01-15-2018, 03:12 PM
Still riding the high from last night, but looking ahead to this Sunday, these are things I feel we need to work on for this game.
1) Pass Rush: I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about our pass rush being very average since EG developed Plantar Fasciitis. We had some
early pressure on Brees, but as the game settled in, especially the second half, Brees had way too much time and was extremely comfortable waiting
for his receivers to create separation. That has to improve this game against Foles, and if we make it past the Eagles, Brady in the Super Bowl.(I don't
think the Jags have a repeat performance against the Pats in the AFC Championship.) Hunter has disappeared as well, and we don't seem to be doing anything other than a straight ahead rush of our 4 lineman. I'm not seeing any stunts. We only blitzed 5 times in the first half, not sure what we did
in the second half, but the front four have to do a better job for this defense to be effective with it's scheme of man coverage.
2) Offensive Line: Our Pass Protection really struggled this game, especially in the second half after the Saints started throwing more stunts at us. Case was under constant duress and pressure and our Passing game started to stall. I give the Saints a lot of credit for the adjustments they made in the second half. Not sure about the move of Remmers to LG and Hill to RT for this game, especially when a lot of the Saints pressure was coming up the
middle after their stunts which made it difficult for Case to step up and find space to move in the pocket. The Eagles front will be an even bigger challenge for our O Line.
3) Wright needs more reps. He shouldn't be splitting time with Treadwell or Floyd. He continues to perform at a high level and makes critical plays when we need to move the chains.
4) McKinnon needs a bigger role in the Passing game vs. what we saw against the Saints. He is a matchup nightmare and we really didn't utilize him much in the passing game. He may not be as talented as Kamara, but he definitely needs to see more touches in space as a receiver. He makes things happen in the open field. Even as good as Kendrick's is, you saw what happened when he had to cover Kamara when he was a receiver.
5) The Saints defense is susceptible to Tight Ends but Rudy seemed to be a non-factor all night. Not sure if he is still injured, but he seemed to struggle to get open and the Saints had those fade routes well covered. We really need him to step up or find more opportunities for Morgan who has proven he can make plays when given the opportunity.
6) Critical Mistakes: This one is stating the obvious, but Case's interception was just a terrible decision and one you can't make with a 17-0 lead. It led to a short field and 7 points by the Saints, and changed the momentum of the game. If you can't throw it away, take the sack. It's OK to punt when we have this defense. The blocked punt was another disastrous momentum swing that led to 7 points. I know we have a new long snapper, but being able to block a punt up the middle shouldn't happen. Priefer needs to get that fixed. The sack that Case took in the opening drive in the second half was also a killer and knocked us out of field goal range. Thank goodness he got the ball out in time before his knee touched the turf on the challenge play that led to our field goal. Hopefully a game of playoff experience for this team will go a long way towards fixing those issues going into next week.
7) Coaching: This is the first game in a long time where I felt both Shurmur and Zimmer were outcoached in the second half. I'm sure having a 17-0 lead led to the ultra conservative and complacent approach in the second half, but we really didn't seem to make any adjustments. Hopefully they learned from this and realize these teams are too good to take your foot off the gas pedal.
This game didn't have to come down to the Minneapolis Miracle. Had we eliminated those critical mistakes, hit the field goal, scored a TD when it was first and goal inside the 5 yard line, this game would have played out much differently. The Eagles game will be an incredible defensive battle, but I like our chances and think our offense is better with Case vs the Eagles and Foles. Hopefully we can come a way with a comfortable victory. I don't think my
heart is strong enough for another finish like last night.
1) Pass Rush: I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about our pass rush being very average since EG developed Plantar Fasciitis. We had some
early pressure on Brees, but as the game settled in, especially the second half, Brees had way too much time and was extremely comfortable waiting
for his receivers to create separation. That has to improve this game against Foles, and if we make it past the Eagles, Brady in the Super Bowl.(I don't
think the Jags have a repeat performance against the Pats in the AFC Championship.) Hunter has disappeared as well, and we don't seem to be doing anything other than a straight ahead rush of our 4 lineman. I'm not seeing any stunts. We only blitzed 5 times in the first half, not sure what we did
in the second half, but the front four have to do a better job for this defense to be effective with it's scheme of man coverage.
2) Offensive Line: Our Pass Protection really struggled this game, especially in the second half after the Saints started throwing more stunts at us. Case was under constant duress and pressure and our Passing game started to stall. I give the Saints a lot of credit for the adjustments they made in the second half. Not sure about the move of Remmers to LG and Hill to RT for this game, especially when a lot of the Saints pressure was coming up the
middle after their stunts which made it difficult for Case to step up and find space to move in the pocket. The Eagles front will be an even bigger challenge for our O Line.
3) Wright needs more reps. He shouldn't be splitting time with Treadwell or Floyd. He continues to perform at a high level and makes critical plays when we need to move the chains.
4) McKinnon needs a bigger role in the Passing game vs. what we saw against the Saints. He is a matchup nightmare and we really didn't utilize him much in the passing game. He may not be as talented as Kamara, but he definitely needs to see more touches in space as a receiver. He makes things happen in the open field. Even as good as Kendrick's is, you saw what happened when he had to cover Kamara when he was a receiver.
5) The Saints defense is susceptible to Tight Ends but Rudy seemed to be a non-factor all night. Not sure if he is still injured, but he seemed to struggle to get open and the Saints had those fade routes well covered. We really need him to step up or find more opportunities for Morgan who has proven he can make plays when given the opportunity.
6) Critical Mistakes: This one is stating the obvious, but Case's interception was just a terrible decision and one you can't make with a 17-0 lead. It led to a short field and 7 points by the Saints, and changed the momentum of the game. If you can't throw it away, take the sack. It's OK to punt when we have this defense. The blocked punt was another disastrous momentum swing that led to 7 points. I know we have a new long snapper, but being able to block a punt up the middle shouldn't happen. Priefer needs to get that fixed. The sack that Case took in the opening drive in the second half was also a killer and knocked us out of field goal range. Thank goodness he got the ball out in time before his knee touched the turf on the challenge play that led to our field goal. Hopefully a game of playoff experience for this team will go a long way towards fixing those issues going into next week.
7) Coaching: This is the first game in a long time where I felt both Shurmur and Zimmer were outcoached in the second half. I'm sure having a 17-0 lead led to the ultra conservative and complacent approach in the second half, but we really didn't seem to make any adjustments. Hopefully they learned from this and realize these teams are too good to take your foot off the gas pedal.
This game didn't have to come down to the Minneapolis Miracle. Had we eliminated those critical mistakes, hit the field goal, scored a TD when it was first and goal inside the 5 yard line, this game would have played out much differently. The Eagles game will be an incredible defensive battle, but I like our chances and think our offense is better with Case vs the Eagles and Foles. Hopefully we can come a way with a comfortable victory. I don't think my
heart is strong enough for another finish like last night.
