New Orleans Saints Don't Travel Well, Seattle Seahawks Make Them Sleepless

If there is one thing Saints fans weren't accustomed to, it was January fun.

Last year they got spoiled during the Saints' magical season

This year they had a mystical season and it came to an end abruptly when they traveled to Seattle and got trounced by what many thought was the worst NFL playoff team ever.  The Seahawks' 41–36  victory was a shocker to many, but not to those who watched this Saints team struggle all year to find last year’s formula.

Other than the fact that Reggie Bush failed to show up when the Saints needed him most, the offense held up its end of the bargain.  Scoring 36 points when you’re essentially down to your eighth running back of the year and he just got off the bus should be enough to win. 

Drew Brees made a valiant effort, throwing a ridiculous 60 passes, completing 39 for 404 yards.  Some strange play calls on short yardage short circuited the point production, but the bottom line is that when your quarterback sets a post season record for completions, you should win

Which brings us to the defense.  They didn’t make the trip. 

Start with the play of the two safeties.  Roman Harper had a horrible game.  He was out of position most of the time.  Darren Sharper was two steps slow the whole game and never provided the help that was needed.  Retirement, and hopefully the Hall of Fame await Darren after an awesome career.

From the moment Malcolm Jenkins went out with a knee injury early in the Tampa loss in the last regular season game, the Saints tackling turned to mush.  Marshawn Lynch’s classic fourth quarter run was symptomatic of the way the Saints played for the last eight quarters of the season.  The defense had been stellar for the most part all year until it disappeared in January.

Covering people in the NFL is difficult for even the best defensive backs.  But there was little coverage in evidence Saturday.  Receivers were so wide open that they could have called for a fair catch on some of Matt Hasselback’s throws.

Is Malcolm Jenkins really that good? 

We knew going in the Saints would miss Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, but Brees compensated for them.  No such luck on defense.  The Saints didn’t blitz and didn’t appear to have the right game plan to slow down the Seahawks.  Worse, they never seemed to adjust.

Is Courtney Roby really that good?

Did the Saints ever make it to the 20 with a kick return?  Other than after the first kick went out of bounds, Brees never got much in the way of field position.  News flash – Devery Henderson and Robert Meachum aren’t kick returners.  They looked scared to death.

So, the Saints go down to an embarrassing defeat.  Let the shopping begin.   

There are many priorities going into the offseason, but here are just a few.

Pass Rush

The Saints rely on the blitz to pressure quarterbacks, and pressure from the front four would be nice for a change.  Most teams have defensive ends with 12.5 sacks—ours have 4.  A pass-rushing end would be huge.

Running Backs 

Versatile Pierre Thomas will be a free agent.  Chris Ivory hasn’t proved he can stay on the field.  Reggie Bush will be released if he won’t renegotiate.  The Saints desperately need, and have needed for years, a big bruising short yardage back like a Brandon Jacobs.  It’s obvious that you can’t have enough running backs and the proposed 18 game schedule is only going to make things worse. 

Outside Linebackers

The Saints missed Scott Fujita more than they ever would have dreamed.  Speed needed desperately.  The Saints couldn’t cover tight ends and backs (just like most teams).  Could we order up a superstar outside linebacker please?

       
Defensive Backs 

Just like running backs, you can’t have too many, not in the pass-happy NFL.  Greer and Porter were victimized by big, physical receivers, so a little height in the secondary would be welcome.

The good news for the Saints is that they have one thing only about 10 teams have: a proven quarterback.  They need to go all out to reload around him.  The window of opportunity will close in a few years, and only one trip to the Super Bowl with a QB the caliber of Brees would be a shame.

So no wasted draft picks this year (Sean Canfield?).  Shore up the defense and special teams and make another run next year.  The division is going to get even tougher, as Tampa Bay improves and Carolina picks a quarterback. 

Saints fans want January to be fun again.