ED Hardy's (almost) mid season Saints Grades 2013.

The Saints difference maker: Kenny Vaccaro

ED Hardy's (almost) mid season Saints Grades 2013.

The Saints bye week is here and even though they're not yet at mid season yet, I feel like it's best to analyze the Saints ball-club as it stands now in 2013.Before I get into the nitty-gritty via the position group analysis, I want to say I am extremely surprised at The Saints overall record of 5-1. If you put me on the spot at the beginning of the season, at best I would say 3-3 after 6 games. The defense has performed better than we ever could've imagined, yet the offense has under performed (to Saints standards). Still, look at The Saints record,  baffling. Daddy is indeed back (Coach Payton) and his presence alone has stole wins versus Atlanta and at Tampa. This team has moxie, something it lacked severely last season. Granted, DC Rob Ryan deserves a ton of credit, but lady luck has played a major factor in all of this early season success. The opposition dropping passes, ball bouncing the right way, or perhaps it's just good schematics. Doesn't matter, we all relish where the Saints are this point.

Now it's going to my Saints mid season grades per position groups.

Quarterbacks – Drew Brees has not been the Drew Brees of 2012, however that is a good thing as he does not have to carry the entire team load as years past. While flawless at times this early-season, he has also been very ineffective in crucial times as well. One of the coach Payton's hardest tasks I assume is to calm Drew's "do it all mentality". This is so as the defense in 2013 is finally is playing like a defense. That being said, he still a top-five quarterback in the league. Any grade less than an A would ruin my reputation as an analyst and fan.
Grade- A-

Running backs- clearly a position of weakness on the Saints 2013 ball club. As far as finesse goes, this position group has that skill set as they can catch passes out of the backfield like no other. But that resembles just another glorified wide receiver a.k.a. Lance Moorish type. The Saints need runners period. Mark Ingram is a bust and is not the answer. Sproles is too small to be an effective every down back & Pierre Thomas does not get the touches he deserves. Only Khiry Robinson has lately earned Payton's trust as the short yardage move the chains on the ground back. But these yards on the ground are few and far between, and without an effective rushing attack, the Saints offense will become too predictable.
Grade C-

All receivers – again once a position of massive strength has now become a sneaky liability. Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston are killing it however their backups are severe question marks. Kenny Stills is hot and cold, Toon is nonexistent and Meacham needs to retire immediately. The injury to Lance Moore has hurt this squad more than anyone could expected as he is Drew Brees is Linus blanket. Still, when big plays need to happen, this position group has for the most part stood up.
Grade B

Offensive line-after really thinking about the offense, much of the blame probably goes to the right side of this line. RG Evans has been hurt and playing hurt which is really affected  his play. Strief also has played hurt and he is not the future answer at right tackle. LG Ben Grubbs and LT Charles Brown have been quietly good on the left and beginning of the season "weaker left side". Face it, Saints fans have been spoiled for the last six years of stellar offensive line play. This year, the offensive line has shown its deficiencies but still, overall it is a decent group which will get healthier.
Grade C

Defensive line- after a rash of early-season injuries, Hicks, Jenkins, and Jordan have been nothing but spectacular. One of the reason the Saints defense has had so much success is because these front 3 are getting pressure on the quarterback with no blitzing help. Truly amazing with undrafted rookies Foster and Walker subbing in too.
Grade A+

Linebackers – this truly is the hardest position great to analyze. The Saints have typically only ran a two linebacker set for most of the season. That being said, Curtis Lofton has been a flat out tackling and covering machine. Who would have thought he had coverage skills? Hawthorne has manned the other LB position and has played effective against the run and pass as well. Their smarts have allowed the Saints secondary to carry another man upfront. Not going to lie here, I'm shocked at this position group success. But it is only because of the defensive back help.
Grade B

Secondary – S Kenny Vaccaro, Kenny Vaccaro, Kenny Vaccaro, Kenny Vaccaro and Kenny and MF Kenny Vaccaro. He has single-handedly changed the entire culture of this defense in one season. He covers receivers, he covers running backs, he makes textbook tackles, he breaks up passes, the kid does it all. Attitude. And the fact that corners Greer and Lewis have had on and off games, the safeties have really bailed the Sanints cornerbacks out.  Vaccaro and Malcom Jenkins are like long-lost brothers. Both are cover corners, but both are better safeties great range and versatility. Roman Harper has been hurt but the Saints don't even need him anymore, and that is great in its own right. The backups have played well also.
Grade A-

Special teams – P Morestead is being Morestead, which is great. PK Hartley has been killing it with clutch kicks. Coverage and return units have also fared well, not a flashy position group but I tell you what, they have done very well this year.
Grade B+

Coaching- Sean Payton back at the helm. The team/franchise has its identity back and their unpredictability has caused nightmares for the opposition. The Saints will win more than they will lose, thank goodness daddy is back!
Grade A

Overall Mid season Saints GPA: 3.27

Ed Hardy out!!!

THE TIM FLETCHER SHOW PICK EM 2013

            Ed Hardy                  Tim Fletcher   

VS .  

 

Tim Fletcher college picks:

Oklahoma 49 Texas 20

Texas A&M 45 Ole Miss 35

Georgia 41 Missouri 35

Baylor 56 Kansas State 40

Washington 44 Oregon 41

Alabama 34 Kentucky 23

Arkansas 31 South Carolina 28

LSU 31 Florida 23

 

Ed Hardy college picks

Oklahoma 28 Texas 14

Texas A&M 38 Ole Miss 33

Georgia 34 Missouri 17

Baylor 40 Kansas State 21

Oregon 43 Washington 20

Alabama 48 Kentucky 9

LSU 31 Florida 27

South Carolina 28 Arkansas 20

 

Tim Fletcher pro picks

Chiefs 30 Raiders 23

Buccaneers 13 Eagles 10

Ravens 31 Packers 28

Browns 20 Lions 16

panthers 34 Minnesota 10

Rams 24 Texans 21

Jets 17 Steelers 14

Bills 21 Bengals 20

Seahawks 27 Titans 17

Broncos 38 jaguars 10

Niners 34 Cardinals 20

Colts 38 Chargers 35

Cowboys 40 Redskins 23

Saints 37 patriots 34

 

Ed Hardy's pro picks

Chiefs 20 Raiders 6

Buccaneers 20 Eagles 19

Packers 28 ravens 24

Lions 21 Brown's 17

Panthers 20 Vikings 18

Texans 31 rams 17

Steelers 17 jets 14

Bengals 24 bills 17

Seahawks 31 Titans 7

Broncos 38 jaguars 9

49ers 28 cardinals 6

Colts 28 Chargers 24

Calibers 33 Redskins 30

Patriots 27 Saints 25

 

Please note this is for against the spread only from the lines in Fridays paper , stay tuned for separation Monday

 

Covering High School Football- Going down Memory Lane

I had the great fortune to play football for 10 years of my life and have been watching football for about 30 years of life religiously. I would never trade playing the sport no matter what even if it meant I would be guaranteed to be great and successful at anything else, as football has provided me so much in terms of life lessons. So I think I've seen it all until last Friday when I had the opportunity to be the color analyst for the Bossier Bearcats versus Northwood Falcons game at Bossier Memorial Stadium. Amidst a driving rainstorm, myself, play-by-play guy the Kissing Bandit(pictured above) and our stats boy Cupcake, manned the fort up in the palatial Bossier press-box. And from all my football experience, I was truly humbled. Putting your thoughts together in such a short instant really takes repetition and experience, which I had neither. However once the game rolled on I too became part of the experience. The Saints radio broadcast of Jim Henderson and Hokie Gajun are my favorite, not only because I'm a Saints fan but they are entertaining, informative and very real. Speaking of the color analyst part, Hokie really knows how to put a personal spin on everything. And just when you think he's a Cajun hillbilly, try doing it yourself, as you have to know the game to be able to quickly analyze what's going on immediately after the play. Hat's off to those guys.

 As for my experience, it brought back a flood of memories regarding Friday nights. Even though the crowd was extremely sparse due to the downpour, the players were just as giddy as if they were playing in front of a crowd of 50,000. Northwood High school is a senior laden team with a ton of experience depth and size. Bossier High school is rebuilding with a slew of underclassmen, having several notable players going both ways. Northwood had their way with Bossier early and often, racking up 40+ points in the first half alone. What struck me was how Bossier was going to handle it. Memories of my 1991 Loyola team instantly flooded my head. That year, I was a senior and our ballclub was undefeated & ranked for the first time in a decade. Haynesville rolled into town and we knew they were superior, however we thought we were pretty good too. After two quarters, we realized we had a long way to go as they were drubbing us 35 to nothing! Two of our players had to get carted off on stretchers. So were we going to come back in the second half with our tail between our legs or come out swinging? A last second touchdown by Haynesville in the second-quarter really pissed me and a bunch of my senior buddies off. They were up big time but yet relished in proving a point they could whoop up on some city Loyola City Slickers.
Fast forward to the second half. Led by first time starting quarterback Billy Thomas, we held the mighty Tors to seven points in the second half and we actually scored a touchdown. Looking back at the box score, one would consider this a blowout, but to our guys we knew we played our butts off in the second half and refused to quit. Many years later, I was working out at the YMCA and ran into a Haynesville O-lineman from that squad. He said we fought harder than any team they played that year, as in 1991 was one of many championship seasons the Tors had. It made me feel so good as they kicked everybody's ass, yet years later I still felt like we accomplish something.

 Now the second half did not turn out so pleasant for Bossier that evening, but my memories were in full force of my game 22 years ago. While I was covering my first game from the booth I was still living in those player shoes thinking about how it felt when I was on the other end of the stick. All I know is football is a great sport, and it teaches you more about life than any individual sport could. It's not just about winning or losing. It is really about how you persevere during those times whether theyre great or whether you're getting your tail kicked in. The end result is if you work your butt off it will make you a better person in the long run. No class, money or luck will really teach you those lessons. It WILL be taught on the football field. Damn I love this game. Ed Hardy OUT!!!

College Pick Em 2013 EH vs TF!

Ed Hardy Tackles First College Predictions

SEC Early Barometer

College football is here and so are the hopes and dreams of 124 Division I teams, athletes, coaches and of course the fans. Year after year teams outside of the SEC have been looking for a way to discredit the SEC dominance. Some call the SEC top-heavy though the proof is in the pudding, 7 titles in a row. But a new season brings new home and aspirations starting week 1. Can the rest of the country can make a dent in the SEC with some victories this upcoming weekend? This would help the outsiders not only for bragging rights, but for National Title contention. Alabama's chances could suffer in the long run in the power rankings if they happen to slip up (lose) at some point later in the year(not early at Texas A&M). With pansy scheduling like for Ohio State & Louisville, 1 loss could be detrimental to Alabama or whoever is the SEC top dog, if power ratings come into play.

So it's time to preview some of the SEC Barometer matchups against other conference foes this upcoming weekend.

1.Alabama versus Virginia Tech – this is not the Mike Vick led Virginia Tech squad, this is the worn out Hokies of 2013. Starting a freshman quarterback versus Saban's defense is just plain scary. Even if they had a savvy vet, the Hokie's are small bunch and are going to get pushed around all game long, hit the cancel button on the DVR if your recording this one.

Bama 51 Virginia Tech 9

2. Washington State versus Auburn. The old pirate himself Mike Leach versus Springdale five's Gus Malzahn, they both love to put up points. The big difference here is that Auburn has some athletes on both sides of the ball whereas the Cougars are very limited. Auburn is starving for a fresh start and Leach will try to throw everything at them, however,  in the end, speed kills and Washington State will take it on the chin.

Auburn 38 Washington State 17.

I forgot to mention the playing at the Plains.

3. South Carolina versus North Carolina. The Tar Heels rolling to Columbia with really nothing to prove as everyone is favoring the Gamecocks. Even South Carolina may be eyeing their next week's big matchup versus Georgia. North Carolina should make it a game early and play keep away as much as possible. However the common theme of the Gamecock’s season will be if they can get a decent lead on any opponent of this year, all they will have to do is turn their defense loose for the W. That's what I see will happen here as well, starting in the second half to the poor Tar Heels.

Gamecocks 28 Tar Heels 10

4. Mississippi State versus Oklahoma State. Last but not least, I believe this is the most interesting SEC barometer game over the weekend. Will versus will. The Cowboys want to put up big numbers while the Bulldogs want the ball and control the entire game. I really believe the Bulldogs will throw some new wrinkles towards Oklahoma State's defense. Dan Mullen is a better coach than Gundy. Turnovers will be the deciding factor in this ball game,  meaning Mississippi State better get at least 2 or 3 fumbles/interceptions if they have any prayer of winning this contest. Call me crazy, but I  believe Mississippi State will…………………..nah……………lose, But keep it really interesting.

Cowboys 28 Mississippi State 20.

Well, wish I could Guilbeau you but my predictions went pretty much how the majority sees it. However, if I’m wrong, and if South Carolina or Auburn were to lose (as we know Alabama's not), then the power rankings for SEC teams will take a big hit, especially if an undefeated SEC team were to lose to either SC or Aub. late in the year,  mark my words. But to hell with parody, long live the SEC and its dominance!!!

EH Out.

Ed Hardy: Saints Realist

New Saints defense of coordinator Rob Ryan inherited the worst defense in the league this past year. Little did he know that his two existing outside linebackers would go down (injured reserve for the year Smith & Butler)as well. Again back to the trash heap. But closely observed, is it really the trash cheap? Case in point.

Will Smith would've been a major liability, not only the running game but the short passing game as evident as Matt Shuab made him look like a total goon. And this is not saying much as both Wilson and Gallete have been on the pine yet no one has been able to step up and take the outside linebacker  position for the Saints. So where do the Saints go from here?  OLB Parys Haralson was just signed from San Francisco, as he is a locker room stand out and has some outside linebacking experience, which we desperately lack. But he is not the answer, just a depth guy. Junior Gallete is the real X factor. As evident from the Texans game, opposing defenses will pick on the Saints flats, having Saints linebackers getting burnt with the opposing tight ends day end and day out.

Fortunately , the Saints can overcome with their badass offense. But unlike LSU and other Cowboys fanatics ,I happen to be a Saints realist. We are not going anywhere unless we bow up on defense. I refuse to drink the cool-aide.

Tune into Friday's Tim Fletcher Show, as we will give our NFL breakdown. Also, Fletch and I will give our NFL predictions for the year, so Listen up and be somebody: AM 1130 the tiger & the radioPup App baby.

Ed Hardy out!!!!!

SAINTS PRE-SEASON GAME 2 PREVIEW WITH SNEAK PEAK OF THE PROJECTED 53 MAN ROSTER

MATCHUP:

Saints versus Raiders in the Dome, Friday August 16, 2013.  Probably the worst opponent (Raiders) you could have to obtain a true assessment of how this new Saints Defense can play , versus someone else’s #1’s, for about a half. Could the Saints defense have rebounded in the next series if Alex Smith were to stay on the field last week? Or would they fold just like they did all of last year 2012? We’ll never know as the Raiders are still a train wreck sans Al Davis and LSU’s Matt Flynn will not surprise anyone. However, if the Raiders stack the box this week like the Chiefs did last week, I believe Coach Payton will say screw it, abandon the run, and light the scoreboard up!! This will delight the masses on hand, Drew Brees and get all of these new receivers seasoned up. Also, fat boy DC Rob Ryan will probably dial up a medley of blitzes, unlike the vanilla approach week 1.

3 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

1.      The Saints Defense- don’t be expecting the 1985 Bear D anytime soon but more like the 2009 Saints D, a lot of blitzing, bending but not breaking. The breaking part is guaranteed due to our opponent otherwise, I would not know what to tell you. But since I’m aware of the Raiders, I do see the Saints making some strides.  In the Williams regime, the defense would bounce back on occasion after getting toasted, whereas they would lay down and die under Spags. I hope they lean more towards Williams’s way. One person in particular to keep your eye on is Cam Jordan. With all of this outside 3-4 LB edge rush, Jordan will get a slew of 1 on 1 matchups, thus I expect him to be very disruptive tomorrow evening.  Also, there will be a fierce linebacker and safety battle, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see some jaw dropping licks and perhaps an INT, courtesy of S Jim Leonard. Just a hunch.

2.      Team Discipline- coach Payton fell on the sword last week and said himself, his coaches need to do a better job But what he went on to say and really mean was that the offense needed to do a better job of getting to the line of scrimmage, getting the alignment right and communicating better. Look here, we take our offense for granted sometimes, but you know that this Payton-Brees machine is all about precision, adjustments and execution. Nothing pisses Payton off more than missed assignments. Personal fouls are one thing, but illegal procedure or God forbid having to burn a precious time out, drives Payton insane. So keep an eye on how quickly the offense gets to the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball, after Brees makes his last minute reads. A lot of pressure will be on these rookie wide-outs to be in sync with Brees as even though the Raiders D sucks, it’s typically week 2 when the gloves come off for the defense.

3.      Coverage Units and Hartley-this seems like a boring topic but the Saints were awful in special team’s punt and kickoff coverage. We simply can’t afford to give the opposition another 15-20 yards against our D, because our D is well, ourrrrr D. This will be a journeyman fullback, veteran linebacker or rookie free agents dream, as the Saints staff WILL KEEP YOU on the 53 man roster if you really succeed in special teams play (see Roby). Speaking of Roby, he’s hurt and guys like LB Humber and S Bush will be playing more with the starting D so whoever else steps up & shinestomorrow night in ST, may have a roster spot waiting on them. Hartley is so hot and cold. He hasn’t been stellar whatsoever in training camp so far. I know he’s not going anywhere but I would really like to see some 40-50 yard attempts on the hash marks if all possible.

PRE-SEASON WEEK 2 GAME PREDICTION

Saints 34 - Raiders 20. 

 

EARLY BIRD SAINTS 53 MAN ROSTER PROJECTIONS AS OF 8/15/2013

1.    Brees

2.    McCown

3.    Collins

4.    P Thomas

5.    Ingram

6.    Sproles

7.    Cadet (K Robinson on Pr Squad)

8.    Colston

9.    Moore

10.  Toon

11.  Stills

12.  Parker

13.  Tanner (on to let Roby heal and out of Pr Sq options)

14.  Roby

15.  Graham

16.  Watson

17.  Higgins

18.  Brown

19.  Strief

20.  Armistead

21.  Jones

22.  Grubbs

23.  Evans

24.  Puente

25.  Olsen

26.  Hartley

27.  Morestead

28.  Drescher

29.  Jordan

30.  Hicks

31.  Foster

32.  Richardson (T Johnson can’t stay healthy)

33.  Bunkley

34.  Jenkins

35.  Gallette

36.  R Johnson

37.  Hawthorne

38.  Martin

39.  Wilson

40.  Will Smith (almost left him off, I will next week if he stinks vs. Oak)

41.  Humber

42.  Chamberlain

43.  Reddick (special team surprise)

44.  Lewis

45.  Greer

46.  White

47.  Robinson

48.  Harper

49.  Jenkins

50.  Vaccaro

51.  Bush

52.  Leonhard

53.  Carr (vet leadership)

On bubble: Herring, Abdul-Quddus, Tiller, Breaston

Ed Hardy

OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!