Meltdown in the Meadowlands

Saints get beaten badly again; who is to blame?

By Doug Knopf

Anyone who watched the Saints-Giants game on Sunday afternoon saw a complete demolishing of New Orleans. Most people thought that this game was going to be close; the spread was New York -4.5. In reality, the game was a tale of two halves, a close first half with the Giants overpowering the Saints in the second half.

AP Photo/ Bill Kostroun

The Giants beat the Saints because they executed their game plan to perfection. They rushed four and played man-up with two safeties over the top to cover the deep ball. This type of defensive play is now the stereotypical way to beat any elite QB who must rely on his receivers beating coverage than being able to pick apart zones. We saw this look against Aaron Rodgers a few weeks ago and it transferred well to Brees. The Giants are the most dangerous team when they play well and this was seen on Sunday. What would be nice for the Giants to do is to get actual sacks and not just pressure on the QB. Their tandem of Pierre-Paul, Umenyiora, and Tuck are not even in the top 10 in sacks per team. In order for the Giants to make a true Super Bowl run they are going to have to see more production from these guys.

On the defensive side of the Ball, the Saints did not get a single sack and got completely run over by rookie David Wilson. New Orleans was not good in any phase, allowing 121 yards to salsa man Victor Cruz. There were more holes in the Saint’s D than a piece of Swiss cheese. The Giants showed that they have one of the most balanced attacks in the league and now have the running back depth to frighten any defensive coordinator. 

Now at 5-8 and out of playoffs, what do The Saints do? And who is to blame?

It could be easy to place the blame on their absent head coach and give the Saints the benefit of the doubt, but I do not think that is the reason. I am calling out Drew Brees for being terrible this season. What kind of all-star, potential MVP candidate every year, face of the franchise quarterback throws 18 interceptions? This year, the Saints are 3-7 when Drew Brees throws at least one interception and 2-1 when he has thrown one. Turnovers are the name of the game in the NFL and when a quarterback does not protect the ball, his team usually loses, just check out the Jets. It is not even like he has to do it alone, he has an amazing offensive line and a great running back tandem that Aaron Rodgers drools over. Drew Brees should be ashamed of himself for the season that he is having.

So, where do the Saints go from here? Obviously they do not and will not ever, in any way, bench Drew Brees. They should do what the Patriots and the Packers did and use almost every draft pick on a defensive player. This keeps your best player on the field and gives Brees some confidence so he does not have to try and win by himself.

Other news around the NFC South is that The Panthers beat up on the Falcons, but that game had no implications to any team. Tampa Bay lost to Philadelphia showing that they are not playoff worthy.