WhoDat

Man, with a few exceptions, today's game was just flat bad. In any case, here's my remarks on the game - good, bad, and ugly.

The Good
Aaron Brooks deserves major props for this game b/c it was basically won on his arm. He looked like the Pro Bowl QB he should be every week today, and I was overall very happy with his play. Likewise, with a few exceptions, the WRs did their jobs and did them well. Very few drops and a couple of real nice catches. Finally, the most explosive part of our offense was just that.

I was also really glad to see this team step up rather than fold after a late score. Who knows right now whether that was this team finally showing some heart, or a bad 49er team folding? Let's hope it was the former, but either way it's just good to get that first win.

I will also give credit to Aaron Stecker. Although his stats were unimpressive, I thought there was only a slight drop off in play when Deuce left and Stecker came in. Most of the running game problems stem from the O-line, not the backs. I think Stecker is a great backup, capable of contributing a lot.

The Bad
Our O-line gave Brooks all kinds of time early, but they stunk in the second half. Further, when it comes to the run-game, they are flat overrated. There were very few holes or creases and the line of scrimmage was dominated by a bunch of scrubs signed "off the street" in the last two weeks. That's sad. No Fontenot hurts more than most imagined, and no Smith is proving to be as costly as many suspected.

Also in the "bad" category is this team's general character. Despite a late come from behind win today, I think this team still leaves a lot to be determined when it comes to attitude. SF should never have been allowed to hang around - at most we generally seem moderately interested and highly undisciplined.

The Ugly
First, our run defense is still just as bad as ever. I know, many of the yards on the ground came on one big play, but it doesn't matter. I don't care if we hold a RB to 40 yards on 20 carries if we give up 60 on the 21st. They are not any better in this category.

Our coaching staff is bad. We were entirely outcoached in this game. Think half-time adjustments are a major part of the game - just take a look at this game. In essence, San Fran made a few changes and came out and dominated us in the second half. Were it not for a few major calls and plays that went in our favor, the Saints would not have escaped. Our coaching staff just doesn't know what to do with itself.

Finally, our TEs are in the ugly category. So far their play has been categorized by missed blocks, penalties, and dropped passes. They have been way over-hyped. I'm entirely disappointed.


Overall, this was a very ugly win and one I'm not real thrilled about, though I'll take it. Many of us looked at the runing game as the key to success for the Saints this year. Well, if that truly is an indicator, we're in for a LONG season boys. Our running attack has been non-existant and I don't see the Saints being real good if Deuce is not a facotr this year. Likewise, the key on defense is stopping the run. We've yet to come close to that for a FULL game. If we keep allowing 125+ yards on the ground every week, it won't matter what the offense does.

After two games my outlook is not nearly as sunny as it was in the preseason. Right now we look like a 6-10 or 7-9 team. I hope that this comeback win is enough to change their attitudes and catapult them to a few consecutive wins. We need to step it up if we're going to get anywhere near 10-6.