NEW ORLEANS — This week experts were wondering if the election would give us a blue or red wave, instead the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night gave us a black and gold wave while beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-3.
I haven't seen a senior citizen like Tom Brady treated so poorly in Florida since The Waffle House reduced their senior discount from 10% to 5.
The Super Bowl favorite we were told the Saints were all offseason arrived in style against the Bucs. I'm going to use a complicated football term to describe what we saw Sunday night; The Saints out everything'd Tampa Bay. Coaching, offense, defense, special teams. The Bucs wouldn't even take their deserved shutout with dignity and instead kicked the saddest of field goals down 38 to nothing.
So how'd the Saints deliver this most glorious of games to us? It started on the very first play when Cam Jordan beat Bucs rookie offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and hit Tom Brady. The Saints pass rush, which had been inconsistent all year was dialed in from the jump and they harassed Brady all night.
If you just look at the box score the three sacks of Brady don't look that impressive, but Brady like Drew Brees, is very challenging to sack because he gets rid of the ball quickly. The Saints might have only delivered three sacks but they hit Brady over and over and Tom never was comfortable in the pocket.
The Saints pass rush reached it's apex when Trey Hendrickson, the guy Bruce Arians called the worst player on the Saints defensive line after Tampa's Week 1 loss in New Orleans, sacked Brady three straight times. Only two of the sacks actually counted because the Saints had a penalty on one of them but ask me if I care? Hey Bruce, keep insulting Trey, maybe next time he will sack old man Brady five or six straight times. Trey might have just sacked Brady again as you read this during lunch.
While the Saints defensive line has reigning havoc on Brady, the secondary was playing lights out coverage. Marshon Lattimore continued to be Mike Evan's football daddy, and erased Evans from the game. Marshon, don't forget to send your child a Christmas card. That's what good fathers do.
The Saints even had a goal line stand and kept the Bucs out of the end zone in a season where before Sunday the Saints had allowed teams to score 22 out of 22 times when they were first and goal. When it's your night, it's your night.
The thing about the Saints defense is their struggles have been an inconsistent pass rush, mental mistakes, and penalties. Sunday night showed it's all very fixable. The question is was the fix we saw permanent or infomercial flex seal temporary?
While the defense gave us an achievement we've been hoping for, Drew Brees delivered excellence so routine we just smile and say, “That's Drew Brees.” Just 26 of 32 for 222 yards and 4 touchdowns against the best defense in football on the road. No biggie.
Drew is the same as he ever was. I know you got to live your life Drew, but you should really consider being the Saints quarterback until the next Presidential election. Think it over.
The Saints offensive line gave Brees all day and Drew picked apart a Tampa defense which surprisingly decided to play zone defense. Why teams insist on playing zone against Brees is one of those things that delightfully confounds me. It's their funeral so whatever makes them happy. Drew at 60-years-old will be able to light up a zone defense.
The Saints had 12 players catch passes so you might not have really noticed the 37 carries for 137 yards rushing against the #1 run defense in football. Yes, it was a product of being ahead but you know what running the ball does when you have your foot on a team's neck? It lets you keep it there.
Let's all be like Demario Davis and take a moment to appreciate what the Saints did Sunday night.
“I don’t want to stop and move past this moment, because this is history. The fact that all of us get to be a part of this, it’s just an amazing experience.”
The New Orleans Saints gave Tom Brady the worst beating of his entire Hall of Fame career and are the first divisional opponent ever to beat him twice in a season. Tom, welcome to a real NFL division and not that clown car of foes you had in the AFC East for 20 years.
The Saints have half a season left to play in 2020 and we as fans probably have just half a season of Drew Brees in a Saints uniform to enjoy, and if Sunday night is any indication, enjoy it we will do.
Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the Saints Happy Hour Podcast.