Having witnessed 5 straight BEAT DOWNS the Saints have laid on opposing teams – what is there to complain about? I mean, let’s face it, Saints fans can be a bitter bunch. After years of losing you accrue some negativity. You guys all have that Saints fan buddy who rains on the parade. “Yeah, they won by 50, but the running game was awful”… or “yeah, they won, but that one guy had a meaningless personal foul so they clearly don’t have discipline”. You get the idea: The Debbie Downer guy. The Saints have been so close to flawless this year, there is literally almost NOTHING to complain about. That guy has been pretty much entirely shut up. Well, at the risk of sounding like that guy, I think there’s still perfectible things. The offense and defense by and large have both been good, so it’s actually the special teams (coverage and returning) that has been the most disappointing aspect of the team’s efforts this season.
The Saints average just 22.1 yards per kick return this season and just 3.9 yards per punt return this season. By comparison, they yield 26.8 yards per kick return and 12.2 yards per punt return. That’s not just losing that phase of the game, that’s getting demolished in that phase of the game. All of this and the Saints’ closest game all season was a 14 point margin! It goes to show, if you win 2 out of the 3 phases (offense, defense, special teams) each week, you will win the game. The Saints have won on offense and defense EVERY SINGLE WEEK. That said, the Saints have been so good you have to start thinking big picture. Are we going to be satisfied with a 12-4 finish and a playoff run short of the SuperBowl, or are we aiming for the ultimate prize? If the Saints want to go that far, they have to get better on special teams. Sooner or later the offense could have an off day, or the defense could give up a few big plays… Will special teams be able to make a play to balance the “off day”?
So there you have it. I was able to find ONE THING that hasn’t been ideal in the Saints’ first 5 games. Hey, if they get that corrected they’ll start beating people by 40 points? Right?
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