Week 2’s impressive performance by the New Orleans Saints provided a glimpse of what most national analysts were expecting previous to the beginning of the season. The Saints looked like a well-oiled machine on Sunday, and look to build confidence going into the thick of the 2011 schedule.
Pass Offense: A+
Drew Brees was spectacular as usual, completing 26 of 37 passes for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brees completed passes to 8 different receivers, keeping the Bears’ defense in a constant state of adjustment and confusion. Devery Henderson added to his already impressive start to the 2011 campaign, providing the play of the game on a 79 yard touchdown reception. Darren Sproles grabbed 8 passes, continuing to provide the receiving threat that Sean Payton demands from his offense.
Although Lance Moore was largely absent (a catch for 6 yards), Brees was still razor sharp. Look for the Saints’ passing game continue to improve with the incorporation of Moore back into the offense and the return of top target Marques Colston.
Run Offense: B
Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, and Darren Sproles were surprisingly effective against a stout Chicago defensive front, piling up 118 net rushing yards. Although Ingram received the bulk of the carries with 14, Sean Payton seems committed to mixing up the backfield arrangement, allowing the entire group to remain fresh.
The Saints aren’t ever going to blow away anyone on the ground, but the presence of a legitimate running game is essential to the opening up of the passing game; Brees was able to use the play-action pass very effectively. As long as the Saints are averaging around 4 yards per carry as a team, the running game is doing its job.
Pass Defense: A
The Saints’ pass defense looked totally different from the previous week. Bears’ QB Jay Cutler was mostly ineffective, passing for 244 yards and a touchdown, but on 19 for 45, which is only about a 42% completion rate. Not good.
The pressure applied by the Saints’ pass rush, however, might have been the most important and satisfying facet of the game. Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took advantage of a Bears’ offensive line made entirely of Kleenex, sacking the former Vanderbilt standout 6 times. At some point during the 4th quarter, I honestly thought that Cutler was either going to start crying or soil himself. Or both.
Run Defense: C+
Matt Forte only accumulated 49 rushing yards against the Saints on Sunday, 42 of those yards coming on one play. The Bears shied away from running the ball after New Orleans started to take over. The Saints’ run defense, however, continues to look very suspect.
Tackling still seems like a huge shortcoming. On that 42 yard scamper by Forte, I counted three broken tackles. This area of the defense needs to be addressed. The Saints cannot keep depending on the offense scoring enough points to keep the opponent’s run game dormant. That will eventually come to haunt the defense. Although the added emphasis on pass pressure was very welcome, Gregg Williams needs to have his guys work on wrapping up the ballcarrier in practice this week, especially with Arian Foster coming to town.
Special Teams: A+
After relinquishing huge returns from Packers rookie Randall Cobb las week, special teams instantly became a huge question mark. With this past Sunday’s performance, it seems that any remaining questions on the special teams unit were quickly answered. Devin Hester, arguably the NFL’s best returner, was contained throughout the game on punt and kickoff returns by a very effective coverage scheme. Hester only gained 23 return yards on 2 kickoffs, and was actually held to negative return yards on punts.
Punter Thomas Morstead was exceptional, averaging 46.6 yards per punt. Kicker John Kasay booted three field goals, his longest being a 53 yard score in the second quarter. Kasay’s consistency has looked very good, and he has been great in filling in for Garrett Hartley.
Coaching: A
Sean Payton obviously had his team ready to play following a heartbreaking loss in Green Bay. Both offense and defense looked focused at the task at hand; there was no hangover from last week, which would have plagued Saints teams of the past.
Individual coaching decisions were also well planned. I thought that the trick play with Chase Daniel taking a snap was actually a good idea. Payton saw a flaw in the opposing defensive alignment, and tried to exploit it. Unfortunately for the Saints, a Brian De La Puente false start negated any chance to run the play. Nonetheless, the presence of the trick play not only exhibits Payton’s attention to detail in the heat of the game, but his trust in his team to execute when the time arises. Even though the play didn’t come to fruition, Payton continues to make opposing coaches lose sleep.
Bottom Line
The New Orleans Saints looked like a complete team on Sunday. The game plan set out by Sean Payton and his staff was well thought out. With a 1 and 1 record, New Orleans will look to make small, weekly improvements in some areas (tackling on defense, running the ball with more consistency), while continuing to excel in the areas already mastered (namely the passing game). The Saints simply looked like what we all expected. Consistency, however, is the name of the game, and that will need to be on display if this team has serious championship aspersions.
