Saints Sideline Blog

THE DEFENSE RESTS

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011      Email Print

DATELINE: Seattle, WA/January 10th, 2011 (Is it over....already???)
 
They didn't blame it on the long flight, the short week, the gloomy weather or possibly the loudest fans this side of the Who Dat Nation. No the Saints defense who spent much of this season playing the role of bail bondsman for an up and down Saints offense--pointed the finger at themselves. A unit which despite the drop in takeaways had remarkably taken huge steps forward from its Super season---but certainly picked the wrong day to turn in the worst performance of the Gregg Williams Era. They made Matt Hasselbeck look like Joe Montana, transformed Marshawn Lynch into Bus Bettis, and at times Brandon Stokley was reminiscent of hometown hero Steve Largent. 41 points, 415 yards and 4 TD passes later--the Saints defense cried uncle in what is one of the biggest shockers in NFL playoff history.  
 
It was supposed to be the offense who was to be a tad sleepy in Seattle. They were the beat up bunch. With no Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory or JImmy Graham in the huddle, you expected Drew Brees to need a few additional Seattle mochas to awake this unit's mojo. While the running game had its moments, for the most part Reggie Bush and Julius Jones did about what we all expected. You can't blame the offense for this defeat as Brees put an end to his 12 game interception streak and rallied the troops despite no running game down the stretch.Payton's brilliant playcalling spotted the defense an early 10-0 lead and put 36 points on the board which any Saints fan would have thought would be good enough before kickoff----that was the worst assumption since the Colts thought they would actually be receiving a second half kickoff in last year's Super Bowl.
 
Speaking of the good ole days---cue the cliche meter---what a gigantic difference a year makes for Tracy Porter. Last season he ends it picking off Peyton Manning in a play which insured a Super victory. A year later Porter's final game has him the recipient of a Marshawn Lynch stiff arm which knocked him back and sent the Seahawks fast forward in these playofffs. Porter one of eight Saints who failed to bring Lynch down on a 67 yard "play which will replayed in Seattle as much as Nirvanna's greatest hits." Eight was clearly not enough to bring down Lynch who lynched a Saints defense on a momentum switch that typified its season finale. Garrett Hartley's 21 yard field goal (and yes I agree with Payton's decision to kick a field goal there) would cut the lead to 34-30 but Lynch's backbreaker was the exclamation point in a day the Seahawks could exclaim they belonged despite being a double digit underdog.
 
Yes Vegas sure was fooled and now the Saints are left not only unable to defend its Super Bowl title but will watch the rest of the NFC fight for a crown which is as wide open as a Seattle Tight End. How much will the Saints be kicking themselves if the Packers beat the Falcons where this team could have possibly returned the NFC Championship game to the Superdome. A lot of woulda, couldas and shoudas will take place in an offseason which will be chock full of labor strife and head scratchers concerning the future of the impending 28 New Orleans free agents.
 
With so many questions---this offseason will give us some interesting answers. Was Darren Sharper's last Saints game in Quest field?, What will Reggie Bush's future be with an 11.8 million dollar contract on the table in 2011 and Which direction will they go in the draft---defensive end? running back? or....???? Lots of intrigue for the Saints in the coming months---a franchise that only two weeks ago knocked off the Number one seeded Atlanta Falcons only to fall two weeks later to a team with the worst record in playoff history. In this league, you never know what will happen next---just ask the Saints defense which was laid to rest much earlier than anyone ever expected.
 
WHO DAT HITS
 
So the 2010 season is history----welcome to our award's banquet....
 
TEAM MVP---DREW BREES:Shocker huh? Brees didn't have his best season as a Saint where he threw a career high 22 interceptions (twice as many as a year ago) The Saints QB has set the bar so high anything short seems disappointing but it shouldn't. Despite a paltry running game he dialed it in down the stretch with huge games against Pittsburgh, Dallas and Atlanta which put this team in the playoffs. Without him, the Saints would have been watching them this season.
 
BEST DEFENDER: MALCOLM JENKINS:Safe to say----the Saints safety reeled this one in. So much for a sophomore jinx as a year after breaking into the league as a corner he made the perfect transition to be the heir apparent to Darren Sharper by playing well...just like Sharper. When the Saints needed a big play---Malcolm was in the middle of it---saving the day in Dallas with a strip of Roy WIlliams on Turkey Day and turning the game around versus St Louis with a 96 yard pick six against Sam Bradford. You think the Saints D may have missed this guy versus Seattle?
 
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: JIMMY GRAHAM: The rook made all of us forget Shockey was often on the sidelines as he came up with the catch of the year at Carolina and arguably the biggest catch of the year with the game winner at Atlanta. With a limited football background which is full of more basketball highlights, look for a bright future. Sean Payton has been on record saying he will be considered one of the best players from the 2010 draft-that looks to be a safe bet.
 
SURPRISE OF THE YEAR: CHRIS IVORY: Kudos to Scouting Director Rick Reiprish for polishing off another diamond in the rough. Ivory wasn't drafted and came to camp out of tiny Tiffin college but ended the year as the Saints leading rusher. His running style translates to too many turnovers and injuries but his production was vital for a Saints running game which would have been obsolete without his contributions.
 
GAME OF THE YEAR: MONDAY NIGHTER VS FALCONS: Tough call as this Saints team gave us several cardiac moments (see San Fran,Pittsburgh,Dallas and Cincy) but I have to give the nod to Monday Night's win over the high flying Falcons. It sent a "not so fast" message to the NFC South champs that the defending champs weren't done making noise and showed the resolve of this Saints team on both sides of the football.
 
SURVIVOR OF THE YEAR: GARRETT HARTLEY: The Saints kicker had more ups and downs than Lindsay Lohan this fall but sure finished on the up and up. His early misses, especially the 29 yard shank against the Falcons tested your patience but Sean Payton stood by his man and it paid off. He kicked his career long 52 yarder at Atlanta. After missing 4 early in the season---his last miss was week 11 versus the Seahawks at home.
 
BEST MOMENT: NO BRAINER FREEZE: It was supposed to be a "no brainer" until the Bengals froze. Driving against Cincy late in the 4th, the Saints tried to draw the Bengals offsides and DT Pat Sims took the bait. Instead of sending the game into overtime with a field goal, Drew Brees takes advantage hitting Marquis Colston for the game winning score.
 
NOBODY ASKED ME BUT: I've covered the NFL for years and have never been around a team who was better with the media than these Saints. They are especially accountable after tough losses--the player that stands out the most is Reggie Bush. Sure he didn't live up to his contract and hasn't proven to be the durable and every down player Saints fans were hoping for five years ago but Bush never dodges the tough question at the toughest moment. After his forgettable performance against Dallas and his disappointing second half versus Seattle, Reggie did what pro's do--- he answered the tough questions and didn't offer any excuses---something his teammates did all season with very few exceptions
 
UNTIL NEXT BLOG,
Mike Nabors
CST

By: Mike Nabors

An Emmy award winning sports reporter who covers a wide variety of events for CST. Primarily, Mike serves as the network's reporter for Saints coverage.

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