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-The same presnap penalties plagued us early on. Clearly being on the road, in a notorious loud stadium w/ a new (starting) QB contributed to the communication breakdowns, but I really hope this does not become an issue. I was happy to see them overcome it.
-Special Teams really kept us in the game in the first half. Not just the big return by Deonte Harris--who, by the way, is already one of the most explosive returners in the league--but the incredible punts by Morstead. That combined with the heads-up strip by Apple and recover/TD by Bell really kept the Saints in the game while they were struggling on offense.
-I am really happy with Bridgewater. Really. Don't expect him to be Drew Brees. He's not. But he is handling the offense well, he is running the system, being smart with the football and finding ways to make plays when there is nothing there. Right now the Saints are receiving terrific return on their investment in him, and I believe he can keep us in playoff contention and atop the NFC South until Brees returns.
-It is hard to anoint anyone "best player in the league" when it comes to the NFL... but Alvin Kamara is the best player in the league. I try to temper my judgement with him, but he is incredible. He had 25 touches last game and I still felt like it wasn't enough. I could go on and on but I won't. The Saints are weathering the storm of Brees being injured because Alvin Kamara is healthy.
-PJ Williams is a liability. He is a penalty machine, and teams are going to attack him all year on 3rd down and critical situations. The times where he didn't hurt the team in critical situations were times when he got lucky (a flag wasn't thrown or the QB threw a bad ball). His role on the team baffles me.
-Right now, the Saints defense is doing enough. The numbers aren't great, but they are stepping up in a lot of pivotal situations (except for PJ Williams). The 4th and short stonewall by Davis. The 3rd down pass breakup by Bell. The fumble recovery for a TD. The defense played really well on the road yesterday.
Both of the Saints wins this season have been hard-fought, meaningful wins. That is an intangible that should be appreciated.
Bonus Breakdown
Early in the 3rd quarter, the Saints faced a 3rd and 3 situation. It was on a pivotal drive that had just been extended by Seattle's illegal formation on the Will Lutz missed field goal. Thomas's play was critical to extending said drive, and I want to go into detail about how he made this play happens--and some of the really important technical details that go into why he makes a lot of "blue collar plays" that a lot of other receivers fail to deliver on.
The Saints came out in a 3x1 (Trips) formation with Michael Thomas isolated backside as the X receiver. The CB is showing soft press alignment. Note that Thomas's split is about 3 yards wide of the numbers, indicating that he probably had the option to run a slant (wider split to create more space for the in breaking route). Also note that the safety to Thomas's side is 'spinning' to the box presnap, indicating either man coverage or Cover 3 (the safety ultimately ends up bracketing Kamara with the Mike LB). What is important here is that with the safety spinning, Thomas needs to know that 1) the CB no longer has help over the top (deep); 2) He does have, however, potentially have help on the slant slant from safety..
Whether this was by design from the beginning or a check vs. the box safety to his side, Thomas's route ends up being a 5-step hitch. Keep in mind that this is 3rd and 3 situation facing a press CB, not a 3rd and 15 situation vs. soft coverage and plenty of underneath space. To successfully run the hitch, Thomas will have to be crafty in his route and CREATE the space that isn't there. He begins this process by using a 'fade' release, which is a hard outside release from the line that is designed to sell the CB on the fade route. Successful WR's sell vertical on their release, each and every play--whether it is a 5 step hitch or a Go route. On the video, you'll see Thomas doing exactly this with the CB... selling vertical with his feet, his eyes and his hands. The release is extra effective because, as I mentioned, the CB does not have safety help over the top and will be more prone to bail out on a deep route.
The outside release forces the corner to flip his hips early to try and cut off the potential fade by Thomas. If he does not close the space, the CB knows that Bridewater will have options to throw Thomas open away from him either over his outside shoulder or on a back shoulder if the CB tries to recover. Thomas lures the CB exactly where he wants him and uses the top of his route to use a "throw by" move. You see in the top picture, Thomas places his inside hand on the CB's near shoulder, then uses his 'stick' (where he plants his foot at the top of his route) to throw the CB by him and leverage back into his route, swimming with his outside arm back into the hitch.
On 3rd and 3, vs. press, this release and well-executed top-of-the route move by Thomas creates 5 yards of separation for Thomas on the hitch. In other words, Thomas makes himself WIDE OPEN and creates an easy throwing space for his QB.
The ball is thrown relatively on time, and notice how Thomas turns OUTSIDE after catching the ball, away from the down safety and the rest of the defense. By doing so, he threatens the CB with a 1-on-1 open field matchup and also protects himself from any blindside defenders pursuing hard from the hash.
And what I really love here is the finish. By the time Thomas catches the hitch at 5 yards, he already has the first down. A lot of receivers would simply cruise out of bounds and toss the ball back to the ref. But Thomas is relentless. He attacks the CB, squaring him up, coming to balance, and executing an inside spin move that would make most RB's jealous.
This attention to detail and situational awareness is just another reason why Michael Thomas is the best WR in the NFL.
-Special Teams really kept us in the game in the first half. Not just the big return by Deonte Harris--who, by the way, is already one of the most explosive returners in the league--but the incredible punts by Morstead. That combined with the heads-up strip by Apple and recover/TD by Bell really kept the Saints in the game while they were struggling on offense.
-I am really happy with Bridgewater. Really. Don't expect him to be Drew Brees. He's not. But he is handling the offense well, he is running the system, being smart with the football and finding ways to make plays when there is nothing there. Right now the Saints are receiving terrific return on their investment in him, and I believe he can keep us in playoff contention and atop the NFC South until Brees returns.
-It is hard to anoint anyone "best player in the league" when it comes to the NFL... but Alvin Kamara is the best player in the league. I try to temper my judgement with him, but he is incredible. He had 25 touches last game and I still felt like it wasn't enough. I could go on and on but I won't. The Saints are weathering the storm of Brees being injured because Alvin Kamara is healthy.
-PJ Williams is a liability. He is a penalty machine, and teams are going to attack him all year on 3rd down and critical situations. The times where he didn't hurt the team in critical situations were times when he got lucky (a flag wasn't thrown or the QB threw a bad ball). His role on the team baffles me.
-Right now, the Saints defense is doing enough. The numbers aren't great, but they are stepping up in a lot of pivotal situations (except for PJ Williams). The 4th and short stonewall by Davis. The 3rd down pass breakup by Bell. The fumble recovery for a TD. The defense played really well on the road yesterday.
Both of the Saints wins this season have been hard-fought, meaningful wins. That is an intangible that should be appreciated.
Bonus Breakdown
Early in the 3rd quarter, the Saints faced a 3rd and 3 situation. It was on a pivotal drive that had just been extended by Seattle's illegal formation on the Will Lutz missed field goal. Thomas's play was critical to extending said drive, and I want to go into detail about how he made this play happens--and some of the really important technical details that go into why he makes a lot of "blue collar plays" that a lot of other receivers fail to deliver on.
The Saints came out in a 3x1 (Trips) formation with Michael Thomas isolated backside as the X receiver. The CB is showing soft press alignment. Note that Thomas's split is about 3 yards wide of the numbers, indicating that he probably had the option to run a slant (wider split to create more space for the in breaking route). Also note that the safety to Thomas's side is 'spinning' to the box presnap, indicating either man coverage or Cover 3 (the safety ultimately ends up bracketing Kamara with the Mike LB). What is important here is that with the safety spinning, Thomas needs to know that 1) the CB no longer has help over the top (deep); 2) He does have, however, potentially have help on the slant slant from safety..
Whether this was by design from the beginning or a check vs. the box safety to his side, Thomas's route ends up being a 5-step hitch. Keep in mind that this is 3rd and 3 situation facing a press CB, not a 3rd and 15 situation vs. soft coverage and plenty of underneath space. To successfully run the hitch, Thomas will have to be crafty in his route and CREATE the space that isn't there. He begins this process by using a 'fade' release, which is a hard outside release from the line that is designed to sell the CB on the fade route. Successful WR's sell vertical on their release, each and every play--whether it is a 5 step hitch or a Go route. On the video, you'll see Thomas doing exactly this with the CB... selling vertical with his feet, his eyes and his hands. The release is extra effective because, as I mentioned, the CB does not have safety help over the top and will be more prone to bail out on a deep route.
The outside release forces the corner to flip his hips early to try and cut off the potential fade by Thomas. If he does not close the space, the CB knows that Bridewater will have options to throw Thomas open away from him either over his outside shoulder or on a back shoulder if the CB tries to recover. Thomas lures the CB exactly where he wants him and uses the top of his route to use a "throw by" move. You see in the top picture, Thomas places his inside hand on the CB's near shoulder, then uses his 'stick' (where he plants his foot at the top of his route) to throw the CB by him and leverage back into his route, swimming with his outside arm back into the hitch.
On 3rd and 3, vs. press, this release and well-executed top-of-the route move by Thomas creates 5 yards of separation for Thomas on the hitch. In other words, Thomas makes himself WIDE OPEN and creates an easy throwing space for his QB.
The ball is thrown relatively on time, and notice how Thomas turns OUTSIDE after catching the ball, away from the down safety and the rest of the defense. By doing so, he threatens the CB with a 1-on-1 open field matchup and also protects himself from any blindside defenders pursuing hard from the hash.
And what I really love here is the finish. By the time Thomas catches the hitch at 5 yards, he already has the first down. A lot of receivers would simply cruise out of bounds and toss the ball back to the ref. But Thomas is relentless. He attacks the CB, squaring him up, coming to balance, and executing an inside spin move that would make most RB's jealous.
This attention to detail and situational awareness is just another reason why Michael Thomas is the best WR in the NFL.
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