Fletcher among nation’s fastest growing tech colleges
December 20, 2011
Mandry J. Bourgeois Sr.
December 22, 2011
Quarterbacks. Drew Brees needs just more than 300 yards over his final two games to break Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single season. Not bad. This guy’s a robot. There’s no other way to explain it. I’m a big fan of Mr. Marino. I always have been. But even he has to know his record is about to be toast.
Grade: A+
Halfbacks. Christopher Ivory took full advantage of a hapless Minnesota front, consistently pushing the pile forward for extra yardage. He’s a better back than Mark Ingram when healthy. The “when healthy” is the big if with Ivory, and Ingram, too, for that matter. If they could ever have the two together at the same time, the Black and Gold surely would have an explosive dose of both lightning and thunder.
Grade: A-
Receivers. Four guys recorded 70 or more receiving yards for the Saints. Yes, FOUR guys. The depth of the New Orleans wide receiver corps is truly amazing – it showed again this week. This group stops short of a perfect A+ because of a Jimmy Graham fumble, though. Don’t worry. If I had to guess, that will be far more fluke than pattern. Even I’ll admit he’s the best in the NFL.
Grade: A
Offensive line. Jared Allen got close a couple of times, but he never got the coveted cigar. That’s a rarity for the man who is approaching the single season all-time sacks record. To go an entire game against the Vikings without allowing a sack is impressive. When Drew Brees is clean in the pocket, bad things happen for New Orleans’ opponents.
Grade: A+
Defensive line. Christian Ponder is every bit of inept. Truly, he’s the worst first round pick I’ve seen this season. Oh wait, nevermind. There’s Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville. But even if Ponder weren’t inept, he still would have had no chance Sunday against a fierce pass rush. Good showing from the Saints’ front. A peak from that unit is a must with the playoffs looming.
Grade: A-
Linebackers. Against a roster consisting of Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson, your linebackers have to be on the ball in space. Neither Harvin nor Peterson had a serious impact in this game. The game was a rout precisely for that reason.
Grade: B+
Defensive backs. I’m not going to give praise to a group that feasted on a rookie quarterback under duress. Call me a hater if you like, but I’d like to see a little more from this mostly inept group before I point to the sky and shout Roman Harper’s greatness. But this was a better showing than they’ve had in months, so for that, I give the defensive backs credit. Not that saying that means much. They couldn’t have been much worse.
Grade: B
Special teams. I subtly hint it every week, but I’ll say it bluntly today. I trust other contending teams’ kickers more than I do John Kasay. By a wide margin, too. He’s far closer to Jason Garrett than he is Garrett Hartley. That’s not good news for a kicker. That field goal he shanked Sunday is proof of what I’ve said all along. The veteran is leaking oil down the stretch. Not good news.
Grade: B
Coaching staff. The Saints have had letdowns this season. That was never an issue Sunday in a dominant blowout of a mostly hapless Minnesota team. The Saints are peaking at the right time. The goal the final two regular season games is to keep that progression going and to not peak too soon.
Grade: A+
Overall the NFL is the most unpredictable professional sports league. On a day where the unthinkable happened all across the country, the Saints stayed true to the course and did what they were supposed to do, dominate. Next up, the Atlanta Falcons. That will be a much stiffer test with the playoffs looming.
Grade: A+
New Orleans Saints halfback Pierre Thomas makes a move during a game last season. A birthday boy in Sunday’s game, Thomas scored a touchdown, which helped spark New Orleans’ blowout rout of the Vikings. FILE PHOTO
