This Ain't The Dome Patrol: Saints "D" Offensive

The late San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh was fond of telling the story of how his team was trailing the New Orleans Saints 35-7 at halftime.

This was Bill Walsh and Joe Montana: The Early Years.

They were just on the verge of terrorizing the NFL for the next decade.

He told his team that he didn't care if they lost. He told them they probably would lose. He said what he did care about is how they lost. 

The 49ers staged a dramatic comeback that day to win, 38-35, on Dec. 7, 1980, leaving the Saints to sit on the Dock of the Bay wondering what might have been.

Safe to say, Walsh would be concerned about how these New Orleans Saints are losing.

The Saints Dome Patrol Defense of the late 80's and early 90's featuring Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson and Pat Swilling rarely, if ever, lost games because they got whipped physically at the point of attack.

They were too tough. Had too much pride.

Gregg's boys are getting manhandled by average talent. Defenses that lack a core seldom win Super Bowls. If this continues, Sean Payton should ask Williams for his money back.

The Saints slide began after they forced the Patriots to toss in their hand with five minutes to go at the Superdome.

The following week Jason Campbell, a beleagured quarterback of a beleagured team coached by an emasculated guy, gashed the Saints' secondary for a career-high 367 yards passing and three touchdowns. New Orleans failed to sack the sack-prone Campbell once.

Then, again, it has not been extraordinary for ordinary players to have "career" days on the Saints over the years.

ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK! will be our battle cry season

The Saints pulled it out in overtime but it was their worse defensive performance of the year. Shabby tackling, surrendering long runs up the middle and Malcolm Jenkins getting beat like John Bonham's drums were the defensive signatures of the afternoon.

Some media talking heads blamed it all on it being a trap game following the monumental win over New England. However, the trend continued the following week against Atlanta and against a former insurance man no less, Chris Redman.

I have a new found respect for insurance agents and even sent mine a Christmas card this year and included a warm note saying that I truly feel that I am in good hands - as the company slogan says-and, then, the bastard raised my rates.

Redman played the game of his life in a losing effort. He picked up where Campbell left off passing for 303 yards and moving the ball at will against a toothless Saints "D." They rarely managed to get pressure on Redman and sacked him only once.

Name an insurance agent who deserves that kind of treatment.

Was is it rain that destroyed your home or wind-driven rain? There's a difference. According to your policy.....blah, blah blah

To add insult to injury, some guy named Weems averaged nine yards a carry. Not LT or DeAngelo or Cadillac.....Weems!!!

Next up was Dallas in front the whole damned nation. Tony Romo passed and Marion Barber gashed and the Cowboys sliced and diced and the Saints suffered their first loss of the season.

Dallas columnist Tim Cowlishaw wrote before the game:

"New Orleans had a three-game stretch in which the defense gave up 149 yards rushing to Carolina's DeAngelo Williams, 151 to Atlanta's Michael Turner and 131 to the Rams' Stephen Jackson.

We all know and we have talked and written too much about the Cowboys' three-headed monster at running back. Mostly it has turned out to be two heads and not so monstrous.

If ever a night was created for Felix Jones to demonstrate why he was a first-round steal in 2008, this is it."

Jones averaged four yards a carry and Barber ran tough, scoring two touchdowns. Romo passed for 294 yards, completing passes to nine different targets along the way.

Yesterday was more of the same. The Bucs rushed for 176 yards. Cadillac Williams led the way with 129, his first 100 yard game in three years.

By the time Saints fans had made their way to the French Quarter to drown their sorrows, one of the league's worst offenses, led by a 21 year-old rookie quarterback, had made the New Orleans defense look- what's the word all those ESPN guys use these days? Putrid?

Yeah, putrid. Named after Putridus the Ancient someone said at Pat O' Brien's.

Can you imagine that happening to Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills and Vaugh Johnson and Pat Swilling?

Freeman would have soiled his underpants against those guys.

I saw Rickey Jackson a few weeks ago and I freely admit that I soiled my understands. The guy still scares the hell out of me and all he did was say hello.

Jonathan Vilma said he isn't concerned by the Saints recent offensive defense.

O.K. Jonathan, I want you in my poker game too.

Drew Brees knows better.

Champions see opportunity where others see misfortune.

Brees is a champion. He knows defeating the smokin' Carolina Panthers will be no easy task but he also knows what better way to regain squandered momentum than beating one of the league's hottest.

However, that won't happen unless the Saints defense shows some resolve.

A little fire and brimstone if you will.

Maybe Tom Benson needs to fly in the Chaplain of Bourbon Street to light a fire under the boys since Gregg Williams speeches don't seem to be working these days.

With one regular season to go, the Saints "D" strikes fear in no one's heart but the team's fans.