On Sunday-Monday-Tuesday, we have to grind to process all the highlights, box scores and play-by-plays. We have the revised overall rankings that go out on Tuesday morning, and we need to put together the game previews for Wednesday morning. Once we get over that hump, I like to go back and watch the original broadcasts of games, because invariably I end up with a better understanding of what’s going on and what we should expect in the future. (And I can then adjust the rankings accordingly, before locking in on my final projections on Friday afternoon).
First game I wanted to check out this week was the Saints and Bucs. I hadn’t seen too much of this one earlier in the week because these were teams playing in games where Andy Richardson was doing the Week 3 previews.
I’ve watched it now, and I have a few observations.
The Saints, in my opinion, definitely showed up flat. I am of the belief that many of their players probably felt they needed to do little more than show up at the stadium to beat Tampa Bay, given how poorly the Bucs played in their first game. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, played like a team that had been read the riot act.
I am disappointed that I didn’t give this outcome at least a mention in the Week 2 product. As I was putting that together, it occurred to me that the Bucs had been in a similar kind of game last year. They had been clobbered by the Falcons 56-14 in a Thursday night game in Week 3, looking like absolute garbage. But the next week, instead of being a speed bump, they went out and upset the Steelers at Heinz Field. Lovie Smith, apparently, has some ability to help get a team off the canvas.
Drew Brees. He was playing with a damaged shoulder, and that was apparent on some of his throws. In particular, he had Brandin Cooks open for a long bomb in the second half but underthrew him by 10 yards. But the shoulder injury didn’t occur until the end of the first quarter. Brees also played poorly prior to the injury, with a couple of misfires and fumbles. Protection wasn’t great, but he can also take some of the blame. We have enjoyed watching Peyton Manning and Brees for years, but the reality is that both of these guys are really close to the end.
Prior to his shoulder injury, the Saints punted on all of their first three drives. They moved it pretty well on their opening drive, but Austin Johnson let the ball hit him on the belly on a drop that would have put them in the red zone.
C.J. Spiller. On the first possession, they got him the ball on a pass and he looked damn fast popping outside for 19 yards. He had an extra gear. But I wonder how healthy he is. They were wrapping his knee in ice between series. Who goes out for 2-3 plays, then needs to have his knee iced? I am of the opinion now that he’s definitely just a gadget player. Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson will do most of the running. Spiller will be mixed in here and there for a few catches and carries, but I’m guessing he won’t have double-digit touches in a game all year.
The Saints use a lot of players. Too many, really. All four of their wide receivers had 5-7 targets – Brandin Cooks, Marques Colston, Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman. I saw Joseph Morgan out there too. Ben Watson and Josh Hill are both in and out of the game. They’re using the three running backs. Fullback Austin Johnson punched in a touchdown on a changeup play. With Brees having the damaged shoulder, I suppose the logical extension is to have him rotate with Luke McCown.
Willie Snead. Andy pointed him out in his Week 3 preview. I can’t believe we’re talking about him, but he’s part of their offense. He had a 63-yard catch in Week 1, and he caught 4 passes for 44 yards (with a touchdown) in this game. He’s playing just as much as Colston and Coleman.
Zach Hocker. Saints don’t seem to have any confidence in him. On their opening drive, they had a fourth-and-five from the 35-yard line and elected to punt (drawing boos from the crowd). How many other teams, in a dome, would pass on a 52-yard field goal attempt. I’m figuring New Orleans will replace Hocker soon, probably replacing him with Nick Novak.
For the Bucs, Jameis Winston has below-average mobility, but he does look to run some. He ran for 2 TDs in the preseason, and he ran for another touchdown in this game. He also used a spin move to pick up a couple of extra yards to pick up a first down on a third-down run. Can’t believe he’s ahead of Marcus Mariota 3-0 on touchdown runs right now.
Mike Evans clearly isn’t healthy or wasn’t part of the game plan in this game. (He missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury). He seemed to be off the field more often than on. He was splitting time with Louis Murphy, who is now the answer to a neat trivia question (“Who is the only player who’s caught passes from five different quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall” – JaMarcus, Palmer, Newton, Manning and Winston). Anyway, Evans had yet to catch a pass this year. Winston is 0-for-8 throwing to him. Until I see Evans actually do something on the field, I think the correct course is to rank Vincent Jackson a little higher.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Had a really athletic catch early in this game, but he also injured a shoulder. Will be out 4-6 weeks.
Doug Martin is running hard, but the Bucs also worked in Charles Sims plenty in this game. Martin had 21 carries; Sims had 8.
—Ian Allan