By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
October 23, 2009, 9:02AM
First (take) …
Last year we had the Brees/Marino pace to chart. This year, we have another historic offensive mark to monitor.
Chuck Cook/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and the offense are on a record pace.
It’s early, but the New Orleans Saints are on pace to set an NFL record for scoring. With 192 points in five games, the club is averaging 38.4 points a contest and is on pace to score 614 this season. The NFL record is 589 set by the 2007 New England Patriots. And lest you think it’s out of reach, the Saints still have games left against the Redskins, Rams and Bucs (twice).
The Saints have already posted three of the 10 highest single-game scoring outputs in club history. They’re on pace to shatter the club scoring record of 463, set last season. The Saints scored only 138 points in their first five games last season. Previously, the most the Saints had scored in the first five games was 143 in 2002.
Asked if he thought the Saints could continue to play at this current pace, quarterback Drew Brees did not discount it.
“Anything’s possible,” he said. “I feel like this is a special group. We could do something that has never been done before.”
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned. … And 10 (more observations)
1. Casual locker-room observation of the week: The Saints’ locker room is a largely a jovial place these days, what with the 5-0 start and all. Few players, however, are happier than defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, who walks around with a perpetual smile on his face. Considering his troubled background, he’s just “I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened. To be here with this team in this town at this time, sometimes I have pinch myself to make sure it’s real.”
2. Tweets of the week:
“Who Dat!!! No really Who Dat?” – Billy Miller, 8:35 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18.
“Need a massage!!! so happy for our city!!! new orleans is back… the best fans in the world… Im so glad the trade happened!! thx nyg.” – Jeremy Shockey, 1:31 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20.
“What a day! Had a great wildlife adventure today, our guide caught a gator and I got to hold it! Never thought that would happen!” – Chase Daniel, 6:31 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20
3.Quote of the week: “They’re undefeated, they’re probably smelling themselves, rubbing each other’s balls, all that (stuff).” – Dolphins LB Channing Crowder.
4. Didya notice of the week: Remi Ayodele has usurped Kendrick Clancy as the starting nose tackle. Clancy was healthy Sunday for the first time in weeks but Coach Sean Payton listed him on the eight-man inactive list. He acknowledged this week that Ayodele will be the regular starter there until someone beats him out. “You just knew when you were watching him, at some point he was going to be able to grow into the player that I think he’s grown into right now,” said Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who coached on the Dallas staff when Ayodele was a member of the Cowboys practice squad in 2007. “(He) had a big sack in the game the other day, so this guy is a strong, powerful, explosive type of a guy in there.”
5. Fact of the week: The Saints are establishing a lot of “firsts” this season and will try to accomplish another one Sunday: Win a game in Miami. The Saints are 0-3 in three games against the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl and Pro Player Stadium. The club has only played there once since 1980, a 30-10 loss in 1998.
6. Encouraging stat of the week: The Saints have rushed the ball on offense more times than they’ve passed it. Their 173:159 run/pass ratio makes them one of just six teams in the NFL to have run more than passed. Carolina, Miami, Oakland, the New York Jets and New York Giants are the others. Through five games last season, the Saints had passed the ball 194 times compared to 125 rushes.
7. Disturbing stat of the week: Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Reggie Bush’s punt return average dived even lower to a pedestrian 3.9 yards a return. Bush, who was on track to perhaps earn the NFC Pro Bowl nod as a return man before being injured, ranks 28th out of 29 returners in the NFL.
8. Something I liked from Week 6: Marques Colston is getting down the field for big pass plays. His 15.8-yards-per-catch average is close to his career-best 16.2 mark of a year ago. One of the knocks on Colston around the league has been that he’s not fast enough to beat NFL corners deep or physical enough to get off the jam at the line of scrimmage. But the fourth-year receiver is putting together a resume — 25 receptions, 394 yards, four touchdowns — that’s Pro Bowl worthy.
9. Something I didn’t like from Week 6: The special teams coverage was atrocious. The Saints made Domenik Hixon look like Devin Hester for most of the day. The club’s coverage units have been shaky all season and now rank 30th in both punt and kickoff return average allowed.
10. Fearless prediction for Week 7: I’ve picked the Saints to win every game this season but I’m hesitant on this one. The Dolphins are exactly the kind of team that should give the Saints fits. A powerful running team with a salty defense and tons of motivation. The Saints are playing on the road after a heady rout of the New York Giants and before a big Monday night showdown with the archrival Falcons. It all adds up the classic “trap” game? Dolphins 28, Saints 27.
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