As bad as the New Orleans Saints defense was Monday night, there were signs from this much-maligned unit that enough of a turnaround might be on the horizon.

From the opening series, the Saints on defense looked different. Sure, there were the missed tackles that have been an unpopular trademark for this 2012 unit. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to move the ball into New Orleans territory and sustain a 14-play drive. But there was something new as well.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up the aggressiveness for the Saints defense in Monday’s 28-13 win over the Eagles, and the front four produced three sacks on Philadelphia’s first drive.

The Saints' inability to stop opposing teams from rushing the football crept up later in the first quarter as the Eagles gained 47 yards on the ground in three plays and drove into the Saints’ red zone.

Read More »89

The current mentality of playoff wins being the only thing that matters in the NFL is causing the general public to miss a fantastic season.

The Atlanta Falcons are 8-0, perfect through half the season and Pete Prisco of CBS Sports correctly states the reason why.

"Until this team and this regime can show it can win a playoff game, none of it will matter."

Even though Prisco speaks the truth, it's an asinine idea.

Read More »12

Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner attempted to put his finger on a rather unique undefeated first half of the season.

“This whole season we’ve been finding a number of ways to win football games,” said Turner. “That’s the true test of a team, not just winning in one particular style of play.”

Turner has a point.

The Falcons have won in blowout fashion (San Diego Chargers), come-from-behind fashion (Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders) and even late-game-miracle fashion (Carolina Panthers). They’ve cruised early (Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles) and shined after halftime adjustments (Kansas City Chiefs).

Atlanta’s win over the Dallas Cowboys was a different type of win. Call it a blast-from-the-past style of win.

Read More »3

Rookie running back Doug Martin rushed for 135 yards on 29 carries last Thursday night in Minnesota, and anyone who didn’t believe Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik made the right move trading back into the first round to grab Martin got extra proof Sunday.

Martin rushed for 251 yards on 25 carries and scored four touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 42-32 win over the Oakland Raiders.

During his post-game press conference, head coach Greg Schiano said he spent some time this week wondering how Martin would handle himself after such success on a national stage.

“This test he stepped up and met the challenge for sure,” said Schiano. “He’s going to have a lot of challenges along the way, but I tell you what, today was special.”

Read More »9

Cam Newton learned a valuable lesson Sunday. At least, he should have.

Superman doesn’t have to have superpowers, or super results, for the Carolina Panthers to win football games.

Newton threw just 23 passes in Carolina’s 21-13 win over the Washington Redskins on the road. He completed just 13 for 201 yards and one touchdown.

But Sunday wasn’t about what Newton did. The Panthers won their second game of the year, in part because of what Newton didn’t do. Newton didn’t throw an interception or fumble the football.

Read More »3

Cam Newton sees to think that he's being treated unfairly in the media, according to a video of a recent press conference on the Charlotte Observer's website.

"When you pour your heart out and you tell it like it is you get condemned," said Newton. "When you try to do what people are already expecting and you already said it, or say it, you get condemned.

"I think the root of all evil for that is just to win football games."

Winning would be a good first step in the battle of Newton fixing his image as a bad teammate and a terrible loser. Fox Sports analysts recently criticized Newton for not thanking wide receiver Louis Murphy after Newton fumbled on the goalline during the Week 8 game in Chicago and Murphy fell on it, preserving a Carolina score.

Read More »2

When the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons meet in the Georgia Dome Sunday night in prime time, the biggest question on everyone’s mind will be about the Falcons’ undefeated streak. Can Atlanta stay perfect and move to 8-0?

The more important question should be, can the potent Falcons offense continue to thrive facing the Cowboys' stingy defense?

In Atlanta’s first seven games, this offense has played against two teams (Denver and San Diego) ranked in the top 10 in overall defense. Only Denver ranks in the top 10 (No. 8) against the pass, which is Atlanta’s strong suit.

The Cowboys have the fourth-ranked defense overall and the No. 3 pass defense in the league. This will be Matt Ryan’s biggest test to date.

Read More »7

The fact that Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik received a fourth-round pick in return for cornerback Aqib Talib should mark Dominik as a front-runner for the NFL’s award for Executive of the Year.

This is just another example of the Dominik-Greg Schiano tandem making sound player-personnel decisions, just like their draft-day maneuvers that landed the team three starters in the first two rounds of the 2012 draft.

The Buccaneers put the two-day extension to the NFL trade deadline because of Hurricane Sandy to good use, sending Talib and a seventh-round draft pick in 2013 to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round pick in 2013, Tampa Bay announced Thursday.

While kudos go to the Buccaneers as obvious winners in this deal, calculating the reason why is much tougher than looking at the numbers on both sides of a balance sheet, there are extenuating circumstances that must be examined.

Read More »36