Former Saint Jake Delhomme (pictured) has now been a member of the Carolina Panthers for 7 seasons. In those 7 seasons, he's played the Saints 4 times in the Superdome, once at Tiger Stadium, and once he watched his team play the Saints while injured. Sunday will be the 7th matchup. In all 6 of those previous games, the Panthers are 6-0 against the Saints. Delhomme has been able to exact revenge on the Saints for letting him go as a free agent in every opportunity he's had to come back to his home state of Louisiana. The Saints haven't been able to beat him or their bitter Carolina Panther rivals, and it's gotten so maddening that the chance to break the streak on Sunday is imperative to capitalize on. We all know the story by now, and we all know we never should have chosen Aaron Brooks over Jake Delhomme. While we also know that we're now better off with Drew Brees, Delhomme has made us pay dearly for letting him go.
Let's take a look at how he's done each year against the Saints in Louisiana:
Now all in all, he's never set the house of fire with amazing numbers. You can see he's played average football in these games, but the Panthers have been so good defensively and running the ball that he's won by playing mistake free football.
His stats for all the games combined:
84-124, 68% completions, 1075 yards (avg of 215 per game), 4 touchdowns (1 rushing) and 1 interception.
You'll notice that while the touchdowns are actually very low, so are the turnovers, and the completion percentage is very high. 68% competions in Louisiana compared to 59.6% completions for his career, almost 9 points higher. Another mind blowing stat is that he's NEVER attempted 30 passes in one game against the Saints. Granted the Panthers aren't a pass first team, but consider that Drew Brees has thrown under 30 times in a game only once this season in 7 games, and only once last season in 16. So how does he have our number? He's really not doing all that much, he's just not making mistakes. As much of a turnover machine as he's been this season and at other times in his career, it never seems to be against the Saints in Louisiana.
Personally, I am sick of Jake Delhomme. I want to beat him so bad I can taste it. What bothers me about him is how demonstrative he is when his team scores, or when the final whistle blows. It seems, at least to me, that he's more deliberate in his celebratory reactions against New Orleans than he is against any other team. I see him running his mouth and acting like a buffoon any chance he gets. It's time for the Saints, now that they're more equipped than ever to beat the Panthers at home, to put him in his place. I want him throwing over 30 times, I want him sacked, I want him turning the ball over, but above all I want him to lose. At this point I don't care if he throws for 400 yards and 5 touchdowns if it means JAKE DELHOMME LOSES TO THE SAINTS IN NEW ORLEANS. This is long overdue and it needs to happen.
Well, he's still on the team after an rough offseason. Click HERE for an old story I did on Peppers this summer which includes the numbers he's had in his games against the Saints. We're going to have our hands full on Sunday.
Check out the video and new song by the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth called "I Believe" off of their new album: Fearless. It's dedicated to the New Orleans Saints! GEAUX SAINTS!
Below are the grades for the defensive and special team players.
Will Smith: A- (2.72) He was awesome and this was arguably his best game of the season. Smith was a constant menace to the Atlanta passing game, repeatedly beating his man around the edge to apply pressure. He finished with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a defended pass and induced a holding penalty when he was clearly headed for a sack. Honestly, I felt like holding calls could have been made against Smith at least 3 other times. The "defended pass", by the way, was originally ruled a sack and forced fumble, but reviewed and changed to an incomplete pass. He was helpful at times in run support, but that area of his game was perfectible.
Charles Grant: D+ (2.19) Forgettable performance from Grant who was invisible for the majority of the night. Several of Michael Turner's big runs came off his edge. He did a poor job rushing the passer and was largely neutralized. He finished with 3 tackles.
Bobby McCray: D+ (1.95) The only redeeming value in this performance for McCray is that he showed decent pressure on Atlanta's final 2 drives. Other than that, he recorded no tackles and had another very quiet game. Time for him to step up and make a play, already.
Anthony Hargrove: C (2.33) Hargrove was decent rushing the passer and bad against the run. He finished with 4 tackles, a sack and laid a devastating hit on Matt Ryan as he released the final pass intercepted by Sharper. The Falcons ran the ball several times right at Hargrove and his size limitation showed. He was pushed around at the point of attack and made it obvious the Saints miss Sedrick Ellis on running plays.
Remi Ayodele: D- (2.06) Ayodele had just one tackle despite playing a significant amount time in the game. He was manhandled by the Falcons' big line, and allowed Turner to escape his grasp several times. He looked slow and confused in many different sets. By far his worse game of the season. Run defense is supposed to be his specialty, but Michael Turner was allowed to run free and hurt the Saints defense immensely. Very poor performance from Ayodele.
Kendrick Clancy: C- (2.17) Clancy showed good pressure once on a passing play, and got involved a couple of times in run support. He seemed to push the pile with average results when he was in. Overall he didn't get much action in the game. Maybe he was a little rusty, but it seems clear to me he's a better option right now than Ayodele. Just 1 tackle on the day for the backup tackle.
Scott Shanle: D (2.81) By far Shanle's worst game of the season. He's been so solid and sound each and every week, it was a big surprise to see him struggle. He registered his very first tackle very late in the 3rd quarter, falling on top of a stumbling Tony Gonzalez downfield. He ended the game with 3 tackles. In the passing game he was stiff and missed a couple opportunities to deflect passes. He was a step slow getting to his assignments and he was pushed around in run support. He was useless against Michael Turner's runs. It seemed like anytime there was an opportunity for Shanle to make a play, a blocker would wipe him out contention. He did not absorb hits the way he usually does.
Jonathan Vilma: B- (2.91) Vilma finished with 6 tackles and was active. He was one of the few players that got involved in trying to slow down Michael Turner. That said, he over-pursued on at least three plays inside, allowing Turner to bounce out wide and gain big yardage. He was not dominant like he was at Miami, and got push around from time to time. His grade would be worse, but he came up with one of the biggest plays of the game tipping a Matt Ryan pass that went into the hands of Tracy Porter for an interception. At that point Atlanta was in scoring position down 24-28, so Vilma came up with a big play at the most crucial of times.
Marvin Mitchell: C- (2.34) Marvin made two critical mistakes early that could have landed him an F grade. First he got beat severely by Gonzalez on a passing route, falling down to allow the hall of fame to be tight end to get yardage after the catch. Later, he jumped offsides on a big 3rd and 4 to give Atlanta the automatic first down. Some of you may have noticed Payton going over to him and letting him know that was twice (showing the number two with his fingers) Mitchell had screwed up and hurt the team. After that, though, he came back to make a terrific open field tackle on a punt return, and he helped in run support. He finished with 3 tackles.
Jabari Greer: B (3.52) Greer was tough as usual. He was assigned to Roddy White all day and defended many passes. He came up with a game turning interception which he ran back 48 yards for a touchdown before halftime. He did give up a 68 yard bomb to White, though, later in the game to get the Falcons back in it. On that play it looked to me like he was pushed in the back and the coverage overall was actually pretty good, so while he got beat it wasn't egregious. Later, White almost had another touchdown which would have tied the game, but a review showed the pass hit the turf. Not only was Greer beat there, but he could've been flagged for pass interference. White had just 4 catches, but they went for 108 yards and a TD. Overall it was a tough player to guard for Greer, but Jabari handled it pretty well and made a huge play. He finished with 6 tackles.
Tracy Porter: A (3.24) Porter looked fantastic tackling and was very solid in pass defense. His crucial interception with the Falcons driving down 24-28 was one of the biggest plays of the Saints' young season. Despite his limited size he was aggressive in helping his teammates bring down both Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez. He made no real mistakes in the game, and he finished with 6 tackles.
Randall Gay: B- (3.00) Gay had 3 tackles and had pretty good coverage on Tony Gonzalez on occasion. He helped his teammates and didn't make any major mistakes.
Roman Harper: B+ (3.19) A solid performance overall from Harper. He was in the box and he was the only one that didn't seem scared to hit Michael Turner. He was all over the field and finished with 8 tackles. His grade could've been better, but he was bullied by Tony Gonzalez on passing plays, and he over-pursued like Vilma at times allowing Turner to bounce outside. The one play that really disappointed me was when he watched Turner get stacked up by about 4 Saints players, and instead of piling on and bringing the runner down - he saw Turner break free of the pile for a big gain. He needs to stay aggressive through the whistle, but overall he had a good game and didn't make major errors against the pass like he sometimes does.
Darren Sharper: B- (3.19) Sharper had a horrendous angle on the first touchdown run by Michael Turner. As good as he can be at times, let's not fool ourselves into thinking this guy doesn't have limitations too. He's definitely lost a step from his heyday. He's still a major upgrade over past free safeties regardless. He finished with 4 tackles, a dropped interception, an interception on a desperate hail mary pass, and a blitz where he pummeled Matt Ryan and caused a big incompletion on 3rd down. Still, his tackling wasn't always great and he was bullied by Michael Turner downfield with stiff arms. All of that aside, 7 interceptions in 7 games is just RIDICULOUS.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar: B- (2.50) Dunbar was great at times, and mediocre at others. He was extremely aggressive against the run and very active. Sometimes it got him in trouble, and other times he made good plays. He finished with 4 tackles. If Fujita misses another game, I think I prefer Dunbar over Evans at linebacker. He may make some mistakes due to lack of experience, but his hustle and fierce effort is refreshing. Evans may contain better, but he just doesn't have the athleticism or skill of Dunbar.
John Carney: D+ (2.52) He made 5 extra points, though two were just inside the upright and a little close for comfort. His only real "test" was to hit a simple 37 yard kick and he let the Falcons back in the game by missing it. I wonder if Garrett Hartley may get a harder look after that miss?
Thomas Morstead: C+ (3.09) Morstead got less depth on his kickoffs than usual. Most of them fell either a yard deep or inside the 5. He punted twice with a 44.5 yard average and got good height on his punts. The coverage did an ok job of bailing him out, but it wasn't his best game.
Courtney Roby: B (2.72) Roby didn't get many chances early because of the depth of the kickoffs by Atlanta, but I was impressed that he showed intelligence and restraint in downing each of them. It's good that he didn't force what wasn't there. When he did return kicks, he showed good burst and speed. He averaged 29.3 yards on 3 returns, and had a long of 35 yards. He gave the Saints decent field position when he could. He also had a tackle on coverage.
Defensive Player of the Game: Tracy Porter Special Teams Player of the Game: Courtney Roby
See below for the grades of the Saints offensive players vs. Falcons. The grade represents the player's individual performance in the game, the GPA behind it in parentheses represents the player's cumulative performance for the season.
Drew Brees: B (3.14) If you looked at his stat line you'd think he was mostly masterful, but Brees struggled at times. He had a period in the second half where he was uncharacteristically inaccurate, he underthrew a wide open Devery Henderson on the interception, and held on to the ball too long on the sack and fumble that cost his team 7 points. He was bailed out by a shady defensive holding call on 3rd down on the Saints' last touchdown drive. Still, he made the plays when it counted and put his playmakers in a position to excel. Brees was 25 for 33 for 308 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and a lost fumble.
Reggie Bush: B- (2.29) The two things that stuck out for me with Bush today was he put his head down and fought for extra yards instead of finding refuge in the sideline, and late in the game he helped his teammate Marques Colston who was being tackled by four Falcons. He's starting to understand he's not a superstar and he's playing his role on the team. He had a decent punt return, for once, but it was negated by a penalty. His stats were pathetic: 2 rushes for 3 yards and a touchdown, 2 catches for 11 yards and 1 punt return for 1 yard. That said, he had a 9 yard punt return and a nice run both called back for penalties. Still, I thought Bush played an ok game and he found the end zone.
Mike Bell: C- (3.07) Bell's grade plummeted as the game wore on. In the first half he was his usual bruising self, finishing runs hard and gaining lots of positive yardage. In the second half, though, he was stuffed on almost every running opportunity. His fumble at the end of the game was inexcusable. Like the MNF crew said, the only responsibility in that scenario is ball security. Just 49 yards despite 17 carries for Bell. One thing I haven't liked about Bell is that every time he is in the game the Saints run the ball. That's more the staff's fault for predictable play calling, but it would be nice to see them run a play action with Bell just to keep the defenses honest.
Pierre Thomas: B+ (3.20) Take his fumble away, which was also inexcusable, and he had a great game. He finished with 14 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, and redeemed himself the drive after the fumble with a 1 yard touchdown reception that sealed the victory. He ran with very impressive speed, which was a little surprising, and he also showed off his customary shiftiness, balance and grit. Give him credit for the number of tackles he broke on a 3rd down run that ended up resulting in a 22 yard touchdown run.
Marques Colston: A- (3.14) Colston made some of his more impressive grabs in traffic of the season. His touchdown was a thing of beauty where he used his massive size and leaping skills to outplay two Falcons to the ball. He finished with 6 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. His catches were always at useful times and he showed excellent body control and soft hands throughout the contest. This guy may be destined for a 2009 trip to the Pro Bowl.
Lance Moore: C- (2.50) Another quiet day for Moore, just 2 catches for 11 yards. He's not playing as many snaps and it just doesn't seem like he's as useful with the other targets performing.
Devery Henderson: B (3.09) Henderson hauled in a circus catch down near the goaline and he showed terrific hands all game. It's been so cool to watch his transformation as a player. He's gone from having the stonehands with speed label, to being a truly complete receiver. His blocking skills should also be commended. He ended with 4 catches for 46 yards, and had a nice tough grab down to the 1 which set up the game winning touchdown. Too bad on the interception that Brees underthrew the pass because Henderson was wide open and it would have been a touchdown.
Robert Meachem: B- (2.87) Meachem made the most of a couple touches. That's been his calling card, making plays the few times he's called upon. 2 catches for 47 yards.
Jeremy Shockey: A- (3.43) Shockey performed once again at a very high level. He gets a pass for his drop because the Saints got an offsides penalty on the play. He finished with 5 catches for 72 yards, none bigger than the ridiculous one handed catch he made downfield on an overthrown ball by Brees late in the game. It didn't matter who was covering him, they couldn't stop him. He should have been targeted more.
David Thomas: C+ (2.00) He had a bad drop, but he also looked pretty good on his 2 catches for 27 yards. All in all, whether it was bad passes or good coverage, Brees looked his way entirely too much for my taste. He was terrific run blocking, including blocking downfield on a couple of Pierre Thomas' longer runs. His grade is hurt because he gave Atlanta a chance to come back late by muffing the onsides kick attempt and allowing the Falcons a chance to recover the ball.
Jermon Bushrod: C+ (2.67) Average game for Bushrod. To be expected, Abraham is about as tough of an assignment as you can get. He was caught holding once, and he was allowing pressure to come from his side often. Brees was hit numerous times from the blindside after releasing the football. His run blocking was hit or miss.
Zach Strief: C- (2.52) He came in a few times on running downs to give the Saints more size off the edge. In past games it's been successful, but the Saints ran the ball poorly when he was in the game. Again, I think it's a dead giveaway when he's in the game that the Saints are running. Atlanta sold out to stop the run, and so plays with Strief in the game were less successful. I'd like to see the Saints be a little less predictable.
Carl Nicks: C (3.00) Nicks was quite poor in pass blocking. He'd gotten off to such a hot start this year, we've seen him regress a little the past two games. Both sacks Atlanta got, including the forced Brees fumble/TD came from his side. Run blocking was fine.
Jonathan Goodwin: B (3.05) When he can get a full steam ahead of him pulling lead blocks, he's fun to watch. He was able to do that a couple of times on Thomas runs, and on a Thomas screen pass play. Goodwin did a good job blocking on the interior, too, when Brees would step up in the pocket. Hopefully his injury isn't serious because the Saints need him.
Jahri Evans: B (3.38) The Saints had their best rushes mostly from the right side of the field. A quieter game than usual from Evans, but he did well.
Jon Stinchcomb: A- (2.95) This was, in my opinion, by far Stinchcomb's best game of the season. Brees saw literally zero pressure from Stinchcomb's side for the entirety of the game, and he was solid run blocking. When he doesn't have to face a speed rusher with tremendous quickness, Stinchcomb really gets a chance to show off his superior technique and skill. It was on full display. He may not be the most powerful tackle, but he's a reliable and sound player.
Darnell Dinkins: C- (1.67) For a "blocking tight end", his blocking was pretty average in this game. Dinkins was involved a lot in the second half with the amount of running plays the Saints called, and that was when they had the least success. Can't say I saw what kept him on the active roster all those weeks he was hurt. He was also flagged for a penalty.
Kyle Eckel: C- (1.67) Eckel didn't really play enough to merit much of a review, but I noticed he just didn't have the authority in his blocks that Evans had. The Saints tried many scenarios at fullback, with mixed results. Nothing stuck out as excellent.
With the Saints not playing on Sunday yesterday, I was watching NFL games with an approach I've never experienced before. In the past I'd mostly watch divisional opponents to get a sense for where things stood in the NFC South. Yesterday, though, I find myself watching Eagles-Giants and Vikings-Packers. The Panthers were playing yesterday, too, and I surprised myself by showing almost no interest in their game. I wasn't watching the other games because of the storyline involved or the players, mind you, but because I was thinking of overall conference seeding. What a different position that is to be sitting from pretty much every other single season of Saints watching. It dawned on me that the Saints are the ONLY REMAINING UNDEFEATED TEAM IN THE NFC, and if they season ended today, THEY'D BE THE TOP SEED IN THE NFC WITH HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE AND A FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF BYE. Think about that for a second, wow.
Granted there is a LOT of football left to be played and the Saints could possibly find a way to implode and miss the playoffs altogether. That scenario seems less and less likely with each passing week, though. Based on the successes in this young season we are aiming for higher goals than ever. The evolution of this season takes a new turn tonight as the Falcons visit the Saints. If the Saints win this game, we'll be in full on conference champs rooting mode, as the Saints will pull 3 full games ahead of Atlanta in the standings and own a tie-breaking advantage. If the Saints lose, though, we'll be back to thinking in terms of just winning the division. We'll be in a dead heat with Atlanta, just one game ahead of them and down in the tie-breaking scenario. This game is by far the most important game thus far in the Saints' young season. Let' s see how they respond. Who dat, and geaux Saints!
Check out the article I posted over at Canal Street Chronicles: Tony Gonzalez is Scary. The future hall of famer presents a difficult challenge for the Saints and I believe that limiting his effectiveness could be the difference in the game.
Former Saint Jake Delhomme (pictured) has now been a member of the Carolina Panthers for 7 seasons. In those 7 seasons, he's played the Saints 4 times in the Superdome, once at Tiger Stadium, and once he watched his team play the Saints while injured. Sunday will be the 7th matchup. In all 6 of those previous games, the Panthers are 6-0 against the Saints. Delhomme has been able to exact revenge on the Saints for letting him go as a free agent in every opportunity he's had to come back to his home state of Louisiana. The Saints haven't been able to beat him or their bitter Carolina Panther rivals, and it's gotten so maddening that the chance to break the streak on Sunday is imperative to capitalize on. We all know the story by now, and we all know we never should have chosen Aaron Brooks over Jake Delhomme. While we also know that we're now better off with Drew Brees, Delhomme has made us pay dearly for letting him go.
