New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots: grades

TheOak · 10-15-2013, 11:53 AM

Offense - 2.5 fleur de lis (out of possible 4)

Anyone think they'd live to see the day when New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham would be held without a catch in a game?

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick took away the Saints' best weapon and it took New Orleans a half to come up with an alternative. Belichick put his best cover corner, Aqib Talib, on Graham. Talib, at 6 feet 1, had the size and physicality to disrupt Graham. And when Talib left in the third quarter with a hip injury, Belichick bracketed Graham with two defenders and used an end or outside linebacker to chip him and disrupt his routes. All in all, it meant for a frustrating day for Graham.

The Saints' much-maligned running game had more than 100 yards, but couldn't get a first down when it needed it most in the waning moments.

Defense - 2 fleur de lis

Coordinator Rob Ryan loves to substitute situationally, but the Patriots' no-huddle attack made him keep base personnel on the field for the most part. New England's up-tempo attack seemed to catch the Saints by surprise in the first half. Twice New Orleans was flagged for illegal substitutions.

Tom Brady only faced pressure when the Saints blitzed. Brady and his cast of no-name receivers picked on cornerback Jabari Greer often, including on the last-second touchdown when Kenbrell Thompkins inexplicably got behind Greer in the end zone. Ex-LSU standout Stevan Ridley had his best game of the season, scoring twice and rushing for 96 yards.

Read More: New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots: grades | NOLA.com

10-15-2013, 11:53 AM	#1
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 18,978	New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots: grades Offense - 2.5 fleur de lis (out of possible 4) Anyone think they'd live to see the day when New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham would be held without a catch in a game? New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick took away the Saints' best weapon and it took New Orleans a half to come up with an alternative. Belichick put his best cover corner, Aqib Talib, on Graham. Talib, at 6 feet 1, had the size and physicality to disrupt Graham. And when Talib left in the third quarter with a hip injury, Belichick bracketed Graham with two defenders and used an end or outside linebacker to chip him and disrupt his routes. All in all, it meant for a frustrating day for Graham. The Saints' much-maligned running game had more than 100 yards, but couldn't get a first down when it needed it most in the waning moments. Defense - 2 fleur de lis Coordinator Rob Ryan loves to substitute situationally, but the Patriots' no-huddle attack made him keep base personnel on the field for the most part. New England's up-tempo attack seemed to catch the Saints by surprise in the first half. Twice New Orleans was flagged for illegal substitutions. Tom Brady only faced pressure when the Saints blitzed. Brady and his cast of no-name receivers picked on cornerback Jabari Greer often, including on the last-second touchdown when Kenbrell Thompkins inexplicably got behind Greer in the end zone. Ex-LSU standout Stevan Ridley had his best game of the season, scoring twice and rushing for 96 yards. Read More: New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots: grades \| NOLA.com Attached Thumbnails
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