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Saints Success Belies Myth of Design Build Offenses


bulldog

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halfway through the season and there are still those looking for an excuse for the poor performances we have seen in a group of players still 'learning' a new offense.

The New Orleans Saints are 6-2. They hired a new head coach in the offseason, they signed a new quarterback as a free agent, drafted a running back with their #1 pick and drafted a wide receiver in the seventh round.

They had Deuce McCallister coming back from a severe knee injury and a 33 year old wide receiver in Joe Horn.

Sean Payton was able to cobble all of this together in 8 months and come into the 2006 season with an offense that is productive and in which younger players like Bush and Colston have played from the beginning, without having to serve long apprenticeships on the bench.

So, the next time we look at the Redskins having so much new 'learning' to do since last January, let's remember there are other teams who also brought in new systems and new players and have managed to put it together.

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halfway through the season and there are still those looking for an excuse for the poor performances we have seen in a group of players still 'learning' a new offense.

The New Orleans Saints are 6-2. They hired a new head coach in the offseason, they signed a new quarterback as a free agent, drafted a running back with their #1 pick and drafted a wide receiver in the seventh round.

They had Deuce McCallister coming back from a severe knee injury and a 33 year old wide receiver in Joe Horn.

Sean Payton was able to cobble all of this together in 8 months and come into the 2006 season with an offense that is productive and in which younger players like Bush and Colston have played from the beginning, without having to serve long apprenticeships on the bench.

So, the next time we look at the Redskins having so much new 'learning' to do since last January, let's remember there are other teams who also brought in new systems and new players and have managed to put it together.

And they also have a patchwork offensive line that is playing well.

:2cents:

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How many Super Bowls has Sean Payton won? :)

I'm sorry, but that argument does not really hold up anymore. Sean Payton has won 0 super bowls, but he sure as hell is closer to getting to one this year than we are. Gibbs won his super bowls before, and deserves his place he has in the Hall of Fame.

However, the point of this thread is an observation that the Saints have come together so far and are playing well, while we pretty much are not. I pretty much blame Al Saunders since he handles the play-calling, and I think if Gibbs had those duties still, we would be in a different situation.

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Drew Brees is one of the best QB's in the league. Can't even compare that to Brunell.

McCallister was one of the best RB's in the league, and Reggie Bush was the second pick in the draft. We have an injured Portis and two career backups.

The Saints struck gold with Colston in the 7th round. That was just plain luck.

They're good. We suck. There are about 100 things wrong with our team and about 100 things that have gone right for the Saints. I'm not sure there's a lot to learn from the situation. There are no easy answers for us.

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well, BigDFan, the status of their linebackers doesn't really address the point of my post now does it? :laugh:

if the Saints were able to acquire cheap players from Dallas and plug them in and win with them then perhaps Dallas made a mistake letting them go, or perhaps the Dallas defensive coaches aren't getting enough out of their current performers? :)

Die hard, I think you have to separate what Gibbs did 15-20 years ago and what this team is doing today. Just like the Cowboys fans have to separate what Parcells did with the Giants in 1986 and 1990 with what he is now at age 64.

If players age and lose their ability to stay in their prime form, I believe the same often can be said of coaches.

You can look at a number of Super Bowl winning coaches who failed in their comebacks with other clubs. The same chemistry, talent, depth and front office personnel were just not there.

But in a larger sense, whether Peyton has won a Super Bowl or not is not relevant here for discussion.

The point here is how long it takes for a coach at any level to install a new system and then be able to put together a unit, whether on offense or defense, that can run that system and be productive.

Yes, it involves, coaching ability but also the ability to pick the right players. It also requires the right environment. In New Orleans this past offseason there was a great hunger for this team to come back and give the fans there something to cheer about after the disasters in 2005. Guys like Bush and Colston came in as rookies. Brees came in and wanted to prove to the Chargers that they made a mistake letting him go.

Here I don't sense that hunger. What I see here is a group of players that are stuck losing football games because of a talent deficit at quarterback and a flawed approach to personnel decision-making in the offseason which brought on board a number of players that have made little positive impact.

It doesn't take a year for a quarterback in ANY system to be able to throw a 20 yard out pass or a skinny post.

Let's get real here.

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