2-2 start, what are your thoughts? (2 Viewers)

[Que Que 6]

Not all 2-2 records are created equal. I am satisfied looking at this team as they are playing right now. The loss at ATL stings, but the team has shown in my eyes that they are indeed a competitive team this year, and that they can play competitive football against anyone. They have shown more than enough to believe they have a fighting chance against the Chiefs next week.
What are your thoughts?

I will have 0 percent hopes/expectations for the remainder of the year. What happens if we win next 5 games? Still watching with 0 percent expectations. Won't get me all delirious/sad/mad all at once anymore this year.

 

[HoustonCajun]

I can’t get my head around this take and the loyalty some of our fans have towards DA at this point. He’s head coach of this team and is therefore responsible for all of it. We’re in year 3 now, the same ridiculous mistakes are happening and the same close games are being lost in the same fashion.

It’s gone on for more than long enough now to be a reflection on him as a HC. He is what his record says he is, not very good. We’re well on our way to 8 or 9 wins, just missing out on the playoffs again and fans telling themselves we’ll get there next year because we were just a few stupid mistakes and close losses away. If/when that happens it’s time to close the book on this era of mediocrity and start again with a new HC/QB pairing. I really hope to be proven wrong by DA.

I’m honestly done with the guy. He is not a good head coach and the sooner we get rid of him the better.

 

[SigFreudianSlip]

I kept saying I expected an up and down, 8-9 type season.

After we crushed Dallas I started to think I had underestimated the Saints and maybe 11-6 was possible, but I'm back to my original position.

I think maybe Dallas is just not that good either and Carolina had Bryce Young at QB in wk1. A little bit of fools gold in that 2-0 start.

This is where I am too. Very much enjoyed those first two weeks.

Seems like the hammer dropped for us having felt so good and riding so high, as these last two losses were tough ones.


I expected an 8-9 or 9-8 type season so we are right on pace for that.

 

[Saintslfc13]

I think we’re capable of getting this thing back on track after two disappointing losses. The offense for the most part was good against Atlanta in my opinion. Not the steam rolling juggernaut we saw in weeks 1 and 2 but they moved the ball well most of the game, and it was miles better than the display against Philadelphia. Unfortunately a few drives were killed by penalties (mostly of the procedural variety) we means we likely left points on the field and that needs to get cleaned up. I also would like to see Kubiak be a bit less stubborn with calling plays that haven’t worked all day, particularly as the game wears on. There were too many times we ran a wide toss/handoff the right and it just wasn’t working, didn’t work well against Philly either for that matter, but I can understand wanting to try it again against a different defense. What I can’t understand is continuing to call it late into the game when it hasn’t worked that day. I’d have preferred we kicked the FG instead of going for it on the 4th down we didn’t convert, and I’d prefer that when we do try those conversions we focus on getting the first rather than taking a deep shot though I understand that’s on Carr to make those decisions as well. So not perfect offense but without either the fluke INT TD or Shaheed’s moment of madness the offense was good enough if all other things remained the same (not guaranteed obviously).

Defensively our guys didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. Hard to argue with that but of course we can certainly clean up tackling, particularly when rallying to ball carriers who catch the ball on dump off to the flat area. The defensive line needs to find a way to be more impactful and start turning pressures into sacks. Secondary is great for the most part, I’m not as incensed about Adebo’s last penalty as others are, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind him and the rest that if you give the refs the option they’re going to take it sometimes. This crew in particular seemed flag happy in general to me.

So with all that said, I felt a lot better at 2-0 than I do at 2-2 but I don’t think 2 close losses in games where a lot of things went wrong either injury wise, big play wise, or both means that all of the sudden we’re going to be a complete disaster going forward. We’re capable of competing with every team on our schedule as far as I’m concerned.

 

[solarbear88]

Poorly coached teams make mistakes and commit penalties that cost them close games. They also can't adjust to injuries. Just saying.

 

[dennisrwood]

We will continue to treat water and go no where for however many seasons we keep the current head coach.

 

[SirLoinSaint64]

Hopeful. Proud of the players. Everybody is giving their all. They're going to have to find someone besides Carr, Kamara, Olave, Hill and Shaheed to make a play or two on offense.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

We're ahead of where I thought we'd be but also behind where I'd thought we be because of how good Tampa is playing

 

[Saint Greg]

They are an undisciplined, sloppy team.

In other words, a DA team. If Shaheed lets the punt go into the endzone, we win that game.

We’re going to blame DA for a special teams play but not Rizzi because we like him right?

 

[bobad]

With Davis on the sidelines, a big RB can take our lunch money.

Cousins is no joke. He has an accurate arm and rarely does anything stupid.

With our Center and best G on the sidelines, we're lucky Carr wasn't killed.

Giving up 3 TOs (2 of them very flukey) usually results in a thrashing, which we didn't get.

We owe ATL a serious butt-whipping.

We owe PHI a serious butt-whipping in the playoffs.

The sky is not falling.

My thoughts.

 

[MarylandWHODAT]

I too, was bathing in the euphoria of crushing the Panthers and then throttling the Cowboys. Super Bowl, here we come!!!

Aaaaaaannnnnnnnndddddd, then reality hit. Injuries, believing their own hype, realizing that the Panthers and Cowboys are not good teams. At all.

So the Philly loss was a reality check. Okay, we could live with that. The Atlanta game? Reckless and mistake prone. And yes, injury laden.

I had predicted that the Saints would have a winning ceiling of seven games and floor of five wins. I still go with that as much as I hate it but I still stand by it. Yes, any given Sunday. Have the Saints outplayed their opponents? One could argue that but as Alvin Kamara stated, "These type of games? These are the type of games that matter. When it's nail-biting, one score ... these are the games that winning teams win. And when you look further down the line ... when you look at those teams that are playing, they're able to close these things out. ... We've got to close it. We've got to get a W"

There is not one easy game left on the Saints schedule either. Cheifs, self explanatory. The Bucs dominated the Eagles. And then Sean Payton comes back to town. And we know he is going to want to win that game. Big time.

So, how am I feeling? About where I thought I was. In the words of Larry David, "Eh."

 

[PHdeacon]

I think most of us before the start of this season would have taken a 2-2 start & been happy. The Saints have actually played way better than I expected and have raised my expectations up a notch. I fully expect them to beat the Chiefs Monday night & barring a rash of injuries, be in contention for the play off come January.

 

[VinSaint]

My word people!

After a quarter of the season down, we're still the highest scoring team in the league (btw, second place is Washington!). We're also first in the league in point differential at +57.

And this is unacceptable to some of you?

I see another thread about how the Chiefs are banged up too - because Rashee Rice got injured. Ok. But we have one of the best centers in the league out. We were also down one of our starting guards vs the Falcons. And the heart of our defense in Davis. And we lost our best, most versatile offensive weapon midway through the game. Who also missed the game before. And our other starting LBer. Not to mention our other two primary weapons on offense, responsible for easily half of our offensive production, are battling injuries as well.

This week we also saw a terrible lack of judgement by a player who absolutely knows better, giving the other team an easy TD. We also saw a deflected ball that just happened to go straight up in the air, right into the arms of a waiting defender for a pick 6.

This just in. Other teams have players who are also paid to make plays too sometimes.

But even with all of that, we held the Eagles to 7 pts for 58 mins and the Falcons to zero offensive TDs, losing by two on a last second FG. From 58 yards out. On the road. To a team many pundits picked to win the division.

Yet, DA is a terrible coach? This is all on him??

We've heard Payton say it a thousand times when he was still here. The difference between winning and losing in this league is often razor thin. Sometimes, it's simply the matter of an oblong ball bouncing the other way sometimes.

How many of you remember the season opener two years ago where we were the team that stole one in Atlanta in the final minutes?

It goes both ways over time.

And I'm not forgetting that injuries are part of the game. There are indeed many, many teams this year dealing with them. But I'd argue that no other team is feeling this quite as much as the Saints are, given the volume and severity of them and the impact players most affected by them.

We are 2-2 in what is unanimously regarded as the most difficult stretch of our season. And even in those two losses, we held the lead with a minute left in each one.

We're one PI call away from 3-1. Yet, DA is to blame for that instead of Adebo??

DA isn't perfect and I know there are calls he made that he'd like to have back. Also just in - EVERY coach does. He isn't the one who is causing these injuries or executing these mistakes.

For those of you calling for his head, remember that you could be a Panthers fan, or a Browns fan, or the Cardinals, or the Giants.

Or let's go back to the Brees years. No, I'm not talking the SB year or those great teams we had from 2018-2020. I'm talking about the Brees-led teams of the early 2010s that also fielded one of the worst defenses in NFL history. Compared to those teams, DA is a certified genius.

How many remember the DC we had in 2012 when Payton was suspended? None other than Steve Spagnoula. The very same Spagnoula that everyone currently raves about for leading the Chiefs defense.

And for what it's worth, they're 4-0 mostly because of him and that D. Not because of Mahomes.

I get it. Fans are upset because their team lost. You're "fanatical" like that. But let's try to be a bit more objective in dealing with it than simply chalking every freaking bad thing that happens to the team as Dennis Allen's fault. Because it isn't.

 

[Saintcd]

My word people!

After a quarter of the season down, we're still the highest scoring team in the league (btw, second place is Washington!). We're also first in the league in point differential at +57.

And this is unacceptable to some of you?

I see another thread about how the Chiefs are banged up too - because Rashee Rice got injured. Ok. But we have one of the best centers in the league out. We were also down one of our starting guards vs the Falcons. And the heart of our defense in Davis. And we lost our best, most versatile offensive weapon midway through the game. Who also missed the game before. And our other starting LBer. Not to mention our other two primary weapons on offense, responsible for easily half of our offensive production, are battling injuries as well.

This week we also saw a terrible lack of judgement by a player who absolutely knows better, giving the other team an easy TD. We also saw a deflected ball that just happened to go straight up in the air, right into the arms of a waiting defender for a pick 6.

This just in. Other teams have players who are also paid to make plays too sometimes.

But even with all of that, we held the Eagles to 7 pts for 58 mins and the Falcons to zero offensive TDs, losing by two on a last second FG. From 58 yards out. On the road. To a team many pundits picked to win the division.

Yet, DA is a terrible coach? This is all on him??

We've heard Payton say it a thousand times when he was still here. The difference between winning and losing in this league is often razor thin. Sometimes, it's simply the matter of an oblong ball bouncing the other way sometimes.

How many of you remember the season opener two years ago where we were the team that stole one in Atlanta in the final minutes?

It goes both ways over time.

And I'm not forgetting that injuries are part of the game. There are indeed many, many teams this year dealing with them. But I'd argue that no other team is feeling this quite as much as the Saints are, given the volume and severity of them and the impact players most affected by them.

We are 2-2 in what is unanimously regarded as the most difficult stretch of our season. And even in those two losses, we held the lead with a minute left in each one.

We're one PI call away from 3-1. Yet, DA is to blame for that instead of Adebo??

DA isn't perfect and I know there are calls he made that he'd like to have back. Also just in - EVERY coach does. He isn't the one who is causing these injuries or executing these mistakes.

For those of you calling for his head, remember that you could be a Panthers fan, or a Browns fan, or the Cardinals, or the Giants.

Or let's go back to the Brees years. No, I'm not talking the SB year or those great teams we had from 2018-2020. I'm talking about the Brees-led teams of the early 2010s that also fielded one of the worst defenses in NFL history. Compared to those teams, DA is a certified genius.

How many remember the DC we had in 2012 when Payton was suspended? None other than Steve Spagnoula. The very same Spagnoula that everyone currently raves about for leading the Chiefs defense.

And for what it's worth, they're 4-0 mostly because of him and that D. Not because of Mahomes.

I get it. Fans are upset because their team lost. You're "fanatical" like that. But let's try to be a bit more objective in dealing with it than simply chalking every freaking bad thing that happens to the team as Dennis Allen's fault. Because it isn't.

Dennis is that you?

Every team has injuries and they all are important to each team, the problem is we have no depth, no one that can actually come in and just hold their own. Allen and loomis chose not to get quality depth in positions everyone knew were thin at best. Wether thru arrogance or mis cap management and not being able to afford them.

DA is the head coach and the buck stops with him, when a team keeps making bone headed mistakes, it falls on him and the culture he created.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda on the 3-1, we are what the team play reflects.

Until Kubiak can game plan and win without taysom, the teams in trouble.

 

[VinSaint]

Dennis is that you?

Every team has injuries and they all are important to each team, the problem is we have no depth, no one that can actually come in and just hold their own. Allen and loomis chose not to get quality depth in positions everyone knew were thin at best. Wether thru arrogance or mis cap management and not being able to afford them.

DA is the head coach and the buck stops with him, when a team keeps making bone headed mistakes, it falls on him and the culture he created.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda on the 3-1, we are what the team play reflects.

Until Kubiak can game plan and win without taysom, the teams in trouble.

Yes, I'm sure they "chose" not to get quality depth, opting instead to go with inferior players.

I mean, do some of you even read what you type before posting? Smh.

And no, it does not fall entirely on the coach to take the fall for everything. Decisions? Sure. Bone-headed mistakes? Uh, no.

Personally, I love Shaheed. I think he's a good guy with high character, which is my kind of player. But he's also a paid professional and should be held accountable when he makes a bad play like he did (and for the record, he probably did in the locker room). Ditto for Adebo for the PI call.