Strief shuts out Simeon in Saints win

By Randy  |   Wednesday, November 08, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

New Orleans Saints
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The wise and revered Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu of "The Art of War" fame once said there are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.

There are not more than five offensive linemen on a football field every weekend, yet the combination of these can provide either a sweet melody or a sad song if the group does not perform in perfect harmony.

On Sunday, at Raymond James stadium in Tampa, it was rookie left tackle Zach Strief versus all-decade right defensive end Simeon Rice.

Andrew Jackson probably had better odds heading into conflict against the British at The Battle of New Orleans than rookie Saints tackle Strief had of protecting Drew Brees' backside against arguably the game's best past rusher, Rice.

The pervasive feeling was that Rice would render Brees into a multi-million dollar tackling dummy by game's end.

Quite the opposite. Strief held one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in the last 10 years without a sack in a 31-14 New Orleans victory over the struggling Buccaneers . Who could have foreseen that the last time Rice would have his name called would be in pre-game introductions?

Strief, a 2006 seventh-round draft choice from Northwestern, had been inactive for New Orleans' first seven contests. The last time he started a game was in the Big Ten. Not exactly an eye-catching resume.

By contrast, Rice, a three-time Pro Bowler, is 13th all-time on the NFL's career sacks list. Rice has more sacks than any player in football dating back to the 11th game of 2001.

Talk about David versus Goliath. Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed.

Strief would be pressed into action when marquee left tackle Jammal Brown, a former first-round draft pick from Oklahoma, sprained his ankle last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Brown held Rice without a sack in Week 5, a 24-22 Saints triumph.

As we all learned in Football 101, left tackle is the most vital position on the offensive line. Think of him as your car's rearview mirror, the protector of the quarterback's blind spot.

As Michael Lewis stated so eloquently in his new book, "The Blind Side," it takes a total of four seconds from the snap of the ball for a fierce, onrushing lineman like Rice to break your loveable, unsuspecting QB in two. To mangle him. To make him the next item thrown on the scrapheap.

Zero one...Zero two...Zero three...Zero four......Kaboom!!!

Lawrence Taylor did it to Joe Theismann back in '81. Theismann never took another NFL snap. Don't think that didn't cross Brees' mind a few times late Saturday night.

However, if Brees was feeling any internal strife over Strief's probable start, he never expressed it to reporters publicly.

"I've got all the confidence in the world in Zach...we know he'll get the job done," assured Brees.

Brees must have graduated from the Dale Carnegie Institute with all that positive talking he does. He strutted around the practice field like he was sane or something. Isn't he a student of the game? Doesn't he know that Simeon Rice plays with no stop signs, no speed limits.

Guess all that motivational talk must have rubbed off on the rookie.

"This is what we sign up for. If (Jammal Brown) can't play, I feel I can go in and not let anyone down," said Strief last week.

Yeah, right, Zach. Who are you kidding? This isn't the Big Ten anymore. We're talking Simeon Rice here.

On Sunday, Strief proceeded not to let anyone down - not his head coach, Sean Payton, not his quarterback, Brees, and not his fellow offensive linemen. This combination of five would have made Sun Tzu proud. Led by the unlikely hero, Strief, they produced some sweet melodies all afternoon long.

With the exception of Joe Paterno, Strief may have been the most courageous man on a gridiron this past weekend. He dominated Rice from start to finish. Had this been election day, the talking heads would have labeled it a landslide.

The final numbers told the tale. Great expectations for Simeon Rice quickly evaporated into hard times.

Against Strief, Rice managed only one tackle, one assist and zero sacks. It is unlikely Jammal Brown could have produced a more impressive result.

Brees said afterward, "Well no sacks and I can't remember Simeon ever being really close to me. When it is quiet like that, I assume he played pretty well."

Ah, anonymity - it is the dream of every offensive lineman.

Strief's effort did not go unnoticed by Payton. "It's the first time Zach Strief ever put on a Saints uniform. And he played awfully well," observed the first-year coach. "A pretty good job against an excellent football player."

Talk about stating the obvious.

After his NFL debut, Strief was humble in victory. He said all the right things. He said the coaches did a good job of protecting him. He said he learned a lot from watching his more experienced linemates. He said working against defensive ends like Charles Grant and Will Smith got him ready to go. Strief must have felt like the the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Sunday night. Pretty heady stuff, what he did to one of the game's elite players.

Veteran right tackle Jon Stinchcomb offered perhaps the highest praise a rookie can ever expect from a veteran.

Said Stinchcomb as he walked off the field, "I guess he didn't screw up too badly."

Follow the New Orleans Saints march all season long at RealFootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
philip		09:49 AM
11/08/2006
this draft of the Saints will go down as one of the best drafts in NFL history (or maybe Saints history). a starting LG Evans,...
No.2
Will Dalton		10:46 AM
11/08/2006
Thanks for the great article about Zach Strief and the Saints. You are right, the Saints had a great draft and are into having a...
No.3
shane		11:31 AM
11/08/2006
i too was shocked that simeon didnt even graze drew brees. its not that zack isnt probably a pretty good football player, its the...
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