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Eye ON THE SAINTS |
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June 2008
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Tom Planchet: December 2007 ArchivesFrom Sean Payton's press conference: "This isn't the same old Saints. I read that somewhere this morning. We're changing that. Obviously there's disappointment. We're shooting for the Super Bowl and that's where our expectations are set.' 'The job I did was 7-9. We're measured in wins and losses. The great thing about our job is the next week you get to do it again. You've got a nucleus here, starting with the quarterback, that... Head coach Sean Payton said that top draft pick Robert Meachem - who didn't play at all this year - will be 'in the mix' for next season. He said the coaching staff is excited about how Meachem has played on the scout team the past few weeks. Payton said it would be unfair to evaluate the '07 draft class for another year or two. He said it was tougher for this group to break into the lineup because it was a 10-win team coming b... Saints rookie running back Pierre Thomas raised some eyebrows Sunday with a record performance for the Saints. ...Sean Payton attributed the loss to mistakes and penalties and said one of the mistakes was punting to Devin Hester. Here is a sampling of his post game comments. "We did the things that get you beat - turnovers, we've been pretty good on penalties (this year) but today we weren't. We allowed big plays over our head and on special teams." "We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work." "He (Pierre Thomas) did a rea... Towards the end of the Saints game with the Bears, Jim Henderson had some pearls of wisdom including: The Saints really are not a playoff team. The Saints got nothing out of their draft. Brian Urlacher has five interceptions this season, Saints linebackers all together have zero. Why did the Saints pick up Kevin Kaesviharn and Brian Simmons and not play them? Were Josh Bullocks and Mark Simoneau so much better?<... The expectations were so high and perhaps that's whythe swift fall of the Saints, followed by the agonizingly long elimination process proved to be such a dud. ...Yes, believe it or not the Saints still have life and so do two other teams in the NFC and two in the AFC as the season winds into its final week. ...At least one Internet football guru thinks the Saints are the only team that can catch the Vikings for the final wildcard spot. However, tell that to Washington, which plays the Vikings next week and could be tied or one game behind them. Also, Minnesota might want to look at catching the Giants, who fell Sunday night and could be heading back to the pack. They finish the season at Buffa... Now this is what the Saints had in mind when they picked up Kevin Kaesviharn and drafted Roman Harper a secondary that picks off some passes and makes big hits. ...Yes, Drew Brees is red hot. He was 26 of 30 in Sunday's contest and he has quietly gotten back into the race for the Pro Bowl. After a lousy start that had him throw 9 interceptions and one touchdown in the first four games, Brees has since throw 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. That's one reason I took exception to last we... Ranking all the quarterbacks, ESPN's Insider (this is said to be a free preview) has the expected players at 1 and 2 - Drew Brees is 8th, which is a little low in my opinion. Brees is currently 10th in the NFL in passer rating, but that's after an abysmal start. He started off with just 1 TD and 9 picks in the first four games, and since has 22 TDs and only 6 pic... Sean Payton was adamant that he would prefer having Reggie Bush in the lineup, even though the team had a good offensive output without him Monday night. Payton said there was no change on Bush's status and that an announcement would be made Wednesday. "The team is better off with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister," said Payton. "Those guys are an important part of what we do. I'd much rather have Reggie Bush healthy and in our... When questioned by WWL-TV Sports Director Jim Henderson about whether or not anything could be read into the Saints running a reverse to Devery Henderson on their first offensive play, Drew smiled, winked and said, "What do you think?" Brees said the Saints are an aggressive team and hinted that the call was to show people that they would remain an aggressive team. ...Saints quarterback Drew Brees was effusive after the game, telling ESPN in an interview that, "You can't win four in a row until you win one in a row." Brees has been telling people all week that the team can still reach the playoffs, and he went out and took it upon himself to get them there with 328 yards passing and three touchdowns. Brees said that when the offense clicks, it's a special feeling. He said even without Deuce and Bush... Saying he would stay aggressive, Sean Payton was good to his word, going for it on 4th and about a foot on his own 33-yard line. The Saints didn't convert but the ESPN announcers took less exception to it than they did to last week's late game runningback-receiver reverse. ...Atlanta's small 'can-do' back has rushed for over 10,000 yards in his career and ESPN's Outsiders say Reggie Bush can learn a thing or two by watching Dunn in action. ...Joe Horn, who was very quiet prior to facing the Saints in the Superdome, is now sounding off, blaming Sean Payton's ego for the Saints' struggles. Of course, Horn hasn't exactly been smoking since signing a reported 4-year, $19 million deal with the Falcons. Even with their quarterback problems, Horn's stats - 22 receptions for 203 yards an... The Detroit News says the University of Michigan has an interest in the Saints Sean Payton. There's little more than that in the article, but expect Payton to be asked about it at his Friday press briefing. ...The Atlanta Falcons will start their 3rd different quarterback this year when Chris Redman suits up against the Saints Monday night. ...Everybody seems to be calling this an unfortunate turn of events that will ultimately keep the Saints out of the playoff picture. ESPN.com.
Jere' Longman of the New York Times says that what was once thought to be a promising season for Reggie Bush is now going down the tubes. ...ESPN's John Clayton called Sean Payton's 'Superdome Special' perhaps the worst play call since 1978. ...Am I crazy? I must be the only person who doesn't think Sean Payton's call was a bad decision. Yes, it's a bad play because it didn't work, but as a Saints fan I've watched too often as coaches have played 'not to lose' instead of playing to win. If Payton's call had been properly executed and the Saints had gotten the first down, the team could have basically run down the clock and clinched the game. Payton would have been a 'genius' ... Saints quarterback Drew Brees said the reverse play was supposed to be a flip to Reggie Bush who would then toss it to Devery Henderson. Brees said the team worked on the play in practice and that Payton told them it would be used at a critical point in a game. Brees said it was the players’ job to execute on the play and they didn’t. He said that if they execute the play, they get a pivotal first down and maybe need one more t... Head coach Sean Payton came right down to the post game media press conference and immediately took blame for the loss. "This is the worst job I've done as a head coach since I've been here," he said. "Obviously I regret the play call that resulted in a fumble and cost us the game. I shouldn't have called the play in that situation." Payton said it was a short-yardage play and he called it trying to get what he believed was a s... |
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