6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

The Saints won, and so today many Saints fans are talking about how the Saints should have won better. I disagree. The Saints’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings wasn’t an easy blowout, but it might have taught us more about the 2014 Saints than we’d have learned from such a win — and what we learned was good.

Let’s start with what we already knew.

6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings | B&G

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Drews alleged declining arm strength is a myth and always has been a myth.

Arm strength is the last thing to go on an aging QB.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I loved Rob's GTFO!

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Good to see some positive things written about the team this season.

Thanks for posting.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Which is odd from that site. They're usually uber-negative with nuclear sarcasm fallout.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

4. The Defense Showed Up in the Dome ?????????????

what game was he watching?

the rest is all offense baby.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Held them to 3 FG's
Held them to 0 TD's
Held them to 4.6 Yards per play (would rank best in the NFL)
Held them to 40% 3rd down conversion (would rank top 10)
Held them to 9 points (would rank best in the NFL)

They weren't dominant, but they damn sure showed up.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

give credit were credit is due.

the rookie QB did not hurt them with turn overs but he did not help them either. he missed a bunch of reads

vikes OL had what two back ups starting?

I am not putting blinders on with their performance.

it was barely ok at best

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

No one is putting blinders on. The defense showed up and did what they were supposed to do.

For an idea of what "not showing up" looks like see game 1 and 2.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Like the optimism. String together performances like this starting on the road @ DAL Sunday Night and you have some good stuff going into the bye week.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I feel like that was a great win.... But it was the Vikings without AP ... It was a good game to get us some confidence but the real test for our Defense will be against Dallas... Romo coming off a good game back at home let's hope we can get some pressure on him....

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

This was a win against an FCS team. Backup qb, rb, wr, dl, db.

Bama wouldn't get credit for the win, nor should the saints.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I didn't read the article, because I already know what it's about. More regurgitated, rose colored crap that comes out every time after a team struggles to win a game it should have won easily. Not interested.

You can always take something positive or negative out of just about anything. The bottom line is that we played a team that wasn't very good to begin with, is now in disarray, and we got up big early and took the foot off the gas. We won, and that's great, but it was kind of an annoying performance.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Happy for the win and I can see where the negative is coming from. Our defense is just different. RR went and tinkered with stuff and now the line looks like poo. Its like, JR got paid and Cam made NFL's top 100 so now they went and ate the cheese.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

No sugar-coating here....there was a lot not to love about this game. Our O-line allowing pressure against a D that has allowed 30+ points per game prior to Sunday. Rookie QB getting 150 passing yards on us. Teddy looked better than Drew under pressure.

Anyway, we won. The D held in the red zone. We should have been way more explosive against that below average D and the missed tackles are disturbing. But -- I withhold doubt until Dallas. Anyone else sick of hearing "the Saints road woes"?

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I'm sure Packers and 49er fans are sitting around griping about their teams too. There are a lot of pretty good teams playing sloppy ball right now and we just happen to be one of them.

Now, if we lose to Dallas, we are in deep doo-doo. But until then, I'm just going to look at this as early-season weirdness playing itself out. We see it almost every year.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

We do see it every year, and those teams don't often fair well in the end. I'm not saying our season is over, but I am saying that I see nothing positive about the fact that it's happened before. Packers and 49ers fans are undoubtedly upset, as you alluded to, and they should be. I take no solace in other teams playing like crap too. I know we can play better, and that's what's so annoying. The fact that we have the ability but there is little to no urgency.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

We had a backup C, RB, LB, CB...

So what?

They did their job and we won.

Everyone here should be pleased with that.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

There are some here that cannot be pleased unless they are displeased.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

i expect way better out of this defense than we have saw last week. big reason they looked so good was due to way more than the way they played. if the vikes were healthy i fear we would not be so pleased with this performance.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I don't get all the pessimism.

This was a good win for a team that needed some confidence. What did we all want to see? Our D play better right? Guess what, they played good in the first half and great in the second. As this team gels they will be better defensively. I think this game woke the team up from their slumber and now they go to play the Cowboys, you know RR will have the defense ready to play.

I wouldn't be overly optimistic, but I certainly can say this team looked much more like 2013 Saints than the 2012 Saints.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Believe me, I am sick of it too, but I am not eating any of the cheese on this one, either....this team has gone from being one of the best on the road in the NFL in 2009-2011, to being one of the consistently middle of the pack to worst road teams, in the last 2-3 seasons...

Just for example, FYI, did anyone here know that right now we have the same exact regular season road record as Jacksonville, when combining the 3 games of this season so far with the last regular season? That's right, Jacksonville. This season and last. Dallas -- that laughing stock of a team that we like to make fun of? Is actually better on the road than the Saints right now, over the last two seasons. 5-5. So until they REALLY start getting their mojo back on the road, I'm skeptical. The Saints have won some legendary and epic road games under Sean Payton, the Dolphins' in '09, Cincinatti in 2010, the overtime Falcons stuff in the Georgia Dome, and some great Dallas beatdowns....but face it, most of those days were a long time ago now.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Don't get me wrong, as unsettling as this season has been thus far ( last game excepted ), I am optimistic, of course. I'm just saying after two loses where we didn't finish, both on the road where, in my mind, they are unproven, this team has something to prove, especially on the road. I hope the team actually feels that way.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I know that they are good........so this article doesn't apply to me.:smile:

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I hear ya Hagan but it sounds like Ryan may have introduced too much too soon.

Gotta admit - the secondary got a facelift and new installs may have set them back or at least kept them from performing like last year.

I'm glad we dialed back because talent should override scheme.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

There isn't much difference between our two centers, our backup running back is not a dropoff at all, and all of our corners aside from maybe Lewis, stink, so it doesn't matter who's in there. I don't see those things as excuses.

Our defense played an offense in total disarray. So you can't be too excited about anything there. We still aren't getting consistent pressure, and that shows up when you play somebody who doesn't suck.

I think the proper term to describe the feeling is relieved with the win. You might be super happy, or whatever, and that's great. I try to keep things in perspective. I know who we played and I'm not gonna pretend that game wasn't a snoozer.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

There are also some here that think their opinions take precedent over all things. There IS such a thing as an overreaction, but calling like it is... is just calling it like it is. If you don't agree, good for you. Your optimism, pessimism, or indifference is just as useless as anyone else's.

We're not here to make a difference in the world. That's what our real lives are for. It's a message board for crap sake.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

:broccoli: we won

:confused: but is just one win so does this win give us the jump start to see improvements in the defense from here on out? because we have a long way to go in that area.

:pissed: the defense has too much talent to be here in the first place. 5th ranked? nah but this aint cutting it

:brood: i want to see were the blame lies.

:bng: been through way to many years of losing for good reason to put up with losing for the wrong reason. these time come around once or maybe twice in a life time so squandering the good times rubs me the wrong way.

:jester: i can except losing if we are trying to rebuild and we sux. then i look for the silver linings anywhere i can find them. heck i will imagine a few to get me through it. :p

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

No excuses, just facts. We played with backups as well who by the way adjusted well when a new QB (1st round pick) came in.

And I said pleased, as in the way the team played overall not relieved as in there was a way we could have lost.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Showing how the pressure disrupts Drew's release of the ball and therefore the "arm strength" issue is well presented here.
It also is a blue print for every team we play on how to keep the game within reach.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I know you said pleased, and relieved was my word. Because you said we should be pleased and I found nothing to be pleased with in terms of performance. I outlined why the few backups in the game aren't really dropoffs. We run by committee, so I don't really consider Ingram a starter. More like a co-starter, so that's not big deal unless Khiry goes down too. The other positions you mentioned are all washes. We demoted Patrick Robinson, we weren't missing him. and Lelito and Goodwin are pretty much the same caliber player now. Goodwin just had the edge in experience. He was much better a couple years ago.

Then I look at who we played and what the final score was, and how much we seemed to sleep through 90% of that game, and I'm not particularly impressed. I'd rather win boringly or ugly than to lose, any day. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it was not an impressive performance.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

I can't speak for everyone but I don't think anyone said it was impressive. Most everyone just said it was simply what we should have done. Blowouts are extremely rare in the NFL.

Compared to the 1st two games it was definitely better, and its not like we squeaked out a victory on a last second FG. We were clearly the better team and we won.

Impressive? NO
Improving? ABSOLUTELY

I didn't see a single post that said it was impressive.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Guys the Seahawks were a coin flip away from 1-2. That would have made what was thought to be the 4 best teams in the NFC (Packers, Saints, 49ers, Seahawks) all have losing records. Don't lose faith, we are better than this and our players will step up. WHO DAT

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

Yea its not noodley at all. He has never been known to have a huge arm, he made his bones being the most accurate QB in the game. I think they have not gone down field more because we lack the burner like we had with Henderson. I think Morgan was supposed to be our field stretcher we needed. Drew may not heave it from endzone to endzone but when there is a speed guy who needs to be accounted for and Brees can carve them up with the bigger guys or PT.

Re: 6 Things That Prove the Saints Were Better than You Think vs the Vikings
 

That vikings safety was always around the football and only mistake he made is Hill TD. He almost picked one deep ball from Drew. It's not arm strenght, sometimes there are no real opportunities.