Why Can't We Tackle??
 

What is the deal with our DB's and tackling? I know its only pre season but damn..I can't honestly say I see much improvement from last year in the tackling department.

Roman harper...is he scared to tackle someone?? Why does he constantly dive at legs? I am willing to cut Robinson a little slack considering this was his first game back in awile but damn. When is this going to be addressed?

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

It wasn't only the DB's, it is a good question though!!

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

2 terrific games and then one bad one, they'll have it corrected this week. As per Vitt in his post-game presser

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I watch a little of the game online, and before half time with time still on the clock. We missed 9 tackles.... Two were in on play 9.. we still can't tackle at all.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I'll give you that the BACKUPS tackle well. The first string didn't play much in the first 2 games.

Our first string played a whole quarter and with the exception of our lb's, the db's looked like crap still. I know it's pre season but this is exactly what pre season is for, to see progress. So far there has not been much progress with our safety's and tackling.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Why can't we tackle? We can't practice tackling. I think that's pretty much it.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I disagree somewhat; it was the first string defense that totally shut down Tom Brady last week

Again I disagree; the first two games the tackling was better and the DBs were doing a fantastic job...

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

The tackling will be addressed, I am confident in that. What does concern me is the lack of an anchor at DT. We continue to pick-up new run stuffing DTs and have yet to see any improvement in the running game. Bunkley has done nothing this preseason and Ellis never seems to plug the hole. I would be less concerned if it were just this last game (due to rough practices I think the D was burnt out), but we have had the 1st string D get run over in each preseason game so far.

They better get it together because this next preseason game is the only one that really matters and it comes against a very respectable opponent in Houston.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Heres what I think about our tackling and poor defensive performance altogether. I think coming of of 2 road games without coming home really started to wear on the Saints. We have probably had a more grueling practice schedule than any other team. We went away for an extra game and went straight to NE and practiced against them before even setting foot back in Metarie. This week was the hottest week of the summer and they only went indoors for one practice. The defense was noticeably winded and worn out from the minute they stepped on the field. I think with some rest this week and without the rigors of training camp we will have time to study the film, rest up, and get back to practicing the fundamentals. It was only one game. One game does not make a ****ty defense. We performed great against the second best offense in the league a week ago. I think you see a rejuvenated defense against Houston.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

just a momentary lapse back to previous habbits... We will be fine next week...

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

The 85 bears lost games. Nuff said.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Pretty sure our defense will not even sniff the perfection that the 85 bears had.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

They are over rated.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

We overlooked them. Plain and simple.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

ill wait for the season, but harp looked like a liability- a rec owned his ass on a run.

i saw hawthorne blown off the ball several times. dude was blocked like 10 yards down field on a play

i can see this being the last year for harp n will smith

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

i don't think that gets pluralized. i think it was A game

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I think preseason is a no-win situation for any NFL team with their fans.

If the 1st string defense looks good, oh-well it was against an opponent playing "vanilla" style offense.

If the 1st string defense looks bad, everyone should panic because it's a good indicator of what's to come - ie. getting steamrolled.

If the offense plays great, then that's because they payed a defense calling "vanilla" formations and practicing fundamentals.

If the offense plays poorly, then uh-oh, time to panic.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I'm not saying they will be just like the 85 bears but the fact that people are scared because we stunk it up ONCE is unusual. Especially since it's preseason.

If the 85 BEARS(a team that REVOLVED around defense) can lose a game then it's not that surprising that our team(which is not known for its defense) messed up in ONE GAME too. It should also be pointed out that besides Walter Payton, the 85 bears didn't have much on offense. WE DO!

We don't need to be the 85 bears. We're already on our way to being "The greatest show in a dome".

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Nonetheless, they still lost, And they went on to lose more games the next few years. If the 85 bears of all people know what's it's like to taste defeat then we shouldn't be surprised that our "work in progress" defense suffered too. Come on! We expect a team that was one of the worst defenses last year to suddenly become the 85 bears in no time at all?

Plus like I said, it's preseason. The 2008 lions were perfect in the preseason, right before they went 0-16.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Personally I feel the steelers of the 70s were a better defense but come on!

A team that goes 15-1 and has a blowout almost EVERY single game is not overrated. Though I do think bears fans need to shut up about it at this point. You don't see dolphins fans talking about there ACTUAL perfect season that much.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Point is for the past few years this has been a big problem, whether it's new players, new coaching .... it's just been a fact. Until we can put it together during the regular season. Then I will jump off the no tackling bandwagon

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Old habits are hard to break. It's mostly the same players the Saints have had for years now. We've seen improvements over just a few weeks. There have been several good reasons why a team might look flat or slow off the mark already mentioned in this thread. Awesome defenses aren't built overnight. And it's just a preseason game. Remember, the Saints don't need a top 5 defense, it would be nice but with this offense they just need to be above average.

No reason to worry.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I wasn't arguing anything you said- matter of fact I hadn't read anything other than you saying the 85 Bears lost games. I was correcting that. They lost one.

And no I do not expect us to be the 85 Bears, where did you get that from anything I posted? Missed tackles is garbage for professionals making millions of dollars. There is no argument for missed tackles. PR being first game back I can understand, but not the rest.

I am fairly certain the Jags were missing both starting tackles last night and one of the best running backs in the game- Considering those facts I find our run D to be a bit of a worry. That's all.

I agree with you though- the expectation has to be tempered a bit

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I don't put much into preseason, and I think these are really fair points, but at the same time when you consider who they were missing on Offense and running on us like that -I am worried about our run D. I hope it is nothing to worry about, but I think the cards and Pats ran well against us too, so...

And I think missed tackles are BS, Preseason or not

I am interested in how we look this week against the Texans. Hopefully a hell of a lot better than last night

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Oh No! We suck again!

http://images.cheezburger.com/comple...1954645220.jpg

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Let's put it this way.... a "FINE" performance by our defense this week against the Texans will do a LOT to calm my mind, and the minds of millions of Saints fans.
:bng:

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Great Question, I wish I had the answer.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Patrick Robinson needs to keep his head up on tackles, its all fundamentals that he is still having problems with. Man he needs to tighten up.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Robinson really had a poor game. Totally agree here.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Will this game be on the NFL Replay Ok I found it Monday at 10:30

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

It already replayed earlier today. As a Saints fan, watching this one again was about as fun as watching 2 roaches racing around a NASCAR track.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I would go as far as to say that it's 'league-wide' also. In the preseason games I've watched, the tackling has been, to put it mildly, poor. Watching some of the training camps, I see helmets w/no-pads and drills w/no contact ... come game day, I see missed tackles, blown assignments and players gassing like they've never been in pads before. Coincidence? I think not.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's preseason, but it gets worse every year, eh? How they practice is how they play and while some of these guys are talented enough to not practice & still perform on gameday, many of them are not.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

I think I have heard that once or twice before..... Hmmmmm

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

"There is no argument for missed tackles".

Perhaps. But when you've been playing on the road every game so far and you're not being worked out the same way as you normally would be in the regular season, the coaches probably aren't gonna want their players working so hard. Just look at what happened to chris chamberlain. Imagine if that had been Curtis Lofton. We don't need to work so hard that we risk losing people out for the season..... Even if it means missing tackles.

When you think about the fact that the saints(and pretty much every other nfl team) could care less about winning in the preseason, it didn't surprise me at all that the defense didn't give it its all.

The defense was disappointing that game, but it was nothing compared to how GOOD the defense looked against the pats and cardinals. The defense is not what will carry us. The offense. And in the jags game, we didn't have the complete set had of our offensive starters for most during the game.

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

He did, and it looked like they were targeting him. Wonder if that was a coaches agreement before the game. Like hey we need to get this guy a lot of work???

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Definitely true, lets hope we look really good this week!

In soccer, we have a saying: the offense wins games, the defense wins championships!


Somewhere over the rainbow!

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

That is starting to become less and less true in the NFL every year. Football teams are going to pass first offenses because thats what brings ratings and that is what Goodell wants.

Do Godhell rules the world? :P


Somewhere over the rainbow!

Re: Why Can't We Tackle??
 

Next week is our last week of the preseason spent at home and it's against the texans who are both strong on defense AND on offense(good test for both sides of the ball especially since the texans just beat the 49ers).


It will also be in front of all the saints fans in the dome. In which case expect EVERYBODY to be there. Expect the defense to try to repeat the pats game. Expect the running game to attempt to repeat the hall of fame game. And expect Drew Brees and his weapons to.......... well, do what they do best.

It's gonna be a damn good football game. Preseason or not.