Drew Brees is on pace to throw nearly 700 times this year and to be sacked nearly 40 times which are the highest totals since he has been a Saint. The more Drew throws the less efficient he is. Drew Brees threw the ball in the Super Bowl year far less than most of his years as a Saint. He only threw the ball 514 times the Super Bowl year. Last year he threw it 658 times. He threw the ball 144 more times last year than the Super Bowl year and it netted the following:

1 less TD pass then the Super Bowl Year

232 more passing yards than the Super Bowl Year

11 more interceptions than the Super Bowl Year

Throwing more does not equalize more efficiency per throw. Now last year we were injured at the RB position which meant more of a reliance on Drew, this year there is no excuse for it. We faced the worst ranked rush defense last week and we ran the ball 20 times and passed it 45 times. Drew is at his best when there is a solid commitment to the running game is going. Sure here and there he can carry you without it but Sean is too reliant on that when he should support him with the running game which helps slow the pass rush and opens up play action. The Saints threw 630 plus times in every year but 06′ and 09′. They threw it 554 times in 06′ and 514 times in 09′. In both of those years the offense was more multi-dimensional and the team had greater results, in every other year the offense is Drew and one man won’t have as many results as the collective. When you think of Drew’s pinnacle performances as a Saint the majority of them have come accompanied with a commitment to the ground game.

Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune

The momentum gained by the St. Louis Rams – scoring a pair touchdowns just before halftime to take a 17-0 lead into the break – was a game-changer and possibly the decisive factor in the New Orleans’ Saints ultimate 31-21 loss, Coach Sean Payton said Monday.

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Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

St. Louis – Trick, or treat? It changes from week to week with these New Orleans Saints, who continued a frighteningly inconsistent October with one of their worst all-around performances in recent memory.

The Saints lost 31-21 Sunday to a previously winless St. Louis Rams team inside a sparsely filled Edward Jones Dome, falling to 5-3 at the halfway point of the season.

“It’s disappointing. I’m disappointed,” said Coach Sean Payton, who had just spent the past two weeks stressing to his team the importance of giving a more consistent effort – a point that seemed to get through to them when they routed the Indianapolis Colts 62-7 just seven days earlier.

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By Pat Yasinskas

We’re not even officially at midseason yet, but there’s one race we can go ahead and call.

In the category of “Best NFC South free-agent signing,” we have a winner. It’s New Orleans’ Darren Sproles.

Yeah, Ray Edwards is fitting in pretty well with Atlanta, Michael Koenen’s doing a nice job in Tampa Bay and Ron Edwards would have been a really nice pickup for Carolina if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. If we’re going to include a Carolina player in the honorable-mention slot on this one, let’s bend the rules a bit and go with tight end Greg Olsen, who wasn’t a free agent, but came in a trade with Chicago.

But none of those guys has come close to doing what Sproles has for the Saints. They’re all pretty much doing what they did in their other stops.

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Previewing the New Orleans Saints’ (5-2) game Sunday against the host St. Louis Rams (0-6). Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the game will be televised by Fox.

Opening line: Saints by 13

Record vs. spread: New Orleans 4-3; St. Louis 0-6

Series record: Rams lead 38-31

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Recapping the New Orleans Saints 62-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Taking a closer look at key matchups and outstanding players in the Saints’ record-breaking performance.

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By Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. – It’s too early to say for sure. But there might come a day when historians look back to find the precise time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned the corner. Sunday might end up being that day.

A team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2007 season and is only slightly removed from a horrid 3-13 2009 season, did what didn’t seem possible as recently as a week ago. The Bucs pulled off their biggest win since Raheem Morris took over as head coach in 2009.

The defense created four turnovers, Earnest Graham stepped in at tailback and rushed for 109 yards, and Josh Freeman threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns as the Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-20 at Raymond James Stadium.

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