OFFICIAL 2015 DDWD REGULAR SEASON NEWSLETTER #15 The Shame Game 4 THE SAGA CONTINUES.
On Sunday, the Boyz N Black & Gold allowed a 1-6 Tennessee Titans team with a rookie quarterback (whose Head Coach had been fired days earlier) to come into The Dome and beat them up like a Detroit 0-16 team. The 34-28 loss to the Titans, was another episode in a series of games where rookie quarterbacks seem to be able to play like John Elway and just shoot holes all in our defenses over the years. It was a streak that began in 2006 but wasn t mentioned by me until the 26-20 loss to Geno Smith and the Jets in 2013. On that day, it was a 4-4 Jets team with a rookie quarterback and a head coach that was in the hot-seat that we faced in Week 8 of that year. Naturally, after such an embarrassing loss I titled my next newsletter (#17 of the 2013 Newsletter Archive at www.dallasdomewhodats.com) The Shame Game. It would later be followed up by another issue titled The Shame Game 2 The Sequel after the Week 2 loss to Johnny Football and the Browns in 2014 (see issue #4). Then in Week 3 of this year, we were all treated to another Black & Gold football meltdown when we lost to Tampa (at home) and their newly acquired draft pick, Jameis Winston. The following issue (see issue #3) was promptly named The Shame Game 3 The Buc Stopped Here, hence the title above. Titans rookie quarterback Mariota threw for 371 yards, 4 TD s and a 2-point conversion pass. The Saints didn't sack Mariota, even though the Titans were leading the NFL in sacks allowed per game. And the Saints forced no INT s either. "Can't keep letting it happen," Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis said after Mariota became the second rookie quarterback to beat the Saints this season. But I don t think they re letting it happen so much as it s probably happening to them. Here s what I m getting at. Since the start of the Payton Era (2006) a rookie quarterback seems to always win a game, in which, the Saints have been favored to win! Below is a list of those games and the rookies that beat the Saints, even during seasons when veteran future Hallof-Famers could not. YEAR OPPONENT ROOKIE QUARTERBACK 2006 Washington Jason Campbell 2007 Houston Matt Schaub 2008 Atlanta Matt Ryan 2009 Tampa Josh Freeman 2010 Cleveland Colt McCoy 2010 Arizona Max Hall 2011 St. Louis A.J. Feeley* 2012 Washington Robert Griffin III 2013 N.Y. Jets Geno Smith 2014 Cleveland Johnny Manzeil 2015 Tennessee Marcus Mariota *Although, Feeley was not a rookie in 2011; he had only started 15 games in the previous 10 seasons in the league and the Rams were 0-7 when they prevailed over the Saints in Week 8 of that year.
On Sunday though, whether if there s some kind of rookie-curse or not, I think all of Who-Dat Nation was looking elsewhere to assign blame and there certainly needs to be some aimed at this situation regarding the Defense, especially, when a 1-6 Tennessee Titans team with a rookie quarterback (whose Head Coach had been fired days earlier) comes into The Dome and beats up the Saints like a Detroit 0-16 team and is able to throw the ball all over the place!! Oh, did I say that already? It s worth repeating. Mariota made it look downright easy as he drove his team 80 yards for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. "We'll look at the tape and see how we did with our [pass] rush. It was kind of frustrating," Coach Payton said in a subdued tone while rattling off a list of such frustrations following the game during the press conference. "We played some zone and some man coverage. We just struggled getting off the field and obviously when you lose like that in overtime, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth." Payton didn't just single out the defense on a day when there was plenty of blame to go around but I certainly wanted too. After a more-than-disappointing 2014, in which, the Saints were picked by ESPN to win it all we not only finished at 7-9, but couldn t win the NFC South over a Panthers team that finished 7-8-1. And why? Because we had a bottom 4 defense (at #31 in total defense) along with every other team in our division. In a year that we should ve ran away with this division title. Now, it s 2015, and the same thing is happening all over again, only, the Panthers & Falcons are better! Payton decided to keep Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan after last season's debacle. But he instructed Ryan to change his scheme to limit player mistakes and the organization also brought in Senior Assistant, Dennis Allen to help teach the secondary. How has that worked out so far? You guys aren t listening to me! I said run Zone-Coverage, not Blown-Coverage!!
And I ve got another great stat for you all. The Saints have now gone 25 consecutive games without managing to get over.500! And it s all because the defense CAN T STOP ANYBODY FROM SCORING ON THEM!! It doesn t matter if you ve got a Top-3 Offense (every year since 2006) because you re not always going to be able to outscore your opponent. You ve got to have a Top-5 Defense to compliment that high-ranked offense or you re not going to win anything. Look, the Saints are still a young, developing defense and I get that, but when you ve got a Hall of Fame head coach and quarterback combo that have been to 5 Post-seasons in 10 years and have won the Big Game already and want to win another one while they re still with the Saints Organization, you can t continue to keep coaches & players onboard that are an obvious liability on defense when that window of opportunity is getting smaller. In any case, the problem I ve noticed is that instead of seeing any articles online at all that are titled Rob Ryan Fired in NOLA or FINALLY, Ryan Canned!! all I ve seen is countless articles about Coach Payton leaving New Orleans after the 2015 season!! Are you kidding me?? Apparently, Coach Payton might be considering leaving the Saints after the 2015 season, and a new report estimates there is about a 50-50 chance this happens. As stated in an article by Yahoo Sports on Tuesday: With legal drama engulfing New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and the NFL keeping close tabs on a potential ownership change, there is a 'steadily increasing possibility' that head coach Sean Payton and some front-office executives will exit the franchise in the offseason, a league source told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. There is a possibility that Benson s daughter Renee could gain control of the franchise, which could send ripples throughout the organization, per Yahoo Sports. If [Renee Benson] gets control of the team, a lot of people [in the franchise] are worried that she could fire everyone who has been loyal to Tom, the league source said. They re waiting to see what happens. The articles include phrases like it's not uncommon for the message to become stale without wholesale turnover inside the locker room after 10 years with the same team and It s believed by some team sources that if Renee Benson got control of the team that everyone in the front office might be fired by her and this gem the Saints are willing to let Payton seek other opportunities. This is simple. If the players aren t getting the message.get some new players. If new ownership might fire everyone in the front office if they get control of the team, then I ve got a 42 year history lesson about how things were for the team prior to the Head Coach and Quarterback that we have now. And if there is someone that thought it would be good to let Payton seek other opportunities.then that person needs a history lesson too. And a pink slip.
Sure, the Benson Family is having some legal problems and everybody s worried about what s going to happen if new ownership comes in and takes over, but what I m saying is, regardless of the outcome of the 2015 Season or the family court disputes that are raging on, I think EVERYBODY needs to remember the 42 years of losing the franchise experienced prior to Coach Payton s arrival! And I think I speak for all of Who-Dat Nation when I say that that s not something we want to relive ever again. THE DOME IS HOME: It was further stated in many articles that; There has been growing speculation the head coach could move on since the start of the season when the Saints got off to a poor start and college jobs started opening up. And, perhaps after New Orleans was beaten at home by the previously one-win Tennessee Titans in overtime, rumors will continue heating up. My question is, why? Why would Payton want to leave for a college job? Or to go fix Miami and all their problems when he and Drew brought this franchise back from the depths of hell, because that s exactly where it was, and now, after 5 post-season appearances and a Super Bowl Championship, why would he leave us almost just like how he found us? I don t believe he will. All this media speculation is disparaging and disgraceful, considering the legacy that s he s built for this fan-base, the City of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Region. I do not know Sean personally, but if I did, I would want to tell him, that the difference he s made in all our lives since coming to New Orleans has been invaluable and priceless, and that, if it were up to me, he d always be coaching the Saints for as long as he wanted to stay there. Because, The Dome is his home and he and Drew built it.
ROSTER UPDATE: The New Orleans Saints have signed Quarterback Matt Flynn. Payton said they are bringing in Flynn as Luke McCown will miss the remainder of the season due to a back injury. McCown is scheduled for a procedure tomorrow, Payton said. Flynn was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (No. 209 overall) of the 2008 draft out of LSU. He played his first four seasons with the Packers. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, split time with Oakland, Buffalo and Green Bay in '13. Flynn returned to Green Bay for the 2014 season. The eight-year veteran spent time with the New England Patriots and New York Jets earlier this season. Flynn has played in 51 games (seven starts), completed 219 of 357 passes (61.3%) for 2,541 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 85.9 quarterback rating. Year Team G GS Att Cmp Pct Yds YPA TD T% Int I% Lg Sack Rate 2008 Green Bay (NFL) 7 0 5 2 40.0 6 1.2 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 0/0 47.9 2009 Green Bay (NFL) 15 0 12 7 58.3 58 4.8 0 0.0 1 8.3 17 1/6 36.1 2010 Green Bay (NFL) 7 1 66 40 60.6 433 6.6 3 4.5 2 3.0 66t 7/38 82.4 2011 Green Bay (NFL) 5 1 49 33 67.3 518 10.6 6 12.2 2 4.1 80t 5/18 124.8 2012 Seattle (NFL) 3 0 9 5 55.6 68 7.6 0 0.0 0 0.0 27 0/0 79.9 2013 Oakland (NFL) 2 1 34 22 64.7 246 7.2 1 2.9 1 2.9 34 7/33 83.7 Green Bay (NFL) 5 4 166 102 61.4 1,146 6.9 7 4.2 4 2.4 56 17/102 86.1 2013 NFL Totals 7 5 200 124 62.0 1,392 7.0 8 4.0 5 2.5 56 24/135 85.7 2014 Green Bay (NFL) 7 0 16 8 50.0 66 4.1 0 0.0 1 6.2 14 2/12 34.9 2015 New Orleans (NFL) 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0/0 0.0
FAN-OF-THE-WEEK Congratulations to Rivera the Fan for being our FAN-OF-THE-WEEK!! This crazy Who-Dat gave up his Direct TV and comfy couch to come down and root for the Boyz N Black & Gold with the rest of us at The Quarter this past Sunday! He was a Halftime-Raffle Prize Winner, not to mention, Rivera was also one of the loudest fans during the game, especially during periods of bad officiating and Evil Team gameplay!! For his efforts, he ll have a chance to be one of the Top 5 nominees for the club s Fan-of-the-Season vote later this year!! Wow, you really are a great fan! I knew you could do it!
Join me, The SaintsGuy and all my favorite Who-Dats this upcoming Sunday to watch the Aerial Assault take on the Washington Redskins in our next battle of the 2015 Crusade to Take Back the South!! Game time is at 12NOON and I ll be giving away even more Saints prizes for the best fans of North Texas!!!! Unleash the Assault!!
2015 Game Day Specials will include. $17 Bud Light, Coors Light & Miller Lite buckets $5 Pat O Brien s Hurricanes $3 wells ALL day on Sunday s until the Season ends $3 Dom Pints and $3 House Wine Coupon is good for any visit to The Quarter. Limit One per person (per visit) For only food purchases totaling $20 or more. Expires 11/16/2015 (Not to be used in conjuction with other offers) 20 % OFF JUST PRINT IT OUT AND BRING IT WITH YOU or PULL IT UP ON YOUR GOVERNMENT TRACKING DEVICE!!
We re on the road this week, but soon we ll be back at home! The Brees Puppet There s no place like Dome! - Summer Saint Why do I get this feeling like we re going to be swept up into a tornado? Waldorf the Muppet No, it s hurricanes! They re in Louisiana you fool! Ahhhhhahaha!! Stadler the Muppet
.And the FIGHT RAGES ON The Saints will be looking for their second victory on the road of the 2015 Crusade on Sunday, when they travel to our nation s capital to face the next challenge of the crusade to take back the South. In 2012, the Boyz N Black & Gold were beaten by an RGIII led team, but this time, it ll be Kirk Cousins & Co. who will try to climb out of the NFC Least cellar by keeping the Saints in theirs. After getting off to a bad start (0-3) the Saints have miraculously gotten back into the Wild-Card hunt at 4-5 and not including last Sunday s loss to the Titans, they seemed to be on a roll again after the win over the Dirty Birds in Week 6. As I ve said before, it ll be up to the Master-Playcaller and his strategic planning and tactical genius to shut down the opposition and to help aid in this effort the Aerial Assault must be back in full flight along with the Ground Assault and together, they can save our season!! Following this week s battle; the Saints will have a much needed Bye-Week and when they return only 6-games will remain. Of those six, only two of those games are against teams with winning records and that s the Panthers and the Falcons. A Playoff spot is still within reach, but only with a victory this week. The margin for error is over.
SERIES HISTORY: 25 TH meeting between these two franchises. The two teams have met each other 24 times with New Orleans winning 8 games and the Washington Redskins winning 16 games. The four (4) times that both teams have met each other since the coming of The Master- Playcaller in 2006; Brees & the Boyz N Black & Gold have won only once. That was a road game in 2009 which was also the day of the infamous play I ve often referred to as The Meachem Miracle. The previous battle between these two clubs was during the year of the Bounty-Gate conspiracy, which had the Master-Playcaller in exile all season and absent on the sidelines during a loss to a Redskins team led by rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Date Team Opponent H/A Stadium Result Attend 09/09/2012 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H The Dome L 40-32 72,180 12/06/2009 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A FedExField (Landover, MD) W 33-30 84,520 09/14/2008 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A FedExField (Landover, MD) L 29-24 88,246 12/17/2006 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H The Dome L 16-10 69,052 11/30/2003 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A FedExField (Landover, MD) W 24-20 76,821 10/13/2002 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A FedExField (Landover, MD) W 43-27 80,768 12/30/2001 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome L 40-10 70,020 09/11/1994 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome L 38-24 -- 11/23/1992 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome W 20-3 -- 11/18/1990 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 31-17 -- 10/01/1989 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome L 16-14 -- 11/06/1988 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 27-24 -- 10/05/1986 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome L 14-6 -- 12/26/1982 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Louisiana Superdome L 27-10 -- 10/26/1980 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 22-14 -- 10/28/1979 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) W 14-10 -- 09/21/1975 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 41-3 -- 10/28/1973 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Tulane Stadium W 19-3 -- 10/31/1971 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 24-14 -- 12/14/1969 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A RFK Stadium (Washington, DC) L 17-14 -- 09/21/1969 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Tulane Stadium L 26-20 -- 09/22/1968 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Tulane Stadium W 37-17 -- 12/17/1967 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins A D.C. Stadium (Washington, DC) W 30-14 -- 09/24/1967 New Orleans Saints Washington Redskins H Tulane Stadium L 30-10 --
And For This Season it s The Quarter Bar s. super sunday SQ UARE!! We will be running a SQUARE each week for loyal Saints fans to get in on the action for FREE. Arrive before the end of the 1st quarter, fill out a card with your name and e-mail address, cards go in the hopper, 25 cards will be drawn each week at half-time and those 25 people will have the opportunity to select a square. *Must be of legal drinking age, duplicate entries will be disqualified. No transferrals, no substitutions. $100 spend does not include taxes or 20% gratuity to server. Fill out your ticket before the 1 st QTR ends! - The Bev
WWW.DALLASDOMEWHODATS.COM SPECIAL THANKS to all of the Who-Dats that have come to check out the DDWD website over the last 3 seasons!! On August 9th, the site got its 10,000 th visitor since being launched on September 1st of 2012!! The Fan-Forum is also up-and-running. It s just like the Saints-Report but more focused on local Saints fandom Everyone is welcome to sign-up and it s FREE just like the Newsletter every week!
If these guys start playing DEFENSE we re screwed so don t get cocky! - Interim Coach DIVISION CHAMPIONS 1991 2000 2006 2009 2011 SIR SAINT WILL LEAD US TO VICTORY OVER THE EVIL NFL COMMISSIONER