Re: Great week for a bye.
 

And if that happens, maybe Ingram will be back.

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

really i need a week to get money so i can restock the liquor cabinet. The saints have made me drink all that weird stuff that has been sitting in there for years. i have to go to cheaper scotch. i can not afford a season like this with the good stuff

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

That's gonna' be a toughy ... the one area the Lions have greatly improved this season is Defensive Coordinator ... you're seeing a lot more of Fairley & Suh together and they move Suh around a bit instead of lining him up in the same spot every play as in years past ... but yeah, establishing the run & giving Brees time to pick apart Detroit's depleted secondary will pay dividends, :).

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

Maybe the defense will start tackling after a bit of rest. We might see some basics from the defense.

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

Just my humble opinion: declarations of expectations such as these is what causes fans to bang their heads against the wall when it doesn't happen.

First there is no evidence that the Payton/Carmichael/Brees triumvirate is going to change their tune and run with authority. These guys have all been here since 2006. There is 8 years of history of how they do offense, and running with authority isn't their MO.

Second the Saints have struggled with every facet of the game. A one week break isn't going to fix that to the point where "we will win at least our next 10-12 games easily". Honestly the competition is going to get stiffer than it's already been.

So both these expectations are just begging to be disappointed. Might I suggest some more realistic ones:

1. Have an offense that doesn't turn over the ball.
2. Have an offense that converts red zone opportunities into TDs.
3. Have an offense that runs the ball effectively, especially in the 4 minute drill.
4. Have an receiver group that does not drop the ball when targeted.

5. Have a defense that tackles consistently.
6. Have a defense that gets after the opposing QB.
7. Have a defense that limits big plays.
8. Have a defense that occasionally gets a turnover.

Each of these can be fixed in two weeks. The combination of them will make the team more competitive in all the upcoming contests.

I get disappointed when I do not see these 8. The Saints failed in virtually all 8 of these at times in the last game. Only when they did #3 in overtime (Khari go BOOM!) and #5 (Junior go BOOM!) for the safety did the game turn around for the win.

Imagine what could happen if all 6 of these occurred in every game. That would be something worth watching.

I'm still encouraged. A team isn't supposed to win a game when they give the ball away 4 times. The Saints did.

But winning streaks are not magic. They are the results of consistently solid play by a team. Fix the list above, and then it becomes a possibility.


SFIAH

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

My hope is the break gets our heads on straight and we come out and play like we can. I think it is possible, but I do not anticipate our defense to be as good as it was last year, but **** be half that and it would go along way

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

We have the #1 offense and the #25 defense :bugeyes: The defense seems to get just a little bit better every game...

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

I watched the Tampa game on NFL Rewind. I'm not sure we even need a broken MI. Khiry is going kinda crazy when he gets the ball and, well, PT is a monster as always.

I predict we get it together after the bye. Sad to say we needed it though.

I also somewhat take back my defense of Drew Brees -- some of those throws were truly inaccurate. Weird.

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

Aren't we "frenemies" with you next week?

Re: Great week for a bye.
 

Yeah, kinda' ... who knows? It may all just be a formality if the Lions can't mount more of an offense than 7pts vs teams like Buffalo, :rolleyes: ...