New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Stymieing the Carolina Panthers didn't give the New Orleans Saints' defense some titanic accomplishment in Week 9. But at least it signified a turnaround for the defensively challenged team.

It was the second consecutive game the Saints' defense became an asset rather than a liability. The unit slowed down the highly potent Green Bay Packers the previous week and played well enough to topple the Lions in Detroit two weeks prior.

The Saints were 4-4 and on the cusp of a three-game homestand. That certainly was thought to be the turning point, when the Saints would regain the form that made them a top-notch defense in 2013. Instead, the elevator ride back down to futility commenced slowly.

The lack of stops on third- and/or four-and-long and a leaky run defense were exposed against San Francisco.

Against Cincinnati a week later everything fell apart. No pass rush. Again an inability to leave the field on third down. No run defense. No energy.

Not much changed last week vs. Baltimore. Besides one takeaway, everything remained status quo or even regressed (run defense). Consecutive weeks of poor third-down defense dropped the Saints to the basement of the NFL in the category.

Next up for the Saints? A Pittsburgh Steelers offense at Heniz Field probably playing its best in the Ben Roethlisberger era. Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown look like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, plus the Steelers employ at bowling ball at running back with Le'Veon Bell in the midst of a Pro Bowl season.

"It looks like the best one we've seen on tape. We've seen some good offenses. And I know everybody is, 'Oh, you've made them look good.' Oh, bull----," Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said. "They've (opposing offenses) been pretty good. This one is on point. There's no question."

Ryan's comments don't exactly lend themselves for many, if anyone, to believe the defense can climb out of its malaise.

Saints coach Sean Payton expressed optimism, believing his wayward defense can again find its way. He said trying to improve a sub-par aspect of any team is the essence of coaching. The players seem to be buying in.

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Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Too much optimism on this 4-7 team. I think they are still in the denial stage.

Although, what do I expect them to say? "Yeah, we don't stand a chance in this one. PITT is going to put up 40 and we'll be lucky if we can hang 10 points on the board".... lol

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Come on Blackangold. We're a lot better than our record. Cleveland by 2, San Fran by 3 in OT, Lions by 1 and Atl at home by 3 in OT we could just as easily be 8-3. We lost those games by 1 mistake or a turnover.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

I can go with that III they come down to anyone's games but in the past we used to win those!

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

we played a handful of decent games this year, otherwise we look like ****. Both sides of the ball.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

agree on the still in denial part of it. Go out and show you are better. Quit talking about it.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

And I'll tell you right now, if you think that is **** is going to magically change you and I have lost it. We are not good. We play with 0 emotion and that I don't understand. There is no sense of urgency and 0 hunger. I think that, more than losing, is what bothers me the most.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

We're still in the playoff hunt. What would you all EXPECT them to say???

I hope we make the playoffs.
I hope a team overlooks us.
I hope we take our chances in the road, in a dome and find ourselves one win from the Super Bowl. (At least)

And it could happen - WITH these players.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

You haven't been watching the same team I have been then. This is not the good Sean Payton teams, this is the 7-9 Sean Payton version.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Thats simply not true.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Sorry this is the same rag beating the glory drum for this defense at the beginning of the year.

Bang Bang super bowl

heck this is the same person that was key in printing up all that preseason toilet paper everyone was reading.

:stupid:

Completely blind to the fact this slide started last year. Herbert is the only journalist that pointed this out all of last year and the beginning of this year.

Now with the injuries to the point the secondary is close to picking up players out of the gutter it is hard to see a major turn around. limit the bleeding i can see.

just get a few more 3s than 7s when a team is the red zone would be huge for this team. giving up 7's like a pair of loaded dice is killing the offense

that alone can get us off the snide. so all hope is not lost.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

I'm glad we won today, but this defense completely sucks. We got what? 2 of a possible 12 turnovers? That's just pathetic. Then we let them make what was a blowout look respectable UNACCEPTABLE. I'm sick and tired of seeing Colton dropping easy balls. I'm sick of seeing Vaccaro trying to be a PUNK on the field costing the Saints TONS of penalty yards. This team is ways talking about the little things and identifying the problems? I don't think they have a clue as to what the problems are or even what the little things are. This is disgusting football that looks like the first 43 years of crappy Saints football. These guys HAVE NO RIGHT to chastise the fans. They are a disgrace.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Don't you feel silly

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Not at all. No one expected them to win. If you did, then you were just being a homer. Upsets happen every week in the NFL.

Although I am sure you predicted a blow-out win right? If you did you most likely predict blow-out wins 16 games a season.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

It's easy to say now that the game has been played but I was worried especially after the Ravens smoked us at home. Mother Nature was on side
in Pittsburgh because if it was a skating rink we would have had big trouble.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Actually I gave us a 50/50 chance of winning. I mean Pitt did lose at home against freakin Tampa. But what I fully expected was for the Saints to score a lot more than 10 points. Give the offense more credit then that.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Oh and I don't think the Saints scoring 35 had anything to do with luck.

Re: New Orleans Saints' defense consistently regressing, and end is nowhere in sight
 

Well of course not....he plays for Indianapolis:)