Marlboro Man

Today's loss to SF is harder to take because of the events of the day, all falling in the Saints favor. Tampa Bay loss, Viking loss and Seattle loss. Everything we needed to make a move up in the standings and get closer to a playoff birth. Looks like the Saints, again were reading their press clippings and got all swell headed and came out and laid another egg. A rotten egg at that.

WHAT'S FRUSTRATING:

1. The hardheadedness of this coaching staff. Ivory has proven to be our best back. Exactly the kind of back we needed for this game. Admittedly he didn't set the world on fire this week, but it's hard to do that when you get 4 carries a game. Still, he out performed Ingram and when we ran him and kept balance we did well and scored a TD. Then we just kept running Mark the 2yd wonder Ingram and can't make a first down on 3rd or 4th and 1. Should have run Ivory in that circumstance but no this coaching staff, hardheadedly continues to run the back that isn't getting it done and it didn't get done. Then, at the end of the first half, we're down in SF territory and should have run the ball, but pass it and get an INT. Wow, what a brilliant play call.

2. The continued inability of this defense to do something so rudimentary, so fundamental to the game. You guessed it folks. Tackle. This team for some reason disdains to tackle. All they want to do is dive at the opponent's feet, or just hit them, allowing them to make ridiculous amounts of additional yardage. It's pathetic. It really is. I am now doubting the intelligence of the entire defense.

3. The continued confusion shown by the Lb corps. This unit however is the only unit that actually makes a play every now and then, but still cannot seem to avoid being picked up when blitzing, the inability to even get a hand on most QB's or RB's. It's uncanny to see such ineptitude week after week after week with nothing done to correct it.

4. Here is where I question the intelligence of these db's that cannot seem to find the ball in the air, to find the person they are supposed to cover and shockingly to actually cover that person, and then there's the tackling again.

This team has not learned Jack this year. Not the coaches and certainly not the players. This coaching staff needs to get their heads out their arses and see, no, really see who is playing well and who is not. They need to STOP being so predictable. They need to STOP getting the "Throw the Football All the Time" disease and keep hammering away with the run game and use the correct runner for the correct type running play and team you are facing. 6 years and this coaching staff has not shown the ability to do that one thing and every time they get pass happy, we lose. This coaching staff without Payton has not been able to keep these players from getting all swell headed after a few wins, and that my friends includes Drew Brees. I almost can't remember when was the last time I saw Drew hit a receiver in stride instead of throwing the ball way over their heads or behind them making the catch much more difficult and I credit our WR's with making Drew the QB he is, more so than Drew making these WR's who they are.

Is the season over? Certainly not. Do we still have a shot to get to the playoffs? Certainly we do. But that is going to take doing the things that this coaching staff and these players have shown that they either cannot do, or do not want to do. I did not see a sense of urgency today in the play of the players nor the play calling of the coaching staff. One thing that we can take comfort in is that if we do in fact make it to the playoffs, we may face SF again and may know better how to beat them there. Had we won this game, SF would have had a better idea of how to beat us again in the playoffs. Problem is, I just don't see this defense making the effort to correct the biggest problem they have which is tackling.

73Saint

This one really stings. Seattle, Minnesota and Tampa served one right up for us on a silver platter, and we blew it...at home.

That right there sums up our entire season this year. Frustrating.

AlaskaSaints

I'm SO F'N :YAWNING:

But you're SPOT on, Marlboro Man.

BLAH BLAH BLAH if we can't win this game, we can't beat Packers or '9ers anytime in the near future.

Alaska

OldMaid

Marlboro, #'s 2 and 4 are especially true.

jnormand

Actually, I don't think the defense played bad. The two pic 6's were the game. Bottom line. Should have gone into half with a 14-7 lead. Then the first drive after we get the ball back in the second half...pic 6. Thats a game changer.

I'm pissed, but the defense looked better than the offense IMO.

jnormand

Oh yeah...and watching Drew get manhandled by the 9er's was sickening. He was so afraid in the final quarter, you could actually see his lack of composure....Like "Oh my god! Here they come!!!!! AAGGGGHHH!!"

Marlboro Man

Can you imagine how much better this defense, would be if they would just tackle? It would make up for a lot of their other mistakes.

73Saint

I think so too, with one exception. The one drive SF had in the second half. 15 plus plays, ton of time, seven points. That one sealed the deal. Our D could not get off the field, we have to do better there.

WhoDat!656

2. The continued inability of this defense to do something so rudimentary, so fundamental to the game. You guessed it folks. Tackle. This team for some reason disdains to tackle. All they want to do is dive at the opponent's feet, or just hit them, allowing them to make ridiculous amounts of additional yardage. It's pathetic. It really is. I am now doubting the intelligence of the entire defense.

Since Goodell's vision is of a non-contact NFL, you sarcasm directed to the Saints players and coaches is mis-directed.

The Saints should be lauded and praised for leading the way in this endeavor! Think how LONG it will take the teams that have a history of tackling to figure out what the Saints have already perfected!!

Once this no-contact policy is implemented, the Saints will appear annually in the Super Bowl!

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

pumpkindriver

They made plays, we didn't. They won, we lost. No playoffs for us this year. We might finish with a winning season but thats poor consolation.