look ma no hands
 

AB and Haz are getting a lot of the blame for the Saints failures and deservedly so. But there is another key area for the blame and that it the hands and receiving ability of our skill players. I'm near Viking country and my boss and wife are both Vikings fans so I end up seeing a lot of their games. Even though they lost Randy Moss, the bright spot on their team is that TE Wiggins and WR Burleson, though hardly speed merchants, can catch everything thrown their way. Even though Randy Moss is still really gimpy, his hands are great and he helps the team get first downs. The Vikings have lost some games lately, but at least they have good possession guys to keep the chains moving; they've self-destructed in other phases of the game.

The Saints have seriously over-valued speed. Speed only makes a difference in a limited number of situations, yet the Saints keep looking for fast receivers (Stallworth, Pathon, Gardner and Henderson maybe) with disregard for players who know how to exploit coverage and catch the ball. Letting Willie Jackson (who had a good chemistry w/ Brooks) go after Haz's first year was a major mistake that has gone somewhat unnoticed.

Part of the problem with the 3-and-outs is that Joe Horn is the only receiver that make a play catching the ball. And the problems is more than just drops, it's about good route running and adjusting to the defense.

[Edited on 6/12/2004 by neugey]

[Edited on 6/12/2004 by neugey]

[Edited on 6/12/2004 by neugey]

look ma no hands
 

Good point. Our most productive WR is also our slowest.
And even he drops passes left and right.

look ma no hands
 

Horn is faster than Gardner.

look ma no hands
 

All the more reason to have kept Willie Jackson, who also lead the team in YAC.