I am not upset at all...yes, they played a bad game, but still only lost by 3...they still are an elite team and hopefully will only get better and healthier this off-season....one bit of flawed logic that Big Red has that the Saints are the perfect example of...you can't have enough good RBs. I said in my post that the things that worried me about the Saints was the RB and Payton's cockiness. Deuce shredded them inside and Bush beat them with perimeter runs...the best team won and we had our #2 QB in...I am looking forward to Spring Training and the NFL Draft now....we do need some help on the defensive side of the ball....I am not convinced Considine is a SS at all...I think we need an upgrade there as I am sure all Sean can do is replace Dawk at FS...we need a SS...a space eating DT, but I am not convinced Ramsey and Bunkley won't be contributors after an off-season in the room. I would re-up Thomas and focus on getting some LBs in this draft...all 3 positions, except I think Gaither is a player....a Trot replacement unless you put Gaither there....2 outside playmakers at backer, SS, a mongo in the middle...offensively re-up with Stallworth, upgrade at RB and get another TE and re-up with Garcia....to me this is not doom and gloom at all and I am very happy with this season...
We had a chance to win that game. That's what hurts. 2nd and goal from the 3 = Field Goal ?? Lucky break on Bush late fumble gives you the ball and you 4 and out ?? Elite teams convert those opportunities - we did not. How does the official make that false start call on 4th and 10 with less than 2 minutes to go ?? It was rreeeaaaalllyyy picky hometown call that never should have been made. But then again - you have to go on 4th and 15 despite the long odds - no chance of 3 and out the way McAllister gashed us all night. Defense seemed almost invisible -- Trotter did next to nothing, I didn't hear Dawkins name at all, Consodine got pushed around, Sheldon's huge smash on the 1st play did not have the desired affect on the rest of the team. We were owned on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Oh the pain!!!
Totally agree Captain, I'm satisfied with the season, but that was the Birds game to win or lose. They had so many chances, and they blew an eight point second half lead.
- The D sucked, they came up small in several important situations, especially the drive right after the Birds went up eight. Payton ran the same crap at Jim Johnson as last game: Deuce through the A-gap, misdirection and slants on third down. How many long third downs did the Saints come up with on the drive after the Eagles went up eight?
- The Eagles need a strong safety and a SAM linebacker, period
- How does Westbrook only get 16 touches, drops aside? How do you run the ball 16 times in a game where neither team ever opened up a big lead? Especially when you get as many big plays out of the running game as the passing game on this team? Was Andy making the play calls again?
Behan, funny you mentioned the play calling. I was wondering that as the game went along. I think it might have been that they thought they could torch them through the air.
Just a thought I had when reading a different post, but I want to get it out there before I forget it. Unrelated to the Saints game, but somewhat related to the whole "bonding with McNabb discussion we had going. Don in some ways reminds me of Ron Hextall -- now before you all start killing me, let me explain. Hexy was a beloved player in this town b/c he had charisma, then he left and came back, and we still loved the guy, but you always new in the back of your mind, no matter how good he looked, or how good the team around him was - he was only 1 bad goal away from turning the whole momentum away from the flyers and eventually costing them a series. In looking at Don's playoff numbers somebody else posted elsewhere, I saw something very similar. Don doesn't make many mistakes, but when he does, they're killers. In looking at his 12 INT's in his playoff career, I can recall in painful detail how they either changed the complexion of a game, OR ended a possible comback or last second heroics. I recall the same w/Hextall -- he didn't let up a lot of bad goals, but when he did -- they were killers emotionally. Always late in a tight game --- devastating heartbreakers....just like Don's picks. Again, I know it's off topic for this post, but I had this thought before and wanted to get it out before I lost it.
Phil & Behan. I'm right there with you guys, BUT - I think the coaches beleived the Saints were vulnerable to the deeper pass and the Saints were definitely keyed on stopping Westbrook out of the backfield. I do wonder though, why we never went to 3 or 4 wides on a 1st or 2nd down with Westbrook split out wide, somebody would have had a mismatch with single coverage on a safety or linebacker ??? The analysis continues.....
So this is it. Now we have Saints vs Bears in NFC. So I'm forced to choose between the team that beat us or a team that I just don't think is as good as their hype -- overrated linebacker, squirrely QB. And AFC - the guy in my top 5 most hated players vs the team that beat us in the Super Bowl. F*ck !!!! This just sucks !!! OK -- I'm pulling for the Patriots to beat the Colts because I hate Manning for being Manning more than I hate Brady for beating us and I don't want Peyton to ever get to a super bowl --- ever. On the NFC side --- I don't know.....I watched a couple Bears games this year, I like that Devon Hester guy, but the whole Saints feel good thing after Katrina etc.... OK - I'm pulling for the Saints vs the Bears. I liked Brees at Purdue & San Diego, I liked McAllister when we never played the Saints, and it's not like they cheated. They gave us opportunities that we didn't capitalize on. So I'm looking for a Saints vs Patriots super bowl, which the Saints need to win because it would be completely unfair to the world for NE & Brady to win ANOTHER one. I was hoping San Diego would do it----oh well.....
This is what I hate about the Pats. it's not that they are so godanged clutch or that their QB is simply the best to ever don the uniform come playoff time-he is and we can debate that, but the guys is a miracle worker-it's everything. I love how a DB on any other team cannot touch a WR after 5 yards, yet the Pats press and bump and push all damned game between 8-15 yards and nothing ever gets called. They make their own luck, but they also get every lucky frigging bounce. troy Brown causes a fumble?!?! What the eff?! They have become like Jordan-they are so good that refs seem to ignore when they hold or interfere because they wouldn't do that, they're too good. That isn't why they win, they earn every win, but those little perks sure help their cause. How else do you turn the ball over 4 times on the other team's field and lose?
What gauls me about the Pats is that they are everything the Birds aren't and never will be. NHow do they win? Because their O line and D line always come up huge when it matters most and the Birds always come up small. Belichek is everything Andy isn't. You want to blitz 6 at me, OK we'll go 5 wide and shotgun all day and tear you apart. You want to run a 3 man front? Ok we'll run up the gut for 200 yards. The man refuses to let the other team dictate pace and he quickly adjusts when he sees what you are trying to do and takes it away from you. He knows when to take chances as well. He is the best coach ever, hands down. As long as he resides in Foxborough, the Birds have no realstic shot of winning a Super Bowl. Neither do most teams in the league, but I watch him and I envy the Massholes because he is everything Andy is not and will never be. Belichek doesn't let his fronts get pushed around like the Birds did last night and Belichek certainly doesn't punt on 4th and 15.
and eff that with the "I'm satisfied" talk. Yes they lost their QB, but they were in the final 8 against a team they lost to by 3 and could've beaten. I cannot just accept this loss as an "Oh well they tried their best" situation. You never know how or when you'll veer get back there and you have to take advantage of your opportunities. That Saints team wasn't markedly betetr than them. The Birds were tired and in hostile territory, but god dammit they had every reasonable chance to win that game and pissed it away. 1st and goal from the 1-that has to be a gimme 6. Turnover on your 40 with 3 minutes left-you need to convert and move the chains for your kicker. The Saints are good but the Birds were right there. they even got a few breaks. I will not just admit the betetr team won. the Birds lost that game. Their inability to stop the run all year killed them, their inability to do anything different than revert back to the pass killed them, and the inability of the head coach to make clutch, game changing decisions in crunch time killed them. This loss stings. It would have been betetr at 30-3. I have always believed in getting your ass kicked when you lose, leave no doubt in one or two plays. They were so close to going back to the dance only to piss away 5-6 opportunities. This will sit with me a long long time boys. This hurts way worse than a blowout.
Sorry my posts look like Hooked on Phonics with the mis-spellings. When the fire flows from my fingertips, I forget to spell check. I actually am not intending to sound like some 700 level drunk numbnuts who slurs his speech and pisses himself.
Bumble, Bumble, Bumble....don't worry son. The way I look at it, you can have a choice of 2 feelings from this game...1. pissed off because they lost or 2. happy that they turned around the season and lost to a better team that day....I choose option 2. I can't let this loss stick in my crawl and I will tell you why...this year was different. Last year was f-in devastating, everything went wrong...this year had that making, but the Birds didn't let it happen, man upped, had 6 consecutive wins, won the division, beat the f-in Giants at home in the play-offs and lost by 3 on the road to a team that allegedly is the #2 team in the NFC...with their second string QB. And they played a lousy game. But this season I saw Andy adapt and do better things. This season was a success not a failure. If I am a San Diego fan, I am close to taking a train to Tijuana wearing a "I hate Mexicans" shirt. That is a disappointing season...#1 seed at home, 2 of the best offensive players in football, great defense...and lose.
Okay, Reid isn't Belichick....but who is? The Eagles know what they need to do to fix some things...I was watching a Reid press conference last night and of course the reporters asked what is the off-season plan and Reid said, again, it always starts with the lines...so that tells me this off-season, scrutiny will be put on the defensive line...you figure the offensive line is in good shape and has some depth. Howard was a disappointment this year, Walker is what he is, Trucker didn't do squat, Patterson regressed, Kearse was hurt, Ramsey started off great, but totally disappeared and Bunkley is an enigma. Cole and Thomas played well, I thought. They need to bolster that front 7 and I would upgrade SS....Trot looks old, Jones played better this year, but still can't cover a TE (which killed them against the Saints) and I think Gaither is going to be part of the front 7 for a while, he's a nice player....McCoy was a waste of a pick, too....total waste this year....and let's see what they do with Gocong (beef him up and put him at DE or have him at SAM)....so I would assess heavily the front 7 both in FA and the draft...re-sign Stallworth and Garcia....upgrade at TE and they really need a RB to spell Westbrook and I don't think it's Buck. Forget big back, I would say competent back. Who can get tough yards. I just don't see this as doom and gloom and with tweaking, not wholesale changes, we should be solid next year. And who's kidding who, we are not ready to compete in the Super Bowl this year!!!!!!!!
I choose option 3 - frustrated. It's frustrating to get "that close" only to lose the game on a couple of plays. I'm not happy they lost. I'm a little peaved as they had a great chance to win the game. I would much rather that than to get blown out. The Eagles deserved to be on that field that night playing that team. But then this team lost it's best players on offense and defense and still managed to win the NFC East and one playoff game. That's not too shabby. Frankly, we're all going to feel like this after every freakin venture into the playoffs until they win it all.
I watched Invincible on Sunday to get me back into loving the Eagles again. Will probably have to watch it 6 more times until September rolls around. . .
I'm rooting for Indy to make it not so much for Manning or Dungy, but against NE. They've got enough hardware on their shelves and rings on their fingers. Some part of me really doesn't want to root for the Saints, although I do like Brees. Bears are probably my default pick though I don't really want them winning it either. Bleacht.
I am not upset at all...yes, they played a bad game, but still only lost by 3...they still are an elite team and hopefully will only get better and healthier this off-season
i agree that they are still an elite team, but i find this loss pretty damn painful. this game should have been a win. i know everyone's focused on the punt but the game was lost on 3rd and 1 at the saints 3.
The pain isn't lessening. I keep mulling ove rwhere they went wrong-allowing the Saints to dictate pace, never utilizing shotgun or 5 wide to spread them out, not rotating any D linemen, not running Buck 3 times from the 3, the punt. It all hurts badly.
Bumble, if they advance beyond this game, they probably beat Chicago b/c Chicago is a fraud, unless Devon Hester scores 3 special team touchdowns (which he could do, that guy is amazing!). But then they go to the SB and get DESTROYED !!!!! So at the end of it all, we're no further ahead than we were at the beginning of this season, except we're looking at a huge quarterback controversy b/c Garcia accomplished just as much as Mc5. It will be OK......breathe, breathe......
This is not an elite team the way I define it: approaching 50/50 shot of reaching the SB. They are definitely a playoff caliber team, but I'd put them a notch below elite.
I refuse to think about the game beyond what I post here. Not reading about it either.
22 Comments:
I couldn't agree more. At least we don't have to worry about a QB controversy this off-season.
I am not upset at all...yes, they played a bad game, but still only lost by 3...they still are an elite team and hopefully will only get better and healthier this off-season....one bit of flawed logic that Big Red has that the Saints are the perfect example of...you can't have enough good RBs. I said in my post that the things that worried me about the Saints was the RB and Payton's cockiness. Deuce shredded them inside and Bush beat them with perimeter runs...the best team won and we had our #2 QB in...I am looking forward to Spring Training and the NFL Draft now....we do need some help on the defensive side of the ball....I am not convinced Considine is a SS at all...I think we need an upgrade there as I am sure all Sean can do is replace Dawk at FS...we need a SS...a space eating DT, but I am not convinced Ramsey and Bunkley won't be contributors after an off-season in the room. I would re-up Thomas and focus on getting some LBs in this draft...all 3 positions, except I think Gaither is a player....a Trot replacement unless you put Gaither there....2 outside playmakers at backer, SS, a mongo in the middle...offensively re-up with Stallworth, upgrade at RB and get another TE and re-up with Garcia....to me this is not doom and gloom at all and I am very happy with this season...
We had a chance to win that game. That's what hurts. 2nd and goal from the 3 = Field Goal ?? Lucky break on Bush late fumble gives you the ball and you 4 and out ?? Elite teams convert those opportunities - we did not.
How does the official make that false start call on 4th and 10 with less than 2 minutes to go ?? It was rreeeaaaalllyyy picky hometown call that never should have been made. But then again - you have to go on 4th and 15 despite the long odds - no chance of 3 and out the way McAllister gashed us all night. Defense seemed almost invisible -- Trotter did next to nothing, I didn't hear Dawkins name at all, Consodine got pushed around, Sheldon's huge smash on the 1st play did not have the desired affect on the rest of the team. We were owned on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Oh the pain!!!
Captain
Totally agree Captain, I'm satisfied with the season, but that was the Birds game to win or lose. They had so many chances, and they blew an eight point second half lead.
- The D sucked, they came up small in several important situations, especially the drive right after the Birds went up eight. Payton ran the same crap at Jim Johnson as last game: Deuce through the A-gap, misdirection and slants on third down. How many long third downs did the Saints come up with on the drive after the Eagles went up eight?
- The Eagles need a strong safety and a SAM linebacker, period
- How does Westbrook only get 16 touches, drops aside? How do you run the ball 16 times in a game where neither team ever opened up a big lead? Especially when you get as many big plays out of the running game as the passing game on this team? Was Andy making the play calls again?
Tough, frustrating loss.
-Behan
Behan, funny you mentioned the play calling. I was wondering that as the game went along. I think it might have been that they thought they could torch them through the air.
Just a thought I had when reading a different post, but I want to get it out there before I forget it. Unrelated to the Saints game, but somewhat related to the whole "bonding with McNabb discussion we had going. Don in some ways reminds me of Ron Hextall -- now before you all start killing me, let me explain. Hexy was a beloved player in this town b/c he had charisma, then he left and came back, and we still loved the guy, but you always new in the back of your mind, no matter how good he looked, or how good the team around him was - he was only 1 bad goal away from turning the whole momentum away from the flyers and eventually costing them a series. In looking at Don's playoff numbers somebody else posted elsewhere, I saw something very similar. Don doesn't make many mistakes, but when he does, they're killers. In looking at his 12 INT's in his playoff career, I can recall in painful detail how they either changed the complexion of a game, OR ended a possible comback or last second heroics. I recall the same w/Hextall -- he didn't let up a lot of bad goals, but when he did -- they were killers emotionally. Always late in a tight game --- devastating heartbreakers....just like Don's picks.
Again, I know it's off topic for this post, but I had this thought before and wanted to get it out before I lost it.
Captain
Phil & Behan. I'm right there with you guys, BUT - I think the coaches beleived the Saints were vulnerable to the deeper pass and the Saints were definitely keyed on stopping Westbrook out of the backfield. I do wonder though, why we never went to 3 or 4 wides on a 1st or 2nd down with Westbrook split out wide, somebody would have had a mismatch with single coverage on a safety or linebacker ??? The analysis continues.....
Captain
So this is it. Now we have Saints vs Bears in NFC. So I'm forced to choose between the team that beat us or a team that I just don't think is as good as their hype -- overrated linebacker, squirrely QB. And AFC - the guy in my top 5 most hated players vs the team that beat us in the Super Bowl. F*ck !!!! This just sucks !!!
OK -- I'm pulling for the Patriots to beat the Colts because I hate Manning for being Manning more than I hate Brady for beating us and I don't want Peyton to ever get to a super bowl --- ever.
On the NFC side --- I don't know.....I watched a couple Bears games this year, I like that Devon Hester guy, but the whole Saints feel good thing after Katrina etc....
OK - I'm pulling for the Saints vs the Bears. I liked Brees at Purdue & San Diego, I liked McAllister when we never played the Saints, and it's not like they cheated. They gave us opportunities that we didn't capitalize on. So I'm looking for a Saints vs Patriots super bowl, which the Saints need to win because it would be completely unfair to the world for NE & Brady to win ANOTHER one.
I was hoping San Diego would do it----oh well.....
Captain
What are all your guys super bowl preferences ???
We just watched the Super Bowl, Captain. The Patriots won.
This is what I hate about the Pats. it's not that they are so godanged clutch or that their QB is simply the best to ever don the uniform come playoff time-he is and we can debate that, but the guys is a miracle worker-it's everything. I love how a DB on any other team cannot touch a WR after 5 yards, yet the Pats press and bump and push all damned game between 8-15 yards and nothing ever gets called. They make their own luck, but they also get every lucky frigging bounce. troy Brown causes a fumble?!?! What the eff?! They have become like Jordan-they are so good that refs seem to ignore when they hold or interfere because they wouldn't do that, they're too good. That isn't why they win, they earn every win, but those little perks sure help their cause. How else do you turn the ball over 4 times on the other team's field and lose?
What gauls me about the Pats is that they are everything the Birds aren't and never will be. NHow do they win? Because their O line and D line always come up huge when it matters most and the Birds always come up small. Belichek is everything Andy isn't. You want to blitz 6 at me, OK we'll go 5 wide and shotgun all day and tear you apart. You want to run a 3 man front? Ok we'll run up the gut for 200 yards. The man refuses to let the other team dictate pace and he quickly adjusts when he sees what you are trying to do and takes it away from you. He knows when to take chances as well. He is the best coach ever, hands down. As long as he resides in Foxborough, the Birds have no realstic shot of winning a Super Bowl. Neither do most teams in the league, but I watch him and I envy the Massholes because he is everything Andy is not and will never be. Belichek doesn't let his fronts get pushed around like the Birds did last night and Belichek certainly doesn't punt on 4th and 15.
Bumble
and eff that with the "I'm satisfied" talk. Yes they lost their QB, but they were in the final 8 against a team they lost to by 3 and could've beaten. I cannot just accept this loss as an "Oh well they tried their best" situation. You never know how or when you'll veer get back there and you have to take advantage of your opportunities. That Saints team wasn't markedly betetr than them. The Birds were tired and in hostile territory, but god dammit they had every reasonable chance to win that game and pissed it away. 1st and goal from the 1-that has to be a gimme 6. Turnover on your 40 with 3 minutes left-you need to convert and move the chains for your kicker. The Saints are good but the Birds were right there. they even got a few breaks. I will not just admit the betetr team won. the Birds lost that game. Their inability to stop the run all year killed them, their inability to do anything different than revert back to the pass killed them, and the inability of the head coach to make clutch, game changing decisions in crunch time killed them. This loss stings. It would have been betetr at 30-3. I have always believed in getting your ass kicked when you lose, leave no doubt in one or two plays. They were so close to going back to the dance only to piss away 5-6 opportunities. This will sit with me a long long time boys. This hurts way worse than a blowout.
Bumble
Sorry my posts look like Hooked on Phonics with the mis-spellings. When the fire flows from my fingertips, I forget to spell check. I actually am not intending to sound like some 700 level drunk numbnuts who slurs his speech and pisses himself.
Bumble, Bumble, Bumble....don't worry son. The way I look at it, you can have a choice of 2 feelings from this game...1. pissed off because they lost or 2. happy that they turned around the season and lost to a better team that day....I choose option 2. I can't let this loss stick in my crawl and I will tell you why...this year was different. Last year was f-in devastating, everything went wrong...this year had that making, but the Birds didn't let it happen, man upped, had 6 consecutive wins, won the division, beat the f-in Giants at home in the play-offs and lost by 3 on the road to a team that allegedly is the #2 team in the NFC...with their second string QB. And they played a lousy game. But this season I saw Andy adapt and do better things. This season was a success not a failure. If I am a San Diego fan, I am close to taking a train to Tijuana wearing a "I hate Mexicans" shirt. That is a disappointing season...#1 seed at home, 2 of the best offensive players in football, great defense...and lose.
Okay, Reid isn't Belichick....but who is? The Eagles know what they need to do to fix some things...I was watching a Reid press conference last night and of course the reporters asked what is the off-season plan and Reid said, again, it always starts with the lines...so that tells me this off-season, scrutiny will be put on the defensive line...you figure the offensive line is in good shape and has some depth. Howard was a disappointment this year, Walker is what he is, Trucker didn't do squat, Patterson regressed, Kearse was hurt, Ramsey started off great, but totally disappeared and Bunkley is an enigma. Cole and Thomas played well, I thought. They need to bolster that front 7 and I would upgrade SS....Trot looks old, Jones played better this year, but still can't cover a TE (which killed them against the Saints) and I think Gaither is going to be part of the front 7 for a while, he's a nice player....McCoy was a waste of a pick, too....total waste this year....and let's see what they do with Gocong (beef him up and put him at DE or have him at SAM)....so I would assess heavily the front 7 both in FA and the draft...re-sign Stallworth and Garcia....upgrade at TE and they really need a RB to spell Westbrook and I don't think it's Buck. Forget big back, I would say competent back. Who can get tough yards. I just don't see this as doom and gloom and with tweaking, not wholesale changes, we should be solid next year. And who's kidding who, we are not ready to compete in the Super Bowl this year!!!!!!!!
I choose option 3 - frustrated. It's frustrating to get "that close" only to lose the game on a couple of plays. I'm not happy they lost. I'm a little peaved as they had a great chance to win the game. I would much rather that than to get blown out. The Eagles deserved to be on that field that night playing that team. But then this team lost it's best players on offense and defense and still managed to win the NFC East and one playoff game. That's not too shabby. Frankly, we're all going to feel like this after every freakin venture into the playoffs until they win it all.
I watched Invincible on Sunday to get me back into loving the Eagles again. Will probably have to watch it 6 more times until September rolls around. . .
I'm rooting for Indy to make it not so much for Manning or Dungy, but against NE. They've got enough hardware on their shelves and rings on their fingers. Some part of me really doesn't want to root for the Saints, although I do like Brees. Bears are probably my default pick though I don't really want them winning it either. Bleacht.
At least we don't have to worry about a QB controversy this off-season.
is WIP still on the air? i'm betting this loss doesn't impact the QB controversery at all
I am not upset at all...yes, they played a bad game, but still only lost by 3...they still are an elite team and hopefully will only get better and healthier this off-season
i agree that they are still an elite team, but i find this loss pretty damn painful. this game should have been a win. i know everyone's focused on the punt but the game was lost on 3rd and 1 at the saints 3.
The D sucked, they came up small in several important situations, especially the drive right after the Birds went up eight.
...and that's two straight seasons of sub-par defense.
bumble, i'm with you and just as furious.
The pain isn't lessening. I keep mulling ove rwhere they went wrong-allowing the Saints to dictate pace, never utilizing shotgun or 5 wide to spread them out, not rotating any D linemen, not running Buck 3 times from the 3, the punt. It all hurts badly.
Bumble
Bumble, if they advance beyond this game, they probably beat Chicago b/c Chicago is a fraud, unless Devon Hester scores 3 special team touchdowns (which he could do, that guy is amazing!). But then they go to the SB and get DESTROYED !!!!! So at the end of it all, we're no further ahead than we were at the beginning of this season, except we're looking at a huge quarterback controversy b/c Garcia accomplished just as much as Mc5.
It will be OK......breathe, breathe......
Captain
This is not an elite team the way I define it: approaching 50/50 shot of reaching the SB. They are definitely a playoff caliber team, but I'd put them a notch below elite.
I refuse to think about the game beyond what I post here. Not reading about it either.
igglesblog has a different take on the 4th and 15 punt:
http://www.igglesblog.com/
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