Saints and the Mid-Season All-Stars

Tweet Just another day at the office for the New Orleans Saints. Coming into their game against Tampa Bay, I read multiple articles saying that the Saints offense was sure to slow down and that their defense was simply not making enough plays. The same columnists predicted that the Bucs would upset the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons would be the team to beat in the NFC South.

There’s really no need to talk about Brees and the offense because they did what they do week in and week out: dominate. Watching Brees, Graham, Sproles, and the wide receiving core shred the opposing defense has become a regularity (I’ve decided to drop the Rams game from my memory). However, watching the Saints defense is a rollercoaster ride which usually leaves me feeling nauseous. I’m glad to report that New Orleans’ mediocre defense finally stepped up and showed what a great defensive system Gregg Williams has put into place. Every Tampa drive looked the same: promising start, methodical drive down the field, shut down inside the Saints 30 yard line. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the Saints D is based on the traditional motto “Bend but don’t break.” In theory, they allow the small gains and wait for the opportunity to make a big play and create turnovers. That hasn’t been the story all season, but last game, they filled into their roles perfectly and stopped Tampa whenever it mattered. Next week we face Atlanta in a HUGE game for the division lead, which I expect the Saints to win and put all the haters to rest.

I was reading NFL.com and came across an interesting article by Michael Lombardi. He made an NFL Mid-Season All-Star team for both offense and defense. I decided it was a cool idea, so here’s my Mid-Season All-Star’s.

OFFENSE
QB - Aaron Rodgers - Packers
RB - Matt Forte - Bears
WR - Calvin Johnson - Lions
WR - Steve Smith – Panthers
TE - Jimmy Graham - Saints
TE - Rob Gronkowski - Patriots
T - Jake Long - Dolphins
T - Joe Thomas - Browns
G - Jahri Evans - Saints
G - Carl Nicks - Saints
Center - Nick Mangold - Jets
Kicker - Jason Hanson - Lions

DEFENSE
DE - Jared Allen - Vikings
DE - Jason Pierre-Paul - Giants
DT - Haloti Ngata - Ravens
DT - Ndamukong Suh - Lions
OLB - Terrell Suggs - Ravens
OLB - Lance Briggs - Bears
MLB - Ray Lewis - Ravens
CB - Darrelle Revis - Jets
CB - Brandon Flowers - Chiefs
Safety - Ed Reed - Ravens
Safety - George Wilson - Bills
Punter - Shane Lechler - Raiders