My Marques Colston Blog

* Saints defence saves the day - Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma and Co. take a bow

* Saints set franchise record with perfect 8 and 0 start

* This was football New Orleans Saints style - hard fought and never easy

Carolina Panthers 20 - New Orleans Saints 30

The Carolina Panthers rode into New Orleans Sunday with a win streak of 8 straight in the Super Dome and almost came away with yet another victory. But for some resolute defending and a couple of quick fire drives the Saints would have kissed goodbye to their 2009 perfect record and left wondering if they would ever beat the Panthers at home again.

Instead the Saints got the job done thanks to some impressive performances by a group of lesser known names to record a come from behind 30 to 20 win over the Panthers... but it was a tight run thing.

Gregg Williams works the problem

The Saints played some uncharacteristic football with penalties, turnovers and miscues littering their play and all but killing them at various stages of the game. That the Saints defence turned up with their A game helmets on whilst the normally explosive offence dozed through the first half owes as much to Gregg Williams aggressive play calling as anything else.

Whilst the D was culpable for the early DeAngelo Williams 66 yard touchdown run, thereafter they solidified the middle of the field and forced the Panthers into a number of 3rd and long situations which they failed to convert. Williams used a lot of blitz packages to unnerve Jake Delhomme on the few occasions he dropped back to pass. This ensured the Saints had an 8 or 9 man front to stop the repetitive Panthers running attack.

The Saints should be thankful for the telling contribution of back up Defensive Tackle Anthony Hargrove, filling in for the injured Sedrick Ellis, who soon found a way to plug holes whilst making a telling contribution with key tackles, a forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown. Along with more recognised starters Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Darren Sharper, Roman Harper, Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer et al, the Saints D once again showed that they are a vastly improved unit from years gone by with some great run pursuit and forced turnovers to keep the score competitive.

Brees, Colston and Co. stutter

That the Panthers were able to rack up such an impressive rushing total owes as much to the frequency with which the Saints offence gave up possession as it does to the Panthers conservative play calling. The failure of many key Saints O personnel to turn up for this game is at first worrying and in some ways comforting. If the Saints are able to pull out a win with a misfiring passing attack then it further demonstrates the total team package the Saints can call upon this season.

Amongst the more anonymous and downright sloppy were receiving stalwarts Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston who had disappointing games by their standards. Speaking of which Drew Brees did not look his usual self assured best throwing a bad interception Colstons way as well as fumbling a bobbled snap in a key 3rd down on two drives in the red zone.

He still had the presence to pick out Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson for deep pass plays and use Reggie Bush in the flat on the way to racking up yet another 300+ yard game but this was far from his best. That fact alone is encouraging. If the Saints can pull out a win against a tough Panthers team with Brees, Colston and Shockey far from their A game then it bodes well for our championship prospects.

Pierre Thomas to the rescue

Some of the Saints early offensive play calling came back to haunt them as they looked to jump out to an early lead. Instead of establishing the running game head coach Sean Payton elected to throw from the offset. Whilst this was not an unreasonable strategy given the success the Saints have had so far this season it did leave them struggling to recapture the initiative when this tactic failed to deliver. It was only through the introduction of Pierre Thomas in a more central second half roll that the Saints were able to move the ball more freely and start to wear down the physical Panthers defence.

One drive in particular stood out with the Saints taking over possession at their own 2 yard line with 11.02 left on the clock. Payton employed a combination of inside running by Thomas and Mike Bell as well as dumping the ball to Reggie Bush and Thomas in the flat. 8 consecutive plays resulted from employing the trio and within 13 plays the Saints had marched all the way to the Panthers 16 before a dropped pass by Colston saw the Saints settling for a John Karney field goal for the go ahead score.

This was the balance of offence that had been so effective for the Saints all season but it took until well into the 4th Quarter to employ it.

Special praise should go to another unsung unit following this game; the Saints offensive line. They did a great job of protecting Drew Brees who, with the exception of an early forced fumble, had plenty of time to pick his targets. Honourable mention goes out to Jermon Bushrod who kept the mighty Julius Peppers quiet all night. Jermon Bushrod for the Pro Bowl; is that such an extravagant claim?

The DNA of Champions

To win and to win ugly is the mark of champions. This was not the best we have seen the Saints, far from it, but it did tell us a lot about the make up of the team and the depth of quality on the roster. When the A team were miscuing the Saints were able to call on some impressive performances by lesser known stars to get the job done. As Al Davis would say "Just Win Baby".

Peter Falconer is the author of the New Orleans Saints NFL blog, dedicated to all things New Orleans Saints. He sounds off about Saints players, displays everything from the latest Reggie Bush highlights videos to the roster, schedule, stories and more.

Drew Brees is currently one of the most successful and popular quarterbacks in the National Football League. It hasn't been an easy road to get there though for Brees. He began his career in San Diego, where questionable play and injuries led many there to lose confidence in him. When it was time for him to test the market, the only team that showed the interest in him that he deserved was the New Orleans Saints. After coming to a team that had been experiencing little success and had just been devastated right alongside its city by Hurricane Katrina, he, head coach Sean Payton, and the rest of the team worked on building the Saints into one of the best teams in the league. That goal was reached following the 2009 season when the team won the Super Bowl by defeating the Indianapolis Colts. With that victory, Brees had really come a long way.

Here are five interesting facts about the Saints quarterback, Drew Brees.

#1 - Through the 2009 NFL season, Drew Brees had accumulated significantly more touchdown passes in the second quarter during his career than in any other quarter. He had thrown 38 first quarter, 47 third quarter, and 49 fourth quarter touchdown passes. During the same period, the total number of TD passes he had thrown in the second quarter was 68.

#2 - The first touchdown pass Drew Brees ever threw in the National Football League came in week eight of the 2001 season while he was playing with the Chargers. It went for 20 yards and was caught by wide receiver Freddie Jones in the fourth quarter of a 25-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. His last touchdown pass as a Charger also came in a loss to the Chiefs, this one was in 2005 and was an 18 yarder that was caught by tight end Antonio Gates.

#3 - Through the 2009 NFL season, nobody had caught more touchdown passes from Drew Brees than wide receiver Marques Colston with 33. In second place on that list was Antonio Gates, who Brees played with in San Diego, with 23.

#4 - Seven of the first 12 touchdown passes Drew Brees threw as a member of the New Orleans Saints were caught by wide receiver Marques Colston.

#5 - Brees was the starting quarterback on his high school football team for two seasons. During that time, Westlake High School of Austin, Texas had one tie game, no losses, and 28 victories.

More New Orleans Saints trivia can be found at IQFB.com! Use the knowledge found there to impress your friends, win bets, or even just for general information. You can even find other Drew Brees trivia items too. IQFB... Get Football Smart.

I have a feeling that when all is said and done we are going to end up with a number of newly famous New Orleans Saints players at the end of this season.

At present the Saints roster is full of unassuming team players who do not get national recognition at their position. That is sure to change if they continue to play in the same vein of form that has taken the Saints to 5 and 0.

Chief among them are the receiving corps, running backs and the totally unheralded Offensive line. So I hereby present to you my soon to be famous New Orleans Saints players. I only pray we can keep hold of them come years end:

1. Lance Moore - the Wes Welker of our receivers, the slot guy and 3rd down specialist. I've watched Moore's progress with great interest over the past year and a half more out of disbelief that the Saints scouts had unearthed yet another unheralded gem. I really like his selfless team play, a coach's dream.

2. Pierre Thomas - the undrafted 2007 free agent has been a real find and has helped balance the offence by powering the running game. An excellent inside runner he also has the speed to turn the corner and is another team first player.

3. Robert Meachem/Marques Colston - both have already posted good numbers in previous seasons so there is some level of awareness out there but I believe they will both end up with stellar numbers this season. Both are tall, strong and quick with good hands. Like the rest of the team they are more interested in doing their talking on the field than the media, a blessing for any cohesive play off bound contenders.

Needless to say I have left Drew Brees off this list as he already has some nationwide recognition. That said I still do not think that he gets the credit he deserves and a stellar season could see him widely accepted as the best QB in the league, a title he more than deserves in my wholly biased eyes.

Finally a big shout out to Jermon Bushrod, Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks, Jonathan Goodwin and Jon Stinchcomb, the offensive line who make it all happen around them. The way they handled the Giants front 7 on Sunday goes to show what a unit they have become. The pass protection has been flawless and they have helped establish the Saints as one of the leagues best running teams. Sadly these guys are never going to find the fame attached to the likes of Bush, Brees and Co. but if they continue playing as they have they could help make this the most famous New Orleans Saints team of all time. Here's hoping!

Peter Falconer is the author of the Saints NFL blog, dedicated to his love of the famous New Orleans Saints franchise.

Following the propane a lane humdinger of a ball game on Monday Night Football in which the Famous New Orleans Saints offence took to the skies and out jumped the wingless Falcons I thought it was about time to name my Saint of the Week.

A plethora of options for the Saints Helmet to choose from

Honourable mentions must firstly go out to the main contenders which were:

a) The Entire Saints Offence and

b) The Entire Saints Defence

However the Saints Helmet Player of the Week award is an individual award so the top 5 in descending order are:

Darren Sharper - 5th Place. He made smart plays all over the field and kept Matt Ryan second guessing with his blitz stunts. He deserved the addition to his league leading tally of interceptions that came his way in the 4th and is surely a shoe in for the Pro Bowl barring disaster.

Marques Colston - 4th place. His dominance at going up for jump balls, witness the 2nd Quarter touchdown grab, mean he is Drew Brees' go to target in the Red Zone. Factor in his ability to make the big play, like the deep ball in the 4th, and you have one heck of a contender for the Pro Bowl.

Will Smith - 3rd place. His pass rush efforts forced Ryan to throw before his feet were set on a number of occasions and was rewarded with 2 sacks, 4 tackles and 1 forced fumble (well nearly). It's great to see the big man back as the Saints sack king.

Drew Brees - 2nd place. What more superlatives can one say about Drew Brees? He is simply playing outstanding football and is head and shoulders the best Quarterback in the league in my opinion. His numbers speak for themselves but beyond that he is a leader of men and showed once again that he can put the ball where few others even dare to thread. Truly a Saints Legend in the making.

Jabari Greer - Saints Helmet Player of the Week. It would have been too easy to give the gong to Drew Brees as he realistically wins it hands down week in week out so, to make it interesting, I have gone with the game changer himself, Saints cornerback Jabari Greer.

The interception he returned for a touchdown just before half time was the turning point in the game. It left the Falcons mentally scared going into the locker room knowing they faced an insurmountable challenge in the second half. Up to that point the Falcons had been playing pretty good football so Greers' interception firstly stopped a promising drive that could have levelled the scores and secondly increased the points difference to two touchdowns.

The Saints secondary as a whole has been so impressive as a unit this season that it's a pleasure to award one of their kin the award for the second time this season. No longer do I have to hide behind my giant foam hands any time an opposing QB takes to the air for I know that in Jabari Greer, Darren Sharper, Roman Harper and Tracy Porter, who also came up with a game changing pick, we now have a secondary that helps make us a genuine contender. Roll on the Panthers!

Peter Falconer is the author of the New Orleans Saints NFL blog, dedicated to all things New Orleans Saints. He sound off about all Saints players from Drew Brees to Jabari Greer, Reggie Bush and much more.