Saints survive Carolina Panthers, 16 -14

Saints new-old kicker John Carney probably didn't think he would be needed so urgently in a so-called "high-powered" offense, but the only thing high-powered about the New Orleans Saints these days is their kicking game.
Against the fiesty Carolina Panthers squad, the Saints had to scratch and claw to hang on Sunday, 16- 14 as rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen almost pulled off an upset before regressing badly during his team's final few plays.
For sure, the Saints were undermanned. Actually the Saints are hurtin' bad. Both starting running backs are out. Two safeties are out as well. A hodge-podge of offensive players did what they could but two early turnovers made this game a nail biter.
Drew Brees played a great game, but the Saints receivers, most notably Devery Henderson, couldn't hang on to the easy ones, and when they did they couldn't take the tough shots the Panther defenders gave them without losing the football (Lance Moore).
Still, the Saints had Carney, who hit three huge field goals. In the process, he showed the NFL why a decent kicker -- no matter the age -- is so valuable.
It was ugly, but a win is a win.

Why the Saints Season Sucked

They had good reasons you know.
And I won't call say "injuries" because, hey, every team suffers the hurts. It's the nature of the beast.
But the Saints had some devastating ones that absolutely killed their chances.
All-world receiver Marques Colston was left coughing up blood after some nasty hits against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.
To whom much is given, much is expected. And Reggie Bush had raised expectations tremendously after a hot finish in his inaugural season. He got roughed up pretty good too as the season wore down, ending in a mysterious knee injury
that may have been damaged weeks earlier.
Not to mention the injuries of all injuries this season, the end of Deuce McAllister's season.
Along the way, rookie and fan favorite Pierre Thomas got so savagely beaten that he had blood in his stool and a damaged kidney pierre_thomas_misses_practice.html toward the end of the season. He still put together the third-best yards from scrimmage by a Saint in team history in the season finale at Chicago.
Perhaps indemic of the season was the loss (torn ACL) of the best-playing defender, cornerback Mike McKenzie, the week before Christmas. And it's saying alot when Mckenzie is your best-playing defender, but without him the Saints secondary was little more defenseless than a baby in the jungle.
Saints coach Sean Payton never did like Pierre Thomas for some reason, and played him only out of desparation despite what he says. Thomas' start in the last game was actually cemented the week before against Philadelphia Reserve tailback Jamaal Branch suffered a broken leg on the opening kickoff against the Eagles and that crippled an already depleted running corps. That left the Saints with only Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas in the backfield. And shortly after, Stecker went down with a foot injury in the second quarter. At that point it was either Thomas or the trooper on the sidelines.
In any event this season was a referendum on Payton's true coaching abilities: He failed. Period. He failed to see early enough what he should have known. That the Saints have to have a plan D, plan Bs aren't good enough anymore (ask Arthur Blank, and dem Falcons). So, I leave you with that familiar refrain, and sigh: Maybe next year.

Saints End Season 7-9, Who Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Thunk It?

The season was just so ... pregnant with possibilities: Brees, Payton, Colston, Bush, Duece, playoffs, Super Bowl.
Dud.
That's what the season was, a dud.
The execution and playcalling that was so excellent and easy-looking in 2006 was mucky, sloppy for the 2007 campaign. Nothing summed up the season more than the botched Reggie Bush-to-Devery Henderson reverse on a crucial need-to-run-the-clock-out third down that cost the Saints a game against Tampa Bay. Or maybe it was the relentless inability of free agent bust cornerback Jason David to play even decent defense on man to man coverage. Who shoulda, woulda, coulda thought that David's best play would be the fumble return for TD in the first quarter of the first game of the season?
Surely the loss of running back Duece McAllister hurt them more than they thought.
"You understand when you lose a player like him you are going to change," Payton said. "Now you're asking the quarterback to drop back in no huddle and empty, playing from behind on the road. Last year we were able to get Deuce going in the second half, which kept the defense off the field. When you don't have that, it's harder to play good defense."
Still, looking at the numbers, Drew Brees set a team record for TDs in a season, and a league record for completions and will likely go to Hawaii as a reserve in the Pro Bowl. Not bad for a qb that at one point in the year had 1 TD to 11 interceptions.


"Seven-and-9 is a losing season," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who set one NFL record for completions in a season, set two team records (touchdown passes and yards in a season) and tied another club mark with 60 pass attempts in the game. "No one wants a losing season. This is very, very disappointing."
"There were ups and there were downs, there were good times and there were bad times," said defensive tackle Hollis Thomas. "You never want your season to end like this."

Said Brees: "We really felt one of the other teams would slip up and we'd be in (the playoffs). It didn't work out."
It worked out for Colston, who was snubbed by the Pro Bowl voters even though he numbers were better than most receivers.


"It's different," Payton said. "Different teams, different circumstances. An NFC championship game and 7-9. It's an irony that the season ended here, but we've got a lot of work ahead of us.
"The things that keep you from winning games came up, and it's a thing that hurt us in our losses this season," Coach Sean Payton said. "We had lots of big plays over our head, big plays in the kicking game. We lost that battle."
"It's been a rocky roller coaster," center Jeff Faine said. "I just didn't feel like we ever maintained our momentum for the year."
Momentum is something Reggie Bush didn't even smell this year: No flips into the end zone this year, not even any solid blocks. His numbers testify to his ineffectiveness this year. Of course, most of it can be blamed on the coaches' inability to utilize him effectively, but maybe Kim Kardashian has had a Jessica Simpson-like effect on him, who knows.


"We start this offseason with free agency and the draft and that's where our focus is going to be: on improving this team and getting ourselves back into the postseason next year where we belong."

How Could Pro Bowl Voters Sleep On Colston?

Saints wide receiver Marques Colston is not going to the Pro Bowl.
How that could happen is like trying to figure out that reverse two weeks ago against Tampa Bay with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game.
Colston didn't just have a good season, he's had, like,a MONSTER season. He leads the NFC in catches; even though the other teams have big-time quarterbacks like Brett Favre, and Tony Romo.
Colston was bypassed by Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Dallas' Terrell Owens, St. Louis' Tory Holt and Green Bay's Donald Driver.
Donald Driver? He's got only 2 touchdowns.
Tory Holt?
But I digress, Chad JOhnson and Brandon Marshall didn't make it either, despit being No. 4 and No. 7 in the league in receiving yards. How can Chad Johnson NOT make it?
Sounds like the fix to me.

The metamorphosis of Drew Brees .. into Aaron Brooks

You saw the familiar lame duck throw late last year, against Washington. Saints QB Drew Brees gently lofted the ball over the line of scrimmage - and it was picked off. It was a play Saints fans had got accustomed to over the past 5 years. After all, he was New Orleans Saints' all time leader in touchdown passes with 120. He also played for the Green Bay Packers behind Brett Favre for a time.

In 2001 he emerged as NFL's top quarterbacks with 98 touchdown tosses over that span and over 3,500 yards each season. Has 16 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, including five in 2004. His name was Aaron Brooks.
Brees is slowly, but surely, turning into him. The bad decisions, the completely lame interceptions. Brooks is the only Saints quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a contest (108 vs. San Francisco, 2000-12-10). In 2004, Brooks set club marks for attempts (60) and completions (34) in a contest. The good days, not unlike last year for Brees and the Saints, came very early. After that it was a slow and agonized descent.
The transformation has been painful. To be sure, this 0-3 after the Titans forced 5 turnovers isn't completely Bree's fault. The offensive line's protection struggles have derailed the deep passing game. The running game was on empty, even before Deuce McAllister's knee injury. Brooks' decision making, exhibit A being the infamous backwards pass thrown to an offensive lineman in a 2004 loss in San Diego, was the last straw according to New Orleans fans. To exacerbate the problem, Brooks wore a cavalier attitude, a broad smile shone across his face after each of his mistakes. Drew Brees, considering the juxtaposition of his play against that which had been witnessed during the six years Aaron Brooks wore the black and gold, was heaven sent - for a while.
And head coach Sean Peyton — who could seemingly do no wrong with his play-calling in 2006 — can't call a first down much less a touchdown.
Brees connected with favorite target Marques Colston a few times but nobody else stood out. After finishing 10-6 in 2000 (including their first playoff win, against nemesis St. Louis Rams)in 2001, the Saints only went 7-9. It's a familiar refrain for the Saints. Was last year's 10-6 season a fluke? Is Brees a fluke? Should he be benched? The backup quarterback Jamie Martin has been known to throw the deep ball, and that's all the Saints need to get defenders to play them honest. Brees has been afraid to throw deep this year for some reason. Is his shoulder alright? Questions abound.
Last year, Brees had a productive year. He threw a league-leading 4,418 passing yards, finished third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions and a 96.2 passer rating. This year he'll be lucky to get 20 TDs to go with his 13 projected INTS. Brooks played in only eight games during the Oakland Raiders' dismal 2-14 season last year. Oakland ended the season with nine straight losses, and Brooks was often seen running for his life. On February 22nd, 2007, the Oakland Raiders declined to reinstate Brooks for a second season. He is now out of football entirely. What's wrong with Drew Brees? He now leads the league with seven interceptions (SEVEN) to only one touchdown. Two of his errant passes have been TDs for the other team. What's wrong with Drew Brees, and is the metamorphosis complete? Because if he changes into Bobby Hebert I'm leaping off the bandwagon.