(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
This is officially the last time I am going to write about how much the Saints defense sucked in 2008. Please, if I ever speak of this again, I give you permission to throw things at me, shout at me, boo me, etc, etc.
But it does not take a genius to figure out the Saints defense was horrible last season.
A quick review of each game shows the areas the team was bad in, and leaves large opportunities for growth.
Week One vs. Tampa Bay - Win
The Saints only gave up 20 points in this game. But a closer look at the stats tells a bit of an ugly story.
Tampa ran the ball 19 times for 145 yards. That's good for an alarming 7.6 ypc. As a defense you'd like to give up about half that.
However the pass defense was pretty good, as Tampa had to throw 41 times in order to gain 221 yards through the air. Additionally, Scott Fujita ended the game on an interception.
The Saints gave up 18 total first downs, but surprisingly only four were picked up on the ground. The pass rush netted two sacks for 15 yards lost.
Finally, Tampa was a combined 2-for-13 on third and fourth down. The defense got off the field.
This was by far one of the defense's best games of the season, as they really only gave up 13 points (Brees threw a pick-six to Phillip Buchanon).
Week Two @ Washington - Loss
Coming off an emotional and clutch performance in week one, the Saints defense fell back to earth in week two, as it gave up an inconceivable 455 yards of total offense to the Washington Redskins. They gave up 25 first downs and they blew a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Believe it or not, there were a few positives for the Saints from this game. Washington only converted two of their six red zone trips into touchdowns.
And the third down defense limited the Redskins to 3-for-11 on conversions. Once again the Saints defense got to Jason Campbell twice, for negative 15 yards.
The Saints gave up 149 yards rushing (4.8 ypc.) which is a huge improvement from 7.6, but still not the number needed to be a good defense.
Week Three @ Denver - Loss
This was probably the most frustrating game of the season for me. Of course that was partially because I lived with a Broncos fan and never heard the end of it, until Denver's epic collapse.
In truth, the defense wasn't as bad as the score makes it seem they were. They gave up only 20 first downs, 105 yards rushing, and 264 yards passing, for a grand total of 369 yards.
What hurt the Saints defense most in this game was bad field position, a few key penalties, and third-down conversions. Denver converted on six-of-10 of those chances.
The rushing ypc improved to 4.4, which is still not great but certainly an improvement. Unfortunately, no Saint ever recorded a sack on "The Douche" Jay Cutler. However they did have an interception and a safety.
These numbers make me rethink my statement I made in Monday's column that this loss was on the defense. In reality, it was on the bad start and the kicking game.
Week Four vs. San Francisco - Win
From a numbers standpoint, this was one of the best defensive games the Saints have had in recent memory, despite the 17 points they gave up.
They sacked J.T. O'Sullivan six times!!! Those sacks combined for 36 lost yards. Even more impressive, they picked off two passes in the game.
They also gave up fewer than 100 yards on the ground for the first time in the season. And, they held the 49ers to 3-for-10 on third down.
It was a very good defensive game in the dome for New Orleans.
Week Five vs. Minnesota - Loss
In this game, the Saints did the unthinkable—they shut down Adrian Peterson. Unfortunately, they forgot this isn't the 1920's and teams are allowed to throw the football down the field.
While New Orleans held the Minnesota ground attack to an amazing (for any defense) 1.7 ypc, they allowed the Vikings to gain almost six yards per pass attempt, plus gave up a few huge first downs on penalties.
Minnesota was only five-for-15 on third down's, but they always came in clutch situations. Gus Frerotte was sacked one time, but didn't lose any yards. In actuality, the defense wasn't even that bad from a numbers standpoint, they just gave up the big play at the wrong time.
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