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McKenzie was the main reason
Our defense started playing much better. The defense strategy really changes when you have a shut down corner. You let him play their best receiver man to man -- let the safeties cheat the line of scrimmage to help the linebackers and let Grant and Howard go after the qb. Yep a shut down corner can allow your defense to play much more aggressively. If we can add Smoot to the mix, get a very good linebacker we may have one of the best defenses in the league next year. A great defensive line which can rush and a top notched defensive backfield
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McKenzie was the main reason
I agree that McKenzie was a big part of it, no doubt. But my vote goes to Willie Whitehead. It\'s interesting that the Saints continued to play poorly for a few games after McKenzie got here, but the game that whitehead got inserted back into the rotation the d-line got loose and turned fierce. I can\'t explain it - honestly it was probably a combo... McKenzie and Fahkir finally both starting, Watson, Buckwoldt, and Allen were our best LB platoon, and Smith, Howard, Grant, Whitehead, Young, and Green in a rotation looked great.
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McKenzie was the main reason
I believe the speed and passion of that young LB corps, combined with McKenzie and Brown, is what made our defense turn around. If you noticed, RB\'s weren\'t able to get the corner on us like they were earlier in the season. And Bockwoldt and Watson seemed like they were always around the ball. Personally, I think our future looks pretty bright with these young guys. All they need is some coaching up from the DC......................uh-oh.......
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McKenzie was the main reason
I\'ll agree with WhoDat on Whitehead\'s return and the ensuing impact, but give some credit to Will Smith. He adjusted well to the speed of the NFL in the second half of the season and played extremely well for a rookie.
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McKenzie was the main reason
That\'s awesome, Who Dat and B&B giving Whitehead some of the credit he deserves.
Whitehead is a big dude who has guns that would rival the Hulk\'s. He\'s a long time Saint, maybe the longest. Wasn\'t he here from the Ditka era? He punishes the QB when he gets to them. And it\'s no coincidence that we finally began to stop the run when we cleared him to play again. |
McKenzie was the main reason
Everyone is probably right. But what we all agree on (which is quite surprising) is that we have a nucleus of a decent defense. If we can get Smoot and a top notch middle linebacker there is reason to hope.
(of course I am just being a Saints fan -- optimistic until the end) |
McKenzie was the main reason
To say that Willie Whitehead made more of a contribution than McKenzie is so laughable!! I\'m still laughing !!
4saintspirit is right. McKenzie allowed Venturi to play a different style of defense. The corners played man-to-man and allowed the front 7 to play much more aggressively. It took a few games for Venturi and and McKenzie to get on the same page, but Venturi finally trusted McKenzie and the rest is history. Whitehead is a good role player but to say Whitehead is the reason this defense played better is a J-O-K-E!!! Willie Whitehead? Give me a friggin\' break !! |
McKenzie was the main reason
...yeah... on guy who must still have sore hips for the many times Muhammad broke him surely was the main reason... .. I agree with Whitehead, and especially agree with Kevin about Colby and Courtney... while not spectacular, they played very solid for a pair of rookies... Fakhir also came through... .. McKenzie is a good player, no question, but that good that hes going to turn around a whole defense.. matter of fact, no one player can make such an impact on defense, especially playing CB... ...but when you combine putting back into the d-line rotation the solid play of Whitehead, the emergence of Fakhir, the pleasantly surprising solid play by the Saints young LB\'s, and yes the addition of a solid player in McKenzie, then you are talking about 5 positions in an 11-position unit... then you can see an impact... |
McKenzie was the main reason
MM made MUCH more impact when we switched to playing man. Until then, we was nothing special.
Whitehead is always an under-rated player with this club. But couldn\'t we argue that the defense started playing better once Sullivan wasn\'t in the lineup anymore? It makes about as much sense. |
McKenzie was the main reason
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Hey Billy, let me ask you a question. Is it starting to appear that this defense truly is and has been just a few impact players away from being good. All they need is a stud LB or two, a NT, and the corner they got this season... and most importantly, a coach. Seem right to you? Who suggested that a year and a half ago? ;) |
McKenzie was the main reason
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McKenzie was the main reason
Right on. the Saints have invested heavily in a pass rush and based on the final few games it seems they have the potential to have a very good one. McKenzie was definitely a good addition and makes the rush even more effective. The addition of another shut down corner would help but this has to be weighed against other pressing needs like linebacker and safety. Saints were devasted by tight ends all year. I\'d give up another corner for an All Pro linebacker...
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McKenzie was the main reason
I agree we should be happy with predator. If we can get a guy in the draft great, but to get a good corner in FA will be takin money away from Deuce or possibly a FA Lb, or T.
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McKenzie was the main reason
I really like Mckenzie and he did make some good plays for us this year, however, he couldn\'t hold Champ Bailey\'s jock strap in my opinion.
Did anyone forget the torching Moss, Mohammed Game 1 and Game 2, put on him. The definition of a shut down corner is a corner who SHUTS DOWN the teams opposing receiver. I was at the Saints Broncos game. Champ Bailey SHUT DOWN Joe Horn that day. We still need serious help at Safety this offseason or we will have problems against elite teams and wind up 8-8 again. |
McKenzie was the main reason
Did anyone forget the torching Moss, Mohammed Game 1 and Game 2, put on him.
The definition of a shut down corner is a corner who SHUTS DOWN the teams opposing receiver. Granted McKenzie isn\'t Champ Bailey. But I think it\'s unfair to judge McKenzie on the basis of the Minnesota game. He\'d been in a Saints unifrom for like five minutes and was also hurt. They threw him in and hoped...Moss torched his ass. And Saints pass rush had yet to show up. |
McKenzie was the main reason
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MM had about 3 days to learn the Saints system. Its unfair to compare his 1st two weeks with a team to a CB who\'s been with a team the whole season. |
McKenzie was the main reason
How about that horrible non call on him vs Mohammed that was a sure pass interference? Or the two times Mohammed burned him deep but Delhomme overthrew him by about a yard?
What\'s your excuse for him allowing that final touchdown to Mohammed. Remember the one that almost let the Panthers back in the game. Mono e Mono and Mohammed was the one with the ball in his hands. Was McKenzie hurt? Had the pass rush failed to show up yet? Champ Bailey probably picks off that pass and heads the other way for 6. So does Woodson, C. McAllister, Ty Law and a few other shut down corners. There is a reason Green Bay dealt this guy for a second round pick. You don\'t let a shutdown corner go for any amount of discontent. Look at Ty Law. He was malcontent as well. The Patriots put him in time out but they never would have traded him or waived him. [Edited on 6/1/2005 by stockman311] [Edited on 6/1/2005 by stockman311] |
McKenzie was the main reason
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McKenzie was the main reason
No corner, shut down or not never gives up a play. See Monday night game with Chad Johnson torching the Champ all night long. ...I don\'t think McKenzie is a Champ Bailey, Ty Law or Macallister but he is a very good corner, the best the Saints have. Lest you forget Muhammed was the top receiver in the NFL this year.
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McKenzie was the main reason
Couple of things -- the first few games McKenzie was in uniform a couple of things hindered him from being effective. One was that he did not know the system and 2 he is much more effective in man to man coverage. The second thing is that his presence allowed the Saints to play a much more aggressive defense which allowed our strengths (i.e. the defensive linemen) to rush the QB. He was largely responsible for us changing to that more aggressive D which allowed all of the other players to step up.
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McKenzie was the main reason
I believe that you play as good as the guy next to you.
What I mean is....they ALL started to play great when Haz made those lineup changes....they ALL worked together. They finally came together as a team!! They finally became the team that we wanted to have and see. I hope it carries into the next season. KEEP THE FAITH........GEAUX SAINTS!!! |
McKenzie was the main reason
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Number two, if it\'s Champ Bailey in the McKenzie/Muhammed goal line situation like you said, what happens is.....the same dang thing. The balls thrown to the side opposite the defender, and Muhammed uses the fact that he knows where and on what timing the ball will be thrown, and more importantly, his size and strength advantage to completely screen Bailey away from the ball, and either he (Muhammed) makes like a basketball post player and receives an \"entry pass\" while bodying his defender away from the ball (which is what happened this time), or the pass\'s placement and timing aren\'t just right, and the ball falls incomplete. You needed to pick a different example than that, because with a receiver with the size and hands combo that Muhammed possesses, that route\'s success depends much more on the execution of the offense than on anything the defender can do. If the balls thrown AT the receiver, the CB has a chance...if it\'s thrown AWAY from the receiver to the off side, and the receiver is adept at screening a guy while reaching out and pulling the ball in, then there\'s not much the CB is going to do about it other than hope the ball\'s out of reach or grab the receiver and give up first and goal at the one. Number three...as far as \"Muhammed burned him deep but Delhomme overthrew him\" goes...you DO understand that there\'s at least two ways to play man-to-man coverage, depending on what the DC\'s overall defense call is for the play? \"Normal\" coverage might be starting five or so yards off the receiver, with the responsibility to give enough of a cushion that the guy doesn\'t get behind you...you likely are in this if you\'re having trouble stopping the running game (like the case for most of the Saints\' season) because you\'re having to walk one or both of the safeties up into run support, and you won\'t have deep help over the top. You give up more of the three- and five-step drop dink and dunk stuff, but do more to avoid the big play. When the defensive line is just mauling the O-line (like the game on Sunday), or you\'re using a lot of LB blitzes to create pressure and you know the QB won\'t have time to hold the ball long enough for a receiver to get deep, you might call for \"press\" coverage with the CB mauling the receiver right off the line of scrimmage--he\'s told to jump the guy and keep him from being open in the \"line of scrimmage-to-5 to 10 yard\" range because you\'re not planning on there being enough time for him to get much deeper and you\'re gonna give the CB help over the top from a safety. In the instances where \"Muhammed burned McKenzie but Delhomme overthrew him\", McKenzie was in press coverage. If I remember in all cases Muhammed happened to be running a corner route, meaning he was running away from the safety help when he broke behind the corner. And as for the \"overthrows\"....you think they might have had something to do with the fact that Delhomme had either Grant, Howard, or Smith in his face by that time and was essentially (as he\'s prone to do) pitching it up for grabs with the hopes his receiver is somewhere close? Sort of just like the defense is designed, save the route happening to be the one going away from the help? As for Charles Woodson...I can\'t believe you\'d use such a gutless slacker as him to try to bolster your point. Woodson broke onto the scene as a guy with wonderful athletic ability who could use it to take advantage of when a QB gets a little careless, trying to squeeze something where he shouldn\'t or letting a pass hang in the air just a little longer than he should. In his first three seasons, Woodson intercepted 10 passes. In the three and a half (injured half of the 2002 season) since he\'s picked off 6. In those first three years he defensed passes 38 times...in the next three and a half years, only 25 passes defensed. Just for comparison, in the three seasons prior to this one, when Fred Thomas was the starter at CB, he intercepted 10 passes and defensed 37. Essentially the exact same production as Woodson\'s top three years of his career as a \"shut down\" CB. McAlister\'s top three consecutive seasons (2001-03)? 37 passes defensed and 5 interception. And helped by a much better pass rush than the Saints have usually generated. |
McKenzie was the main reason
Gotta agree with Puddinghead. The real definition of a shut down corner is one who is comfortable playing man to man on their best receiver and has a better than average outing at the same time. The advantage is not the their best receiver catches no balls -- the advantage is gained in reallocating the other defenders. In essence you shut down their best receiver without double coverage giving you an extra defender.
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McKenzie was the main reason
along with the comfortability of MM, the emergence of Fakhir, the return of Whitehead;
there was a point late this season where Haslet took away responsibility from Venturi. ive heard Haslet took as little/much as \"a more active role\" to \"play-calling\". perhaps this decision should have been made earlier this season, or, dare i say(I DARE!), seasons ago. id be happy to take a look on travelocity or expedia and find Venturi and Brooks a good price on a oneway ticket somewhere else. |
McKenzie was the main reason
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