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The Big Uneasy: Saints fall flat for second straight week

The New Orleans Saints lost their first game by 31 points. They lost Sunday by 17. Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, they have been ravaged, 72-24. They never got on track in either contest.

Some of the blame no doubt rests on the shoulders of quarterback Drew Brees. Then you could go down the line and point the finger at the stumbling backfield tandem of Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister. While you're at it, throw the entire defense under the bus, then look for the driver -- head coach Sean Payton.

A little harsh? Maybe.

But it could be safely argued that Payton failed to rally the troops in the face of a 41-10 trouncing at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. He gave his charges the weekend off, then talked about playing with effort and energy while learning and making corrections from game-to-game.

It didn't happen.

Granted, Payton doesn't strap on a helmet and pads. But from the sideline he hardly crafted a game plan to counter the offensively-challenged Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The end result saw Jeff Garcia average 15.2 yards per pass attempt, a club record. He threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Joey Galloway -- who torched New Orleans' secondary and had four receptions for 135 yards.

The Bucs also wreaked havoc on the ground, as Cadillac Williams and his bruised ribs plowed through the Saints' defensive line for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 24 carries. And on the other side of the ball, linebacker Barrett Ruud came away with 11 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

It was almost like New Orleans lost the scouting report, then wilted under a brutal September sun hovering over Raymond James Stadium.

"I'm confident in the guys we have on this team, character-wise," said Payton, in what sounded like recycled rhetoric from his post-game analysis of Week 1.

"I think they are mentally tough. I think they are guys that want to be good. I think they will work at improving. Us as coaches have to look long and hard at what we are doing to make sure we're giving them the best opportunity. We'll get it corrected. I'm confident."

SECOND LOOK

Brees had 260 yards passing, completing 26-of-44 attempts with one touchdown and one interception against the Bucs. It was a small improvement over Week 1, but Brees still looked anything but poised guiding an offense that needed nearly seven full quarters this season before it located the end zone.

The ground game was nearly inept, as Bush and McAllister each had 10 carries and combined for just 76 yards. The latter started a troubling trend, fumbling on the first series of the game before being ruled down by contact. But he lost the ball again on New Orleans' next possession, leading to a Tampa score.

Bush also fumbled twice, as the Saints' supposed fast-track offense never got out of the gate.

"We know we haven't played up to our abilities," Bush said. "We are selling ourselves short a little bit. Part of it is my fault, we have to hold onto the ball and not turn the ball over. We just haven't played like ourselves."

STILL LOOKING FOR A SILVER LINING?

Here it is.

The Saints out-gained the Buccaneers by 13 yards. They also held a significant edge in time of possession (33:08 to 26:52), and had a 19-14 advantage in first downs.

As mentioned, they also reached the end zone for the first time this season, albeit with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter (using a 58-yard pass from Brees to David Patten to set up an eventual one-yard dive by Mike Karney).

Marques Colston also seems to be hitting his stride, having led all Saints' receivers with eight catches for 70 yards while hauling in the game's final touchdown pass.

COMING UP NEXT...

New Orleans battles the stingy Tennessee Titans in a Monday night showdown, but this time finds itself in the friendly confines of the Superdome for the first time this season.

Tennessee (1-1) proved it was no pushover on Sunday despite falling to the Indianapolis Colts, 22-20. Vince Young finished the contest 17-of-27 for 184 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran for 53 yards on five scrambles as the Titans nearly pulled off the upset of the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Titans will most certainly seek to establish the ground game with the backfield duo of LenDale White and Chris Brown, who both found gaping holes in the Colts' defense and rushed for a combined 98 yards.

The aforementioned will all make it difficult for the Saints to take care of business in the Crescent City, even with a distinct home-field advantage.

"I have only been here a short amount of time compared to some of the other guys in the locker room," said Saints cornerback Jason David. "But there are a lot of guys in here with a lot of pride and I have heard that the fans will be behind us 100 percent on Monday and I know that's exciting for us. I am anxious to get out there and experience it."

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