On sloppiness, sluggishness and lessons learned

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, August 07, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

New Orleans Saints
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Preseason football games, we're told, are meaningless. After all, results of these summertime contests are erased in September for all to start the regular season 0-0. Such an opinion has always rankled this NFL fan, though: Aren't ballyhooed rookies and undrafted rookies fighting for their careers come August? Don't coaches coach the game as though it matters, complete with game plan and replay challenges? Aren't the injuries inflicted in these games just as real as those taken in November? And, ultimately, don't most of the players out there on the field want to win?

Not to mention that something like the Hall of Fame Game is as close to honest-to-Thorpe football we're going to get in the heat of summer. As my 15-year-old son laments pessimistically about this time of year, "It's terrible. Basketball season is years away, and your baseball team has probably already been eliminated from contention..."

Meaningless? Ha! The New Orleans Saints certainly shouldn't be treating their 20-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday as such. And if head coach Sean Payton has his way, they won't. Payton's well-publicized postgame sound bite proclaimed that, "There is no other way to spin this, we were sloppy and sluggish" and, "We have to get better in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams."

Hardly meaningless to several would-be Saints, then. Whose stock is rising and falling thanks to sloppiness and sluggishness? Read on!

Steve Weatherford. In a game assessment, finding the punter prominently mentioned in the positive spin is not exactly the most promising. However, give Weatherford props for his performance Sunday, which began with a 53-yarder to put the Steelers on their own 19 and included five more punts (sheesh) for a 47.2-yard average. A rookie and starter in 2006, Weatherford may be feeling pressure caused by the signing of veteran Chris Hanson.

Antonio Pittman. Pittman played with confidence and assurance while helping make third-stringer Jason Fife (see below) look good in the second half. The former Ohio State Buckeye resembled the unstoppable college version of himself, the one who ran for 5.3 yards per carry in his OSU career. One game and seven carries are scant support for medium-term promises, but the possible future without Deuce McAllister doesn't seem quite as scary right now.

Jason Fife. That sloppiness Payton referred to? Much of it can be ascribed to the quartet of quarterbacks who looked brutally bad, excepting my new main man Fife. He started the second half for the Saints and went an admirable 5-of-8 for 47 yards and New Orleans' only TD strike. Fife was with the Saints last year, but he saw his only pro action with the AFL's Las Vegas Gladiators where, as his Wikipedia entry hilariously points out, he was known for "throwing quite a few passes into the stands." Fife's show may keep him aboard for at least the time being, while 13-year man Jamie Martin may be in trouble.

Kevin Kaesviharn and Mike McKenzie. What was that about "sluggish"? Ben Roethlisberger connected with Cedrick Wilson, who beat Kaesviharn on his route and found McKenzie out of position, for 55 yards. Wilson followed that up with an 18-yard crossing route that also bested McKenzie. To top it off, Najeh Davenport plunged in for the touchdown as McKenzie tried in vain to stop him. Now it can be argued that, as veterans, Kaesviharn and McKenzie will be taking their time getting into game shape in the preseason; it's unlikely that Payton would be dissuaded with such an argument, however. Who else would hate to be either of these guys at practice this week?

The secondary in general. After Roethlisberger hurled a couple of long balls on the first drive, Pittsburgh QBs (most notably Charlie Batch) went 14-of-25 for 253 yards with one touchdown and zero picks thrown. Jason Craft was well out of position on the Steelers' sole passing TD and the screen pass to RB Carey Davis that became 33-yard gain was textbook football. Peewee league football. Seriously, the game clips look like a Steeler quarterback highlight film.

The passing game. OK, we really shouldn't make too much of Drew Brees' 1-of-6 for 6 yards, just as we can bypass the insignificance of minimally used Reggie Bush's two carries. Saints worshipers have to be praying that the likes of rookie Tyler Palko (4-of-8 for 53 yards and one pick) never have to come in for an injured Brees. And, as previously stated, Jamie Martin is probably no longer long for this game.

Sure, it's early and just as in the regular season, the past is already the past; the sloppy, sluggish Saints have a chance at redemption in worriers' eyes on Friday against the Buffalo Bills.

You can bet Payton won't forget for some time, though...

Counting the minutes until the New Orleans Saints' games "really matter" at RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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