You know... the football and all that

So I'm having a difficult time putting together a narrative angle from which to attack this past week's Saints-Panthers game. I'm probably a little sluggish after the holiday. And, since I've kind of shot my football wad for the week bitching about Les Miles already, the Saints re-cap just doesn't feel as inspired as they usually tend to.

It's kind of a shame too. Afer all, this was a pretty big win for the Saints. It was their first win against the Carolina in five tries. It snuffed a two game losing streak. It almost puts them back in the playoff hunt. And the Saints pretty much destroyed their opponent to boot. In such circumstances you'd think I could come up with a clever frame for discussing these not inconsequential events. But here I am, obviously not holding up my end of the bargain. I have no tourist harangue, no wardrobe malfunction, no Governor's election, no restaurant review, not a goddamned thing to make this game easier to write about. Hell I didn't even have the decency or initiative to get drunk in time for this one.

But, since the rhetorical standard has been set pretty darn low by the Mayor this week, I figure I can just slap something together and slide by.

Saints-Panthers: (You know... the NOLA.com T-P photos and all that)

• First, it should be acknowledged that the Carolina Panthers are not in the best shape these days. When each week finds the coach trying to make up his mind about whether to start Vinny Testaverde or David Carr at quarterback, you know something has already gone terribly wrong with your football team. Having said that, the Saints could very well have sleepwalked through this one and "played down to the opponent's level" much like Pittsburgh did against Miami last night. Instead they came alive in the third quarter and ran away with the game causing the hearts of Saints fans to swell with pride as they watched their heroes kick the Panthers while they were down.
  
  
  It was not a good day for Carr and his gloves. You know... good defense and all that



• Key stat #1: The Saints attempted 36 passes and 39 rushes. Three of those running attempts were actually Jamie Martin kneeling to run out the clock but I'm counting them anyway because this marks the first time all season that the Saints ran more than they passed. We like those numbers. And it's certainly hard to argue with the results.
  
  Key stat #2: That above mentioned running game breaks down like this.
  
  Reggie Bush 9 carries 32 yards
  
  Not Reggie 30 carries 81 yards
  
  Now that's not exactly world-beating production from either ball carrier, but the balance is about where we like to see it. And, again, it's certainly hard to argue with the results.
  
  
  Not Reggie busts through the line running... you know... not backwards and all that.



• Drew Brees. Best game of the year. The numbers aren't eye-popping but Brees (aside from having one pass tipped into an interception) did everything right. The Panthers had trouble getting their defensive backfield organized for some reason and Saints receivers repeatedly ran free through their blown coverages as a result. Brees threw more deep passes than usual. (This was a well-conceived Saints game plan all around.) He ran for a touchdown for the first time in two years. He made good, quick decisions and was not sacked once. And, best of all, he delivered a very obvious and televised dressing down to Reggie Bush for dropping yet another pass.
  
  
  Drew Brees would tell you it's all about, you know... leadership and all that



• But the best performance of the week came from Coach Soupy who, as mentioned above, finally adjusted to repeated Yellow Blog criticism and put together an offensive game plan that allowed for balance in both the running and passing games. Speaking of Yellow Blog criticism, last week I wrote this.
  
  

  Soupy should bench Bush for at least part of one game. It's a ballsy move... kind of like... oh let's say a marriage proposal made with only your conviction and a fake ring made out of tinfoil on hand to offer. Sure, it will draw criticism from certain quarters. But it's a major coup if you can pull it off.

  
  
  Ignore that off-the-wall comparison for a sec. It appears that this week, Soupy actually took my advice. Bush's role in the offense was significantly reduced even as the running game was emphasized. The Saints have been claiming that Bush was "limited by an injury" in practice this week. I think (or actually just hope) that might just be a way for them to help him save face.
  
  
  You know... bad shin and all that

Remember my multiple admonitions to not panic? Well here we are coming in to game 12 and still (barely) in the thick of things. Fox Sports gets it. They've moved the start of the upcoming game against Tampa to 3:00 PM in order to accommodate a potentially interested national audience.

Believe it or not, the Saints still have a very real shot at... you know... playoffs and all that. And if they make good on that, then (hopefully) the Yellow Blogging football jokes will go back to writing themselves.