| While it hardly has become bad enough to trigger
a Kyle Turley-type fit of rage, the Saints’ struggles on offense are probably driving
you nuts right about now if you’ve been depending on any New Orleans players lately
to produce on your fantasy team. With the exception of PK John Carney — who has
already twice this season tied a franchise record with five field goals in a game and has
missed only one three-pointer while leading the NFC in scoring with 62 points — the
Saints’ skill players haven’t been showing much skill at all.
That includes Ricky Williams, who started off the season like a ball of fire but has
been just another running back lately. In the Saints’ frustrating loss to the Jets
last Sunday night that was culminated by a Turley meltdown of major proportions, Williams
rushed 19 times for 58 yards, including only 14 yards on nine second-half carries. It was
the third consecutive game Williams was held under 80 yards, and his 3.1-yards-a-carry
average was his second worst of the season.
And this was against the Jets, who even though they have improved their run defense in
recent weeks are still ranked dead last in rushing yardage allowed.
While Williams has only recently turned into a fantasy liability, his teammates on the
offensive side of the ball have struggled all season for the most part.
QB Aaron Brooks, who looked like he had finally regained his full-fledged fantasy
firepower with an impressive performance in the stirring comeback victory over the Rams in
Week Seven, took a huge step backward vs. the Jets, completing just 12-of-28 passes for
168 yards, in addition to being sacked six times, throwing a pair of interceptions and
fumbling a snap.
It was by far his worst game in 14 career starts.
"It’s the first time I’ve seen Aaron frustrated in the two years
he’s been here," said a concerned head coach Jim Haslett, who maintains he
isn’t seriously considering pulling the plug on Brooks in favor of backup Jeff Blake.
"I think it was a little bit of everything."
Saints receivers have had just two 100-yard games all season. Opposing defenses have
been daring Brooks to throw deep, consistently sending eight men in the box to load up
against Williams, but hardly any New Orleans pass catchers have been able to separate from
their defenders.
The Saints have been particularly putrid inside the red zone, tied for next to last
with the Steelers in scoring on red-zone possessions at 33.3 percent. The only team below
them is the Redskins at 25.0 percent.
All in all, it’s a pretty sorry situation. Unfortunately, considering the
Saints’ OT situation at the moment, things could get worse before they get better.
Now that Turley has been fined $25,000 for his actions in the Jets game and has agreed
to undergo counseling, it’s quite possible he could lose the edge that has made him
an upper-echelon NFL tackle. Making matters worse is the physical condition of Pro Bowl
OLT Willie Roaf, who sat out the last two games with a knee injury that could cause him
real problems the rest of the season. Roaf’s replacement, Daryl Terrell, has been
terrible against the Rams and Jets, allowing three sacks each by Grant Wistrom and John
Abraham, respectively.
Last year Brooks was at his best when he was operating out of a moving pocket, as the
offense opened up considerably because of the steady rushing threat he provided. But it
wasn’t until Williams was out of the lineup with a season-ending injury that Brooks
really became effective. Revolving the offense around Brooks when you have a healthy
workhorse like Williams definitely isn’t the answer.
If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, at least for this weekend, it’s
in the fact that New Orleans seems to play much better on the road (10-3 over the past two
seasons), which is where they’ll be this Sunday in San Francisco.
It also might help that they’ll be facing a 49ers secondary with a very vulnerable
nickel pass defense that recently lost CB Anthony Parker with a season-ending injury.
Right about now, the Saints need all the help they can get. |
