Two weeks have officially passed in the NFL season, and the New Orleans Saints have no wins to show for it. After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Washington Redskins for the home opener, the Saints dropped their first road game of the season, falling to the division rival Carolina Panthers. Although there was some improvement from a week ago, the team still looked out of sync at times, leading to miscommunication on both sides of the ball.
Uh, Drew? The guys in the white shirts? They play for the other team.
PASS OFFENSE: C+
Statistically speaking, Drew Brees had a very good game. He completed 31 of 49 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown score. For a majority of the the game, he seemed fairly accurate and in total control of the offense. Nonetheless, two huge mistakes by Brees directly attributed to the Saints’ demise.
First, the pick-six to S Charles Godfrey truly turned the momentum around in favor of Carolina. The throw by Brees ranks as one of the truly head-scratching moments of his career in New Orleans. I am still in somewhat of a state of shock; I have had Aaron Brooks flashbacks for the past two nights and haven’t been able to get much sleep.
Secondly, the interception late in the game preserved the win for Carolina late in the 4th quarter. On that play, Brees simply forced the ball into too tight of a passing lane, resulting in the turnover. Instead of leading a possible game-tying drive, the offense gave the ball away to cap off a frustrating, sloppy aerial performance.
All of the blame cannot be assigned to Brees, however. For the second week in a row, dropped balls by Saint receivers continue to be a major problem. Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham both had crucial drops in the red-zone, resulting in missed scoring opportunities. Pass protection also continues to be an issue; although the Panther defense was able to register only one official sack, Brees was knocked around and hurried much of the afternoon.
One bright spot did emerge from Sunday’s loss regarding the passing attack in Darren Sproles. His 13 catch, 128 yard performance led the team and showed everyone that he is fully back from his preseason knee injury.
RUN OFFENSE: A-
The threat of the Saints’ running game was, for a week anyways, actually threatening. The offense started the first drive of the game with a bevy of runs from both Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram, both of whom looked very impressive. The team averaged 6 yards per attempt against the Panthers, amassing a total of 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day. More impressively, these stats were produced without the assistance of Darren Sproles, who, for the second week in a row, did not have a carry out of the backfield.
The strong running game allowed for the Saints to have a balanced attack for much of the game, resulting in the team winning the time of possession battle. In most situations, posting a 6 yard-per-carry average will result in victory. Unless, of course, the wheels totally fall off defensively…….
PASS DEFENSE: D+
Cam Newton scares the hell out of me. Even if you ignore his rushing statistics, he still looked mighty impressive Sunday. Newton totaled a very respectable 253 yards through the air, connecting on 14 of 20 passes, and throwing a touchdown. Newton was extremely efficient; his 70% completion percentage shows his ability to dissect a defensive secondary, exposing weaknesses and making the most of a given matchup. The Saints failed to get any real pressure on Newton, as he had gobs of time to find open receivers downfield.
Newton’s favorite target against the Saints was former LSU Tiger Brandon LaFell, who hauled in 6 passes for 90 yards. WR Steve Smith continues to be a thorn in the side of the New Orleans defense; he totaled over 100 yards on only three catches. 66 of those yards came on a long bomb from Newton in the fourth quarter.
The aforementioned lack of pressure and blown coverage assignments continue to haunt this Saints’ defense. CBs Patrick Robinson and Corey White were caught napping multiple times Sunday, as Newton attacked the secondary with deep, vertical passes.
RUSH DEFENSE: D-
The Panther running game, which only gained 10 yards last week, took over Sunday’s contest with force, exposing a huge weakness in the Saints’ defense. Carolina ran the ball an astounding 41 times for 219 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Three touchdowns were scored, including one by Cam Newton, who contributed 71 yards of his own to lead his team.
Although the Saints keep stating that Carolina’s offense is “unconventional”, that doesn’t negate the fact that the defense was totally shredded Sunday. Even if you subtract Newton’s 71 yards, the Panthers still were able to gain 148 yards on 28 carries. “Coventional” offense or not, the Saints have yet to prove that they can stop the run. The New Orleans defensive line, especially the interior portion, got pushed around for most of the game. On designed run blitzes, the linebacking corps looked out of position. Missed tackles and poor gap assignments continue to be an issue as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B+
For the second week in a row, P Thomas Morstead and K Garrett Hartley continue to be the most consistent players on the field for New Orleans. Morstead has been excellent so far this year, pining back opposing teams both as a kickoff specialist and in the punting game. Hartley, who kicked a 53 yard field goal Sunday, has shown that Saints‘ coaches made the correct decision when choosing a kicker for this season. His leg strength put him ahead of John Kasay, and it seems to be paying dividends thus far.
The return game was decent this week. Although he was kept at bay for most of the afternoon, Darren Sproles was able to return two kickoffs for 52 yards. As a punt returner, Sproles failed to make a huge impact, but did not turn the ball over.
COACHING: D
Although the Saints looked sharper this week than they had last week, it wasn’t by much. Offensively, New Orleans looked very much improved, producing a balanced attack that seemed like one fans and followers of the team had grown accustomed to. Penalties weren’t as big of a problem this week – only two were assessed.
Defensive coaching was an entirely different story. As a unit, the defense looks confused, tentative, and unsure. Players were badly out of position on a few key possessions, allowing wide open Panther receivers to chip away at any hope of a comeback.
DC Steve Spagnuolo addressed the media Monday afternoon, assigning much of the blame on himself. He provided little in way of specifics, but did take responsibility for a few blown calls, including the deep pass to Smith in the 4th. Spags did keep things positive however, stating that given more time, players will adjust to the new scheme and will be able to execute it successfully.
