This may be reduntant, but I'm going to post it anyhow, just to get it off my mind.
I'll start by saying I avoid these boards during gameday, any more, as it just distracts me from paying attention to the game, and I also enjoy forming my own impression of the day before I come here and see which way the wind is blowing, so to speak.
Overall, The D, obviously, was fantastic, and the O, while lackluster, was patient and careful, and did not put us into too deep of a hole.
Special teams felt pretty average to me ,likely because of the wind. Hauscka was a stud, but coverage on kicks just average, rather than the exciting unit I am used to seeing.
It seemed clear to me from the very start that the Saints were headhunting.Especially on Percy, but on Golden as well. I don't advocate deliberately causing injuries, but when a team is trying to take our players' heads off, I wouldn't mind eating 15 yards and seeing a vicious warning shot from our side. In hockey, if you try to take out the star player, a goon comes and retaliates . . sometimes schoolyard justice is required to keep things from getting out of hand.
Players:
Offense:
I'll start with Bowie . . . was happy to see him get the start, I actually think it was a week or three late, but I understand wanting the extra week before plugging him in. He did a hell of a job, I thought,I didn't notice anything extraordinary from his side. He handled his assignments and really, I think, justified Pete giving him the shot.
Tight Ends . . Miller was invisible, I was hoping, especially with the weather, to see him featured a bit in the passing game ,but he only got one target that I noticed. Davis . . I did notice him whiff on a couple blocks . . ouchie. Hopefully Willson is healthy enough next week to play a larger role.
Receiver: DB did what DB does . . really hope we keep him for four or five more years.
Golden . . ugh. He just didn't seem right today. he took a shot early, and whether that rung his bell or what, I don't know. But in a game where he could we needed a spark, he was conspicuously damp. I love me some Golden, but he can't be disappearing like that.
Percy . . . it looked to me like the gameplan on O was to feature Percy, and probably to make the Saints overadjust to him, then strike elsewhere, but Russell forced the ball to him a couple times when it just wasn't really the smooth thing to do. Then he went down, and we were left with maybe 5 plays left in the playbook.
Russell didn't necessarily suck, he protected the ball well. But I have become spoiled already, and expect him to lead a scoring drive to close the second and fourth quarters. He hasn't been doing that lately, and if he keeps this up, I will rescind my standing offer of my body, or my wife's body (his choice) whenever he desires it.
Defense.
Our secondary is frickin awesome!! all of them. Every. Single. One. The coverage in the first half was legendary. The second half, I think maybe Quinn caught a little Gus Bradley, and backed them off, couldn't really tell from my couch, but it felt to me like a lot more zone, and a lot of holes in those zones for Brees to exploit. But they finished when they had to, so I'm good with that.
Bobby Wagner is a stud. He didn't get a lot of prop[s from the broadcast, but he certainly stood out to me today. He did a fantastic job of being where he needed to be to make a play . . what a great pick he was for PC/JS
My final feeling . . . glad we got the W, but I came away a little unsettled by the offense. I understand that they were playing safe in respect of the weather, but and it may end up that the superbowl requires just such an approach in 3 weeks, but I really hope they find a way to be a little more dynamic next week, or it will be a long day.
I am sure I will find other thoughts rattling aroumd in my head over the next few days, but these are the ones that I have right now, that wanted to get out.
Go Hawks!
I'll start by saying I avoid these boards during gameday, any more, as it just distracts me from paying attention to the game, and I also enjoy forming my own impression of the day before I come here and see which way the wind is blowing, so to speak.
Overall, The D, obviously, was fantastic, and the O, while lackluster, was patient and careful, and did not put us into too deep of a hole.
Special teams felt pretty average to me ,likely because of the wind. Hauscka was a stud, but coverage on kicks just average, rather than the exciting unit I am used to seeing.
It seemed clear to me from the very start that the Saints were headhunting.Especially on Percy, but on Golden as well. I don't advocate deliberately causing injuries, but when a team is trying to take our players' heads off, I wouldn't mind eating 15 yards and seeing a vicious warning shot from our side. In hockey, if you try to take out the star player, a goon comes and retaliates . . sometimes schoolyard justice is required to keep things from getting out of hand.
Players:
Offense:
I'll start with Bowie . . . was happy to see him get the start, I actually think it was a week or three late, but I understand wanting the extra week before plugging him in. He did a hell of a job, I thought,I didn't notice anything extraordinary from his side. He handled his assignments and really, I think, justified Pete giving him the shot.
Tight Ends . . Miller was invisible, I was hoping, especially with the weather, to see him featured a bit in the passing game ,but he only got one target that I noticed. Davis . . I did notice him whiff on a couple blocks . . ouchie. Hopefully Willson is healthy enough next week to play a larger role.
Receiver: DB did what DB does . . really hope we keep him for four or five more years.
Golden . . ugh. He just didn't seem right today. he took a shot early, and whether that rung his bell or what, I don't know. But in a game where he could we needed a spark, he was conspicuously damp. I love me some Golden, but he can't be disappearing like that.
Percy . . . it looked to me like the gameplan on O was to feature Percy, and probably to make the Saints overadjust to him, then strike elsewhere, but Russell forced the ball to him a couple times when it just wasn't really the smooth thing to do. Then he went down, and we were left with maybe 5 plays left in the playbook.
Russell didn't necessarily suck, he protected the ball well. But I have become spoiled already, and expect him to lead a scoring drive to close the second and fourth quarters. He hasn't been doing that lately, and if he keeps this up, I will rescind my standing offer of my body, or my wife's body (his choice) whenever he desires it.
Defense.
Our secondary is frickin awesome!! all of them. Every. Single. One. The coverage in the first half was legendary. The second half, I think maybe Quinn caught a little Gus Bradley, and backed them off, couldn't really tell from my couch, but it felt to me like a lot more zone, and a lot of holes in those zones for Brees to exploit. But they finished when they had to, so I'm good with that.
Bobby Wagner is a stud. He didn't get a lot of prop[s from the broadcast, but he certainly stood out to me today. He did a fantastic job of being where he needed to be to make a play . . what a great pick he was for PC/JS
My final feeling . . . glad we got the W, but I came away a little unsettled by the offense. I understand that they were playing safe in respect of the weather, but and it may end up that the superbowl requires just such an approach in 3 weeks, but I really hope they find a way to be a little more dynamic next week, or it will be a long day.
I am sure I will find other thoughts rattling aroumd in my head over the next few days, but these are the ones that I have right now, that wanted to get out.
Go Hawks!
