Jeff Triplette, Shutdown Corner’s favorite NFL official, is at it again. This time, Triplette took his tremendous combination of “skills” to the Monday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. You’d think the NFL would want one of its best guys working a game of this importance, but as you’ll see when Triplette no doubt gets another playoff assignment, the NFL doesn’t seem to enforce any real standards when it comes to the competence of its officials.

Anyway, here’s the Triplette goof this time. The Saints have third-and-12 at their own 8-yard line with 7:27 left in the game. Drew Brees drops back, doesn’t see what he wants from the coverage reads, and scrambles to the right for a nine-yard gain and the end of New Orleans’ offensive possession. Pretty innocuous play, especially since the Saints were beating the tar out of the Falcons and the result was academic at that point.

And that’s when Triplette decided to make things more interesting. There was a flag thrown for holding, and after a mercifully brief discussion, Triplette made this ruling:

“There is no hold on the play … as it is a screen pass. The blocker was shedding him to the side.”

Uh … what?

Well, here’s the first problem, Jeff. We don’t know who either “the blocker” is, based on your description. You’re having a conversation with your umpire about a flag that apparently shouldn’t have been thrown, and that’s fine. But it would help if you informed us of your thought process in the first place. We’re assuming you’re just not smart enough to realize that you have an obligation to describe the penalty, whether it’s waved off or not, once you turn on your little microphone.

Unless, of course, our ancillary theory is correct and you’re one of the increasing number of officials who are throwing and then picking up flags in a weak and completely lame attempt to get more TV facetime.

Fortunately, Ron Jaworski spelled it out in the ESPN booth.

“You can see [Saints left tackle] Jermon Bushrod laying on [Falcons defensive end] John Abraham,” Jaworski said. “I’m not so sure it was a screen, though. In fact, it wasn’t a screen.”

Yeah … that’s the second problem, Jeff. It WAS a hold, because it WASN’T a screen pass. It wasn’t a pass at all. And there is no specific exception in the rulebook for a screen pass overthrowing a holding call even if it was a screen pass.

There is a provision that holding will not be called if it happens after a pass is clearly thrown, but Brees didn’t throw a pass at all. He read his coverage, saw nobody open, and scrambled. There is another provision that holding won’t be called if the action occurs away from the point of attack and not within close-line play. But Bushrod took Abraham to the ground and held him there, while Brees was still in the pocket and not two yards away from the hold.

So, Mr. Triplette, we ask you as we frequently do: What the hell were you talking about?

Related: Jermon Bushrod, Drew Brees, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Adventures in Officiating

New Orleans Saints

Going into their Monday night matchup, the New Orleans Saints had a lot to play for against the Atlanta Falcons. First and foremost, the Saints could wrap up the NFC South and stay alive for a first round bye in the playoffs by defeating the Falcons. Also, Brees needed only 305 passing yards to break Dan Marino’s iconic passing yardage record. Both took place as the Saints defeated the Falcons 45-16.

New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons

Unfortunately, ESPN’s broadcast of Monday Night Football began with an intro by Betty White. I heard this was coming so I was cringing as the Saints vs. Falcons game came on the air. When people dream of a “White Christmas,” I’m not sure this is what they had in mind.

Trailing the Falcons 3-0, Pierre Thomas gave New Orleans the lead with a 4-yard run. However, Thomas was flagged 15 yards for putting a gold bow on the ball and handing it to a Saints fan. I was instantly brought back to December 14, 2003 when Saints WR Joe Horn used a cell phone in a primetime ESPN game vs. the New York Giants.

However, the main story of the first half was how Brees torched the Falcons through the air. In fact, Brees tallied 230 passing yards and two TDs through two quarters for the Saints. At the half, New Orleans led the Falcons 21-10 and Brees was within 75 yards of breaking the record.

In the second half, New Orleans’ best efforts came from a Darren Sproles kickoff return and a Malcolm Jenkins fumble return for a TD. Nevertheless, with 2:51 left in the game, Brees threw a 9-yard TD pass to Darren Sproles to break Marino’s record. The Saints accomplished everything they set out to do in defeating the Falcons 45-16.

Looking ahead

I’m not sure whether to look ahead to next week’s game against the Carolina Panthers or what may be a Saints vs. Falcons playoff game in two weeks. If it comes to pass, it would be a rematch 20 years in the making of the Saints vs. Falcons playoff game played after the 1991 season. I can’t imagine the Falcons upsetting this Saints team in the Superdome in the playoffs.

Patrick Michael was born and raised in New Orleans and currently resides in the Big Easy. As such, he is a lifelong, diehard New Orleans Saints fan. His highlight as a Saints fan was experiencing the magical Super Bowl season of 2009.

Sources

ESPN broadcast of Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

“New York Giants 7 at New Orleans Saints 45,” pro-football-reference.com

“Atlanta Falcons 27 at New Orleans Saints 20,” pro-football-reference.com

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Can a season turn on one play? The New Orleans Saints’ defense is making a case that it can. With one fourth down stop in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans’ defense seems to have found its groove. The change seemed to come from nowhere.

When the Saints traveled to Atlanta on Nov. 13, they were 6-3 and seemingly spinning their wheels a bit after going .500 over their previous four games. Still, there wasn’t much question the Falcons game would shape the NFC South race.

After dominating much of the afternoon, the Saints’ defense crumpled, allowing Atlanta to march 85 yards in 1:55 and kick a 27-yard field goal to tie the score. The letdown seemed magnified because, in a blunder typical of New Orleans’ secondary in 2011, safety Roman Harper dropped — on a throw right in his hands — an interception in the end zone that would have sealed the win in regulation.

“I think defensively, there’s a lot to be said for the confidence gained in a good goal-line stand or a short-yardage critical situation like that, and so you practice maybe that situation a dozen times during training camp, and during the course of the season you get into your short yardage defense and it might come up five times in a year,” Payton said. “And I think that it was certainly significant in regards to the outcome of the game.”

While Payton said he would be “guarded” about reading too much into one play, he did say the final outcome in Atlanta that hinged on the fourth-down stop was significant.

“I think a season can certainly turn with a big win,” he said. “And then you would say, ‘What contributes to a big win?’ And so our fourth and 1-yard stop in Atlanta was a big play for us that led to a big win.”

Most Saints defenders balked at the notion one play, however influential, can galvanize a unit for weeks. On the other hand, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said plays like the fourth-down stop have a ripple effect in that they reinforce the confidence a unit needs to make future plays.

“I don’t know that you can point to any one particular play,” he said. “But (with) the psychology of an athlete, obviously success builds confidence. When those things happen I do believe it gives you the belief to pull the trigger faster. You’ve got to be able to live on the edge, get over the edge and go do that type of stuff. When those things happen it does make it easier to pull the trigger the next time.”

Still, there’s no getting around the fact that since the bye that followed the 26-23 win in overtime at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta the Saints’ defense has been, if not better overall statistically, noticeably better in the clutch.

The host Tennessee Titans failed to score 20 points against New Orleans, and got stiffed on a fourth down, then near the goal line with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Host Minnesota did score 20 points against the Saints but barely clawed its way over the 200 yard mark in total offense.

At the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the Saints remain undefeated this season, the New York Giants and Detroit Lions topped 400 yards in offense, but both opponents gained much of that after New Orleans was cruising behind halftime leads of 21-3 and 24-7.

“It gives you the evidence that the ability is there, and we have the ability to make plays,” cornerback Jabari Greer said when asked about the fourth-down stop against the Falcons.

Greer, however, is in the camp that holds the unit has simply improved as the season grinds on.

There are those, however, who have faith in the transformative power of a huge play. Among them is linebacker Will Herring, whose interception against the Giants snuffed the first drive the Saints faced following the bye.

“I think so,” Herring said. “As a defense you always take pride in stepping up in key situations, and that overtime, fourth down stop was huge. Then when you win close games like we did up in Nashville, on the road against a good team like the Titans, with the defense on the field it does build confidence. Not every game is going to be a blowout.”

Although the Saints are hardly the kind of opportunistic bandits Williams would like, they have been winning the turnover battles. Part of that’s attributable to New Orleans’ offense protecting the ball, but part of it is the defense finally making plays, defensive end Will Smith said.

“That’s how we’ve always played,” he said “The naysayers that say, ‘When is the defense going to step up?’ It really comes down to when are we going to just catch the ball and get the turnovers? Because we’ve left a lot of turnovers out there, and that’s probably been the biggest thing. Now, playing hard, playing tough, making big plays — yeah, we could have made a lot more, but as the season has gone along it’s gotten better and better and better. It really doesn’t matter if we got a million and one turnovers in the beginning of the season and get none at the end. It matters what happens next week or this game. We are making more plays.”

Smith surmised, however, that turnaround is more the result of “heightened awareness” and newer players growing more comfortable in the system than the positive outcome of one specific play.

“It definitely gets you confident for the next time it happens — the next fourth-and-inches you feel like whoever you’re playing they’re not going to get a first down,” he said of the Atlanta stop. “But as for building our confidence? Not really.”

New Orleans Saints Black and Gold Report: the Falcons

In this week’s edition of The Black and Gold Report, Times-Picayune Saints reporters James Varney and Mike Triplett break down the game against the Falcons with columnist Jeff Duncan.

John DeShazier talks about all the pieces in the Saints puzzle contributing to greatness this year and Jeff brings us another puzzler for the Saints Trivia Challenge.

Watch video

Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith said twice Thursday he believes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is, “having an MVP season.” Brees, who leads an 11-3 New Orleans against Atlanta this Monday night, could break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record in that game.

Smith, echoing Falcons running back Michael Turner, carefully heaped praise on the Saints as the second 2011 installment of one of the NFL’s better rivalries approaches.

“I can’t say enough about the team down there, especially what they’ve been doing offensively,” Smith said with a chuckle. “They’ve just been off the charts in terms of what they’ve been able to accomplish. Drew, who always plays at a high level, is playing at an even higher level right now. Just to watch him operate in that offense is very impressive.

“Drew’s having in my mind an MVP season, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith continued. “He’s distributing the ball extremely well. They’re a top 10 team in running the football, the No. 1 team in total yards, No. 2 in points. Just to watch him operate, he looks very comfortable back there running the offense. It’s just amazing to watch him go out and run that offense. I hope he’s at his highest level because if he plays any better I don’t know if there’s any way to stop him.”