No need to rehash the season opener – our offense played great, our defense played mediocre, and our special teams played well.  We opened this season against great odds, in a hostile environment, against arguably the best defense and quarterback/receiving cores in the league.  Like the Saints did in the 2010 opener, emotion and energy greatly favored the defending champs.  We would rather be 1-0.  We’re better than 0-1 and it’s time to bear down.

No one will argue that the Saints have one of the most prolific and explosive offenses in the league and have been for a few years.  We scored 34 points against a stingy Packers defense.  While the Bears have a great defense (#4 in points allowed and #9 in yards/game), the Packers are better statistically (#2 points allowed and #5 in yds/game)…and the Saints managed to find lots of holes in that one last Thursday night.

The real question is whether our defense can come up big when it counts.  It is their job to keep the dome at a fever-pitch.  This is the time to dial-in the Greg Williams high-pressure defense, forcing Jay Cutler into bad decisions and poor passes.  The Bears offensive line is porous.  They led the league in sacks allowed with 56 in the 2010 regular season and left their QB vulnerable to 92 hits.  If last week is any indication, this thin veil of protection has not improved this year.  The Falcons sacked Cutler five times last week – and they are not known for their aggressive pressure.  

If our defense plays above average and the offense keeps the pedal to the metal, the Saints should come out on top.  Come on Vilma…it’s bear season…let’s go hunting!

Stay tuned for video footage from the game in our first installment of “Dome Culture”…

…an’ dat’s dat!

Saints fans didn’t have much to smile about after the 42-34 loss Thursday night against the Packers.  On the surface, the eight-point loss seemed to paint a prettier picture, suggesting a game that was much closer than it really was.  For many, it was a reminder of the defensive struggles that have been the Achilles heel for the franchise dating back to 2006.  That said, we were in that game until the end, and there is something to be said for that, but The Packers made it look easy and we made it as hard as we could have.

But, let’s break it down…

Defense - This game had some scary parallels to post-season loss to the Seahawks – a game so embarrassing to the team and fans, that it seemed impossible that it would happen again.  The difference is that we played a respectable opponent Thursday…..The Super Bowl Champions!  That said, the defense has to come up with more stops than they did.  The Packers looked like they were playing pitch and catch against a defense that wasn’t physical or aggressive.  As I mentioned in the post “Cutting Room Floor”, we appear to be thin in the secondary.  Patrick Robinson was getting picked on – reminiscent of Jason David.  Roman Harper played great coverage, but seemed so focused on not getting burned, that he missed opportunities to strip the ball or pick off a pass. We played man to man and that didn’t work. Then we played a zone…kind of a soft zone and they picked that apart. When they needed first downs in the 4^th quarter, they got them. We forced two punts and the rest of their offensive series resulted in touchdowns. There was ONE BIG HIT…ONE…where’s the “wood” that we brought in 2009?

Where was the aggression?  Where was the raw predatory animal instinct Greg Williams bred in 2009?  Where was the swagger?  Our soft defense cannot force our offense to play perfect football.  Prediction: Darren Sharper will be signed by the home opener against the Bears. 

Offense - Drew Brees played nearly flawlessly.  He showed command and leadership on the field as he orchestrated the near comeback.  There were a few errant passes, and while he was sacked three times, they were smart sacks.  He didn’t try to force it, despite playing from behind the entire game. As one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, I believe that he has learned that it’s his job to run the offense, not BE the offense.

Darren Sproles was ON FIRE.  He was electric – strong and agile.  He’s like a freakin’ lightning bolt on the field. I’m not sure if he’s actually faster than everyone else, but he sure does look like it. As a whole, the core of running backs has shown that, as the season goes on, there will be great things to come. 

Coaching - I don’t disagree with going for it on 4^th down in the third quarter.  In fact, it was classic Sean Payton.  Be aggressive.  We were down by at least two scores – even if we had made the field goal, we wouldn’t have won the game.  I love the “go for it” call, but not the play that was called. That is the time to play power football…in the third quarter, when a touchdown, not the game, is on the line. Give your rookie a shot when there’s time to recover. Ingram MIGHT have been able to run downhill when the defense has a 15-point cushion. Pierre Thomas, in only the way that he can, could have squirted through an obscure hole.  Sproles could have bounced to the outside.  Conversely, I think the decision to try and run Ingram in, with zero ticks on the clock and the game on the line, might have been too much for him to handle. THAT’S where you want your Pro-Bowl, Super Bowl MVP Quarterback to be able to make a play. Naturally, everything is in hindsight…what the hell do I know…I was nervously eating Jambalaya and pacing with a baseball bat around the room.

As deflated as I was after the game, I woke up this morning reinvigorated and encouraged.  The Packers got worried when there was five minutes left and the offense fluidly moved the ball into the end zone.  We can score a lot of points and they know that - they got conservative and nervous in the waning minutes of the game.  The SAINTS have become THAT team that you never count out.  If you leave a little time on the clock, or maybe even none, you stand a good chance of losing.

As my father-in-law said, “they will never play any better all year, and we will get better and better”.  I hope to see The Packers in The Dome in January.

There are 15 more games……I’m feeling good about all of them!

That’s something to smile about.  Now, say “cheese”.

An’ Dat’s Dat!

OK…it’s here! I’m like a little kid in a toy store. I’m running from website to website reading blogs and posts, players and coaches practice press conferences and NFL Network is basically on 24/7! The offseason/pre-season is over and everything from here on counts. There is a fire in my belly and there’s a fire in the eyes of every man, woman and child in the football arena. The players are frothing at the mouth ready to hit someone when and where it matters! 

When the lights come on Thursday night, The SAINTS are gonna march in to Lambeau carrying a burning that was lit in Seattle eight months ago.  That loss burns like an ember that’s been smoldering like heartburn after some spicy mud-bugs. It’s a soul burn, leaving a nasty smell in the air after Mardi Gras day on Bourbon Street. Instead of pouring water on that ember, I say we blow on it and throw some logs on the fire. Let’s carry that fire around in ceremony of mistakes gone by and lessons learned. Let’s let that fire ignite in us a yearning to be better than that. Let’s dance like wild banshees in tribal celebration ready for war! Let’s call it Lombardi Gras and go get our trophy back! It’s time to bring THE FLAMBEAUX to Lambeau!

It’s time to burn that house down (figuratively speaking, of course). We walk into the house of the Champions, as ex-champions, with a chip on our shoulders and team that is stacked to make another serious run at it. The Packers defense if tough, our offense is better. The Packers offense is tough, our defense needs to play like pit bulls on crack! There’s no time for stuttering on any offensive series. There’s no room for missed tackles and blown coverage. There is no room for mistakes. The Packers are going to be fired up….SO WE HAVE TO BE ON FIRE!

Last year’s NFC Championship game should have been between the SAINTS and The Packers. That was our destiny. Instead we looked past the Seahawks and got our asses handed to us by a sub-500 team. I’m still really bitter about our performance in Seattle and it’s time to prove that WE ARE THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!

What better stage could you ask for? Opening night…against the defending Champs…in their house…gun slingers, hard-hitting linebackers, rock pounding ground attacks and an attitude in both camps that WE are the best!

Time to PROVE IT!

An’ Dat’s Dat!