What really changed?
 

Really liked what I saw from the D, they finally looked like the 2013 team.

The biggest change outside of personnel moves; the personnel being matched with the correct scheme. Hawthorne wasn't asked to cover a WR and was sent on blitzes, and guess what, he is great at blitzing. The change I saw was more about putting players in the right spots and being aggressive.

The blitz doesn't always work, but this season we have been shy to use it because of the perceived issue in the secondary. All the non-blitzing lead to QBs having more time to throw which made a bad secondary look worse. The best way to help your DBs is to rush the QB, and the A-gap blitzing worked very well. Keep it up D!!

Re: What really changed?
 

This is what happened a few weeks ago when the Saints went to playing BASIC D. KEEP IT SIMPLE. There are way to many young guys on that D and complicated schemes are having them think to much and all they need to worry about is react.

Case in point Warren playing safety just reacted and ran to his left deep and intercepted a ball. Just get them out there and let them play.

THey did this a few weeks ago and they looked good. the very next week back to the BS again.

Re: What really changed?
 

I think they played it too simple. Not blitzing and not trying to confuse the QB made it too simple for the offenses to pick us apart. I think going simple was the wrong move because the scheme we saw against the Bears was not simple, even Gruden commented on it a few times.

Re: What really changed?
 

The bears O line is very weak, especially the interior

RR recognised this and that's why he kept sending Hawthorne on A gap blitzes, resulting in 3 sacks for him.

As for the secondary, I like they just reacted to what was going on. They let Keenan have one on one coverage on Jeffrey, and Keenan shut him down.

They let Pierre warren play centre field and just react to what was happening, any safety that loves grabbing ints will tell you they love playing centre field, because there is so much freedom to free roam and just react to where the ball is going instead of trying to think too much.

Re: What really changed?
 

What changed for me was players were doing what they should have been doing for quite some time!! Their job!! Not just going thru the motions.

Re: What really changed?
 

Tackling was better...not as many missed tackles. Frederick was solid for a guy off the PS vs inexperienced CHI WRs. Can't take nothing away from Pierre Warren...2 picks off of an NFL QB plus he forced a fumble in that BAL game. Jenkins showed up as did Hicks against a weak Chicago interior, and ATL has the same weak interior. Overall, the defense played like wanted to protect some pride in their manhood last night. It was refreshing. KVac's only moment "to shine his butt" was a personal foul...nothing changed. Negated an offensive pass interference that would have made it 3rd & 12 with less than 5 mins to go. Getting really tired of his stupidity.

Lastly, of the unchanged variety. This figure keeps rattling around in my head. 77 yards on 4 plays. Not a big deal, right? Here's the difference in great teams:

Chicago started 2 drives after our TDs from the 36 yard line & the 44 yard line instead of our return unit stopping them around the 20 each time. A decent offense with get 3 out of that easily, a good offense will get 7.

And our punt coverage (almost started laughing)? Ask a DC if he would rather have an offense start inside the 20 yard line or at the 20 yard. Ask that DC a 100 times. How can college programs understand & appreciate this concept of field position but the Saints can't?

Trust me, I am tickled & pickled pink that we went up there & whooped up on the Bears...but there are little things that need to be fixed. I want to monkey-stomp the Clowns in the Dome by 11 TDs on Sunday, and little things like cleaning up stupid PFs & field position can put that big boot on the Clowns' throat.

Re: What really changed?
 

punt coverage was laughable all night... Morstead actually dropped it at the one- stopped dead, and we still somehow screwed it up. The previous gaff when then ball was in the air for an hour and still somehow fell between Dixon and Robinson was blooper-reel material

Re: What really changed?
 

Im not celebrating that.
the Bears rolled over and played dead for us.
we're still atrocious, especially on offense.
Jim Everett would feel at home.
Mark Ingram is Ray Zellars reincarnated.
And why would Payton not use PT more, when he has a history of
blowing up in front of his family a Soldier Field?

Re: What really changed?
 

The Bears are a worse football team than just about anyone we have played this year. That's about all that changed.

Re: What really changed?
 

We'll see this sunday.

Re: What really changed?
 

we suck goat nuts.

Re: What really changed?
 

Have to agree here. The Saints team started the Chicago game making the same mistakes that would kill us or put us in a hole early against a better team.
We would be fooling ourselves to think they have righted the ship. The one big difference is better energy from the players. Hopefully the defensive changes continue to show marked improvement.

Re: What really changed?
 

I stopped watching the pregame shows and the postgame shows after a win...

Re: What really changed?
 

It was obvious that we wanted to win and they didn't...........sadly that is the main reason we won. Not talent. Not schemes.......hustle was the name of the game.