Saints defense no longer prompts an auto-start for opposing players? (1 Viewer)

[guderian]

Guarenteed.Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.That game last night was pathetic. Atlanta might as well of forfeited.If your judging the Saints defense on last nights games, you need to realize what was going on for this home opener and not judge it as a normal everyday game.

Check out the first line in his signature...

Ok. SO What?But to each is own. When they play a decent team and its not the home opener after katrina... Look for another shoot out.I wish you guys were in my league being that niave.

First, of all 350 yards and 20 ppg would put them in the middle of the pack in the NFL. Not bad based on where they've been for the past two years. Second, the "I wish you were in my league" shtick was tired back on old yeller. Third, you presumed that we were judging the Saints' defense on last night's game. Maybe some of us have seen every game--both preseason and regular season and aren't just basing our assertions off of the one nationally televised game we happened to catch.

 

[cowboyz]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good, all smoke and mirrors. they'll drop off soon starting with carolina.

 

[Doug B]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good, all smoke and mirrors. they'll drop off soon starting with carolina.

How do you play smoke-&-mirrors defense? Either you make the tackles or you don't. Either you contain or you don't.

Fujita, for one, was a tackling freak for the Chiefs. Don't know what happened in Dallas ... but he's been pretty stout in the past.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good, all smoke and mirrors. they'll drop off soon starting with carolina.

I'll be sure and tell Danny Clark and Mark Simoneau about their respective playing histories.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Linebackers, gentlemen. Linebackers are the key to a defense. The Bucs knew it, the Ravens know it, the Bears have always known it, and now you know it. If your linebackers can tackle AND cover, you can play D in this league.

I disagree... your front 4 is the key.Ray lewis was rendered average when the Ravens front 4 sucked.Getting solid play from your Defensive line and especially your DT's is KEY to any LB to be successful. Otherwise they are taking on Tackles and guards and your safties are running around making plays.Just my opinion.

Decent (not tremendous, but decent) D-linemen are a dime a dozen in this league. Servicable LBs are not. You can cobble together a defensive line who will do a decent job, but you'll never have a decent defense without versatile LBs anymore.

 

[Zigg]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good, all smoke and mirrors. they'll drop off soon starting with carolina.

I thought the dropoff started against Atlanta

 

[Doug B]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good ...

D'oh! Scott Fujita named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

 

[Sidewinder]

Guarenteed.

Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.

Here's another one to check back on Doug:

...

Sorry I have a different opinion and sorry the truth hurts. 4th place in the south again... probably the next 2 years minimally... Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta will spank them with ease.

link

 

[TitusIII]

Linebackers, gentlemen. Linebackers are the key to a defense. The Bucs knew it, the Ravens know it, the Bears have always known it, and now you know it. If your linebackers can tackle AND cover, you can play D in this league.

I disagree... your front 4 is the key.Ray lewis was rendered average when the Ravens front 4 sucked.Getting solid play from your Defensive line and especially your DT's is KEY to any LB to be successful. Otherwise they are taking on Tackles and guards and your safties are running around making plays.Just my opinion.

Decent (not tremendous, but decent) D-linemen are a dime a dozen in this league. Servicable LBs are not. You can cobble together a defensive line who will do a decent job, but you'll never have a decent defense without versatile LBs anymore.

I agree that decent lineman are a dime a dozen, but I still believe an overpowering defensive front four is more important that an overpower group of linebackers. When you look at past NFL drafts, it appears most GM's believe this as well.

 

[saintfool]

the linebackers are cast offs from the cowboys, they're not that good ...

D'oh! Scott Fujita named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

he played one helluva game on monday. he has been a sure tackler and can move when the occassion calls for it. the tackling this year has been really solid, especially when you compare it with previous saints squads. while these guys - fujita, shanle, simoneau, clark, et al - will never be confused with the dome patrol era guys, they seem to work as a unit very well. they are playing fundamentally sound defense and it's a vast improvement. that defense is playing together and growing more confident with each game.

 

[Gargoylez]

Guarenteed.

Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.

Here's another one to check back on Doug:

...

Sorry I have a different opinion and sorry the truth hurts. 4th place in the south again... probably the next 2 years minimally... Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta will spank them with ease.

link

Ill stand by that quote... Cleveland, Green Bay and a not going to lose monday nighter home opener- lopsided EVERYTHING game? Come on. Atlanta will finish above them and possibly Carolina. But Tampa... well they went from bad, to worse to maybe not winning one game this year. So I was off by one.350... is about average... and 20 points.. thats about right. Why is that such a stretch??? I mean they are at 15 right now after those gimme's... what happens when the adrenaline wears off and they play a team that is actually really good. (I dont count atlanta game, that was just jacked).

I love how people just assume things, like I really said 500 yards and 40 points. They are an average defense, PERIOD. Maybe better then years past, but nothing that will win them any championship.



Whatever...

 

[Domepatrol]

Guarenteed.Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.That game last night was pathetic. Atlanta might as well of forfeited.If your judging the Saints defense on last nights games, you need to realize what was going on for this home opener and not judge it as a normal everyday game.

Sounds like your dislike for the Saints is personal. Any reason?

 

[bumpman]

But to each is own. When they play a decent team and its not the home opener after katrina... Look for another shoot out.I wish you guys were in my league being that niave.

This discounting of the home-opener because it was "emotional" is pretty lame. Atlanta was one of the hottest teams in the NFL going into this game. They dominated Carolina (at Carolina's home opener) and Tampa. Nobody could even come close to containing Atlanta's running game, breaking records of rushing yards against in both games. The Saints stopped Atlanta cold. Give them some credit. The point of this thread is that you can no longer look at the Saints as a good matchup week in and week out when you are making decisions about who to start. I think that is true now.

 

[saintfool]

Ill stand by that quote... Cleveland, Green Bay and a not going to lose monday nighter home opener- lopsided EVERYTHING game? Come on. Atlanta will finish above them and possibly Carolina. But Tampa... well they went from bad, to worse to maybe not winning one game this year. So I was off by one.350... is about average... and 20 points.. thats about right. Why is that such a stretch??? I mean they are at 15 right now after those gimme's... what happens when the adrenaline wears off and they play a team that is actually really good. (I dont count atlanta game, that was just jacked).I love how people just assume things, like I really said 500 yards and 40 points. They are an average defense, PERIOD. Maybe better then years past, but nothing that will win them any championship. Whatever...

if you can't give the saints some credit then it comes off as hate. they have made a commitment to stop te run this year and it shows. green, droughns and the overhyped atlanta offense all have been effectively derailed by the saints defense. this doesn't mean they're going to the superbowl, of course, but it doesn't mean they're an automatic W for the opposition either. i think this carolina game is an important benchmark for the saints. the panthers are desperate to be 2-2 and not fall back even further in the division. they have steve smith back too. the saints have to avoid the let down. historically, the saints have played the panthers well but this is a new regime.

 

[Sidewinder]

Guarenteed.Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.That game last night was pathetic. Atlanta might as well of forfeited.If your judging the Saints defense on last nights games, you need to realize what was going on for this home opener and not judge it as a normal everyday game.

Sounds like your dislike for the Saints is personal. Any reason?

Tampa homer

 

[guderian]

Ill stand by that quote... Cleveland, Green Bay and a not going to lose monday nighter home opener- lopsided EVERYTHING game? Come on. Atlanta will finish above them and possibly Carolina. But Tampa... well they went from bad, to worse to maybe not winning one game this year. So I was off by one.350... is about average... and 20 points.. thats about right. Why is that such a stretch??? I mean they are at 15 right now after those gimme's... what happens when the adrenaline wears off and they play a team that is actually really good. (I dont count atlanta game, that was just jacked).I love how people just assume things, like I really said 500 yards and 40 points. They are an average defense, PERIOD. Maybe better then years past, but nothing that will win them any championship. Whatever...

if you can't give the saints some credit then it comes off as hate. they have made a commitment to stop te run this year and it shows. green, droughns and the overhyped atlanta offense all have been effectively derailed by the saints defense. this doesn't mean they're going to the superbowl, of course, but it doesn't mean they're an automatic W for the opposition either. i think this carolina game is an important benchmark for the saints. the panthers are desperate to be 2-2 and not fall back even further in the division. they have steve smith back too. the saints have to avoid the let down. historically, the saints have played the panthers well but this is a new regime.

...and if we when they'll come up with another reason to discount the win. They did the same with Reggie Bush "the NFL won't allow Bush to go to NO", "Reggie won't sign with NO and he'll re-enter the draft", "NO won't offer Bush a fair contract" and "even if they offer a good contract he'll hold out before signing". They say that all of our coaches were rejects that took the jobs because they didn't have any better options, argued that Brees wasn't going to be able to throw the ball 5 yards, that Bush wouldn't sign with us, that we were fools for trading Stallworth away, and so on. When we beat Cleveland they said "you didn't beat anybody", when we beat Green Bay "you still didn't beat anyone" and when we beat Atlanta "the field was too slow" or "the team was too emotional". I don't think that many reasonable fans down here are expecting a Superbowl run, but the team has looked surprisingly good. If we go 6-7 from here on out that is still a 9-7 season and I'd be thrilled with it since my preseason expectations were much lower.

 

[saintfool]

Ill stand by that quote... Cleveland, Green Bay and a not going to lose monday nighter home opener- lopsided EVERYTHING game? Come on. Atlanta will finish above them and possibly Carolina. But Tampa... well they went from bad, to worse to maybe not winning one game this year. So I was off by one.350... is about average... and 20 points.. thats about right. Why is that such a stretch??? I mean they are at 15 right now after those gimme's... what happens when the adrenaline wears off and they play a team that is actually really good. (I dont count atlanta game, that was just jacked).I love how people just assume things, like I really said 500 yards and 40 points. They are an average defense, PERIOD. Maybe better then years past, but nothing that will win them any championship. Whatever...

if you can't give the saints some credit then it comes off as hate. they have made a commitment to stop te run this year and it shows. green, droughns and the overhyped atlanta offense all have been effectively derailed by the saints defense. this doesn't mean they're going to the superbowl, of course, but it doesn't mean they're an automatic W for the opposition either. i think this carolina game is an important benchmark for the saints. the panthers are desperate to be 2-2 and not fall back even further in the division. they have steve smith back too. the saints have to avoid the let down. historically, the saints have played the panthers well but this is a new regime.

...and if we when they'll come up with another reason to discount the win. They did the same with Reggie Bush "the NFL won't allow Bush to go to NO", "Reggie won't sign with NO and he'll re-enter the draft", "NO won't offer Bush a fair contract" and "even if they offer a good contract he'll hold out before signing". They say that all of our coaches were rejects that took the jobs because they didn't have any better options, argued that Brees wasn't going to be able to throw the ball 5 yards, that Bush wouldn't sign with us, that we were fools for trading Stallworth away, and so on. When we beat Cleveland they said "you didn't beat anybody", when we beat Green Bay "you still didn't beat anyone" and when we beat Atlanta "the field was too slow" or "the team was too emotional". I don't think that many reasonable fans down here are expecting a Superbowl run, but the team has looked surprisingly good. If we go 6-7 from here on out that is still a 9-7 season and I'd be thrilled with it since my preseason expectations were much lower.

yeah, i think any saints fan would tell you that 9-7 was a very optimistic projection for their season. i'll say that if we were going to get any wins, these first few weeks were when they were to happen. we have a brutal stretch over the next few weeks. the good news is that we are playing some great football and have a confidence that i haven't seen since that first haslet season.

 

[valhallan]

Ill stand by that quote... Cleveland, Green Bay and a not going to lose monday nighter home opener- lopsided EVERYTHING game? Come on. Atlanta will finish above them and possibly Carolina. But Tampa... well they went from bad, to worse to maybe not winning one game this year. So I was off by one.350... is about average... and 20 points.. thats about right. Why is that such a stretch??? I mean they are at 15 right now after those gimme's... what happens when the adrenaline wears off and they play a team that is actually really good. (I dont count atlanta game, that was just jacked).I love how people just assume things, like I really said 500 yards and 40 points. They are an average defense, PERIOD. Maybe better then years past, but nothing that will win them any championship. Whatever...

if you can't give the saints some credit then it comes off as hate. they have made a commitment to stop te run this year and it shows. green, droughns and the overhyped atlanta offense all have been effectively derailed by the saints defense. this doesn't mean they're going to the superbowl, of course, but it doesn't mean they're an automatic W for the opposition either. i think this carolina game is an important benchmark for the saints. the panthers are desperate to be 2-2 and not fall back even further in the division. they have steve smith back too. the saints have to avoid the let down. historically, the saints have played the panthers well but this is a new regime.

...and if we when they'll come up with another reason to discount the win. They did the same with Reggie Bush "the NFL won't allow Bush to go to NO", "Reggie won't sign with NO and he'll re-enter the draft", "NO won't offer Bush a fair contract" and "even if they offer a good contract he'll hold out before signing". They say that all of our coaches were rejects that took the jobs because they didn't have any better options, argued that Brees wasn't going to be able to throw the ball 5 yards, that Bush wouldn't sign with us, that we were fools for trading Stallworth away, and so on. When we beat Cleveland they said "you didn't beat anybody", when we beat Green Bay "you still didn't beat anyone" and when we beat Atlanta "the field was too slow" or "the team was too emotional". I don't think that many reasonable fans down here are expecting a Superbowl run, but the team has looked surprisingly good. If we go 6-7 from here on out that is still a 9-7 season and I'd be thrilled with it since my preseason expectations were much lower.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Guarenteed.

Next week they will be back to giving up 350 yards and 20+ points.

Here's another one to check back on Doug:

...

Sorry I have a different opinion and sorry the truth hurts. 4th place in the south again... probably the next 2 years minimally... Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta will spank them with ease.

link

Is this where I chime in and say he's already made up his mind and thus has lost all credibility in this thread?

 

[Monarch]

Atlanta's opponents have the same record (1-5) as Saints opponents (1-5). Green Bay has as many wins as Carolina. This is the NFL. Past performance gets you no where. New year. New players. Based on the first three weeks no one can say either team has played anyone who is good. Even though this is not an odd year. I don't see Atlanta winning 10 games. They need to learn the forward pass. I don't see Carolina winning 10 games unless they can find a running game. Saints have a shot if they continue to play defense.

 

[Sidewinder]

Yeah, for the most part, this defense has been cobbled together with a number of average players who nobody else really wanted. The strength is obviously at DE with Smith and Grant. The backend is going to be very good soon (if it's not already) with Bullocks and Harper at safety. Hard to say if the middle of the d-line and the LBs can continue to play as well as they have. The one factor that makes me think they can is the simple fact that Venturi is gone, and Gary Gibbs and Joe Vitt have these guys playing as a unit.