Saints Look Good Heading Into Tampa; Freeman Doesn’t
By Mark Laxman
Come on,guys! You’ve got to keep up!
Saints/Bucs: Here goes nothing.
And I mean that. Leading up to last week’s game against the Falcons was something that just couldn’t get herer fast enough; something that you went to bed at night thinking about and woke up the next morning picking up where you left off. Playing Tampa just doesn’t do that you. You know why I think that is? I mean, they are a division rival just like Atlanta, but that organization from top to bottom hasn’t even pretended that they cared about winning since they dumped Gruden. It’s a damn shame, too, because they’ve had some pretty talented teams since that 2002 Super Bowl team. Oh well. Screw them.
Take one look at that Jets game and you’ll see why this should be something of zero consequence to the Saints. Granted, they would have won that game if it weren’t for one of their better defensive players being a total moron at exactly the most inopportune moment possible. The fact that the Jets were even in the game at that point shows you exactly how bad this Bucs team is.
Let’s talk Schiano a little here. There are conflicting reports about the captainship of Josh Freeman. Both of them are plausible if you look at his behavior, leadership and overall general demeanor over the past 4 seasons. How is it possible that into the start of his 5th season the dude is a fruit cake? Or that he has no accountability for when he leads his team into the cellar and takes all the credit when they win? Some reports are that Schiano stripped the captainship away from him and others are that the players simply didn’t vote him in as their leader. Either way, your team is about to be bent over if your quarterback isn’t a good enough football player or human being to be the leader of the offense. Good job coaching him up, Greg. Now go blitz the victory formation. Bucs fans would probably actually prefer “Ol’ Youngry” to this clown.
Other things that have been reported about the Bucs’ head coach lately. Unnamed players (pussies, put your damn name on it or don’t say anything at all) are saying that Schiano sucks as a coach and they aren’t even sure what he’s doing in the league. They question how someone who couldn’t even post an overall record above .500 got an NFL gig. They don’t like the fact that he’s a shitty coach or that he tries that “College Rah-Rah” bullshit in the NFL, where you’re dealing with professionals who make a lot more money than you do.
OK. Enough of that. Let’s look at the actual game ahead.
Drew Brees is a better quarterback than Josh Freeman, right? I mean, no one with any grey matter would say differently.
Doug Martin: good running back, who shocked the whole league last year. Well, this ain’t last year, and that little hamster looking dude has got another thing coming if he thinks he is going to run wild on the Super-Duper-Who-Needs-OLB’s-In-A-3/4-Rob Ryan-led Saints defense. Steven Jackson might have had some big gains, but not enough to put his team ahead. Same thing goes for Martin.
Vincent Jackson: replaced Freeman as an offensive captain. Honestly, he should. He’s the best thing they’ve got going on that side of the ball and he can still play (regardless of the fact that he got chased down [with a head start] something like 100 yards by Malcolm Jenkins last year to be tackled inside the 5 yard line instead of scoring what would have been a decisive touchdown. Jackson is going to make some big catches in this game. The Saints just have to make sure they aren’t crucial, drive extending and ultimately fatal.
Mike Williams. Dude was on his way out of the league before they picked up Jackson, but now that he’s the #2, he actually produces well.
That’s about all they’ve really got going for them as “firepower on the offensive side of the ball, so I’d say the Saints have the edge in the “Possible Points Scored Department”.
Their Defense looks like they should be world beaters (on paper). But there is a problem when your leading tackler against the New York Jets is Leonard Johnson, a cornerback. That’s with Geno Smith at the helm. Revis Island – no biggee, we’ll go elsewhere. I don’t care how many studs you’ve got in Barron, Revis, Clayborn, Bowers. As a unit, it didn’t look like they could get it done.
Enough words, look at the numbers and decide for yourself what the outcome of this weekend’s game will be.
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