Finally

It has been a long time coming, but, Sunday, Saints fans finally got to see the breakout performance they've been waiting for from a high priced and overbilled player many were beginning to have serious doubts about. With two interceptions, Mike McKenzie finally performed like the impact player the Saints thought they were getting when they traded for him. One of those interceptions proved to be the turning point of the game. San Francisco recovered an onside kick after narrowing the score to 14-10 early in the third quarter. McKenzie's diving pick of an Alex Smith pass on the ensuing play killed the 49ers momentum and stands as the play that won this game for the Saints.


"Shut-down" corner, McKenzie finally shuts somebody down

More:

• A close second to McKenzie's play is the 16 yard scramble by the one-armed Drew Brees on a big 3rd and 8 keeping the Saints very next drive going. Brees capped that drive with a touchdown pass that put the Saints up 24-10. The Niners were playing a futile game of catch-up for the rest of the day.



One arm.. but some nice legwork gets the job done


• Maybe Brees was aided in his effort to elude 49er tacklers on that scramble by the "slimming" black leotard he was wearing. This was the first occasion in over three seasons on which the Saints decided to dress as an unusually fat ballet troupe. We were hoping we had put this horror behind us. Time to fire off yet another round of angry letters to Saints management.



• Also ably filling his stupid black pants was Deuce McAllister. It's pretty simple. When Deuce gets the ball, the Saints win games. Sunday, he got the ball 26 times and steamrolled the San Francisco defense for 136 yards. Particularly impressive was the following sequence which ate up seven and a half of the game's final ten minutes. The box score reads:
  

  D.McAllister left guard to NO 33 for 3 yards
  D.McAllister left guard to NO 48 for 15 yards
  D.McAllister left tackle to SF 47 for 5 yards
  D.McAllister left end to SF 44 for 3 yards
  D.McAllister left end to SF 35 for 9 yards
  D.McAllister left guard to SF 29 for 6 yards
  D.McAllister left guard to SF 26 for 3 yards
  PENALTY on SF, Defensive 12 On-field, 5 yards
  M.Karney left guard to SF 20 for 1 yard
  D.McAllister left tackle to SF 17 for 3 yards
  D.McAllister right tackle to SF 15 for 2 yards
  J.Carney 33 yard field goal is GOOD




The good teams put you away by running over you in the 4th quarter. Deuce makes the Saints a good team


• The good teams also win by stopping their opponent's running game. The Saints are confounding in this area. They have bottled up two of the league's best in Warrick Dunn (twice) and Frank Gore yesterday, but they've also been burned badly by DeShaun Foster, Jamal Lewis, Willie Parker, and Rudi Johnson. Maybe they're improving... but I won't belive it until I see it two weeks in a row at least.



• Tom Benson is an ass. We really don't need to hear him get up and make a freaking speech before the game ends. Especially if that speech is really just a lame sales pitch based on his not raising the already obscenely high price of his frivolous product. (I also noticed the offer was an if-you-act-before-Februrary kind of deal.. so it's likely the Saints will raise ticket prices next year) Put that scam in the paper the next day if you want to, but during the game, sit your fat ass down!



Once a fuckmook, always a fuckmook


• If the Saints want to beat Dallas, they'll need their starting receivers back. It doesn't look good, though. Colston and Horn could play but I don't think the kinds of injuries they have heal very quickly... especially while the players keep trying to play hurt. Expect both of them to be limited for the rest of the season. Which is a shame because, while Devery Henderson has improved, he still drops too many balls. We already know about Mr. Copper's problems. The Saints do have one other guy they throw to a lot... but it turns out he has trouble hanging on to the ball himself at times.



Goddammit, quit waving to your daddy in the stands and hold the ball with both hands!


• The Panthers lost tonight. This gives the Saints a two game lead in the division with four games remaining. It's like this. If this group is going to win a Superbowl, they need to do it this year. I know they're a flawed team now.. but they won't get better next year. Horn will be year older, Deuce and Reggie will not be so willing to share the backfield, Charles Grant will likely be too expensive to retain, Soupy won't command as much respect from the players through their fear of the unknown, and the whole team will be burdened by the increased expectations. Win it this year or not at all. Of course, they could still lose the next four and miss the playoffs... and we won't have to worry about any of that.