The Score Might Indicate Otherwise, But The Saints Defense Is What Finally Has Them Above .50010/16/2017 What an odd, odd game of football. That was basically the embodiment of the phrase "any given Sunday" if your Sunday's relied heavily on the use of hallucinogenics, because the storyline appeared to have been written by someone with a Tiger Woods-esque toxicology. If I had told you that the Saints gave up 35 points at home, turned the ball over three times, surrendered both a defensive and special teams touchdown, all while Drew Brees failed to eclipse the 200 yard marker then you'd likely have resigned yourself to the inevitable despair of another 7-9 season. Instead, the actual result has them headed to Lambeau Field as an undeniable favorite (due to unforeseen circumstances, of course) with their first winning record in four years. The Saints needed a tipped ball turned touchdown from Cam Jordan to put an exclamation point on what was a certain win that ever-so-quickly started to have the look of an incomprehensibly devastating loss. Yet somehow, a game that highlighted some obvious flaws ultimately has them in the slightly above average position that they have seemingly been fighting for forever. Perhaps that serves as nothing more than a proverbial nod to the unpredictability of NFL football, but it could also be an indication of how (finally) having the makeup of an opportunistic defense can cover up a lot of blemishes. It wouldn't be wise to depend on too many more 5 sack, 5 turnover, 3 touchdown performances from a unit who still showed their age on quite a few plays, but I'll be damned if it's not nice to see that they have it in them. The Saints weren't about to go an entire season without giving the ball away, but - for once - it appears they have defense in which doing so doesn't automatically signal defeat. Those mistakes were coming sooner rather than later (in the case of the "interception" of Michael Thomas' clear catch, with the help of piss poor officiating), so it can only be considered good news that they weren't unredeemable. Now, it would have been nice if Sean Payton continued to rely on the rejuvenated legs of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to run out the clock when up 35 points. Perfect world, the Saints win by 25+ on the backs of a ground game that was literally adding injury to insult at a pace that likely alarmed Detroit's medical staff. Unfortunately, the risk taking mentality that unnecessarily allowed the Lions back in the game is the same one they used to pull away in the first place, so - being a decade into his tenure - it's best to just accept the bad with the good. The type of guy who is willing to run a fullback end-around option on 4th down to set up a first down flea-flicker isn't the type of guy to take the air out of the ball halfway through the 3rd quarter, and - when it's put like that - we probably shouldn't expect him to be. Long story short (and it was a very long story, because that game felt like it lasted about 6 hours), the Saints defense is - at the very worst - complimentary to an offense whose best days are probably still ahead of it. We aren't looking at the reincarnation of the '00 Baltimore Ravens, but we are looking at a group with a dominant pass rusher who bats passes better than most defensive backs, a shutdown corner who flipped his hips and transitioned right around the rookie wall, and an undeniable penchant for making a game changing play or two. In reality, that's all Drew Brees has ever needed on most days, and with how the first two games of the season played out it seems surreal that he actually has it. Also of note: It's laughable that those who considered Adrian Peterson a 'has been' have taken to using his one day return to 'All Day' form as a way to criticize Sean Payton. It's almost as if they are only capable of reading box scores when they support their ever-changing argument. I said that I thought there was still some juice in those 32 year old legs when he was traded to the Cardinals, but that it wasn't worth the squeeze as the third option in a crowded backfield. Admittedly it's a small size, but both those things appear to be true. You can chastise signing him in the first place, but not sure how making a mutually beneficial move after being unable to fit 61 carries into one single offense is an indictment of it's head coach... Especially when it was done to get someone who is capable of the following more involved...
The reincarnation of Adrian Peterson was impressive, but so was the performance of the player that made him replaceable...
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