Brandon428

Okay,so we're 0-2. 2 games that were quite winnable and came down to last second game tying drives. While many want to panic we have to calm down and remember only 2 games have been played 1 which was determined by bad refereeing (IMHO).

I think the 3 biggest problems are...

1.)Defense- I know what you're thinking,herp derp obviously our defense stinks. I do think its our biggest problem but I don't think our D stinks,definitely not as bad as the statistics show. What I see from our defense right now is a lot of individual talent,unfortunately I don't see "team" talent. I don't think it's Spags fault per se but rather the fact that he's just not had enough time to get everyone working together efficiently. It takes time for guys to learn a new defensive scheme and I would assume a lot more time for everyone to learn each others efficiencies and deficiencies on defense. On a positive note I do see our defense getting exponentially better later in the year as they learn how to work with each other. The question is will they scrape enough wins now to keep them in the playoff race later in the year?

2.)Offensive Line- Wow,what can I say? I didn't think the loss of Carl Nicks would have made that much of a difference. I'm starting to wonder if Colston over Nicks was a good idea. I think Colston will bounce back though. Our O-line right now however is horrible. That being said I think Brees,especially in the last game,is looking down field to much. Now I love a deep pass as much as the next guy but when they keep sacking you,knocking down passes, and forcing bad throws you need to keep the opposing D honest. Incorporate some quick passes,quick screens,and run the ball more. You HAVE to slow down the blitz especially with how bad out line is playing. Also,is it just me or are they not running to the outside at all? Off-tackle with Sproles all day,thats what I want to see! Spread that defense out and why not try some no huddle?

3.)Coaching- This surprised me the most. Now I didn't buy into the "Brees is the coach" BS that every analyst was spreading. I know as well as most here that the success of the Saints is not thanks to one man. I thought the lack of Sean Payton wouldn't cripple us but of course would slow us down. Vitt really impressed me with how well he was steering the ship and keeping players focused. Kromer however...not so much. From what I see on tv he looks extremely tense/flustered. Take for instance in the last game when we had the Panthers 3rd and 15 and Newton connected with Smith for a first down. That was a big play and the way Smith caught the ball deserved another look in my opinion. In that situation I feel Sean would have called a time out to give the guys upstairs to take a closer look and see if it was worth a challenge. If not at least it gives the defense a little time to regroup and slows down the Panthers momentum. Also,besides being a master at manipulating momentum in a game Payton is a master at putting in the right players at the right time. Kromer just seems to lack all the qualities that make Sean Payton the best coach.

All that being said I still feel like we have a good team,we just need to get our defense in sync. In the first 2 games we were really out coached on defense and the opposing offense threw everything at us but the kitchen sink. That's not an excuse in my opinion because regardless a good defensive coach should be able to make adjustments on the fly. I think if we can get a win this weekend over the Chiefs it'll turn this ship in the right direction. I think it's extremely important to get a W in the column this week.

What do you guys think?