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One of football’s classic sayings is that the film is never as bad or good as you think it’s going to be. The New Orleans Saints’ defensive performance in Sunday’s 26-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns was a perfect example. For much of this game, the Saints played very well. They limited the Browns to just 4.5 yards per play, a rate which would have ranked second in the NFL last year behind only the Seattle Seahawks. The Saints’ tackling in the open field was outstanding. They didn’t get burned by many of the play-action passes that Cleveland loves to run. And they were totally prepared for Johnny Manziel, who did squat on his three snaps. What does all of that mean? The Saints’ defense is at least trending in the right direction after being decimated by missed tackles and big plays in Week 1. But that’s where the good news ends. Because once again, the Saints didn’t make enough big, game-changing plays (zero turnovers and only one sack). And they shot themselves in the foot with a handful of penalties and assignment errors. It was those situational breakdowns that Sean Payton was talking about Monday when the Saints’ tape turned into a horror film. Here are some more observations: That final play: We’ve already shined the spotlight on this one quite a bit. With 13 seconds remaining, receiver Andrew Hawkins broke wide open for a 28-yard catch after cornerbacks Corey White and Keenan Lewis both chose to cover receiver Miles Austin out of a “trips” formation. Payton explained that the “point man” was supposed to stay on top and follow Hawkins. I have a pretty good guess of whom Payton meant, but I don’t want to speculate since I don’t know for a fact. The play started ugly when cornerback Patrick Robinson was late adjusting to receiver Taylor Gabriel going in motion over to the “trips” side. Safety Jairus Byrd had to shout for Robinson to follow Gabriel. Robinson did, but then he had to grab Gabriel as he ran past and was flagged for a defensive holding penalty that was declined. It also didn’t help that the Saints didn’t get immediate pressure on quarterback Brian Hoyer, even though they blitzed seven men on the play. The penalties: The three other plays that infuriated Payton most were penalties: a 19-yard pass interference against Robinson in the first quarter and two offside calls in the first and fourth quarters. Robinson almost did the right thing on the pass interference, turning to look for the ball just as he collided with Gabriel. But it was too much contact and the ball was overthrown anyway. Robinson must get better at locating the ball if he’s allowed to remain in the lineup (though he did respond with a nice pass breakup on a deep ball later Sunday). The first offside penalty (which nullified a missed field goal by the Browns) was called against Robinson, but safety Kenny Vaccaro actually jumped first. Vaccaro was also the one who jumped early during the Browns’ game-winning drive, nullifying a tackle for loss that would have given the Browns a third-and-11. That was the penalty that had Payton shouting at defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on the sideline. The pass rush: I counted 19 blitzes for the Saints, while ESPN Stats & Information had 21. It was mostly effective – until that final play, at least. Although Hoyer moved the chains with some good, quick throws to his hot reads, he completed only 10 of 19 passes for 64 yards against the blitz before that final throw. The Saints’ lone sack came on a blitz on that final drive. The Saints’ pass rush was most disappointing during Cleveland’s 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. They didn’t blitz Hoyer once as he went 4-for-4, including conversions on third-and-13 and third-and-4. Jordan had a solid game, though. He batted down two passes, and he did an excellent job of keeping containment on Hoyer after play-action fakes. Galette also had a few nice moments, including the sack and a forced holding penalty. More good stuff: I only noted two real missed tackles – a huge turnaround from last week. Vaccaro was especially good in that department, with at least three great open-field stops that prevented first downs. Byrd, Lewis and Curtis Lofton also had nice open-field stops. … The run defense was mostly good, aside from three big plays (see below). … Since I don’t do a special-teams review, I’ll mention punter Thomas Morstead here. He was outstanding, especially when he pinned the Browns back on their 4-yard line for that final drive. More bad stuff: Austin burned Robinson with a sharp cut for an easy 3-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. … Four times, Cleveland eventually converted first downs after starting with third-and-12 or third-and-13. The Saints had decent coverage in every instance and twice they forced the Browns to convert fourth downs. But they’ll still be kicking themselves over those missed opportunities. … Robinson and White each gave too much cushion on third-and-short passes that were completed. … The three big runs: Terrance West gained 15 yards in the first quarter when three Saints defenders fell like dominoes. Linebacker David Hawthorne tried to backtrack his way out of traffic, but he wound up getting knocked into Lofton. Byrd had one of the few missed tackles on the day when Isaiah Crowell made a sharp cutback for a 17-yard gain in the third quarter. And West’s 9-yard TD run in the third quarter was well blocked, with Jordan unable to catch him from behind after going around the corner.
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