The Saints won their third game in a row on the legs of Alvin Kamara and Wil Lutz
Cheap Vonn Bell Jersey , and some solid play from an offseason addition. Lutz stays ClutchWil Lutz has been the unsung hero of the season so far.He has
gone 10 of 11 on his field goal attempts and has not missed an extra point all
year. The fact that the Saints—in the Payton era— have a reliable, clutch kicker
is something many never thought they would see. This will prove vital to winning
close games down the stretch. On Sunday he was a perfect 4 of 4 on his field
goals that counted and even added two that were nullified due to various
reasons. We should feel confident knowing that if we need a field goal to win a
game, Lutz will come through. Linebacker PlayDemario Davis had himself a day. He
registered 11 tackles and 2 sacks and is looking like the missing piece in the
middle of the defense we have been looking for since Jonathan Vilma retired. AJ
Klein has put to rest some of the questions surrounding his play coming out of
the preseason, as he has looked solid in his role through the first four games.
Overall, the play of the front seven looks to be much improved from last season,
as indicated by the rushing yards opposing teams have put up. The Saints
currently sit at 4th in total rushing yards allowed per game with 79.5, and a
lot of that has been due to the linebacker group.Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
SportsMr. Do EverythingThe third string quarterback/special team ace/wide
receiver/kickoff returner has continued to impress every time he gets on the
field. He would have thrown his first career passing touchdown if Kamara would
have held on to a pass that showed nice touch and placement from Hill who was on
the run. He did however pull off a 4th down conversion on a fake punt when he
received the direct snap and hit Justin Hardee to pick up the first. With Mark
Ingram missing, Hill has been the only significant rushing threat behind Kamara
and his ability to run the Read-Option has opened things up for the offense in
even more ways. And while Ingram may take away some of his touches, he should
still have a few play calls designed around his unique skill set that Payton
will use. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsThe Dynamic DuoAK41 is unstoppable.
Whatever the game plan calls for, he steps up. He was finally able to top the
100 yd mark notching 134 rushing yards while also adding 5 catches for 47 yards
through the air. He leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 611 and doesn’t
look to be slowing down anytime soon, even with Ingram set to return. Michael
Thomas’ stats came back to Earth this week. His 4 receptions are the lowest
amount he hauled in so far this year, but he was still effective when the ball
was thrown his way. He caught 4 of his 5 targets for an 80% catch rate and now
holds the record for most receptions through the first 4 games of a season.
Thomas could be set up for a big game next week against Washington if cornerback
Josh Norman isn't able to play due to a hamstring injury. Missed opportunitiesOn
the final drive of the first half, two Saints players dropped potential
touchdown passes. First, Kamara dropped a pass from third string quarterback
Taysom Hill, and later veteran tight end Ben Watson couldn't hang on to a Drew
Brees pass and dropped the ball as he hit the ground. Luckily this didn’t come
back to haunt them, but against better teams getting just a field goal within
the 20 yard line wont be enough for a win. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers insisted all
along that they weren't overly concerned about having to open the season without
suspended quarterback Jameis Winston.That's because Ryan Fitzpatrick not only is
an experienced backup who's one of just four players in NFL history to throw
touchdown passes for seven different teams, but he has proven he can win games,
too.No one
Cheap Austin Carr Jersey , however, could have anticipated him launching his 14th season quite the way he did, throwing for a career-best 417 yards and
four TDs without an interception on the road to key a 48-40 victory over the New
Orleans Saints.Fitzpatrick also ran for a touchdown, improving to 3-1 as a
starter since joining the Bucs before last season.With Winston suspended for
three games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, the 35-year-old
with 120 starts will also lead Tampa Bay (1-0) the next two weeks against
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh."He's a down-to-earth guy. He's got a great sense of
humor. He's witty, he's intelligent, he's well-spoken. He backs up what he says
with how he plays. The players respect him. He doesn't try to come on too
strong, but at the same time he's a good leader," coach Dirk Koetter said
Monday."When we talked, I think earlier in the year, about the difference
between Jameis' leadership style and Fitz's leadership style, there's different
ways to do it, and there's two good examples of it," Koetter added. "Both (are)
good leaders, and we've had other good leaders step up so far."Fitzpatrick
entered the NFL in 2005 as a seventh-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams.
He's also played — and thrown TD passes — for the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo
Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and New York Jets.He signed with Tampa
Bay as a free agent in May 2017
Cheap Sheldon Rankins Jersey , willingly accepting a role as backup to Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He started three games a year
ago, winning two, while Winston was sidelined with a shoulder injury."Fitz is
comfortable being in there, he's not going to get rattled," Koetter said."After
a guy (has) played a certain amount — I don't know what the cutoff is, but Fitz
has played a lot. I think that experience of, 'OK, I know how fast the game is
going to be. I know when I'm going to have to throw the ball away. I know when
I'm going to have to eat it and take a hit. I know when it's time to scramble.'"
Koetter added."I just think that best thing overall that Fitz is doing right now
is when the play does break down, he's making good decisions with the football
whether it be throwing it to a safe spot or becoming a runner."Against the
Saints, Fitzpatrick joined Mark Rypien as the only quarterbacks to throw for at
least 400 yards with zero interceptions while also rushing for a touchdown in
the same game. In addition to being 21 of 28 passing, including a pair of TDs of
50-plus yards, he targeted Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson 12 times, completing
all of those throws."To hit them all 12 of those times is pretty unusual,"
Koetter said.Evans finished with seven receptions for 147 yards and one
touchdown. Jackson had five catches for 146 yards and two TDs.
