I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to keep posting the same gripes game after game, but now that the season is over, let's ponder a few things...
First of all, there's not much to say about the Seahawks game. The Saints had a chance to put that game away in the first half, and came apart at the seams instead. You can point to injuries, you can point to any of a number of things, but...
1) It's shocking how much one guy can make or break a defense. Roman Harper was completely exposed today. The first three Seattle touchdowns came on isolation plays that were his responsibility. He's always been very solid against the run, but against the pass, he's slow and often out of position.
2) What on Earth to do about the backfield? Julius Jones actually had a decent day today, but that fumble... two weeks in a row, he's committed crucial turnovers. The play where they ran Jones for a TD after faking the screen to Bush was simply brilliant, by comparison. I didn't hear what Bush's injury was, but the last several minutes of the game saw only Heath Evans in at RB.
Bush's drop on 3rd-and-2 from inside the 5 (leading to Garrett Hartley's 1st FG) was inexcusable. If he catches that, he walks into the end zone. Do the math, and then eliminate the missed two-point conversion late.
Being a Saints RB this year was like being a drummer for Spinal Tap. Lynell Hamilton? ACL. PJ Hill? Shoulder. Pierre Thomas? Peroneal tendon (near the ankle, runs up through back of leg). Bush? Broken fibula. Chris Ivory? Hamstrings and then a Lisfranc injury (break of the foot between tarsals and metatarsals). Jim Henderson remarked that the Saints needed to increase the durability of the RB corps. That's a neat idea, but how does one go about that?
Can you justify Bush at the price he's getting? Can you justify letting Pierre Thomas go (especially given his clutch performances)? Chris Ivory really is impressive- when he's healthy. He's got some physical preparation to do (much like Robert Meachem) in order to be able to last a whole season (diet, stretching, muscle building, et cetera). Can you bring back a corps of Bush, Thomas, Hamilton, and Ivory, and then make it all work? Is that even the goal?
3) What the hell happened to the offensive line this year? The middle three- Evans, Goodwin, Nicks- were nothing like they were last year.Jermon Bushrod and Jon Stinchcomb were profoundly unimpressive, and it reflected in the running game and also- to a point- in the bad decisions that we saw Brees make in the passing game.
4) What to do about the return game? I saw one good return this year- Lance Moore's return against Atlanta. Courtney Roby can get it done when the scheme is there on kickoffs. The scheme didn't appear to be there. I'm not inclined to hang everything on the backups (Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem), but that was a pretty dysfunctional unit.
5) Tackling is not an issue confined to the Saints, but can nobody form-tackle any more? I know it's not coached in the league these days, but the notion of going for the kill-shot just doesn't work. Seahawk receivers cheerfully stepped out of ankle-high tackling by the corners, and the put-away score by Lynch was a product of everyone trying to tackle the ball.
In hockey, the rule in forechecking is first guy take the body, second guy take the puck. Certainly, miraculous plays can be made (Malcolm Jenkins vs Dallas, anyone?), but the goal is still to get the runner on the ground. That gang-tackling mentality was on display against Atlanta, and disappeared against Baltimore and Seattle.
6) Did anyone notice that Brees protected the football today? He'd cough up interceptions when being poorly protected, but there were a few strangely inaccurate deep throws this year. It's probably worth examining whether there were any lingering effects from that early-season knee injury.
7) What to do about the receiving corps? Devery Henderson returned to his form in terms of dropsies... there was one late that led to the punt setting up Lynch's TD run. I think Adrian Arrington is going to merit a close look this season. Lance Moore continues to be steady, Marques Colston had a few consistency issues, and Robert Meachem is getting it together. Is it time for Shockey to pack it in?
8) Defensive line and linebackers... Alex Brown is a run-stopper. That'd be great if he were a defensive tackle, but he's a defensive end. The Saints need another strong defensive tackle.
Linebackers- Vilma continues to be a Pro Bowler, but he needs some help on both sides. Shanle doesn't have the speed to cover tight ends, and although Jo-Lonn Dunbar improved greatly over the year, it's going to take more. Stanley Arnoux was doing great before he tore up his wrist.
9) Defensive backfield- wow. Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer didn't give up many TD passes this year, but when they did, they were exposed. They're both not very tall, and against 6'5" receivers, they were in a world of trouble.
It's time for Sharper to hang it up. Love the guy to death, but he's lost another step, and he costs too much to keep around. It's also time to make Roman Harper a backup. The whole world saw him get exposed today, and it's not going to get any better next year. I also didn't think Randall Gay would be as staggering a loss as he was... the nickel and dime coverage was thin at best, and when Jenkins went out, that was the end of the game.
Now let's examine some positives:
1) Chris Ivory. When healthy, he was the answer at RB. He needs to work into the passing game some more in the offseason, but he and Thomas could be a very formidable combination. I'm not convinced that Bush doesn't have some real value, but only at a lower price. Getting Lynell Hamilton back healthy will help too.
I think Pierre Thomas should be a priority for this team. He's not worth the Steven Jackson money he was trying to get, but his worth was clearly demonstrated in the Atlanta game.
2) Tight end play. David Thomas has been excellent and reliable, and the combination of Thomas and Shockey has helped sculpt Jimmy Graham into a potential all-pro for down the road.
3) Malcolm Jenkins is one of the first homegrown ballhawking safeties the Saints have had since Sammy Knight. Exciting things are ahead for him.
4) Lance Moore remains clutch, and clutch is everything. Retaining him needs to be a priority.
5) Garrett Hartley still needs to clean up the occasional hook in his kicks, but he certainly settled down as the year progressed. Thomas Morstead is still a monster as a punter, and was excellent on kickoffs.
In the meantime, the early exit sucks, and now we get to find out whether there's going to be an NFL lockout next season. It's hard for me to see how they get that worked out in time, but we'll see. In all likelihood, we'll see an eighteen-game season (haven't seen that since the USFL), and a more realistic upper limit on what rookies can make.
Thanks, as ever, for reading... good fortune to all for 2011.
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