Festivals abound in October
October 19, 2011
Grand Réveil Acadien!
October 19, 2011NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Quarterbacks. Drew Brees threw three interceptions, including one at the goal line to cost the team the game late. If the quarterback for my team did such a thing, he’d be hammered in the media. Brees deserves his share of the blame in this one.
Grade: C
Halfbacks. Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas combined for 33 yards on 16 carries. That’s not going to be good enough to beat ANYONE in the playoffs.
Grade: D
Wide receivers. Jimmy Graham is just impossible to guard. He’s another in a long line of explosive Saints weapons. What a great late-round draft pick.
Grade: A-
Offensive line. The run blocking is putrid, not a hole in sight. The pass blocking is still pretty good, however, with Brees not being sacked the entire game. That makes me wonder if it’s 100 percent the line’s fault for the struggles or if some blame should be dished to the halfbacks who have a knack for running straight into their blockers? I lean toward the backs being at fault, too.
Grade: B
Defensive line. With Tampa Bay starting halfback LeGarrette Blount injured, backup Earnest Graham made the Saints’ front pay, gashing the group for more than 100 yards on the ground.
Grade: C
Linebackers. While Graham had a huge impact in the running game, he wasn’t his normal self in the receiving game. Kudos to the Saints’ backers for a solid day at the office.
Grade: B+
Defensive backs. Josh Freeman is a good quarterback well on his way to becoming elite. He looked the part Sunday against the Saints’ defensive backs who are some of the league’s worst. There’s no way to hide it, they are some of the league’s worst.
Grade: D
Special teams. John Kasay and Thomas Morstead might be the most consistent special teams duo in the NFL. Darren Sproles usually is in that group, but his Reggie Bush impersonation on Sunday’s punt return is less than inspiring to say the least.
Grade: B
Coaching staff. The Saints’ coaching staff was broken Sunday, literally. The team’s offensive game plan was sound, but its coach got smacked, severely injuring his knee on a freak play on the sideline. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is fine physically, but his scheme is broken far worse than Sean Payton’s leg. That could spell serious problems going forward.
Grade: C
Overall, Tampa Bay is an upstart football team who was coming off an embarrassing loss. Long story short, the Saints had an uphill battle Sunday when one considers it was the Black and Gold’s third-straight road game. The defense’s struggles better be fixed going forward or losing may not be finished for 2011-12.
TEAM GRADE: B
LSU TIGERS
Quarterbacks. Neither Jarrett Lee nor Jordan Jefferson are statistical phenomenons, but combined they posted two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and more than 200 yards of total offense. The most important stat? No turnovers.
Grade: B+
Halfbacks. Very rarely do I agree with CBS analyst Gary Danielson’s mostly putrid commentary, but he summed up Spencer Ware better than anyone else I’ve ever heard. He said the LSU halfback is a “violent” runner. That sums it up well.
Grade: A-
Wide receivers. Jarrett Lee gets love because he’s a quarterback. Spencer Ware gets love because he’s a freight train. Odell Beckham gets love because he’s a true freshman. But what about Rueben Randle? The guy has quietly established himself as one of the best statistical receivers in the SEC.
Grade: A-
Offensive line. Without starting center P.J. Lonergan, the LSU offensive line struggled initially to get a push in the running game against Tennessee’s stacked front. That changed in the second half and the tide turned quickly.
Grade: B+
Defensive line. It was a bit disheartening to see Tennessee run the football effectively. Even more disheartening is that they are near last in the SEC in rushing offense. We’ll chalk that up as a fluke. In Mingo and Montgomery I trust.
Grade: B
Linebackers. I remember sitting in the LSU student section Ryan Baker’s freshman year when he was known as being the guy who recorded dang near every special teams tackle. It’s easy to see how and why, the guy has an eye for the football and has a relentless work ethic. What an underrated player in this defense full of stars.
Grade: A
Defensive backs. LSU didn’t blitz a whole heck of a lot against the Vols, opting instead to drop into coverage in passing downs. Why not do that? A backup quarterback won’t beat guys the likes of Morris Claiborne too often.
Grade: A
Special teams. There were no long returns, nor super special teams plays. Another good, solid showing from a group that doesn’t even have a special teams coach.
Grade: B+
Coaching Staff. For as much as I doubted Jordan Jefferson’s use, fans got a true blueprint as to how he could help the team Saturday. With eight and nine defenders in the box, LSU thrust Jefferson into the lineup and shifted to shotgun zone read sets. The result was offensive balance and a 30-point road win in the SEC. Kudos to Greg Studrawa for calling a sound game.
Grade: A
Overall, The LSU football team has turned the football over just three times all season. That’s dang near impossible. With firm control of the football, the Tigers force opponents to earn all of their points against a stingy defense. That’s a true recipe for success as the Tigers head to their final challenge before the big one, Nov. 5th’s showdown with Alabama. The college football world will be quaking when those two teams step onto the field. Mark me down as one who can’t wait.
TEAM GRADE: A
NSU COLONELS
Quarterbacks. Landry Klann wanted to solidify his position as starter following a great 2011 debut. The picture is as murky as ever after Klann threw a handful of passes to the other team.
Grade: D-
Halfbacks. How does one grade a halfback corps in such a blowout? The team obviously had little plan to run the football for more than 50 percent of the game. Even with those challenges, they still got more than 100 yards on the ground. To me, that’s a success on a day filled with failure.
Grade: B+
Wide receivers. The team had just seven completions all game and four were by halfback Jesse Turner. That’ll tell you the type of day it was for the Colonels’ receivers.
Grade: F
Offensive line. For once, the team’s offensive line isn’t the main culprit for the Colonels’ lack of success. The team ran the ball effectively and Klann and backup LaQuintin Caston were sacked only three times.
Grade: B-
Defensive line. The Colonels got a push in the running game, but it was nothing compared to that of Sam Houston State, who gashed Nicholls for close to 200 yards on the ground.
Grade: C
Linebackers. The Colonels gave up rushing yards ‘o plenty, sure. But a lot of that is because Sam Houston shifted to the run with such a big lead. The Colonels limited its opponent to fewer than 4 yards per carry thanks in part to the team’s crafty linebackers.
Grade: B-
Defensive backs. Sam Houston State did what they wanted through the air, completing 17-of-25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. That’s the story of the game for the Colonels.
Grade: D
Special teams. The Colonels are usually sound on special teams and weren’t necessarily bad Saturday in the blowout. But Bobby Felder returned a punt for a 22-yard loss. That’s hard to do.
Grade: C
Coaching staff. Landry Klann was supposed to be the spark the team needed. This week, he wasn’t. Will he be next week? Who knows? The Colonels have no answers right now. As a result, wins are hard to come by. This isn’t going the way Charlie Stubbs and the Colonels planned.
Grade: D
Overall, The Colonels did some things right Saturday, but the team lost by 40 points. I like Charlie Stubbs as much as the next guy, but the Colonels don’t appear to be a more competitive football team than they were last year. Someone needs to be made responsible for that.
TEAM GRADE: F
