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The line had a bad game. So far it is not a trend and I dont expect it to be. Also I blame the coach for not adjusting and playing both Bushrod and Streif on Ware by using one as a tight end. He has done this in the past and it has been affective. Why not this time I dont know.
Funny, a month ago, I would have called you crazy predicting the Eagles going anywhere in the playoffs, let alone, making it. Now, I really like the Eagles chances. They have finally been utilizing Weaver more running the ball, Westbrook will be totally fresh for the playoffs, McCoy looks like more then capable as a replacement should Westbrook get reinjured. Curtis finally saw the field for the first time last week and should be full speed come playoff time. The offensive line is starting to gel. Offensively, the Eagles are as good and deep as any team. Defensively, their biggest problem appears to be tackling. If they can do an adequate job of that, they actually stand a pretty good chance of making it to the NFCCG. Heck, they may even get a 1st round bye. Pretty amazing considering where they were.This is what makes the NFL the greatest sport to follow.
Saints center Jonathan Goodwin did get hurt early in the Cowboys game. I wonder if the pre-snap line calls were a little out-of-whack because of that?The Saints' defense was decent after the first quarter, though the Cowboys' two long drives in the 3rd & 4th quarters helped eat clock and stave off a full Saints comeback. It was also the first game all year that the Saints did not get a turnover from their opponent.
This is 100% false.The 2008 Steelers got beat badly by future playoff rival Tennessee in Week 16 before handling the hapless Browns at home in Week 17.
The Cards lost 4 of 6 to finish last season, including a 47-7 domination by New England in week 16.This wasn't a good loss, but when you play like absolute DRECK for 3 quarters and then lose by only 7 to a playoff team, I think that speaks volumes about the ability of this team. They essentially forgot to show up for 3 quarters and had a chance to tie it at the end. I'd be more concerned as a Cowboys fan that you dominated 3/4s of the game and had to escape at the end.To me it's all about homefield advantage and getting Ellis and Greer healthy. If those pieces fall in place, I'll be extremely confident. Here's how the rush and pass defenses stack up with and without those players:
G Ydsw/ Ellis 9 95.4w/o Ellis 5 149.6G Ydsw/ Greer 8 218.8w/o Greer 5 300.2 (excl TB's 100 yards)This is not a bad take. A lot of not-likely-to-repeat things happened in that last game -- no Dallas turnovers, no Saints 3rd-down conversions until the last qtr, Henderson's dropped pass in the end zone after the DB fell down, etc.
I wouldn't be more concerned if I was a Cowboy fan. They walked away with a good win in December. That is a step in the right direction for the Cowboys. The Saints have fallen into a pattern of having to play catchup in some of their recent games. That is not a good thing. They will be playing good teams in the playoffs, and it won't be easy to catchup to these teams if the Saints continue to struggle out of the gate. Unless you are blinded by homerism, I don't see how this cannot be a concern for Saints fans. The Bucs game this weekend should help the Saints get back on track. One would think so anyway.
Of course it's a concern. I said if those injured defensive players don't come back, every game will be a nail-biter. Nail-biters are not fun.
I still remember the Bucs beating Green Bay earlier in the season ... Saints have to go into this Sunday's game loaded for bear.
yeah, i was surprised by this too. payton and his staff have been really very good about making adjustments over the course of a game. so if bushrod is struggling to block ware and spencer then he should have put TE thomas over their to help. i know that having shockey there would have helped because he could give you options that thomas doesn't necessarily give you at the position. on the otherwise, the d-line didn't really get pressure on romo. he was able to elude the rush or scramble for yardage. the pass rush has struggled in recent weeks and it just gives QBs time against weaker CBs in mckenzie, gay, and jenkins. i feel greer and porter can hold up better in coverage even when the QB has too much time.
At this point, me either. Completely different team from 1st half of the season. This is the Saints of old.
Yep. Oh well, it was fun to dream.
Things change...
very
Well, stated TF. "Momentum" is the next series in the game. Admittedly, the Saints have not played well for the last several weeks, maybe the last month. Remember, Washington would have won that game if their kicker makes the FG. As of now, the Saints definitely look beatable. And a worrisome aspect is their kicking game is shaky. That is what makes the NFL so interesting.
I'd rather the NFL were boring this yearWell, stated TF. "Momentum" is the next series in the game. Admittedly, the Saints have not played well for the last several weeks, maybe the last month. Remember, Washington would have won that game if their kicker makes the FG. As of now, the Saints definitely look beatable. And a worrisome aspect is their kicking game is shaky. That is what makes the NFL so interesting.
Vegas should make the Panthers lay points.
Me too, gianmarco....I'd rather the NFL were boring this year
Id like the Panthers chances alot more if Steve Smith hadnt broken his arm today...damn that sucks...
I agree, even if the Vikes get home field I am more concerned about the Eagles and Cardinals. The Saints? Wow! I hope they can get it together. They thought they could just coast to a victory over the bucs after getting out to the 17-0 lead. That is inexcusable and Im glad it bit them in the ### now while there is still time to right the ship. This is not the finish any Saints fans were hoping for but hopefully this is not the team that shows up in the playoffs. We shall see.
Shockey helps LT Jermon Bushrod in pass protection A LOT. Shockey is excellent at getting that perfectly-timed redirection chip on DEs, and then releasing into his route. In contrast, Dave Thomas is a great passcatcher, but no more than a speedbump as a blocker.I had a misconception about Bushrod that he was handling the Julius Peppers and Justin Tucks on his own earlier in the season. Looking back on it, he was getting plenty of help from Shockey.
This makes sense and it seems his absence has had a profound effect on the offense. Moreso than losing Bush or PT or Bell or Moore. It seems the offense is calling for quicker drops and plays and maybe it's because they know Brees has less time. This is leading to 3 and outs and just killing drives and putting the defense out on the field a lot.
This is what the talking heads said last week after there loss to the Cowgirls, earlier in the season they where close to 50% Run and Pass. That has really fell off of late. For what ever reason, this team is now in a downward spiral, and could easily be 1-3 in Dec. if it wasnt for an idiot kicker. This is not how you wanna go into the postseason.
Maybe the most meaningless stat/tidbit I've ever seen, considering that (a) most super bowl winners only lose 4 or 5 games over an entire season tops; (b) since realignment, no NFC South team has won a Super Bowl, and © the team has only existed as an NFL team capable of victory since 1977 or 1978.You're basically saying that the 1985 Bears and the 1996 Packers swept the Bucs, and that the few other Super Bowl winners they may have crossed paths with them due to scheduling fortune knocked them off. Deep.
False. The Bucs were a member of the NFC South when they won the Super Bowl.
I'm thinking Vikingdave is being sarcastic here Tobias, and his post was a "spoof" of sorts, on our (Minnesota's) 1998 15-1 season where our only regular season loss was to the Bucs.
vikingdave said:
At least he got the td for me, I'm in the Superbowl. Need 13 points from Favre, Shiancoe and Winfield tonight for the win. Ah. That makes more sense. I also liked the "Bucs won the Super Bowl as an NFC South team" counterpoint to my post, too. That's funny stuff.If the Saints can hold on to home field, or maybe even if they don't, I'm loving them as a playoff team to wager on. The public can't jump off the bandwagon fast enough at this point. At some point, that abandonment, coupled with the defense and Shockey getting healthy is gonna make the Saints a good value play.
Hope so, man. I did think that going into the playoffs undefeated would have been an immense burden. Your opponent can play super-loose, while your own squad is tied up in psychological knots.
Surprising to hear you say this....
The entire NFC has kinks in the armor. Going to be a great postseason. 
