First, a book just hitting the shelves:
The NFL’s Fans’ Attention Deficit Disorder Book, on:
The Ongoing Saga of Head Injuries, CTE and the future of….
NFL Loses More Players to ACL and Achilles Injuries than….
Fox and Kubiak Illnesses Brings Coaches Workload into….
Hey Look, Psycho Dolphins Lineman Threatens to Defecate in Teammate’s Mouth
Next Man Up my ass. Next Saga Up! Only in the NFL!
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Saints – ‘Boys
Fiscal:
14 NFL teams are scheduled to be over the cap at the end of this season. Like the past three years, the Cowboys will be among them. In 2012, they had $30 million in dead $, but balanced the books enough to sign Brandon Carr. In 2013, $20 million over, but like other years did enough juggling to re-up Tony Romo, Sean Lee, and still had room for Brian Waters. They will be well over the cap encore, and will again move $, dump contracts, and restructure lives, but this pattern is starting to put them in decline. Can’t count on finesse forever!
The Saints have their own problems. Drew Brees’ debilitating contract, Jimmy Graham up for the largest pseudo-tight end deal in NFL history, and some aging vets leading to dead $, all lead to Mickey Loomis needing four math professors to figure out how to maintain a semblance of a championship caliber team next year. Thus, 2013 is a window for the Saints, and that window is closing, compounded by a waning offensive line. Speaking of which…
Physical:
For the past seven years, you could count on New Orleans for two things: good Cajun cuisine and a stellar dominating offensive line that would keep Drew Breesus upright to carve apart NFL secondary’s at a record pace. As of today, the Saints O-Line is heading south fast into the bottom hald of less-than-mediocre hogs. And aside from all the other blemishes that the 6-2 Saints have, this one is starting to stand out more than any other. The powerful ranks of the Jets D-Line showed the rest of the NFL the exact and precise formula to beat Brees… and Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers for that matter. Pressure the living hell of him, crush the pocket, and physically manhandle the O-Line when it counts. The Jets did exactly that.
Less Marques Colston, and then less Sproles for most of the game, and a hobbled Graham, scheme-wise it means Brees needs more “read” time, more space in passing lanes, and more of his young remaining wideouts getting separation and coming back to the ball when a play breaks down. DID NOT HAPPEN! The results were glaringly apparent as Brees completed 24 of 34 for 310 yards from a clean pocket, 6 of 17 for 72 yards, two picks when he was pressured.
I’ll be calling out individual names and some specifics in another column sometime soon, but it is now the Achilles Heal of the New Orleans Saints, and its burying them, even at 6-2.
As far as the ‘Boys go, Romo is having an outstanding year, less the occasional brain cramp. But, without running the ball with a constantly injured DeMarco Murray, they stand to maintain their mediocre .500 path of the past decade. The Dallas hogs are now falling into the “bottom third” of the NFL.
Aside from the Jerry Jones weekly pokes and the occasional default Dallas meltdown or drunk driving short story, I miss the days of the old cowboys police blotter, the White House, and Jimmy’s flawless melon.
So to celebrate the old times, here’s an old Cowboys Joke:
A woman in Dallas calls 911. When the officer answers the phone the woman is absolutely hysterical, and tells the cop that a man has just broken into her home and she thinks he intends on harming her. The officer explains that their switchboards are jammed at the moment, and tells her: “Just get the guy’s jersey number, and we’ll get back to you.”
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Prediction:
I See Him, But Where’s Old Brees?
43 receptions have been had between Colston (who’s been out) and Kenny Stills.
125 receptions aggregate for the Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Graham group.
One glaring blemish: 1 full second less time behind an under-performing O-Line = less deep routes (7, 8, 9, 10 on the tree). Drew, regardless of a modicum of prolific offense normality, is not right. He has mismanaged the clock, audibled into running plays directly into overloads, and…I don’t know, just not been Hall of Fame / most prolific accurate QB of the past decade.
Running the ball – Saints – 3.3 avg. and 26th in the league. Pierre Thomas remains best option. Thomas can shed, and has a high motor, and is the best screen man in the NFL. The return of Mark Ingram to full health (little used last week), means “squat.” The return of Sproles means tons, even if no better than it being “like having your best bud back in the annual golf tourney in your foursome… who missed last year…even just to ride in the cart!”
As is the case across the NFL (see every superstar RB in the NFL, when their line could not move a preschooler in any given year), no hog domination, no road grating, no getting off the ball with any pizazz = nothing of any substance on the ground.
Saints better hope the screen and short game is on point again vs. the Cowboys.
Ryan to Face Old Squad!
He says he doesn’t care, but he does. Doesn’t know specifically why he was fired, but he was. Like me, Rob is a longhaired overfed occasional smarty-pants. Regardless of what chips may be embedded on his shoulder, HE BETTER KNOW HOW TO PLAY ROMO AND BRYANT, AND PLAY THE SCHEME TO DO SO.
Junior Galette, Cam Jordan and company better have their engines on full, all four quarters. Without pressure and disruption, Romo will torture the Saints secondary like he did against the Broncos weeks back. Dez Bryant, bad back et al, has caught 51 for 705 and eight TD’s, and will threaten Romo with his life if he doesn’t get the looks. Jason Witten with 45 catches can and should torture (at least tease) David Hawthorne, Curtis Lofton and numerous safeties all day.
Cowboys broke the Saint’s 13-0 season four years ago at the Superdome, and MAY…MAY have the horses healthy enough to do it again. If Colston plays, and if Sproles is FULLY back in the fold, and De la Puente and company can play average at best, Saints win in a track meet. Saints need to solidify their “dome” advantage heading into a tough stretch if they have a hope in hell of contending with San Fran, Seattle and numerous to be determined late season dolls.
Saints 42, Cowboys 37
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