguing anything at all?

if you agree that we are a good running team and we need to run more then why is this an issue?

:popcorn:

:nuts:

http://images.mylot.com/userImages/i...os/2467767.jpg

BUT - they didn't.

They are dropping balls like its a game of "hot potoato". Its BAD - pathetic almost.