2018 vs 2011 Saints (1 Viewer)

Saintsfan8989

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What is the biggest differences between both teams? Is it the fact this team has beaten good teams on the road? More balanced this year?
 
Don't have time to compile ATM, but a side by side offensive and defensive stats comparison through 9 games would be cool, including SOS.
 
Special teams was better in 2011. Sproles broke the total yards record that year.
 
The line is better overall than 2011. We struggled at center early in 2011 with Olin
Kreutz.

Michael Thomas is better than Colston or Graham. Kamara and Ingram is a better duo than Thomas and Sproles. 2018 Brees is better than 2011 Brees.

Payton has seemingly unleashed his entire playbook on the league this year. The play calls and personel groups didn’t seem this expansive in 2011.

As an added bonus, the 2018 Rams and Bears aren’t as good as the 2011 Packers and 49ers. Not even close.
 
I’d say the biggest difference is 2018 Brees > 2011 Brees which is pretty insane.

Also, Taysom Hill.
 
Defenses across the league are much worse mostly due to the way referees are calling the game.
 
One team has something of a defense.

One team has a pass rush and good run defense.

One team is playing a much tougher schedule and beating down good teams.

One team is balanced and not a one dimensional pass happy team trying to break records.

One team has a true #1 wide receiver

One team plays much better on the road, compared to the other that struggled outside the dome.

One team has a legit shot to the SB, while the other team was doomed to fail before the playoffs began.

2018 > 2011, every step of the way.
 
As an added bonus, the 2018 Rams and Bears aren’t as good as the 2011 Packers and 49ers. Not even close.

The 2011 Packers were a paper tiger. They weren't even as good as their 2010 team and that is the reason they got waxed in the playoffs so badly.

They finished 15-1 but their defense was historically bad that year, especially pass defense. They gave up enough passing yards to rank among worst defenses ever (before the 2012 and 2014-2016 Saints would challenge that record). Many of those close wins were like coin flip games that could've easily went the other way. Rodgers playing the absolute best year of his career at an MVP level is what made them 15-1. If it was Rodgers of any other year, they most likely finish 10-6 or 11-5.

The 2010 Packers ranked much better on DVOA and their defense had a very important rare record to their name - they never trailed by more than 7 points in any game. They are the only SB winner to ever accomplish such a feat. All of their losses were by one score or less, including OT games and 2 losses where Rodgers was hurt and didn't finish the game. By all stat projections, they had the numbers and stats of a 12-4 or 13-3 team, but were injury riddled all year and never played up to their fullest potential.

Something went wrong in 2011 for their defense. They started giving up gobs of yardage and points. Luckily, they were up multiple scores and usually just outgunned their opponents. The Chargers game that year truly said it all, with how they let SD back into that game and it came down to a Rivers INT to end it all. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields went from decent corners in 2010, to some of the worst in the league in 2011.


2011 was a year of massively inflated stats and there wasn't any true great teams. There is a reason a 9-7 team went on to win the SB.

Every big contender was one dimensional -

All offense, no defense - Packers, Patriots, Saints, Falcons and Lions.
3 out of 5 of the top offenses had a 5,000 yard passer. None of them had defenses that could carry them deep in the playoffs. Luckily for New England, 2011 was a weak year for the AFC and they got to cash their chips in for a SB trip (The Steelers are to thank, for their #1 defense getting clowned by Tim Tebow whom couldn't even complete 10 passes in that game). The 2011 Pats defense was as bad as the 1992 Buffalo Bills, whom they were compared to often. Buffalo got slaughtered in the 1992 SB, but that was a different era and when true juggernaut teams used to exist.

All defense, no offense - 49ers, Steelers, Ravens, Texans and Broncos.
The 49ers and Steelers ranked #1 in defense; yardage for the Niners, points for the Steelers and both of them were bad on offense. Pittsburgh ranked 21st in offense, while the 49ers Achilles' heel all year was their third downs and not being able to score TDs (their kicker Akers broke Jerry Rice's point record in 2011 by kicking field goals). Denver and Baltimore were the other great defenses, but lacked offensive firepower. Denver actually had the offensive weapons in place, but lacked a QB (Manning is proof with how they went 13-3 the next year). Baltimore on the other hand, has always been held back by Joe Flacco for every year except 2012.

The Giants were one of the few teams who had something of a balance and they went on to win the SB that year. They finished 9-7, but wiped the floor with a 15-1 team with an elite offense and outlived a 13-3 team with the best defense in the league, all before beating another 13-3 team whom wasn't even all that good.

The Pats that year went 13-3 but of that record, were 1-3 against teams with a winning record. That one win was against a Broncos team led by Tim Tebow...whom they went on to crush again in the playoffs. Vs Baltimore in the AFCCG, New England needed 2 INTs called back off tick tacky calls and a chip shot missed field goal to barely get past the Ravens whom deserved to be in the SB more.

I really don't get into the romanticism for the 2011 Saints. Statistically, they were doomed to fail in the playoffs, just like the rest of those one dimensional teams were.
Like New England, they had a similar cupcake schedule; two of their biggest margin of victories came against a 2-14 tanking Colts team (the 60 burger game) and the 3-13 Vikings (only road win where they looked real impressive). That Saints team struggled on the road with cupcake teams they should've been blowing out (Tennessee, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville) and the only elite defense they played in the regular season was Houston in week 3. Everything is could've, would've, should've for them in that playoff loss to SF, but there was literally no guarantee that year that they would've won the SB. They were elite on one side of the ball while being horrible on the other side.

The 2012 Saints were a carbon copy of that 2011 offense and they went 7-9 with a 5,000 yard passer and averaging 28.5 points a game. They played a 1st place, division winning schedule in 2012, that was the key difference.
 
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Drew threw 46 TDs and 14 INTs.
Doubt he hits either of those numbers this year.
Plus "only 71.6 completion %".
I'll take a few less TDs for a lot less INTs.
 
I think the '18 team has gone through a tougher schedule.
 

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