John Clayton: First...and 10 (1 Viewer)

[Infoman]

8. Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints
Brian Billick had a bye week to make his offensive adjustments after the firing of offensive coordinator Jim Fassel. Now the pressure is on him to bring excitement to an offense that ranks 28th and is scoring only 18.3 points per game. In Baltimore, fans won't look at the Saints' 5-1 record and give Billick much slack. This is a game the Ravens must win even if it's on the road against the league's surprise team, and the offense has to look better. Steve McNair is back at quarterback despite a sore neck from a hard hit by the Panthers two weeks ago. The Saints have surprised everyone this season. They play well emotionally at home. Their defense has been a surprising 13th in the league. How will Billick open up the Ravens' offense? You know he had to have some ideas when he made the change to put everything on his shoulders. He's a coach who had a 500-point season in Minnesota. He can't be too conservative now because so much of the spotlight is on him. It should make for an interesting show.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2639109 << More here

 

[diehard]

When are they going to quit with the emotion angle already? We're a good team.

The D was 14th LAST season. Why is it so surprising that its 13th this year?

Geez, these pundits never cease to surprise me with their surprisingly un-insightful nuggets and whose ability to keep their full-time dream job of covering the NFL has surprised even me.

 

[Infoman]

When are they going to quit with the emotion angle already? We're a good team.

The D was 14th LAST season. Why is it so surprising that its 13th this year?

Geez, these pundits never cease to surprise me with their surprisingly un-insightful nuggets and whose ability to keep their full-time dream job of covering the NFL has surprised even me.

That was my take as well... The "Emotion" and "Suprise Team" spin should have ended after we smoked ATL.

 

[Waymer]

Well, the defense was 14th last year in part because teams were ahead of us more often than not and running the ball to kill the clock...they weren't looking for big plays. Every game we've played this year the teams have been only slightly ahead, or more often than not trailing...meaning they are still looking for consistent yardage and big plays.

So it is somewhat of a surprise when teams are still throwing the ball and attempting to score, rather than just preserving a lead.

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

I really believe that some pundits get angry when their predictions turn out to be total poppycock. Take Clayton, for example. He swore up and down that Brees was going to be a Dolphin. When Brees became a Saint, he said it was b/c the Dolphins really wanted Culpepper anyway. Then he went on and on about how great Culpepper looked in the offseason and how far Drew had yet to go. Our offensive line stunk, our linebackers stunk, Reggie was going to hold out all year, we'd be lucky to win 4 games...on and on and on! As it turns out, he's been wrong about EVERY claim he made regarding the Saints. That's got to stick in his craw, don't you think?

 

[msmith]

There is certain advantage to being label "emotional" in the Dome. It would put a dent in the opposing players on how to prepare the game against the Saints. On papar, you can do the match up for every player vs player, but being "emotional" automatically tips the balance.

I don't know how much the emotional factor being factored in the Saints wins so far, but as long as the opposing teams believe that is a BIG factor, it would just make the preparation much more complicated.

 

[Sniper Wolf]

Clayton makes it sound as if Billick had never run the Baltimore O. Well, he has and I don't care how many points the Vikes put up with him as OC, apart from a couple of good seasons from Jamal Lewis, they don't look good at all.

 

[Ti Rider]

That was my take as well... The "Emotion" and "Suprise Team" spin should have ended after we smoked ATL.

Every week it's the same thing.....the Saints are livivng on "emotion" in the Dome. They aren't as good as their record....Blah, blah, blah. We beat Atlanta when they were playing their best ball and beat a decent Philly team. The team's only loss this season was by three points against a desperate Panthers in their stadium. There are alot of sportswriters who absolutely refuse to believe this isn't "the same old Saints".......

 

[BoNcHiE]

John Clayton looks to much like that guy off of south park for me to take him seriously.

 

[screppel]

OOKaaaay!

 

[SaintBienville]

John Clayton looks to much like that guy off of south park for me to take him seriously.

That's funny

 

[peglegpeet13]

It just seems that no matter how well they play, some guys will only chalk it up to emotion. Maybe he is angry or bitter, who knows.

 

[KCWhoDat]

I bet Sean Salsbury beats him up after every episode of NFL LIVE......just because....no reason,just because. I mean how can you take this guy seriously I mean hes a little troll,I could do what he does. I swear when I listen to some of these guys I think I know more about what goes on in the league than they do....

 

[Colin311]

Is putting up a picture of your wife/girlfriend, as your avatar, the new thing now? I'm not sure if I want to show mine or not. lol

 

[peglegpeet13]

Is putting up a picture of your wife/girlfriend, as your avatar, the new thing now? I'm not sure if I want to show mine or not. lol

Don't be ashamed, I have mine.




Just joking, my fiance would kill me if I put her pic on here.