12/24/06 Saints-Giants gamer for the Louisiana Gannett Newspapers:
(Writer's note: I covered the Christmas Eve Saints-Giants game at the Meadowlands for the Louisiana Gannett Newspapers. The Shreveport Times was the first paper to post the story on its website. As always, I will attach all the newspapers' URLs to the blog entry. ---- Denis Gorman)
Saints pound Giants
December 24, 2006
By Denis Gorman
Special to The Times
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The only thing that was clearer and colder than the New Jersey weather Sunday was the Saints' offensive efficiency.On a day when winds that reached 29 mph made it almost impossible to pass, the NFC South Champions coldly ran the ball against a depleted and defeated Giants defense.
In its 30-7 win over the Giants at the Meadowlands on Sunday, the Saints ran 53 times for 236 yards and two scores. Reggie Bush rushed for 126 yards and a score, his first 100-yard rushing game as a professional. Deuce McAllister carried the ball 27 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. The 53 rushes were the second-most in team history, only behind two fifty-five rushing performances in the 1970s (October 20, 1974, against Minnesota and October 15, 1978, against San Francisco).
"I thought we ran the ball really well," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "The guys upfront did a great job. Our blocking for the run was exceptional."
For all intents and purposes, the Saints ended the game in the second quarter with a masterful 18-play, 89-yard drive that took over 13 minutes, culminating with a two-yard Drew Brees touchdown pass to Marques Colston on fourth-and-three from the Giants two-yard line.Colston, running a fade route, jumped over Giants' cornerback Sam Madison and came down with the ball. Eight times on the drive, the Saints made first downs. Compare that with the Giants, who totaled six first downs for the game."
Against the wind, we wanted to be balanced and be able to run the football," Payton said. "I felt like we got Reggie going a little bit and I wanted to feed it to him."
Obviously, they did. McAllister noted that the featuring of the run worked especially well against the aggressive Giants defensive ends. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka are up-field pass rushers, and are susceptible to the run. Repeatedly, Bush and McAllister were able to run past the ends and force the Giants linebackers and secondary to make tackles.
After the Colston score, it seemed as if the Giants Stadium crowd, most of whom were there to pay homage to retiring running back Tiki Barber, were deflated. When Bush scored on a one yard end around in the third quarter to extend the Saints' lead to 20-7, the crowd turned on the Giants, booing them and calling for the firing of Tom Coughlin.
The victory kept the Saints on track to earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Saints need to win their season finale Sunday against Carolina or have Dallas lose one of its remaining two games to clinch the No. 2 seed.MVP candidate Brees finished with 13-of-32 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown. He was hurt by his receivers, who dropped eight passes. Brees' game management, though, more than offset his least statistically impressive performance of the season.
The Giants opened the scoring with an Eli Manning 55-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the first quarter. The Giants then did not cross midfield until the last play of the game, a 12-yard run by fullback Jim Finn to the Saints 39-yard line.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061224&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=312240007&SectionCat=&Template=printart
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/SPORTS/61224008/1006
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/612250314/1006
Saints pound Giants
December 24, 2006
By Denis Gorman
Special to The Times
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The only thing that was clearer and colder than the New Jersey weather Sunday was the Saints' offensive efficiency.On a day when winds that reached 29 mph made it almost impossible to pass, the NFC South Champions coldly ran the ball against a depleted and defeated Giants defense.
In its 30-7 win over the Giants at the Meadowlands on Sunday, the Saints ran 53 times for 236 yards and two scores. Reggie Bush rushed for 126 yards and a score, his first 100-yard rushing game as a professional. Deuce McAllister carried the ball 27 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. The 53 rushes were the second-most in team history, only behind two fifty-five rushing performances in the 1970s (October 20, 1974, against Minnesota and October 15, 1978, against San Francisco).
"I thought we ran the ball really well," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "The guys upfront did a great job. Our blocking for the run was exceptional."
For all intents and purposes, the Saints ended the game in the second quarter with a masterful 18-play, 89-yard drive that took over 13 minutes, culminating with a two-yard Drew Brees touchdown pass to Marques Colston on fourth-and-three from the Giants two-yard line.Colston, running a fade route, jumped over Giants' cornerback Sam Madison and came down with the ball. Eight times on the drive, the Saints made first downs. Compare that with the Giants, who totaled six first downs for the game."
Against the wind, we wanted to be balanced and be able to run the football," Payton said. "I felt like we got Reggie going a little bit and I wanted to feed it to him."
Obviously, they did. McAllister noted that the featuring of the run worked especially well against the aggressive Giants defensive ends. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka are up-field pass rushers, and are susceptible to the run. Repeatedly, Bush and McAllister were able to run past the ends and force the Giants linebackers and secondary to make tackles.
After the Colston score, it seemed as if the Giants Stadium crowd, most of whom were there to pay homage to retiring running back Tiki Barber, were deflated. When Bush scored on a one yard end around in the third quarter to extend the Saints' lead to 20-7, the crowd turned on the Giants, booing them and calling for the firing of Tom Coughlin.
The victory kept the Saints on track to earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Saints need to win their season finale Sunday against Carolina or have Dallas lose one of its remaining two games to clinch the No. 2 seed.MVP candidate Brees finished with 13-of-32 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown. He was hurt by his receivers, who dropped eight passes. Brees' game management, though, more than offset his least statistically impressive performance of the season.
The Giants opened the scoring with an Eli Manning 55-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the first quarter. The Giants then did not cross midfield until the last play of the game, a 12-yard run by fullback Jim Finn to the Saints 39-yard line.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061224&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=312240007&SectionCat=&Template=printart
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/SPORTS/61224008/1006
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/612250314/1006
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:32 PM
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