Saints, Tigers victorious another week

New Orleans Saints:

Quarterback: Drew Brees threw a couple of interceptions, his first of the 2011 season. But he made sure to make up for his mistakes in a big way, carrying the team’s offense on his back en route to victory.

Grade: A

Halfbacks: Both Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas had good yards per carry averages. The Saints just choose to go away from the running game sometimes, even when it’s working. The team ran more in the second half and the score flipped around. Coincidence? I think not.

GRADE: B+

Receivers: With Marques Colston still ailing, Lance Moore absolutely took over the game Sunday, dominating his slot matchup against the Texans’ defense. So much praise is given to Brees and rightfully so, but the Saints’ receivers are the best in the game, too. His success is largely dependent on their success and this group doesn’t get nearly enough credit.

GRADE: A

Offensive line: Rushing four defenders for the majority of the game, the Texans were able to generate a decent amount of pressure on Drew Brees. That needs to be better. The only time he’s not effective is when he’s under duress. Limit the number of times he’s under duress and imagine how special things could be.

GRADE: B-

Defensive line: The Texans really did pretty much whatever they wanted Sunday, except when they were in the red zone. It’s hard to give any facet of the Saints’ defense a sparkling grade.

GRADE: C

Linebackers: Jonathan Vilma was out with an injury. It showed. The Texans consistently hit Owen Daniels and also little-known tight end James Casey over and over to chalk up yards and move the chains. Vilma needs to be back, sooner rather than later.

GRADE: D+

Defensive backs: The defensive backs were toasted like bread for most of the game, but ultimately ended up finishing strong with an interception and a number of late secondary blitzes to throw the Texans off balance in the game’s final few possessions. Allowing close to 400 yards passing still isn’t amazing, though.

GRADE: C

Special Teams: Is Darren Sproles quick or what? This guy is so much more effective than Reggie Bush it’s unreal. See also: the countless columns I’ve written in the past two years detailing Reggie’s ineffectiveness and overrated status in the team’s offense and return game.

GRADE: B+

Coaching Staff: Gregg Williams needs to do some soul searching because right now his defense isn’t very good. But on the other hand, Sean Payton’s offense continues to glide along and is torching everyone in their path. What gives? The old adage is that defense wins championships. The Saints need to be better on that side of the ball. I think they know it, too.

GRADE: B+

OVERALL GRADE: The Packers, Bears and Texans are all probable playoff teams. The Saints took two of three games from those stiff foes. With a soft spot in the schedule, the team needs to keep its forward momentum chugging because every game won or lost is the difference between hosting a playoff game or traveling to a faraway land like Seattle or Chicago. I’m sure you Saints’ historians understand what I mean.

TEAM GRADE: A-

LSU Tigers:

Quarterback: A lot of announcers like to say the cute phrases like “Jarrett Lee manages the game well.” That’s hogwash. This kid is doing much more than that. He’s making plays. An offense doesn’t hang close to 50 with a game manager under center.

GRADE: A+

Halfbacks: Michael Ford is the best backup halfback in America. With another stout performance, the LSU back now has six touchdowns for the season. The guy he’s subbing for isn’t half bad, either. Just ask West Virginia’s still tired defense.

GRADE: A

Receivers: Russell Shepard was what he’s always been, inconsistent and a bit of a disappointment. Odell Beckham has emerged to be what Shepard should be, a legitimate threat on the edges. Oh yeah, Beckham’s a true freshman, too.

GRADE: B+

Offensive line: The LSU offensive line has run blocked well every game this season. But what goes unnoticed is the group’s pass blocking. Jarrett Lee feels no defensive pressure out there at all. What a huge plus to him as he’s worked to build his psyche.

GRADE: A+

Defensive line: West Virginia’s a pass-first team, yes. But they were even more pass-first because they had no chance to run against the Tigers’ stout front. I’m a bit disappointed the Tigers didn’t score a sack, though.

GRADE: B

Linebackers: It was a bit disappointing to see so many missed tackles from the LSU backers defending the Mountaineers short passing attack. The good news is the Tigers won’t see another offense like this one the rest of the season.

GRADE: B

Defensive backs: One could easily look at the stats and say LSU allowed more than 400 yards passing and thus had a bad day. But a majority of those yards came in unimportant situations. Combine that with Tyrann Mathieu’s ability to completely dominate a game and it’s hard to give this group too bad a grade.

GRADE: B+

Special Teams: The LSU snapper and holder both could probably use a swift kick in the butt after that embarrassing show Saturday. But LSU won the game on an incredible kickoff return for a touchdown and also on countless punts downed inside the 10 or even the 5-yard-line. It’s hard to find too much fault with these guys.

GRADE: A

Coaching Staff: The offensive game plan was perfect, mixing running and passing on first down to keep the Mountaineers off balance. I felt the defense didn’t blitz nearly enough and sometimes paid the price. But it’s hard to nitpick a staff that beat a ranked opponent on the road by 26 points. Another solid effort.

GRADE: A-

OVERALL GRADE: LSU’s now the No. 1 team in the country after blowing away a brutal early schedule. But the challenge isn’t to be No. 1 in October, it’s to be No. 1 in mid-January. Can the Tigers hold on? Who knows. You have to like their chances more than anyone else’s after seeing the way this team has been able to handle three separate big-time challenges away from Tiger Stadium. What a start!

TEAM GRADE: A+

Nicholls St. Colonels:

Quarterbacks: The completion percentage isn’t bad. The yards per completion is just seriously lacking right now for Nicholls State. A lot of that is blocking issues. But a lot of that is also LaQuintin Caston and Beaux Hebert’s lack of confidence in hitting a pass down the field. No excuses anymore. Go out and make plays.

GRADE: D+

Halfbacks: Ellender product Jesse Turner returned to action after suffering a season-ending injury last season. Neither he, nor any Colonels’ halfback were able to make a statement against the Demons’ defense.

GRADE: C-

Receivers: The Colonels field a roster of mostly wide receivers recruited into a triple option offense. It really does show sometimes as the group’s lack of athleticism and polish shows up in big situations.

GRADE: C

Offensive line: There was little-to-no run blocking Saturday and Caston and Hebert were consistently knocked on their butts. It’s easy to see why the Colonels were shut out. It starts up front.

GRADE: F

Defensive line: The Demons picked their shots along the Colonels line to the tune of 200+ rushing yards. Any team able to find pay dirt on the ground will have success. The Colonels’ big boys need to tighten up going forward.

GRADE: B-

Linebackers: With the Colonels’ line absorbing blocks, it’s the linebacker’s job to fill the holes up and make plays. They didn’t Saturday in a fairly unimpressive showing.

GRADE: D+

Defensive backs: The Demons aren’t exactly a passing team. But they did convert three touchdown passes in Saturday’s rout. The yardage wasn’t big, but the touchdowns speak for themselves.

GRADE: C+

Special Teams:, The Colonels had a few solid returns and also covered kicks fairly well. A solid showing from a good group.

GRADE: B

Coaching Staff: I won’t lie, I expected Nicholls to be ready to play after pushing UL-Lafayette to the brink last Saturday. Whether it was overconfidence or poor planning, the Colonels clearly weren’t ready, falling behind by 21 points in the first quarter. As much as I love Charlie Stubbs’ program transition, he must eat a lot of the blame for his team failing to show up Saturday in an embarrassing loss.

GRADE: D-

OVERALL GRADE: Nicholls should be beyond this. They should be beyond the days of suffering home blowout losses to conference opponents. They should be beyond trailing 21-0 at the end of first quarters and seeing the opponent coast the rest of the game. They aren’t and it could be another long season in the W/L column if the team doesn’t fix itself quickly.

TEAM GRADE: D

LSU defensive back Tharold Simon breaks up a pass in LSU’s blowout win against West Virginia. The Tigers are now the No. 1 team in America according to the latest AP Top 25 Poll. AP PHOTO

Jeff Gentner