Kaiser Rolls out notes on Saints game

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
There were two big things about this game - missing Michael Gallup and the Saints DL playing very well.

With Gallup out, the Saints focused on Amari Cooper (with Lattimore playing his best game in a long time, plus Cooper isn’t 100%) and the Dak-Cobb combo didn’t really connect to make them pay for it. Kellen Moore is a chess player and Gallup is one of the key chess pieces he needs.

The Saints DL outplayed the Dallas OL, which rarely happens. They stopped the run and gave Dak very little time in the pocket, so he never got to his third read like earlier games. Remember that NO had 7 sacks in their 3 point loss to Dallas last year, they definitely have the physical talent on defense.


We still win the game if the little breaks don’t all go against us. Witten’s fumble, Zeke’s fumble, etc. Dlaw actually tipped a pass that still fluttered straight into a receiver’s hands on a TE screen. We win if the little breaks had evened out, but thems the breaks. Those little things do even out over time.

And yes, Sean Payton is a great coach. But that doesn’t make Garrett a bad one. If the wiz kid in your son’s math class gets an A+ it doesn’t mean your son fails. He can still get an A or a B without being nearly as good as the kid who got a 100 on the test. I think the most likely scenario for the HC change is Kris Richard taking over with Garrett moving to the Front Office. But I would love to see Sean Payton as HC, Garrett in the front office and Kris Richard as the DC version of Will McClay who gets moneywhipped to stay in his current job.

The officiating was bad across the board but didn’t cost us the game, bad calls went against both teams. Its not really a factor, but its really annoying to see a game like this. Its like turning on a cop show and seeing an hour of a traffic cop writing people up for going 57 in a 55 mph zone.

Quinn was the unquestioned bright spot of this game, he was dominant. He was the player Dallas thought Randy Gregory might be. Sooooooooo, what happens if Gregory is reinstated? Dallas seems to think he will.

People are saying there is a problem with DLaw and there isn’t. If Crawford plays RDE instead of Quinn, DLaw would have had a multi-sack game, he was a half second behind Quinn getting to QB several times.

There is nothing wrong with Jaylon Smith or Maliek Collins either, both guys look like they are 100% now. There is something wrong with LVE though, I know he is playing through an injury but he only had 11 tackles. Definitely something wrong with him. (sarcasm)

Witten’s fumble was one of the things that cost us the game, but he actually looks quicker than he did in 2017.

Dorance Armstrong didn’t do much in the stat sheet but he got good pressure. He looks like the rotational DE version of Anthony Hitchens. A good 4th round pick that contributes, then leaves for a FA contract where we get a compensation pick in return.

I definitely would have tried the 70 yard FG.
 

shabazz

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,416
Reaction score
30,388
.......and the 2nd half adjustments did little to help the Boy King overcome that dreadful 26th ranked defense
 

ShiningStar

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,146
Reaction score
7,490
Garrett is a good coach, just not for us. He needs to do the right thing because this FO refuses to do it.

the rest is pretty much on.
 

Proximo

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,697
Reaction score
9,117
Sound, objective analysis OP.

We didn’t play our best ball, and we paid for it by losing a road game in a hostile environment.

IMO the fumbles killed us. If we get just one of those back I think we win. We also kept missing on 3rd down conversions that we were making with ease the previous three games.

Can’t blame the defense too much, when they got an INT, didn’t allow a TD and held the opponent to 12 total points.

I didn’t think the loss was too alarming, to be honest. We don’t need wholesale changes. We have a good team right now and a good FO.

We weren’t going to go undefeated....we are still in it. Every team is flawed these days.
 

shabazz

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,416
Reaction score
30,388
Ranked 26th after three games, all against playoff teams including the Rams.

Coming into the game Robert Quinn was the 86th ranked Defensive End, isn't he awful?

Rams gave up 50 to the Bucs, frankly they suck now
 
Messages
3,013
Reaction score
586
I don't understand how people think the sky is falling after losing a tough close road game against a team from the NFC title game. No they didn't have Brees, but Payton is a great coach and beating them on the road was going to be hard.

Every year you want to go undefeated at home and .500 on the road for a 12-4 record. Losing a game to a good Saints team on the road is not the end of the world. Everybody will forget about it if we come out and beat up the Packers this weekend.
 

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
What adjustments would that be?

Trading for Julio Jones at halftime, then teleporting him into the stadium.

Can you believe that idiot Garrett failed to do something that simple???
 
  • Like
Reactions: G2

ShiningStar

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,146
Reaction score
7,490
I don't understand how people think the sky is falling after losing a tough close road game against a team from the NFC title game. No they didn't have Brees, but Payton is a great coach and beating them on the road was going to be hard.

Every year you want to go undefeated at home and .500 on the road for a 12-4 record. Losing a game to a good Saints team on the road is not the end of the world. Everybody will forget about it if we come out and beat up the Packers this weekend.


we didnt lose because it was a titantic battle, we lost to a back up and with little reason. other teams have injuries and win, we have an injury and crap the bed. we also watched a back up qb shred us, a bad defense have their way with our so called number 1 offense.
 

Corso

Offseason mode... sleepy time
Messages
34,613
Reaction score
62,845
There were two big things about this game - missing Michael Gallup and the Saints DL playing very well.

With Gallup out, the Saints focused on Amari Cooper (with Lattimore playing his best game in a long time, plus Cooper isn’t 100%) and the Dak-Cobb combo didn’t really connect to make them pay for it. Kellen Moore is a chess player and Gallup is one of the key chess pieces he needs.

The Saints DL outplayed the Dallas OL, which rarely happens. They stopped the run and gave Dak very little time in the pocket, so he never got to his third read like earlier games. Remember that NO had 7 sacks in their 3 point loss to Dallas last year, they definitely have the physical talent on defense.


We still win the game if the little breaks don’t all go against us. Witten’s fumble, Zeke’s fumble, etc. Dlaw actually tipped a pass that still fluttered straight into a receiver’s hands on a TE screen. We win if the little breaks had evened out, but thems the breaks. Those little things do even out over time.

And yes, Sean Payton is a great coach. But that doesn’t make Garrett a bad one. If the wiz kid in your son’s math class gets an A+ it doesn’t mean your son fails. He can still get an A or a B without being nearly as good as the kid who got a 100 on the test. I think the most likely scenario for the HC change is Kris Richard taking over with Garrett moving to the Front Office. But I would love to see Sean Payton as HC, Garrett in the front office and Kris Richard as the DC version of Will McClay who gets moneywhipped to stay in his current job.

The officiating was bad across the board but didn’t cost us the game, bad calls went against both teams. Its not really a factor, but its really annoying to see a game like this. Its like turning on a cop show and seeing an hour of a traffic cop writing people up for going 57 in a 55 mph zone.

Quinn was the unquestioned bright spot of this game, he was dominant. He was the player Dallas thought Randy Gregory might be. Sooooooooo, what happens if Gregory is reinstated? Dallas seems to think he will.

People are saying there is a problem with DLaw and there isn’t. If Crawford plays RDE instead of Quinn, DLaw would have had a multi-sack game, he was a half second behind Quinn getting to QB several times.

There is nothing wrong with Jaylon Smith or Maliek Collins either, both guys look like they are 100% now. There is something wrong with LVE though, I know he is playing through an injury but he only had 11 tackles. Definitely something wrong with him. (sarcasm)

Witten’s fumble was one of the things that cost us the game, but he actually looks quicker than he did in 2017.

Dorance Armstrong didn’t do much in the stat sheet but he got good pressure. He looks like the rotational DE version of Anthony Hitchens. A good 4th round pick that contributes, then leaves for a FA contract where we get a compensation pick in return.

I definitely would have tried the 70 yard FG.
You're one of my favorite reads.
Thank you for giving me the privilege.
 

Verdict

Well-Known Member
Messages
25,960
Reaction score
20,118
There were two big things about this game - missing Michael Gallup and the Saints DL playing very well.

With Gallup out, the Saints focused on Amari Cooper (with Lattimore playing his best game in a long time, plus Cooper isn’t 100%) and the Dak-Cobb combo didn’t really connect to make them pay for it. Kellen Moore is a chess player and Gallup is one of the key chess pieces he needs.

The Saints DL outplayed the Dallas OL, which rarely happens. They stopped the run and gave Dak very little time in the pocket, so he never got to his third read like earlier games. Remember that NO had 7 sacks in their 3 point loss to Dallas last year, they definitely have the physical talent on defense.


We still win the game if the little breaks don’t all go against us. Witten’s fumble, Zeke’s fumble, etc. Dlaw actually tipped a pass that still fluttered straight into a receiver’s hands on a TE screen. We win if the little breaks had evened out, but thems the breaks. Those little things do even out over time.

And yes, Sean Payton is a great coach. But that doesn’t make Garrett a bad one. If the wiz kid in your son’s math class gets an A+ it doesn’t mean your son fails. He can still get an A or a B without being nearly as good as the kid who got a 100 on the test. I think the most likely scenario for the HC change is Kris Richard taking over with Garrett moving to the Front Office. But I would love to see Sean Payton as HC, Garrett in the front office and Kris Richard as the DC version of Will McClay who gets moneywhipped to stay in his current job.

The officiating was bad across the board but didn’t cost us the game, bad calls went against both teams. Its not really a factor, but its really annoying to see a game like this. Its like turning on a cop show and seeing an hour of a traffic cop writing people up for going 57 in a 55 mph zone.

Quinn was the unquestioned bright spot of this game, he was dominant. He was the player Dallas thought Randy Gregory might be. Sooooooooo, what happens if Gregory is reinstated? Dallas seems to think he will.

People are saying there is a problem with DLaw and there isn’t. If Crawford plays RDE instead of Quinn, DLaw would have had a multi-sack game, he was a half second behind Quinn getting to QB several times.

There is nothing wrong with Jaylon Smith or Maliek Collins either, both guys look like they are 100% now. There is something wrong with LVE though, I know he is playing through an injury but he only had 11 tackles. Definitely something wrong with him. (sarcasm)

Witten’s fumble was one of the things that cost us the game, but he actually looks quicker than he did in 2017.

Dorance Armstrong didn’t do much in the stat sheet but he got good pressure. He looks like the rotational DE version of Anthony Hitchens. A good 4th round pick that contributes, then leaves for a FA contract where we get a compensation pick in return.

I definitely would have tried the 70 yard FG.

Armstrong is a better rotational player than many guys who have started for us in years past. I like your Hitchens comparison. Good writeup.
 
Messages
3,013
Reaction score
586
we didnt lose because it was a titantic battle, we lost to a back up and with little reason. other teams have injuries and win, we have an injury and crap the bed. we also watched a back up qb shred us, a bad defense have their way with our so called number 1 offense.

The saints beat the Seahawks with that backup QB too, on the road no less. Losing on the road to the Saints is just not a big deal.

Did you think we were going to go undefeated on the road this season?
 

xwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
56,908
Reaction score
64,316
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan
There were two big things about this game - missing Michael Gallup and the Saints DL playing very well.

With Gallup out, the Saints focused on Amari Cooper (with Lattimore playing his best game in a long time, plus Cooper isn’t 100%) and the Dak-Cobb combo didn’t really connect to make them pay for it. Kellen Moore is a chess player and Gallup is one of the key chess pieces he needs.

The Saints DL outplayed the Dallas OL, which rarely happens. They stopped the run and gave Dak very little time in the pocket, so he never got to his third read like earlier games. Remember that NO had 7 sacks in their 3 point loss to Dallas last year, they definitely have the physical talent on defense.


We still win the game if the little breaks don’t all go against us. Witten’s fumble, Zeke’s fumble, etc. Dlaw actually tipped a pass that still fluttered straight into a receiver’s hands on a TE screen. We win if the little breaks had evened out, but thems the breaks. Those little things do even out over time.

And yes, Sean Payton is a great coach. But that doesn’t make Garrett a bad one. If the wiz kid in your son’s math class gets an A+ it doesn’t mean your son fails. He can still get an A or a B without being nearly as good as the kid who got a 100 on the test. I think the most likely scenario for the HC change is Kris Richard taking over with Garrett moving to the Front Office. But I would love to see Sean Payton as HC, Garrett in the front office and Kris Richard as the DC version of Will McClay who gets moneywhipped to stay in his current job.

The officiating was bad across the board but didn’t cost us the game, bad calls went against both teams. Its not really a factor, but its really annoying to see a game like this. Its like turning on a cop show and seeing an hour of a traffic cop writing people up for going 57 in a 55 mph zone.

Quinn was the unquestioned bright spot of this game, he was dominant. He was the player Dallas thought Randy Gregory might be. Sooooooooo, what happens if Gregory is reinstated? Dallas seems to think he will.

People are saying there is a problem with DLaw and there isn’t. If Crawford plays RDE instead of Quinn, DLaw would have had a multi-sack game, he was a half second behind Quinn getting to QB several times.

There is nothing wrong with Jaylon Smith or Maliek Collins either, both guys look like they are 100% now. There is something wrong with LVE though, I know he is playing through an injury but he only had 11 tackles. Definitely something wrong with him. (sarcasm)

Witten’s fumble was one of the things that cost us the game, but he actually looks quicker than he did in 2017.

Dorance Armstrong didn’t do much in the stat sheet but he got good pressure. He looks like the rotational DE version of Anthony Hitchens. A good 4th round pick that contributes, then leaves for a FA contract where we get a compensation pick in return.

I definitely would have tried the 70 yard FG.

Good post.

It's hard to know about the coaching with regards to what did Garrett do vs what did Moore do, etc..

Most people are complaining about running too much but Zeke only had 18 rushes while Dak had 33 passes.

Not running outside more was odd to me. They had several zone runs to the inside that failed. Zones runs work best when defenses have to be concerned that it might be an outside run. Zones runs where the RB appears to be going outside but then cuts back to the inside really helps the blocking because the playside DT, DE and LB will all flow in that direction to some extent taking them out of the middle of the field. That gives the blockers a leverage advantage.

Speaking of blocking, the Cowboys run blocking scheme concerns me. The scheme requires OLinemen to often make difficult reach blocks. It's easy to see at the snap.s that some of those reach blocks are impossible based on exactly how the defense was aligned, especially where the LBs were aligned.

The brilliance of the Rams run blocking scheme in the playoffs was that their OLinemen usually had the leverage advantage instead of the leverage disadvantage of reach blocks.

The Cowboys did attempt what I call the help reach block or hand-off block a few times but they need work on those. Instead of having the OL attempt to make a reach block, they have the OL with leverage make the block initially and then hand-off the block to the OL that would just be attempting a reach block if not for getting help initially. The initial blocker then quickly kicks out to block a LB. The Rams in 2018 had mastered the hand-off block. The Cowboys attempted one with Frederick initially blocking the DT and then attempting to hand-off the block to the Martin. Frederick then attempted to kick out and block a LB. The DT held Frederick a little bit to delay him from getting to the LB. Martin also didn't get good positing for when Frederick did release from the block.

The main reason the zone blocking issues concern me is that Columbo had Houck as his OL coach and they ran a man blocking scheme. The Cowboys started using both zone and man blocking in 2012 when Bill Callahan was hired as the OL coach. By 2014 they were really good in Callahan's blocking scheme. Callahan departed because he disliked Garrett. Jerry tried to get him to stay but when his contract was up, he bolted.

I thought the entire defense was good.
 

xwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
56,908
Reaction score
64,316
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan
Trading for Julio Jones at halftime, then teleporting him into the stadium.

Can you believe that idiot Garrett failed to do something that simple???

I'm working on a time machine. If it had been completed in time for the Saints game, I already had plans to go back to 1993 and get Erik Williams and then stop by 1995 and pick up Larry Allen.

If I finish it in time this week, then I'll go back and get 1993 Tuinei to fill in for Tyron.
 
Top