Most of the season teams have run the ball pretty well against us(except for the first 3 games). At the beginning to the season we got turnovers and either the D put it in the endzone themselves or the O did. The D is more of an opportunistic D than a shut you completely down D, and they haven't been to opportunistic lately. Also with the O not clicking on all cylinders this is the outcome we get. You put the game in the hands of a kicker and anything can happen

This post was edited on 12/27/09 at 4:24 pm

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Posted by Roach

River Ridge, LA

Member since Nov 2007

4258 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 4:24 pm to boogerman77

If you think the D is playing well right now you must not be watching the same games i am. They are giving up huge chunks on the ground and on screen plays.

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Posted by boogerman77

Member since Jun 2009

249 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 4:30 pm to Roach

I agree they haven't played well at all the past couple of games. I'm saying they were never a shut down D, sure they played out of world some games, but I see them more of a bend don't break D that's oppotunistic(which they haven't been lately). This is the result you get when they don't play that way

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Posted by TigerinATL

Member since Feb 2005

62446 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 4:47 pm to Roach

quote:
They are giving up huge chunks on the ground and on screen plays.

They've been doing that all year, they just have made up for it with turnovers most of the time. Despite the poor play in the secondary and against the run, what we've seen the last 5 weeks or so has largely been due to the offense sputtering.

This post was edited on 12/27/09 at 4:48 pm

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Posted by JohnnyT

Central Texas

Member since Feb 2005

1841 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 5:06 pm to TigerinATL

No aspect of the Saints team should be given a free pass or have their play excused today. Plenty of blame to go around among the O, D and ST. Improvement in any area and this game is a close, disappointing W but still a W.

I hate being pessimistic but told the wife "we are screwed" after the coin toss. There was no doubt in my mind Tampa's running game was going to move through the Saint's D faster than prunes through a short grandmother.

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Posted by thetigerman

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Member since Sep 2006

3630 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 5:15 pm to Craig Ferguson

We needed the defense to step up in crunch time. They failed to do so. I don't know if they were tired or what but they couldn't stop TB in that 4th quarter or OT. That's a pretty sad indictment.

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Posted by TigerinATL

Member since Feb 2005

62446 posts

Posted on 12/27/09 at 5:32 pm to JohnnyT

quote:
No aspect of the Saints team should be given a free pass or have their play excused today.

I'm not giving the defense a free pass, I'm judging them based on what I expect them to do. 2 turnovers and holding the opponent to 10 points in regulation is acceptable performance. This isn't the 1985 Bears with a smothering D. This is the 2009 Saints with a barely adequate D who's job is to make sure the offense gets more opportunities to score than the opposition. They did their part today, the offense and special teams didn't.

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Posted by Acreboy