This is the dynamic Saints team that we have all been looking for. Total domination of the first half on the road, what a breath of fresh air!

If only we could play the 49ers and Falcons every game!! I savor these victories a little more since it was these 2 teams who haunted the Saints during my formative years.

I can feel the energy level rising in the Who Dat Nation!! Big game next week against the Jags who did us a huge favor in beating the Bucs today!!

This is the beginning of a must win game. The SAINTS are in contention if they win the games they are supposed to win.
CAROLINA plays INDY and we can count that as a loss.

On a weekly basis the SAINTS will have to have a must win attitude. If the SAINTS play well and win then they are on there way. The upcoming divisional games will be so important. The BUCS have an easy schedule and we have to win the game as well as hope our Divisional foes beat each other up splitting the wins.

Today the game will be interesting. I believe P. THOMAS will have a few more touches today. This will be the beginning of his all pro career. (Sorry DEUCE) He will compliment the SAINTS offense and will give the SAINTS another unexpected weapon. When DEUCE was in the line-up, the opponent’s defense would load up the box up with 8 man fronts. The difference now is the play calling. Payton needs to keep the play calling varied and not go back to specific packages when certain players are in the game. BREES is beginning to get the blocking up front on the Offensive line to have enough time to pass. Is FAINE’S injury a disguised blessing and how about DEUCE?

Today’s game will also be important for
HENDERSON. He will be played and watched by the coaching staff. I have been told that I have been very critical of him, but if he drops a few catches today, he will be written out of the line-up. Hopefully he will hold onto the ball today and if he performs he will be a primary target. Let’s pull for him to have a huge game with some catches across the middle. Look for COLSTON to finally have a great game today.

On defense SMITH and GRANT are starting to play better. This is because the defensive backfield is pressing the receivers better and the DEFENSE is not as tired as earlier games. With the OFFENSE finally on the field a little longer the DEFENSE is a little fresher.

JASON DAVID is an important equation on the DEFENSE. I have consistently stressed the player that USAMA YOUNG is. He is just a rookie but he will end up being the full time starter for a long time.

Look for a few blitz packages early in the game to try to shake up ALEX SMITH. If the cornerbacks hold true then this might be a long day for SMITH. The SAINTS will have to win the turnover battle.

Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints.com
Wednesday, October 24, 2007 – 10:42 AM

New Orleans Saints (2-4) at San Francisco 49ers (2-4)

Last Week: Saints defeated Atlanta, 22-16; SF lost at Giants, 33-15

Last Game Between Two Teams: 12/3/06: 49ers 10 at Saints 34. New Orleans RB Reggie Bush totals 168 yards from scrimmage & adds 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 rec.) to lead Saints.

Last Game at Site: 11/11/01: 49ers 28, Saints 27. 49ers QB Jeff Garcia throws for 252 yards & 4 TDs including 100 yards & 2 TDs to WR Terrell Owens.

Broadcast Information: FOX (1:15 PM PT): Matt Vasgersian, JC Pearson. Westwood One Radio: Harry Kalas, Jim Fassel. SIRIUS: 125 (NO), 122 (SF). Saints Radio Network: 870 AM WWL is the flagship station. Jim Henderson, Hokie Gajan, Gus Kattengill. Saints En Espanol: WFNO (830 AM) is the Spanish-language affiliate of the Saints. Marco Garcia handles the play-by-play duties, while Hector Pineda provides the color commentary.

NOTES

SAINTS: Have scored 50 points in past 2 vs. 51 points in 1st 4 games…QB DREW BREES is 2-0 vs. 49ers in career & has passed for 522 yards with 3 TDs vs. 1 INT in 2 meetings. When Brees has rating of 110+, his teams are 17-2 (.895)…RB REGGIE BUSH had career-high 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 rec.) in only game vs. SF. Had career-best 131 rec. yards (9 catches) in that contest, incl. career-long 74-yard reception. Became 1st player since 1967 with 100+ rec. yards & 3+ rush TDs in game. Rookie RB PIERRE THOMAS aims for 3rd game in row with TD…WR MARQUES COLSTON has 96 catches & needs 4 to reach 100 in career. WR DEVERY HENDERSON has 9 career TDs (347 yards) & averages 38.6 yards per TD catch. ERIC JOHNSON ties for 2nd among NFC TEs with 28 catches…DE CHARLES GRANT aims for 3rd in row vs. SF with sack. DE WILL SMITH has 8 sacks in past 13. Had sack & FF in only game vs. 49ers. CB MIKE MCKENZIE had 2 INTs in last meeting. S JOSH BULLOCKS had INT in only game vs. SF.

49ERS: Club is 5-0 when QB ALEX SMITH has 95+ passer rating. QB TRENT DILFER had career-high 151.5 passer rating vs. NO (11/7/99), completing 15 of 20 passes (75 percent) for 227 yards with 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs…When RB FRANK GORE has 20+ carries, 49ers are 8-1 (.889). In those 9, Gore has 1,252 yards (139.1 per game). RB MORAN NORRIS blocked punt for safety last week…WR ARNAZ BATTLE had 17-yard TD last week. Battle has reception in 26 games in row. WR DARRELL JACKSON had 7 catches for 98 yards in last game vs. NO (9/12/04 with Sea.). Jackson’s teams are 3-0 vs. Saints. Had TD reception last week vs. NYG…DE BRYANT YOUNG has 6.5 sacks in past 8 vs. NO. When Young has 1+ sacks, 49ers are 38-19 (.667). LB BRANDON MOORE had sack last week. DE MARQUES DOUGLAS has 2.5 sacks in past 5. Rookie LB PATRICK WILLIS (No. 11) leads team in tackles. LB DEREK SMITH had INT last week.

Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints
Sunday, October 21, 2007 – 4:20 PM

New Orleans, La. – The New Orleans Saints came back from a two point fourth quarter deficit and rallied for their second win in a row in an important NFC South showdown over the Atlanta Falcons. The 22-16 victory improved the Saints’ record in the NFC to 2-2 and 2-4 overall.

In a game that saw the lead change five times before it was all over, it was the Saints’ ability to make the big play when it was needed the most that proved to be the difference. Trailing 16-14 in the fourth quarter, Reggie Bush scored on a four-yard touchdown on a swing pass from Drew Brees with just over 5:00 to go to give the Saints a 20-16 lead. Bush then ran for a two-point conversion that upped the lead to 22-16. The Saints’ defense then did the rest, making the lead hold up and the Saints were able to force a late Atlanta punt that resulted in the Saints’ ability to run out the clock after picking up a first down.

“I thought that was a huge play in the game, quite obviously,” said Head Coach Sean Payton said of Bush’s touchdown. “That play he scored on was an outstanding special effort play. Not just by Reggie, but by the perimeter blocking as well.”

“That was a really tough win,” Payton continued. “We hung in there and faced some adversity and kept battling. I was pretty pleased with the effort of the entire team.”

“It was a big win for this organization,” said defensive end Charles Grant. “Last week we had five sacks, this week we had three and that was big for us. We have a lot of guys making plays right now and we were able to get after them a bit. Other teams are getting rid of the ball quickly, so we just had to work really hard to get that pressure on them.”

“We are sitting at 2-4 but we’re 2-2 in the division,” said Grant. “We just have to keep depending on each other. I like being the underdog.”

The Falcons accepted the opening kickoff and drove close to midfield before the Saints defense turned in two big plays. The first was a crunching open field tackle by Roman Harper on Falcons WR Michael Jenkins, and the second was a third down sack and by DE Charles Grant.

Lance Moore then ripped off a 48-yard punt return in which he juked the first man and then zipped up the sideline, picking up several key blocks along the way. The Saints were unable to convert Moore’s return into points, but did manage to back the Falcons up deep in their own territory courtesy of Steve Weatherford punt that was fair caught at the Atlanta 7 by return man Adam Jennings. The Saints’ defense then surrendered a mere two yards and again forced an Atlanta punt and began their second drive at the Atlanta 49.

“The punt return helped change the field position battle early on,” said Payton. “It was a big factor in our first score.”

The Saints took advantage of the field position and Bush ripped off 13 yards on consecutive carries. Brees then play-action faked and found a streaking Henderson matched up on linebacker Michael Boley down the seam for a highlight reel over the shoulder touchdown grab.

The Falcons turned in a big play of their own on the next series, as second-year speedster Jerious Norwood ripped off a 30-yard gain after getting around the corner. The Mississippi State product, who last week had a 67-yard TD run against the Giants, took the ball from the Atlanta 26 to the Saints’ 44. The Saints’ defense halted the Falcons at their own 20 and made the visitor’s settle for a Morten Andersen 38-yard field goal.

The Saints’ third offensive set of downs was stopped at their own 40-yard line after five plays. The Falcons began their next drive at their own 32 yard line and continued to try to run against the Saints, managing 10 yards and a first down on their first three plays of the drive. QB Byron Leftwich then hit rookie WR Laurent Robinson for a 23-yard gain and then hit Jenkins for a 19-yard gain to the Saints 16 yard line. Atlanta drove to the 10-yard line but they were backed up five yards by an illegal procedure call and were unable to convert a third down try and Andersen again hit a field goal, this time from 33 yards out.

Atlanta surprised the Saints by slipping in an on-side kickoff that Jennings recovered at the Atlanta 42 and the Falcons completed two quick passes as they moved into Saints’ territory. But the Saints’ defense blitzed Leftwich on two consecutive downs and held the Atlanta offense in check, forcing a punt that was fair caught by Moore at the Saints’ 13-yard line with 7:51 left in the second quarter. The Saints managed only five yards on three plays before punting the ball away and Atlanta started their drive at the Saints’ 44.

The Falcons capitalized on the good field position and drove the 44 yards in seven plays in 2:52. The Saints had the Falcons facing a third-and-15, but Leftwich connected with Jenkins for a 20-yard gain on the drive. The scoring play came on a third down pass from Leftwich to WR Roddy White that covered nine yards and gave the Falcons their first lead of the game, 13-7 with 3:31 left in second quarter.

The Saints then mounted a two-minute drive by a fourth down and one pass from Brees to TE Billy Miller was intercepted by LB Demorrio Williams just before the end of the first half. Brees said after the game he tried to slip the ball into Miller and that he saw the linebacker but tried the pass anyway, although he said in hindsight he wished he had tucked the ball in and ran for the first down. Time expired in the first half after one snap for the Falcons and the Saints re-grouped in their locker room.

The Saints then accepted the opening kickoff of the second half and hit a big play early, as Brees connected with TE Eric Johnson across the middle of the field for a 21-yard gain. Four plays later, Brees surprised the Falcons with a fourth down bootleg on a fourth-and one that went for nine yards and could have been more as Brees was pushed as he went out of bounds. The Saints then overcome a 10-yard holding call when Brees hit Johnson for a 15-yard gain and then Moore for a 10-yard pickup.

Rookie RB Pierre Thomas then picked up a block from center Jonathan Goodwin and made several more moves en route to a 24-yard touchdown run. It was Thomas’s second touchdown in as many weeks, having scored on a special teams fumble recovery last week. “That was a heck of a play,” said Payton. “The run was pretty good, obviously, and the blocking on that draw was good and Pierre showed good vision and patience.”

Atlanta’s first offensive series of the second half got off to a rocky start, as the initial handoff between Leftwich and FB Ovie Mughelli resulted in a fumble that Mughelli recovered after losing three yards. On the next play, Leftwich attempted to connect deep down the middle with former Saint Joe Horn, but the pass was incomplete and Leftwich was injured when Will Smith and Brian Young sandwiched the quarterback as he released the football. Leftwich’s ankle was described as an ankle injury as the veteran didn’t return to action the remainder of the afternoon.

Joey Harrington came in and misfired on his first pass and the Falcons were forced to punt and the Saints set up at their own 32. The Saints were unable to muster much on their second series and Steve Weatherford hit a 45-yard punt and rookie CB Usama Young tackle Jennings for a two-yard loss.

Harrington hit a key third down pass when he hit reserve TE Martez Minter for an 8-yard gain on a 3rd-and-7. Harrington and Laurent Robinson then connected on a 25-yard pass down the left sideline. But the Saints defense stiffened and pushed them back into their own territory after a three-yard loss on a running play and play in which a shotgun snap lost 16 yards and the Falcons again punted.

The Saints couldn’t overcome two holding calls that negated long plays and were forced to punt the ball away with just under a minute to go in the third quarter. Atlanta began at the Saints’ 40 and picked up a quick five yards on a pass from Harrington to Robinson but Norwood was stopped for no gain on second down from the Saints’ 35 on the final play of the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth, Harrington and White connected for a six yard gain and the first down. The Falcons were then guilty of two false start penalties that pushed them back to the 40, but Harrington hit White down the sideline for 32-yard gain on third down. The Saints then stopped the Falcons inside the 7 yard-line, but Andersen’s third field goal of the day gave the Falcons a 16-14 lead with 10:19 left in the game.

The Saints then marched 69 yards in 11 plays, with a 33-yard third-down completion from Brees to Marques Colston serving as the catalysts on the drive. Reggie Bush finished it off with a dynamic play on a third-and-goal from the 4 when he took a swing pass and was met at the one by S Lewis Sanders, who stood Bush up. But the second-year sensation broke free of Sanders’ grip and then dove into the end zone.

“How about Reggie Bush today?” asked LB Scott Fujita after the game. “That was unbelievable,” he said of the touchdown run. “He is so impressive. There was no chance he wasn’t going to score on that. Unreal. “

“The only thing that matters is that we won,” Bush said. “I was just excited to make a play. We had struggled at times during the game; it was a tough game today. But the win was important. We were both trying to get that second win.”

“I just kept fighting and didn’t know how I was going to get out of his arms, but somehow I did,” Bush said of his game-winning touchdown effort.

Bush then scored on an end around on the two-point conversion to give the Saints a 22-16 lead.

The Falcons, trailing by 6, started at their own 20 after a thundering Olindo Mare kickoff sailed out of the end zone for a touchback. Harrington completed a pass for 18 yards on a third-and-11 early in the drive which took the ball out to their own 32. The Saints stopped the Falcons near midfield as they turned up the pressure on Harrington and two screen passes fell incomplete. On third down just before to two minute warning, a screen pass fell incomplete to Warrick Dunn, who then spiked the bouncing ball and incurred a five yards delay of game penalty.

Atlanta Head Coach Bobby Petrino said after the game that he was considering going for it on fourth down. “When you get that fourth-and-eight and fourth-and-seven, you can still utilize some of your quick game and utilize some short catch and run. I was concerned about the protection and on a fourth-and-13 the percentages are not very good.”

The Falcons then punted and the Saints faced the prospect of running the clock out in the face of the Falcons’ three timeouts.

“We had three timeouts on the clock,” said Petrino. “Mike (Koenen) had been kicking the ball very well all day long. He had a nice punt there that got them at the 8 or 9 yard line. We had to have three stops.”

Bush took the first handoff and picked up four yards, then seven on the next carry for the first down and forced Atlanta to use all their remaining timeouts. The Saints widely settled for safe inside runs and had the prospect of having a one second difference in the game clock from the play clock. The Saints allowed the clock to wind down to :01 and on fourth down Brees took a knee as the clock expired. “They (the Saints) converted and that was it,” said Petrino.

“We are getting that swagger back,” Fujita summed up. “We have a long way to go and a tough game at San Francisco next week. That’s all we are worried about right now. But this win sure feels good.”

Notes: The biggest name among the Falcons pre-game de-activation was that of starting starting TE Alge Crumpler. The 6-2, 264 pound seventh year veteran from North Carolina ranks second on the Atlanta roster with 19 receptions thus far this season. Crumpler was listed on the Falcons’ injury report all week with both an ankle and knee injury … the attendance was 69,994 … Bush finished with 54 yards on 17 carries and five receptions for 19 yards and the score … Drew Brees was 22-of-34 for 219 yards with 2 TD passes and an interception for a passer rating of 90.2 … the Saints held the dangerous Atlanta pass rush without a sack, the second time they have accomplished the feat in the past two weeks … S Roman Harper, MLB Mark Simoneau and WLB Scott Shanle each tied for the team lead with 6 tackle each … the Saints registered 11 quarterback hurries, with Will Smith having a team-high three pressures … S Josh Bullocks and DT Brian Young had two each … DT Kendrick Clancy had his first sack as a member of the Saints.

The Saints play the rival Falcons this Sunday in the dome. The Saints got off to a good start last week with the a fumble recovery off a bad snap and hold by the Seahawks. Drew Brees looked like he regained his form from last year. He was hitting recievers down the field for the first time all season. He seems to have found a trustworthy target in Lance Moore the third year player out of Toledo who moved into the starting line up last week for the stone handed Devery Henderson. Perhaps last week was Reggie Bush’s coming out party. Sean Payton called alot of draws and misdirections which opened up huge holes and allowed Reggie to run downhill for the first time in his career. This is the offense we should all expect for the rest of the season.

Joe Horn returns to the dome since he left last season because as he said he wanted to go to a winner. To bad for him they have just as many wins as the Saints. I hope to hear alot of boos out of Saints fans this weekend. Atlanta is ranked 23rd in passing offense in and 21st in rushing this season. The Saints defense showed up last weekend only giving up 10 points last weekend. The Falcons however gave up 31 to a potent Giants offense on Monday night. The short week will also be a factor in the Saints favor, with Atlanta having one less day to prepare for the Saints fast offensive schemes.

The Fourth Girl of the Whodatnation this
season is Jamie! Jamie is a Whodatnation fan,
who never lost faith and now that they are
winning wants everybody else to get back on
the band wagon !

And guess what our next girl made a big splash
last year on youtube.. more details to follow !

What a night!! The first half the of the game, I was transported to 2006! Special teams that were special. A defense who put pressure on the Quarterback, and and offense that was creative and unpredictable ( which kept the Seattle defense confused most of the night!)

Will this same Saints team show up Sunday versus the Dirty Birds?? The Who Dat Nation needs to show up Sunday and ensure we have true home field advantage.

Do not fear, Who Dat Nation, the NFC South is a weak division so there is a distinct reality that 8-8 could make the playoffs. These are things we can ponder in future days, for now let us rejoice that the Saints are off the schneid!

*get off the schneid
To break a scoreless or win less streak (i.e., a schneid). According to the Sports Dictionary, the term “schneid” comes to sports ( baseball, football) via gin rummy, and in turn comes from German / Yiddish “schneider,” one who cuts cloth, i.e., a tailor.

Announcement: Saints fans, please do not panic. Silly of us to ever think that our favorite team is among the upper echelon of the National Football League. We were hoodwinked and bamboozled into believing in paper champions. They were calling our beloved New Orleans Saints, “The New America’s Team,” and we bought into it.

There are many reasons for the unintentional deception. They should have left well-enough alone, however our psyche got screwed in the process. Here we are one quarter of the 2007 football season in and it is 2001 all over again. This is definitely our father’s Saints team and there will be no quick turnaround. If we can take off the black and gold colored glasses for a second, let’s be real. We are two years behind the rest of the NFC South. Last year’s success really put us further away than we think. In reality, I enjoyed going for the ride last year but it will get worse before we take a turn for the better.

When the announcement came in January of 2006 that Sean Payton was going to be our head coach, my first reaction was one of “huh?” After all this was the same guy that had his play calling duties stripped on a couple of occasions. Case in point, we are now near the bottom of every offensive statistic there is. On another note, the Saints defense is just what it is. There are absolutely no playmakers on the defense and we tied up a boatload of money in a defensive end who is good for nothing but turning a play back inside. Our marquee free agent signees can’t even sniff the field, and our two greatest needs from last offseason have not been addressed efficiently.

I found a couple of mock drafts that I composed for this past year’s draft and found guys names that we could’ve made plays for. Tanard Jackson, Sabby Piscatelli, Gaines Adams are all contributing heavily to the Buccaneers. Chris Houston, Jamaal Anderson, David Irons, Stephen Nicholas, Laurent Robinson are all getting valuable playing time with the Falcons. Jon Beason will be a monster for the Panthers. Exactly what do the Saints have to offer from the 2007 draft. We drafted a one year wonder in Robert Meachem who is still inactive, another small school enigma in Usama Young, gave away 1 early round pick for a 5’8 cornerback who doesn’t even play our scheme. We gave away another early round pick to draft a running back who didn’t even make the team. David Jones and Marvin Mitchell played two positions of need for us and we didn’t fill those needs with playmakers in the first two rounds. We gave up our sure footed kicker and a draft pick for Olinda Mare, who struggles with extra points. Decisions like this leave Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton on the hook. They should be taken to task for not putting this organization in the best possible position to succeed.

Here are my thoughts on personnel moves. Josh Bullocks should have been gone a long time ago. Fred Thomas should have been gone the day after the NFC Championship game. Mark Simoneau, Scott Shanle are not NFL starters. Danny Clark should have been retained. Charles Grant should have been on the trading block on draft day. Jon Stinchcomb needs to be moved before next season. Jamal Brown should be move back to the right side. Promote Jermon Bushrod to starter at left tackle. Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson need to be moved. (Stay tuned for part two of this series)

Nathan T. Rideaux

John Kasay’s 52-yard field goal on the last play of the game sent the Saints to a bitter 16-13 loss, their fourth in as many games this season.

Kasay’s field goal capped a disasterous final 10 minutes of the game for the Saints, who seemingly were on the verge of putting the game away early in the fourth quarter. Julius Pepper’s block of a 20-yard field goal attempt by Olindo Mare started the series of miscues. The block killed a 23-play drive and kept Carolina within one score at 13-7. The Panthers then drove 85 yards for the game-tying score, a 17-yard TD catch by Steve Smith.

The Saints were their own worst enemies on the ensuing drive, when Devery Henderson dropped a potential game-deciding catch in Carolina territory. Worse, the deflection off Henderson’s hands bounced into Chris Harris’ hands for an interception.

Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie bailed out Henderson on the next drive with an interception of his own, returning it to the Carolina 37. Three plays later, Mare missed a 54-yard field goal wide to the left.

Given new life again, Carolina promptly drove 21 yards for Kasay’s game-winner.

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune October 07, 2007 4:05PM

The Third Girl of the Whodatnation this
season is Crystal ! Crystal is a very young
Whodatnation fan, just turning 19 but a
true fan who never misses a game !

After the Saints win next week we may
have a suprise for yall so make sure you
check back to see what it is !