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The running backs were dynamic for the Saints this season

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Wednesday 24 January 2007 at 6:02 pm

Deuce McAllister & Reggie Bush gave the Saints a great running game.  McAllister rushed for over 1,000 yards this season for the 4th time in his career.  McAllister played in 15 games this season and he carried the ball 244 times for 1,057 yards (4.3 avg) with 10 TD runs.  He also grabbed 30 passes for 198 yards (6.6 avg).  For his career, McAllister has carried the football 1,298 times for 5,586 yards (4.3 ypc) with 44 TD runs.  He also has caught 212 passes for 1,577 yards (7.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

Reggie Bush has an electric presence in the Saints backfield as a rookie.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints and carried the ball 155 times for 565 yards (3.6 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 88 passes for 742 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD catches.

Fullback Mike Karney did a great job blocking for the halfbacks.  Karney played in 15 games and carried the ball 11 times for 33 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 15 passes for 96 yards (6.4 avg) with 2 TD catches.  For his career, Karney has played in 47 games (29 starts) and he has carried the ball 20 times for 52 yards (2.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 31 passes for 199 yards (6.4 avg) with 2 TD catches.

Rookie Jamal Branch only played in the season finale and carried the ball 10 times for 29 yards (2.9 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 14 yards (2.8 avg) and caught a TD pass.

Fred McAfee didn’t play much as he played in only 4 games and carried the ball 3 times for 12 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  For his career, McAfee has played in 194 games (6 starts) and he has carried the football 304 times for 1,273 yards (4.2 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He also has caught 35 passes for 211 yards (6.0 avg).

Aaron Stecker played in 12 games and he carried the ball only 4 times for 11 yards (2.8 ypc).  He also caught 19 passes for 190 yards (10.0 avg).  For his career, Stecker has played in 98 games (10 starts) and he’s carried the ball 258 times for 1,020 yards (4.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 116 passes for 878 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD catches.

Sloppy offense ends the Saints season in 39-14 loss to the Bears in Chicago

Blogged under Big New Orleans Saints News,Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Sunday 21 January 2007 at 9:11 pm

The Saints lost 3 fumbles and threw an interception and that did them in today.  The Saints offense couldn’t sustain drives and turned the ball over alot setting up short fields for the Bears offense.  Drew Brees was the main culprit as he was responsible for three of the turnovers.  His numbers looked solid throwing the ball as he completed 27 of 49 passes for 354 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  Brees had problems all day long with the pressure that the Bears defense was putting on him as he fumbled twice (losing 1 of them).  The Saints never got their running game going as Reggie Bush (4 carries, 19 yards) and Deuce McAllister (6 carries, 18 yards) didn’t get much of a chance against the Bears defense.  Marques Colston had a decent game with 5 catches for 63 yards and a TD, but he also lost a fumble that led to a FG by the Bears.  Reggie Bush was the real hero in the passing game as he caught 7 passes for 132 yards with 1 TD grab.  The TD grab was an electric 88 yard TD pass that was all Reggie Bush!

The defense played a decent game for awhile, but the offense couldn’t control the clock (24:45 time of possession) so the defense was on the field too long.  Another problem was the Bears were often set up with short fields because of the offense or special teams putting the ball on the ground.  Linebacker Scott Fujita (10 tackles) and safety Jay Bellamy (9 tackles) led the way on the defense for the Saints.  The Saints just couldn’t stop the Bears running game as they carried the football 46 times for 196 yards (4.3 ypc).  The Saints did do a good job on pass defense except on one drive.  With the score 18-14, Rex Grossman hit all 4 of his pass attempts for 78 yards on a TD drive!  On the final play of the drive, CB Fred Thomas was torched yet again (he should be checked into a burn unit) for a TD catch by Bernard Berrian.  For the game the Bears just completed 11 of 26 passes for 144 net yards passing.

The Saints had a great season but this was quite a harsh way for it to end as they looked like they didn’t belong on the same field with the Chicago Bears.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270121003

Saints should move it

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by charlesjay on Sunday 21 January 2007 at 2:33 pm

To me, the most encouraging thing about the Saints’ chances today involves the fact that Drew Brees’ ability to get rid of the football quickly is going to neutralize the Bears’ pass rush. He doesn’t just stand back there and hold on to the ball, and so Chicago may not even be putting a lot of blitzes into the game plan.

 And even though the Saints have, as a team, averaged less than four yards a carry on offense, you know that McAllister and Reggie Bush have the ability to take the ball a long way.

I don’t see the Bears’ defense as such a force anymore. Going back to the game with the Rams, when they were bailed out by a couple of Devin Hester punt returns, the Bears have surrendered 26 points a game. Clearly the absence of a couple of star players has had a lot to do with it. To me, the Bears have not been overly impressive for quite some time,  so they’re a little different team than they were earlier in the season. They haven’t taken a nose dive a la Denver, but at the same time they’ve got a QB who can literally give the game away with fumbles or INT’s, while the Saints don’t have such a guy under center.

 

Defensive Ends key to Saints defense against the Bears

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Saturday 20 January 2007 at 2:33 am

Bears QB Rex Grossman always gets nervous when he gets hit early in a game and that will be Charles Grant and Will Smith’s job on Sunday.  The linebackers of the Saints are not good blitzers, so it will be up to Grant and Smith to put the heat on Grossman.  Smith had a fine season as he finished with 49 tackles and 10.5 sacks.  Charles Grant also had a good season with 64 tackles and 6 sacks.  These two guys have to play big on Sunday if the Saints are to win in snowy Chicago.

New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears

Blogged under Big New Orleans Saints News,Bloglockers,Front Page,This Week's Matchup by ravenhater on Wednesday 17 January 2007 at 12:17 pm
The NFC Championship Game is a great matchup this season. The Bears have been the best team in the NFC all season as they sport a 14-3 record and get the game at home in Soldier Field where it should be nice and cold. The Saints are the new “America’s Team” as almost everyone whose team has been knocked out of the playoffs is jumping on the underdogs bandwagon!

The Bears will be content to run the football alot to control the clock and keep the ball away from the Saints offense. It’s also the best way to attack the Saints defense as they’ve had problems all season stopping the run. The Saints gave up an average of 128.9 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry during the regular season and they did a terrible job against Brian Westbrook and the Eagles last week as they allowed 123 yards rushing and 6.2 yards per carry. The Bears will probably split the carries between Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson to keep both of them fresh. The Bears will probably use alot of play-action when they pass the ball to try to freeze the DBs of the Saints. Also look for Mushin Muhammad and Desmond Clark to be a much bigger part of the offense with the short passing game to help keep the ball away from the Saints and to build Rex Grossman’s confidence. The Bears will take a few deep shots probably against whoever CB Fred Thomas is covering as he had big problems last week.

The Saints will also try to run the ball alot with the idea of dominating time of possession. They did exactly that last week when they held onto the ball for 35:24 in their win over the Eagles last week. The Bears linebackers are going to have their hands full with Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. McAllister is the banger between the tackles and he rolled up 143 yards on 21 carries (6.8 ypc) and a TD last week. Brian Urlacher and DTs Tank Johnson and Ian Scott will be responsible for stopping his inside runs. Reggie Bush also had a good game running the ball and he’ll likely handle the outside runs for the Saints. He will put huge pressure on OLBs Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer to contain him in the running game. The Saints also like to throw to their RBs on screens and flat patterns, so Briggs & Hillenmeyer will also have to worry about that. Drew Brees is a master at play action and he will take a few shots deep to Devery Henderson (who’s likely to start in Joe Horn’s spot). Henderson averaged 23.3 yards per catch during the regular season so the Bears defense must respect his speed. The Saints passing attack will mostly be of the shorter variety to Rookie WR Marques Colston and the TEs who suddenly have become a big part of the Saints passing attack. Also, look for Sean Payton to have some kind of secret weapon on offense like he did last week when he used TE Billy Miller as a big part of the attack which was a huge surprise!

Both teams have been great on special teams as they both have solid kickers (Robbie Gould, Bears and John Carney, Saints). But it’s the returners that could have a say in the outcome of this game. Devin Hester has been a fantastic kick returner all season long and can break one at any time. Reggie Bush is the punt returner for the Saints and he also can take one to the house in the blink of an eye. Michael Lewis did a great job returning kicks last week for the Saints and he’s also capable of breaking a big one.

This should be a great football game. The team that protects the football better will win this game and advance to the Super Bowl. The feeling here is that the Saints are a little better equipped to do that.

 

Sean Payton pulls Billy Miller out of mothballs in the playoffs

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Wednesday 17 January 2007 at 1:06 am

Billy Miller has only caught 14 passes for 129 yards (9.2 avg) in his last two season’s before last week’s playoff game with the Eagles.  He had a good game in the playoffs with 4 catches for 64 yards which has me thinking of who will be the big surprise for the Saints this weekend and I keep thinking Aaron Stecker for some reason.

The #1 Threat in America

Blogged under Front Page by ravenhater on Tuesday 16 January 2007 at 11:50 am

Saints prevail 27-24 over the Eagles in New Orleans and advance the the NFC Championship Game

Blogged under Big New Orleans Saints News,Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Sunday 14 January 2007 at 11:19 am

The Saints played an awesome game on offense last night, but the play that really sticks out in my head is when Steve Weatherford pulled a snap down and ran for 15 yards and a first down right before halftime.  If Weatherford didn’t get the first down or the kick got blocked this game could have easily went the to Eagles.  Also, the defense made a great stand after Reggie Bush fumbled on the Eagles 44 yard line with 3:18 left in the game and the score 27-24.

The Saints had a great game plan and that really helped them win this football game.  Deuce McAllister was awesome last night as he carried the ball 21 times for 143 yards (6.8 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 20 yards and a TD.  Reggie Bush was also very active with 12 carries for 52 yards (4.3 ypc) and a TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 22 yards.  Drew Brees also had a solid game as he completed 20 of 32 passes for 243 yards and a TD.  The Saints secret weapon was the little used TE Billy Miller who caught 4 passes for 64 yards.  Marques Colston also had a decent game with 5 catches for 55 yards.  But the best thing the offense did was hold onto the ball for 35:24 of the game to keep their awful defense off the field.

The Saints played awful on defense last night, but somehow they pulled out a victory.  The Eagles carried the football 20 times for 123 yards (6.2 ypc) and Brian Westbrook averaged 8.9 yards per carry!  The Eagles also completed 15 of 30 passes for 232 net yards passing.  So the Eagles rolled up 355 total yards of offense in only 24:36 of the game.

The Saints got a magical win last night and only need two more to be World Champions. http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270113018

Sean Payton did a fantastic job as a rookie head coach

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page by ravenhater on Friday 12 January 2007 at 5:18 pm

It looks like Sean Payton was really paying attention in the coaching meetings with Bill Parcells.  He learned so good from Parcells that he whipped them during the season.  The Saints look like they could be a powerhouse team in the NFC South if they build a defense, but what is amazing is that they went 10-6 without one.  And the credit for that should go to Sean Payton and Drew Brees.

New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Blogged under Bloglockers,Front Page,This Week's Matchup by ravenhater on Friday 12 January 2007 at 5:15 pm
This should be a great game to watch as both teams have great offenses and questionable defenses.  Both teams have great storylines as the Eagles got hot after Donovan McNabb got injured and Jeff Garcia took over.  The Saints have re-invigorated a city that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina before last season started. 

The Eagles will lean heavily on the running game with Brian Westbrook against a poor Saints run defense that is allowing 128.9 yards rushing per game this season which ranks #23 in the NFL.  Saints LBs Scott Shanle, Mark Simoneau and Scott Fujita will be under siege all day long as they try to contain Westbrook, both running and when he catches passes.  This is a huge mis-match that the Eagles are sure to exploit, early & often.  Jeff Garcia will attack the Saints safeties with LJ Smith over the middle.  This is another mis-match for the Eagles offense.  Donte’ Stallworth will be motivated to have a good game against the team that jettisoned him before the season started and he still has that big time speed to get deep. 

The Saints will also look to run the football with Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush.  The Saints running backs have too much speed for the Eagles linebacking corps to deal with.  The Eagles are scared of Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield on passing plays  against Dhani Jones and rookie Omar Gaither.  Look for the Saints to adjust their passing game to attack Roderick Hood who’s starting in place of Lito Sheppard who dislocated his elbow last week.  The strength of the Saints passing attack is that they will use anyone, including Terrance Copper and Devery Henderson as they will be matched up against the nickel and dime backs of the Eagles.  Rookie Marques Colston could also have a big game.  Drew Brees has to always know where Brian Dawkins is on the field as he’s the big playmaker on the Eagles defense.

If this game comes down to a big kick, the Eagles have a big advantage as the ancient John Carney might not be able to hit the long ones the way that David Akers can.

As well as Sean Payton has coached this is his first playoff game.  Andy Reid is a playoff veteran that has an 8-5 post season record.

I think the home crowd will give the Saints the lift they need to win this high scoring football game by a field goal.  I would not be surprised if the Eagles won this game either as they are pretty hot right now.

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