What a difference one game makes...
 

It may not can be said for most sports franchises, but it can ALWAYS be said about our Saints - WHAT A DIFFERENCE ONE GAME MAKES!!!

Add one to our 2014 win column and we are 8-8 and drinking beer and eating (insert your favorite snack here) while watching the Kittens and Clowns play for 2nd place.


I guess Coach was prophetic talking in the preseason about not wanting to look back on some of the mistakes going on then as reasons for not achieving their goals.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Saints are like 100-0 when it doesnt mean anything.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Yeah, we outplayed the Bucs. I feel good about that. :roll:

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Huh? Today's win makes you feel this good? We are in the bottom 1/3 of the league as far as rankings of teams. We suck and your finding good in this somehow?

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

How many games have the Saints won after losing the turnover margin?

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Less about this game and more about the ones we GAVE away

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

That was my point - how much each of the close losses had cost us in the end. One more win and we would have been in the playoffs...



Happy because we won the final game? A tiny bit - I always prefer winning over losing.

But the Bucs win is like trying to swallow roadkill opossum with a dab of Tobasco - flavor improves slightly, but in the end it's still awful.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Why just one? I can think of 3 that got away. That would have, wait why is that familiar? Oh yes, Could'a Would'a Should'a. You can "what if" all day but it won't change what is 7 - 9 a really gutless 7 - 9!

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

The Bucs lost. We scored 7 freakin' points in 3 Quarters. Again.

But our "No Name Defense" came together in that 2nd Half and played some pretty good TEAM defense. Refreshing to see, even if it was against one of the worst offenses in the league.

Going forward, I think that in itself shows how good RR is as a DC. Gave up almost 150 rushing yards in the 1st half, made some adjustments at half time, and the Bucs ended up with 183 rushing yards. Some of those guys on defense today probably won't even be on the roster come September 2015, but that was some stand in the 2nd half giving up ZERO points sans KVac, Jenkins, Hicks, etc.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

I dunno, man. Tampa threw THREE passes in the second half. THREE. Not sure if you can really credit Ryan and the defense with anything here in the second half. Tampa were tanking out there. Handing the ball off on 3rd and long.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

A blind man can see the coaches of Tampa threw this game. Mike Evans and other starters on defense didn't play the second half. Galette beat a player last on depth chart (rookie) activated for 7 games this season.

Bucs claim they didn’t tank for top pick | ProFootballTalk
“I guess I understand why,” said linebacker Lavonte David, who also didn’t play in the second half. “We wanted to get everybody else some playing time or whatever. They told me I wasn’t playing the second half, so I just took it for what it was.”

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

what a showing. completely unbelievable and so far beyond any expectations i had going into this game. i am blown away by this team and the way it closed out the year.

we came from behind to beat a team on their home field that has the first pick in the draft!

To make matters worse they gave us a handy cap in the second half as most have pointed out. they get the 1st and we get the 13 and atlanta gets what the 7th pick in the draft.

hats off to the bucs they played the game perfect.

but once again the first half showed that no matter the records any one can win in the NFC South when the teams take to the field.

this was as ugly as an ugly win can get

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Not finishing at the end of games killed us, we win against SF and Detroit and we are in the playoffs

2014 saints had no resolve and no identity, when they got down early they panicked under pressure - not what we are used to seeing.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

I makes you right.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

can't get any pressure all day

then those last two sacks sure looked fishy

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Yeh the win in Tampa was a little suspect. We have not been a fourth quarter team all year. But I appreciate them letting us go out on a high note.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Hang on. For 3+ quarters, the Bucs made their point:

We're better than the Saints, by a lot.

It was extraordinarily clear that they were not about to lose their 1st overall pick in the draft. However, they didn't want to look like it was a tank. So, power run and play "prevent the win" defense (remember, they studied Saints tape all week).

If it wasn't obvious prior, the "sack-safety" was a designed play. McCown dropped back well inside the end zone and stood there - he didn't even lift the ball into a prep-passing position or bounce on his feet for reads. The OT didn't "blow" the assignment, Gallette was allowed to simply run free from the edge.

Don't fool yourselves, the Bucs knew exactly what the score was.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

I thought sucking all year killed us.

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Fair enough. I can give him credit with getting mostly 2nd string, 3rd string, and Practice Squad players to play team defense for the 2nd half of that football game when Tampa had 'packed it in for the 1st overall pick' & had become one-dimensional. He was working with a bunch of scrubs who'd never played together all year until this game...for all 4 quarters.

You do have to admit he was working with handcuffs from the get-go of this game. I want RR back next year. 2 years isn't enough. If he fails in 2015, you can come back & ask me "What the hell were you thinking?!?" ;)

Re: What a difference one game makes...
 

Most fun ive had all season was watching Tampa deliberately throw the game. It was quite amusing.

In fact, i'm going to dial it up and watch the 2nd half again for the lolz.

2:03 left in the 4th:

'You know what I like? Neither team is playing out the string here, they are playing hard!'

Oh, we laughed.