Capital Card
The Kobayashi of Kool-Aid
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CARDINAL SIN
Listless N.O. falls to previously winless Arizona
Monday, October 04, 2004
By Jeff Duncan
Staff writer
TEMPE, ARIZ. -- It was one long, hot, frustrating afternoon for the Saints on Sunday, and it had little to do with the blistering Arizona sun or triple-digit heat index.
One week after an emotional, efficient win at St. Louis, the Saints returned to their sadistic ways in a demoralizing 34-10 loss to previously winless Arizona.
New Orleans fell to 2-2 and failed for the fourth consecutive time under Coach Jim Haslett to win three consecutive games.
Even by the Saints' standards, the litany of self-inflicted mistakes was more lengthy than usual:
-- Two first-quarter fumbles -- one on fourth-and-goal inside the 1-yard line that prevented a touchdown on the Saints' opening drive and another that produced the Cardinals' first score.
-- A season-high 12 penalties for a season-high 104 yards. The infractions included seven of the pre-snap variety and one 36-yard pass interference penalty.
-- A porous run defense that allowed 35-year-old Emmitt Smith to rush for 127 yards, his first 100-yard game in nearly two seasons, and the Cardinals to amass a season-high 211 yards on the ground.
-- An offense that moved that ball seemingly at will between the 20s but inexplicably shut down when it mattered most. In two trips inside the Cardinals' red zone, the Saints ran seven plays inside the 10-yard line and came away with three points. On third down, the Saints failed to convert first downs on 11 of 12 tries, a season-low eight percent.
And all this occurred against a Cardinals outfit that had scored 25 points in its first three games and was ranked 30th in the NFL in total offense and 32nd in rushing defense.
"This isn't anything new," center LeCharles Bentley said. "We've been doing these things from Week 1. (Reporters) have been asking me these questions a million times."
Afterward, the Saints struggled to explain why the same mistakes keep happening or to answer what needs to be done.
"It's just frustrating," said running back Aaron Stecker, who started for injured Deuce McAllister. "It's like if you bake a cake, and you let it sit out, and your dog eats it. You put all that hard work into it, and he eats all your cake."
A couple of lockers away, wide receiver Joe Horn was equally dumbfounded by what he called a "disaster."
"It hurts bad because we know that we shouldn't lose to a team like that," Horn said. "We know what we have in our offense. We can be so explosive at times. But then something will always happen, whether it's penalties or whatever, that will just get us down."
The two first-quarter fumbles set the tone.
After a seemingly effortless opening drive, quarterback Aaron Brooks lost a snap while trying to sneak over the top on fourth-and-goal inside the Cardinals' 1-yard line. Gerald Hayes recovered in the end zone to prevent the score.
Brooks said the snap from Bentley was perfect, but that he lost the ball because he got too eager when he saw the Cardinals' linebackers aligned off the ball.
"It was all on me," Brooks said.
Brooks had completed his first five passes in the drive for 66 yards. He scrambled eight yards, but James Darling stopped him with a bone-jarring tackle just short of the goal line. Brooks said the hit was a good one but it had no effect on his fumble on the ensuing play.
The goal-line fumble was eerily similar to a fumbled exchange between Brooks and McAllister at the 1 on the opening drive of a loss at Philadelphia in 2003.
Two series later, a fumbled exchange between Stecker and Donté Stallworth on a botched reverse produced the Cardinals' first touchdown when Adrian Wilson scooped up the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a score.
At the end of the first quarter, the Saints had outgained the Cardinals 132-4 in total offense and 8-0 in first downs yet trailed 7-0.
The Cardinals added a touchdown before halftime on a 21-yard halfback option pass from Smith to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo to take a 14-3 halftime lead. The Saints trimmed the margin to 14-10 early in the second half when Steve Gleason blocked a punt by Scott Player, and Mel Mitchell recovered the ball in the end zone.
But the momentum boost was fleeting.
The Saints failed to make any headway, as the offense continued to misfire with dropped passes and penalties and the defense proved helpless to slow down Arizona's suddenly powerful rushing attack.
Of the 12 infractions accepted against the Saints, three stood out:
-- A holding call against Montrae Holland nullified a 1-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line in second quarter.
-- A 36-yard pass interference penalty against Tebucky Jones helped Arizona re-establish field position.
-- An offsides call against Mitchell on an Arizona punt in the fourth quarter converted a fourth-and-four and allowed Arizona to continue a drive that eventually led to a field goal that made the score 20-10.
Seven other penalties were enforced against the offense, including two false starts against right tackle Victor Riley and two others against left tackle Wayne Gandy.
"If I were getting on the plane again tonight, I'd bring the same game plan with me," offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy said. "It's frustrating."
Afterward, Brooks, also frustrated, hinted that changes might be in order.
"It's hard, man," said Brooks, who completed 24 of 40 passes for 242 yards. "I know that I'm the leader of all this, but I'm tired of it. I've just got to re-evaluate my situation here in New Orleans. Until that change comes, I've got to keep fighting."
Asked to clarify, Brooks' answer was equally cryptic: "I've got to look deep down in myself. But I've also got to look at what's happening around here."
The Cardinals, meantime, celebrated their first win of the season and gave the game ball to Smith, who in addition to his touchdown pass also had a 29-yard scoring run.
"I'm pretty sure they're feeling good over there," Stallworth said. "They know we beat ourselves. They know they're not the better team. But in this game, that doesn't matter. In this game, the better team doesn't always win, and that happened today."
. . . . . . .
CARDINAL SIN
Listless N.O. falls to previously winless Arizona
Monday, October 04, 2004
By Jeff Duncan
Staff writer
TEMPE, ARIZ. -- It was one long, hot, frustrating afternoon for the Saints on Sunday, and it had little to do with the blistering Arizona sun or triple-digit heat index.
One week after an emotional, efficient win at St. Louis, the Saints returned to their sadistic ways in a demoralizing 34-10 loss to previously winless Arizona.
New Orleans fell to 2-2 and failed for the fourth consecutive time under Coach Jim Haslett to win three consecutive games.
Even by the Saints' standards, the litany of self-inflicted mistakes was more lengthy than usual:
-- Two first-quarter fumbles -- one on fourth-and-goal inside the 1-yard line that prevented a touchdown on the Saints' opening drive and another that produced the Cardinals' first score.
-- A season-high 12 penalties for a season-high 104 yards. The infractions included seven of the pre-snap variety and one 36-yard pass interference penalty.
-- A porous run defense that allowed 35-year-old Emmitt Smith to rush for 127 yards, his first 100-yard game in nearly two seasons, and the Cardinals to amass a season-high 211 yards on the ground.
-- An offense that moved that ball seemingly at will between the 20s but inexplicably shut down when it mattered most. In two trips inside the Cardinals' red zone, the Saints ran seven plays inside the 10-yard line and came away with three points. On third down, the Saints failed to convert first downs on 11 of 12 tries, a season-low eight percent.
And all this occurred against a Cardinals outfit that had scored 25 points in its first three games and was ranked 30th in the NFL in total offense and 32nd in rushing defense.
"This isn't anything new," center LeCharles Bentley said. "We've been doing these things from Week 1. (Reporters) have been asking me these questions a million times."
Afterward, the Saints struggled to explain why the same mistakes keep happening or to answer what needs to be done.
"It's just frustrating," said running back Aaron Stecker, who started for injured Deuce McAllister. "It's like if you bake a cake, and you let it sit out, and your dog eats it. You put all that hard work into it, and he eats all your cake."
A couple of lockers away, wide receiver Joe Horn was equally dumbfounded by what he called a "disaster."
"It hurts bad because we know that we shouldn't lose to a team like that," Horn said. "We know what we have in our offense. We can be so explosive at times. But then something will always happen, whether it's penalties or whatever, that will just get us down."
The two first-quarter fumbles set the tone.
After a seemingly effortless opening drive, quarterback Aaron Brooks lost a snap while trying to sneak over the top on fourth-and-goal inside the Cardinals' 1-yard line. Gerald Hayes recovered in the end zone to prevent the score.
Brooks said the snap from Bentley was perfect, but that he lost the ball because he got too eager when he saw the Cardinals' linebackers aligned off the ball.
"It was all on me," Brooks said.
Brooks had completed his first five passes in the drive for 66 yards. He scrambled eight yards, but James Darling stopped him with a bone-jarring tackle just short of the goal line. Brooks said the hit was a good one but it had no effect on his fumble on the ensuing play.
The goal-line fumble was eerily similar to a fumbled exchange between Brooks and McAllister at the 1 on the opening drive of a loss at Philadelphia in 2003.
Two series later, a fumbled exchange between Stecker and Donté Stallworth on a botched reverse produced the Cardinals' first touchdown when Adrian Wilson scooped up the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a score.
At the end of the first quarter, the Saints had outgained the Cardinals 132-4 in total offense and 8-0 in first downs yet trailed 7-0.
The Cardinals added a touchdown before halftime on a 21-yard halfback option pass from Smith to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo to take a 14-3 halftime lead. The Saints trimmed the margin to 14-10 early in the second half when Steve Gleason blocked a punt by Scott Player, and Mel Mitchell recovered the ball in the end zone.
But the momentum boost was fleeting.
The Saints failed to make any headway, as the offense continued to misfire with dropped passes and penalties and the defense proved helpless to slow down Arizona's suddenly powerful rushing attack.
Of the 12 infractions accepted against the Saints, three stood out:
-- A holding call against Montrae Holland nullified a 1-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line in second quarter.
-- A 36-yard pass interference penalty against Tebucky Jones helped Arizona re-establish field position.
-- An offsides call against Mitchell on an Arizona punt in the fourth quarter converted a fourth-and-four and allowed Arizona to continue a drive that eventually led to a field goal that made the score 20-10.
Seven other penalties were enforced against the offense, including two false starts against right tackle Victor Riley and two others against left tackle Wayne Gandy.
"If I were getting on the plane again tonight, I'd bring the same game plan with me," offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy said. "It's frustrating."
Afterward, Brooks, also frustrated, hinted that changes might be in order.
"It's hard, man," said Brooks, who completed 24 of 40 passes for 242 yards. "I know that I'm the leader of all this, but I'm tired of it. I've just got to re-evaluate my situation here in New Orleans. Until that change comes, I've got to keep fighting."
Asked to clarify, Brooks' answer was equally cryptic: "I've got to look deep down in myself. But I've also got to look at what's happening around here."
The Cardinals, meantime, celebrated their first win of the season and gave the game ball to Smith, who in addition to his touchdown pass also had a 29-yard scoring run.
"I'm pretty sure they're feeling good over there," Stallworth said. "They know we beat ourselves. They know they're not the better team. But in this game, that doesn't matter. In this game, the better team doesn't always win, and that happened today."
. . . . . . .
