Chaing Gang: A Boner-Inducing Rushing Attack!

Each week here at Hakim we bring together a group of Saints bloggers to discuss all things Saints during the week. Here is their email chain. This week we had Grandmaster Wang from moosedenied, Dave Cariello and Andrew Juge from Canal Street Chronicles, and Ralph Malbrough from WWLTV.com. And the boss man, Kevin Held.

RALPH:
At this point I'm not sure what's left to say. The Saints have rushed for 200 yards the last two home games. They didn't create any turnovers but they really only let Blount get loose on one long run.

I still don't trust them on the road.

I know we all had Ingramania and were pumped to get him but looking at how awful that front 7 on defense is maybe the Saints should have traded back up to get another defender.
I get they were worried about Ivory's foot and all the running back injuries

But at this point I think I'd rather have Sproles, Thomas Ivory and a 2012 #1 pick than Ingram.

This defense is going to have to be rebuilt AGAIN. New DT, new linebackers. All of it. I asked the question on the podcast and I'll ask it again, "What does this defense do well?" I think the answer is NOTHING so the question becomes what is realistic for it to do well the rest of 2011?

Maybe create turnovers or stop the run? If you could pick one what would it be?

I think I'd go turnovers and just try to ride Breesus far as you can.


WANG:
I just finished the podcast and I agree that the answer is "not a goddamn thing." Not consistently, anyway. I will say that I thought both Will Smith and Cam Jordan were killing it yesterday. Especially 91, especially in the second half. For a while there it seemed like Smith was about a half inch away from Freeman on every single snap. He was straight abusing Tampa's LT. Which was nice, but like you and Kevin were talking about, the middle was wide open all damn day. Roman Harper had a pretty decent game too.

But I still come back to the nagging feeling that yesterday was at least as much about Tampa shitting the bed like the Saints did down in Tampa, as it was about the Saints playing a particularly strong game on defense. And Blount being in his first game back off an injury explains a lot of him rushing for "only" 72 yards. Tampa looks like they might be getting dangerously close to imploding. And I do mean imploding, as in from within.

Ralph, seems you were right on about that whole home vs. away thing. Or at least other people are now coming to that conclusion too. I still think it's mostly about the Saints half-assing it a lot of the time, but that does seem to happen a lot more on the road than at home. I don't see any other explanation for the difference in the performance of both lines from week to week aside from just sometimes they half-ass it and other times they use their whole asses. I mean, you can't convince me the return of Zach Strief makes THAT big a difference. The d-line also looked like a whole different line than they usually look like, and it can't be just because Tampa was missing Jeremy Zuttah.

It still disturbs the hell out of me that these guys seem to need stupid motivational shit like the baseball bats to get it through their skulls that they can do better. The bats were cool that one time in the playoff game against Arizona, but doing it several times a year is retarded, and SHOULD be unnecessary.

Good win though. I just wonder how much of it was due to the "fact" that Tampa might very well be circling the drain at this point. They're still better than the Rams though, so we've got that going for us. I look at the rest of the schedule and I don't see an "easy" one left. Not a single one. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe they'll be able to stay "motivated" now without the need for souvenir baseball bats and shit.

Ralph, I hear you about "did we really need Ingram?" but with all due respect, hindsight. And hell, for that matter, we're still just about halfway through (assuming playoffs.) How much money are you putting down that Pierre and/or Ivory are gonna stay healthy for the next 7+ games? I suppose it could happen, and that would be great. Until yesterday, Ingram was the Saints' leading rusher, and he still leads the team in rushing TDs. We're gonna need him again before it's all over.

But, sheesh, what a thing of beauty it is when the Saints' rushing game is working like it was yesterday. Huge throbbing boner.

You're right about the defense needing to be rebuilt (again) though. And that's gonna be a tall order.


RALPH:
I think everyone underestimates how playing on the road affects the o-line. Crowd noise, snap count, etc. Plus the Saints were way behind in Tampa and St. Louis and that means teams can just tee off and forget the run. To me the best things to have on the road is good lines and the Saints have neither.

As for the Saints not needed to be motivated. NFL players need it because while Brees might be a freak and want to be the best, hall of famer, etc the majority of NFL players are just like most of us. They show up to their job, do the best the can, but do they really give a shit? Yes they want to do a good job and keep their job but they simply aren't going to be geeked every week. It's a huge part of Sean Payton's job to get them focused and motivated every week. I think overall Payton has done a fairly good job and the Saints haven't laid many turds in his 5 and a half years.

Also I think part of the Saints completely sucking in St. Louis is they didn't make any plays to build any sort of momentum until the fumble recovery. I think especially on the road somebody has to make a play to sort of get things started. A team can't get emotional unless they start playing well. If a team is flat or sleep walking the only thing that snaps them out of it is a big play.

This week will tell me everything I need to know about the Saints. Three straight road duds and it's official; 2011 is a one and done playoff game at best.

I'll be interested to see how Gregg Williams schemes to stop Michael Turner and without Porter I wonder if the CBs can hold up against Jones/White.


KEVIN:
Just so we're clear...This season is a failure if the Saints don't make the postseason. Am I correct in this?

As for the running game, I'm glad we've got Ingram. Yeah, hindsight being 20-20, etc., maybe we should've taken a LB or some other help in the secondary.

Like I said in an earlier thread, I think the Saints need to be defense specific in this draft. And yes, that means, GET A LINEBACKER. Vilma isn't going to be around forever and is already showing cracks. And Scott Shanle is Scott Shanle. Shaun Rodgers is done after this year, right? Please say "yes," somebody.

PS - Boner-inducing running games are a great thing.


ANDREW:
Yes, Rogers has a 1 year deal.

The bye week isn't necessarily coming at a great time because the Saints are fairly healthy at the moment, but it'll be nice to recharge. Show good intensity at Atlanta and then get a little break. This Atlanta game is huge. The winner of this game has a really good chance to take the division. The Saints come back from the bye to host the Giants and Lions. Those are brutal matchups. They need some leeway with a division lead and a tie breaker as insurance going up against those teams... which is why this Falcons game is a must win. They need to scratch, fight and claw like they did in Atlanta last year. This may be week 10 but it has the feel of week 17, plus it's the hated Falcons. We're not amped and hyped on it yet because of the emotion of this past weekend with LSU and the Bucs game... but trust me, by mid week this will hit all Saints fans across the head with a "holy shit, wait a minute, this game is HUGE". It's 6-3 vs. 5-3 for the division lead. If the Saints lose, they can recover. If the Falcons lose, at home, they're toast. This is the Saints' chance to bury them. I hope they take it.


RALPH:
Andrew, just saw your defensive grades. Will the Saints be better off playing Dunbar again this week and give Vilma even more rest? My initial thought was yes because Falcons have Turner but can Vilma help on Gonzales? Or I'm I completely wrong though because Gonzo will be covered by Shanle or Casillas not the middle linebacker.


ANDREW:
Vilma is typically covering backs out of the backfield. The tight end is either Shanle or Harper's responsibility depending on the coverage assignment/blitz package. Part of the reason why Dunbar fared ok against the Bucs is they didn't really have a receiving back threat with Earnest Graham injured. And still, Lumpkin was wide open a few times including once for a touchdown and Freeman missed him. Jacquizz Rodgers is a threat, but overall I think this is another favorable matchup to have Dunbar in there because you're facing a physical in between the tackles back in Turner. So overall, yes, I think the Saints are better off with Dunbar this week. Tuner isn't a big threat receiving at all. They do throw to Ovie Mughelli in short yardage and the red zone, though, so the Saints will need to keep an eye on that. I would say that Vilma is a MUCH better option when the Saints are playing backs like Matt Forte, for example. That's a horrible matchup for Dunbar.

Is it just me or is the buzz surrounding this game at a flat line? WTF? This is the Atlanta Falcons for F's sake! 6-3 @ 5-3 with the winner taking over the division lead. I mean, do games get any bigger? Can we all please start spitting fire and get more motivated? I'm not blaming us for the lack of fire, but as Saints bloggers it's on us to get the hype started. Have we forgotten what Roddy White said? Have we forgotten they signed Brett Maxie, Bobby Hebert, Morten Andersen, Joe Horn etc etc etc... Or Aaron Stecker the week of the matchup to get intel on the Saints? Have we forgotten that for 44 years this rivalry has been for the pride of the South? Have we forgotten that UNACCEPTABLE face Jerry Glanville had every time they scored points on us that to this day makes me what to take an axe to everything in my house? (ok that was psycho, sorry.) I know the LSU game last weekend took all of our collective focus but it's time to move on. This is Saints vs. Falcons baby! The most underrated rivalry in all of sports. Come on, someone give me something. Dave, tell me you're semi hard for Dave the Falconer and the Falcons "aren't that bad" to at least get my blood boiling. Wang, come up with some witty piece about how Roddy White is a crime against humanity. Kevin, rant about how Deion Sanders high stepping on the fleur de lis is forever etched into your brain akin to that time you were picked last in touch football after a girl with down syndrome. Ralph, bitch about how Olin Kreutz belongs on the Falcons. Hans, give me a hot read post about how Matt Ryan enjoys feeding strawberries naked to Joey Harrington. Come on guys. Give me something. THIS IS SAINTS-FALCONS. Is no one fired up???


RALPH:
I agree that the buzz hasn't gotten cranked up. I really think there's this attitude among the fanbase that think if the Saints just need pull their head out of their ass and not sleep walk then 2009 will be HERE ANY MINUTE.

They don't realize the 2011 Saints are in a fist fight to the death to win the NFC South. I finally accepted the 2011 Saints for what they are at halftime of the Rams game. Their shitty tendencies like no run defense, horrible line play on the road, Brees throwing picks, and defense not getting turnovers aren't bugs in the system they are FEATURES built into the 2011 version.

The whole off season theory of Franklin/Rogers upgrading the defense is a failure so far although Franklin looked good and you grading confirmed it so there is a little hope.

I guess it's sort of a good thing the fanbase has become a little spoiled and has great expectations. But come on it's TIME TO HATE THE FUCKING FALCONS, that's like 35% of the fun being a Saints fan.


WANG:
Heh. Nice. Just for the record, I believe Mughelli is on IR (???)

Hate to say it, but I think Dunbar > Vilma at this point in most situations.

I think the Penn State story is dominating most sports fans' attention right about now. Might explain a lot of the lack of being fired up about this weekend.

Personally, though? There's the Penn State thing, but also, and I can't believe I'm about to confess this... I don't have any particularly extraordinary hate for the Falcons. For me, they're just another opponent. Not really sure why, but that's always been true for me. Sure, I want them to lose at every opportunity, but it's no different from how I approach Tampa and Carolina, and back in the day the Rams & 49ers. No extra juice there just because it's Atlanta.

If Kevin Held and I ever meet face to face, he's welcome to slap me in the face for saying that. I deserve it.


RALPH:
"But come on it's TIME TO HATE THE FUCKING FALCONS, that's like 35% of the fun being a Saints fan" - well said, except the number is more like 83%.

And congratulations Wang, you've officially brought my blood to a soft boil (hehe, soft). Way to be a Roddy White lover. Dave can still raise the temp with a plug of his physical relationship with Dave the Falconer. Come on Cariello, you know you want to shout it from the rooftops.


KEVIN:
Oh, I hate the Falcons, maybe not as much as Ralph does, but I hate them for sure. Wang's right in that most of us are consumed by this Penn State thing. I just read the full indictment for the first time today....do yourselves a favor AND DON'T READ IT. Your soul will get blacker just for looking at it.

Yeah, I kinda approach the NFC South roughly the same, but the Falcons get a nod above Tampa and Carolina. The Falcons are up there with Dallas and Pittsburgh and San Francisco for me. My hate is strong.