Black & Gold Xs & Os: Coach-Style Review of Win Over Eagles

It's hard to critique an offensive performance in which the team scores five touchdowns and wins 48-22 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Observations from the tape

On the second offensive possession, the Saints had the ball, first-and-goal at the 7-yard line.

On first down, they ran the ball into the boundary against an unblocked safety and lost one yard.

On second down, they ran the fake toss swing-screen to running back Reggie Bush. Quarterback Drew Brees threw behind Bush for an incompletion.

On third-and-goal, they go with a "3-by-1" formation with wide receiver Marques Colston running a flat and tight end Jeremy Shockey running a quick-look route and either Devery Henderson or Lance Moore (can't tell which) running a post.

Shockey was initially open over the middle, but Brees did not recognize it quick enough. By the time he was ready to throw, an Eagles defensive end had Shockey covered.

At that point, Shockey should have straightened his route up and run straight at the safety to open up the post.

But because he brought it toward the middle, the safety found the post and forced Brees to check down to Colston in the flat. The Saints settled for a field goal instead of a touchdown.

At this point in the game, a touchdown would have been big. It proves the Saints have more work to do, even offensively.

On the next offensive possession—the first possession of the second quarter—the Saints moved the ball beautifully down the field, picked up a long third-down conversion before running the ball successfully on two plays to get to third-and-2.

Instead of trusting the running game, head coach Sean Payton called for a play-action rollout.

It was not a bad call, but at that point the running game was pretty dominant. I would've liked to see a run called. The fact the pass was intercepted is more disappointing than anything.

Eagles linebacker Akeem Jordan made one heck of a play. Tip your hat to him. Brees' interceptions almost always come on fluke plays like that, but they're frustrating nonetheless.

From a defensive perspective, I thought the Saints played pretty well overall, especially schematically.

The main problem they had in the first half was tackling. Most of the time they were in position but could not wrap the guy up, leading to a few first downs.

I thought it was important to hold the Eagles to a field goal on their second-to-last drive of the first half, although defensive end Anthony Hargrove should have had an interception and denied the Eagles any points at all.

On the long pass play to Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, it was simply a miscommunication between safeties Darren Sharper and Roman Harper.

I think they'll get those cleaned up as they get more familiar with the defense.

And the final series before the end of the half was obviously disappointing. Up to that point, the Saints were playing well in man-to-man.

I wish defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would've just taken his chances playing straight up. I think a field goal may not have occurred if such a defense was played. But he's Gregg Williams and I'm not, so take that for what it's worth.

In the second half, the Saints were pretty much dominant in all ways.

I feel like I'm nitpicking, but the Saints offense found itself in their first "backed-up" situation this season and they could not run the ball off the goal line.

That is something they should look to address this week and in the coming weeks.

Here are the positional grade breakdowns:

Quarterback—A

Only one played and he played probably an even better game than his nationally recognized season debut. Against a defense which throws everything at you, I thought Brees was a calming force.

Aside from the one red zone falter, I thought his decision-making was flawless.

His ability to move in the pocket is probably what makes him GREAT. The fact that he stands in versus the blitz and throws almost perfect balls as he's getting hit, separates him from most quarterbacks.

I could go on about how well Brees played Sunday, but the truth is everyone already knows.

I thought he had two throws that were incredible. One was to Colston on a seam-route and the other was a go-route to Henderson as he was getting crushed. Wow.

Running Backs—B+

The numbers may not be as good as some games, but I think this was one of Bush's best games as a professional.

He was decisive in hitting the hole and in making cuts. He blocked well in the passing game, ran good routes and caught some key passes.

He struggled a little bit as a punt returner, but that will come. We already know that.

Mike Bell again was explosive as a runner.

He, too, looked very decisive and made great cuts. He reads blocks very well and, though this may sound dumb, did a good job of running away from defenders.

A lot of running backs do not have a sense of avoiding tacklers. He also did an adequate job in pass blocking.

Heath Evans continues to impress for the Saints. He is an explosive fullback that catches the ball naturally. He showed some tremendous run-after-catch ability on his touchdown reception. His balance on that play was amazing.

He needs to improve as a blocker, especially in the running game.

Wide Receivers—A-

Colston got the headlines Sunday, but it's not as if he is the only one in this group who played well.

Colston's flexibility and ability to go up and get the ball make him a very valuable commodity.

He ran good routes and even was used as a checkdown option on a few plays. He engulfs defenders when he is blocking and because of that, can be used in any situation.

Henderson continues to be a big play threat.

His catch Sunday against Sheldon Brown is about as good as it gets. His routes were run well and he only dropped one ball yesterday.

He did fan on one key block, which might have helped Bush get to the outside. So it was not Henderson's best game, but he still looked good.

As for Robert Meachem, he again looked good.

He ran a reverse well and caught the ball on his lone opportunity.

He is the Saints best blocking receiver, which puts him on the field often. He was the leader of the pack and did a very nice job blocking down the field.

Tight Ends—B+

I thought both guys did a very good job blocking, both in the running game and when asked to stay in to protect Drew Brees.

I thought Shockey showed some good explosion after the catch and is proving to be a very valuable pickup. He looks 100 percent better than he did a year ago.

Of course, he is healthy now.

For what it's what worth, David Thomas looks like he's been on this team for a couple years himself.

Payton has put him in there in critical situations and he has flourished. He's a good blocker (although he let a few guys go yesterday) and a very reliable receiver with good hands.

Brees and Payton love their tight ends and they have two good ones.

Offensive Line—B

In the running game, the Saints O-line was outstanding.

They were getting off the ball and annihilating the Eagles defensive line, moving well in the zone scheme to get to the second level. They are a big reason the Saints ran for over 125 yards Sunday.

In pass protection, they struggled a bit.

Brees got hit more than Payton would like and too often was pressured to leave the immediate pocket.

That being said, Eagles end Trent Cole only hit Brees once. Tackles Jermon Bushrod and Jon Stinchcomb did a good job on the edge.

The improvement needs to come from the interior part of the line.

Defensive Line—B

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis played like a beast.

He was all over the field and a key reason Eagles back Brian Westbrook never got going.

He was even used on zone blitzes in coverage and did a very nice job. He also got some pressure on Kevin Kolb.

In short, he was outstanding.

Hargrove and Remi Ayodele were the other two defensive tackles in the rotation.

I think Hargrove was more noticeable.

He moved well to shed blockers and make things happen.

Defensive end Charles Grant looked horrible. He has no burst.

Even in the running game, he is getting beat off the ball. He seems to have lost his strength as well and should be replaced.

However, Will Smith seems to have rebounded.

Although he does not yet have a sack, Smith is playing the run effectively and is at least helping to create some pressure on the quarterback.

Bobby McCray seems to get pressure without trying. He is playing the run effectively.

Maybe he should be starting opposite Smith. That might set a fire inside Grant.

Linebackers—B

As a group they were good, but not as good as a week ago.

Jonathan Vilma wasn't making as many plays as we've become accustomed to and the same could be said about Scott Fujita.

Even Scott Shanle, who finished with 11 tackles and an interception, did not play as well as he could have.

My primary reason for saying this is that I thought the Saints as a group were shoddy in tackling.

They also seemed indecisive in reading their keys against the "Wildcat" and in coverage.

Defensive Backs—B+

I thought the Saints defensive backs all did a really good job in coverage when they were not playing a prevent-type defense.

They were aggressive and making plays on the ball with perfect timing.

They even were able to come up and fill well against the run, but they struggled to tackle effectively.

Cornerback Jabari Greer never seemed to lose track of the guy he was covering and allowed very few catches.

In much the same way, Tracy Porter made some nice plays on the ball.

As always, Randall Gay was very reliable in coverage.

Special Teams—B

I thought the Saints by and large covered much better, especially on punts.

Malcolm Jenkins excelled in this game after struggling a week ago.

On kickoffs, the Saints were bailed out by some penalties, but the coverage was improved.

There was one long return, something that needs to be addressed before facing Buffalo and the Jets—two teams who have good return games.

The Saints were not very good in the return game, punt or kick. Though the offense can score from anywhere, it wouldn't hurt to get better field position.

They blocked much better on extra points and field goals. Kicker John Carney was solid, as usual.

Final Observations

Some of the statistics from this game point to an obliteration performed by the Saints.

There is no doubt they played very well.

But the tape tells you that in order to do the kinds of things this team wants to do, they need to improve their two-minute defense, defensive line play in general and big-play defense.

They also need to continue to finish drives.

That being said, some big strides were made.

The Saints only had three penalties in the game to go along with just one turnover.

They moved the ball methodically or quickly to match whatever the offense called.

They look like a well-oiled offensive machine!

It should be fun to watch this team continue to play out their schedule.

Until we preview the defensive game plan for the Bills, have a good one. And Geaux Saints!