OFFICIAL 2017 DDWD REGULAR SEASON NEWSLETTER #2

MOORE

WOULD’VE BEEN LESS….

2007-2017

For the 1st Qtr (which I missed, since I was running late due to my Crime-Fighting duties)

Monday Night, the Minnesota “Yikes” and the Boyz N Black & Gold traded long field-goal

drives making it 3-3 to end the first. And the Defense looked good. Or so I was told.

After another Saints field goal in the 2nd

Qtr, Minnesota quarterback Sam Bradford connected

with receiver Adam Thielen for 35 yards. The next play, Bradford went to Jarius Wright for 21

yards. An 18-yard pass to a wide-open Stefon Diggs capped the three-play, 74-yard drive with a

touchdown.

"I (thought) those couple plays just got us going," Bradford said. "I think once that happened, it

really just opened the door a little bit and kind of opened things up for us."

No kidding. Because the “Yikes” had just figured out what I’ve known for years, which is that

our league leading offense has always been held back by a struggling defense, which mainly

struggles BECAUSE OF THE HORRIBLE SECONDARY WE ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE!

Bradford completed 27 of 32 passes with no turnovers. Diggs had 2 TD receptions in the first

half to go with 93 yards receiving in the game, and Thielen finished with nine receptions for 157

yards.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph added a touchdown reception in the second half for Minnesota.

"I feel like everybody was feeding off each other's energy," Diggs said. "Everybody was playing

as a team, as a unit. The line was doing a great job, Sam was slinging it around. You guys finally

get to see what I've been seeing."

With Peterson on the opposite sideline in his New Orleans debut, Vikings rookie running back

Dalvin Cook ran 22 times for 127 yards.

Peterson got the first two carries of the game and picked up a first down, but he was silent

afterward as the Saints' offense -- which led the NFL with an average of 426 yards per game last

year -- had little room to run and few open receivers.

"It felt pretty good," Peterson said of his first two carries. "I didn't really know what to expect

coming in. We talked about running the ball a little more, but for whatever reason got away from

it. That's how the game played out. ..."Their defense came out and played well. It is what it is."

For the 2017 opener Brees went 27 of 37 for 291 yards and 1 TD. Certainly not “classic Brees”.

Peterson, who is Minnesota's all-time rushing leader with 11,747 yards, finished with six carries

for 18 yards in a timeshare with Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. Kamara, the rookie,

couldn’t seem to ever breakout into open-space and “Mo-Money” Ingram kept getting ‘stuffed’

at the line on power plays that really should’ve have Perterson getting the ball, like when the

Saints were inside the 10 yard line and they ran it up the middle twice, one with Kamara and one

with Ingram…then on 3rd

Down they decide to pass and Drew throws it away when no one could

get open.

The Saints kicked field goals on their first four trips to the red zone before Brees connected with

tight end Coby Fleener for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:56 left in the game. The Saints finished

with 344 yards of offense -- just 113 yards through the first 45 minutes of the game -- and was 4

of 11 on third downs. That’s not going to get you any division titles.

"Obviously we settled for too many field goals, and then all of the sudden, got into catch-up

mode," Payton said. "I thought early on, defensively, we did some good things and then there

was a series that breaks it open in the second quarter. I felt like when we got into the second half,

we were having trouble stopping much of anything." And that’s not a good sign.

Bradford got comfortable behind his much-maligned offensive line, and the “Yikes” took to the

air against the New Orleans Defense. So, where was the PASS RUSH in all of this??? Isn’t that

what we’ve been missing for 3 years?!! That should be fixed by now!!!!

And you probably didn’t know that Minnesota started four new players on their O-Line. New

tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers signed as free agents, center Pat Elflein was selected in

the third round of the draft, and Nick Easton took over at left guard after the release of Alex

Boone last week.

Bradford was sacked just once, and the Vikings averaged 4.3 yards per carry with Cook breaking

two long runs in the second half.

The defense that had shown so much promise quickly reminded us what is feels like to...not have

a defense. Bradford looked like Joe Montana on Monday Night, completing third down pass after

third down pass and he ended the night with 346 yards passing and a ‘HUGE’ 143 passer rating.

The Saints start 0-1 for the fourth year in a row and for those of you that didn’t know, in the

Payton-Brees Era, New Orleans has made the playoffs only once when starting the year 0-1

(2011) so this isn’t exactly a great news, but hang in there Who-Dats, it’s just one game after all

and the season is never over after week one!

The “Aerial Assault” did come to life late in the 3rd Quarter after getting a big stop on Defense,

which saw Drew Brees connect with WR, Tommylee Lewis for a 52-yard strike to set the

offense up with a 1st and Goal. Unfortunately, they couldn’t cash in on a touchdown, and settled

for another Lutz field goal to cut the deficit to 19-9.

Enter the 4th Quarter, and the “Yikes” were able to get an early touchdown due to more dismal

play from the Saints Secondary. Joe Montana….uh, I mean, Sam Bradford, was able to get his

third touchdown pass and eclipse the 300-yard mark after finding Kyle Rudolph wide open for

the score. The lead was extended to 26-9 and OUR Hall-Of-Fame Championship winning

quarterback was outdueled!

What parallel universe did I just SLIDE into, where Drew Brees gets beaten by that 1st Round

“draft-bust”, who never did anything in St. Louis and lost 8 games as a starter for Minnesota last

season…AND only got his job because Teddy Bridgewater went down??! Ughhhh…..

“You’d be surprised how many worlds there are, but I thought

there was only one Drew Brees Offense…and that wasn’t it.” – The Professor

The Saints would go on to settle for four field goals on that night, and so, if you had Wil Lutz in

on your fantasy football team, you definitely cashed in.

“And dats how you do it.” – The Morten

“AERIAL ASSAULT” - GROUNDED: The Saints were 2-of-6 on 3rd down in the first

half and they finished the game going 4-of-11 for 36%. The Saints were flagged five times for 47

yards in the first half. The Saints were 0-for-2 in the Red Zone in the first two quarters and 1-of 5

for the game for a dismal 20%. New Orleans ran 59 offensive plays in the game. New Orleans

rushed the ball 21 times including just five rushing attempts in the second half of the game.

DISAPPOINTMENT is probably the biggest word you can use at this point to describe the

season opener and that’s even an understatement, considering, Who-Dat Nation had the Number

#1 Offense, again, just last year! Now, after (what we all think is an improved Defense) we get

dropped passes, no running game, no pass-rush and horrible coverage in the secondary?? How

could this be? “

The running game wasn’t there in the only game that I thought it would be there IF we weren’t

going to have a good running-game this season at all. You just signed Peterson and he’s begging

to be given the opportunity to be put on the field, so he can run ALL OVER his former

team….and he’s on the bench after 6 carries?? Again, out of all the games to use him in this

season, THIS was the game to use him in the most!

This all goes back to the ‘play-calling’ rather than execution, because I don’t think the game-plan

strategy was well planned at all, therefore, I wouldn’t blame the players, when the wrong plays

are being called for them to execute in the first place.

On top of that, I mean, there’s no pass-rush in a game when you’re facing a team that has a new

center and four rookies on the offensive line?? It was as disappointing a season opener as I can

remember because I think the expectations were that the defense is better…but it wasn’t.

With three rookies and three free agents in the starting lineup, the Saints tried hard to better a

defense that has held Brees and company back since the Super Bowl title eight years ago. The

first performance left a lot to be desired, with Diggs and Thielen consistently finding favorable

matchups underneath and along the sideline, but with Delvin Breaux out AND Sterling Moore on

the sidelines (when he should’ve been starting) AND absolutely no pass-rush, what else did we

expect to happen?

Well, I did think that the “Aerial Assault” could at least beat Bradford & the “Yikes” in a

shootout...but not on this day…or night, since the game was at night.

“It all looked good from where we’re sitting.”

After the game, Peterson insisted that he and Payton weren’t at odds:

Adrian Peterson says no conflict, no issue with Coach Payton. "I could've said I love you!" Let's

be clear...I said we need to run the ball up their Donkey. Nothing more. I'm passionate but

respect my coach at the same time.”

Peterson still ended the game as the Saints’ leading rusher, with just six carries for 18 yards in

the 29-19 loss.

Peterson is used to being a bell cow back who averaged

nearly 20 carries per game during his 10 seasons with

the Minnesota Vikings. So he probably isn’t too happy

that he’s had to spend most of his first game with New

Orleans watching his former team from the sideline.

The Saints also have Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara

to split carries too, so it might be a long season for

Peterson if the former Vikings running back isn’t happy with a light load.

Ten years and two days after Peterson made his NFL debut in purple with 103 yards rushing and

a 60-yard touchdown reception on this same block of downtown he returned in black & gold as

another weapon for the “Aerial Assault”….and if these guys can become the 3-Headed Monster

that we had in 2009 the Boyz N Black & Gold will go back to the “Big-Game” again.

The poor outing against Minnesota is nothing new for the Saints, and perhaps the results

shouldn't have been surprising. Not only did Las Vegas sports books have the Vikings at three

point favorites, but success has been very fleeting historically up north for the Boyz N Black &

Gold.

"We're 3-3 playing on the road in Minneapolis," Bobby Hebert said. "That's nothing to write

home about."

But I’m still writing this newsletter…and you’re reading it….so keep reading.

"Now it’s a short week and you have an opportunity to play this Sunday," The Deuce said. "They

have a lot to clean up whether it's on the back end or on the offensive side of the football, but

they have another opportunity to do so."

I say; “Let the cleaning begin….before this year’s team gets trashed.”

The Saints will be without starting right tackle Zach Strief for a few weeks according to reports.

His Tuesday morning news stated that it’s believed that Strief has suffered a sprained MCL.

Strief left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury and didn't return. Strief was

reportedly wearing a visible knee brace under sweatpants on that injured left knee in post game

locker interviews.

TACKLE TROUBLE:

With Terron Armstead still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, rookie Ryan Ramczyk

started at left tackle for the Saints. Then right tackle Zach Strief injured his left leg in the second

quarter, forcing Senio Kelemete into action.

“Put me in Coach! I can do it!” - The Family Guy

FAN-OF-THE-WEEK

Congratulations to Jerri the Fan for being our FAN-OF-THE-WEEK!! This Who-

Dat was our first Double-Prize Winner of the 2017 Season and if you didn’t see her,

she was pretty loud on Monday Night! For her efforts, she’ll get a free-beer from

the Trivia bucket during next week’s game on September 17th!!

“That’s amazing! You’re a great fan!” “Start Fast and Finish Strong!”

….And the CRUSADE continues…

VS.

After a preseason filled with so much promise for the defense, that group fell flat in football that

counted. Blown coverages, poorly timed personal fouls, leaky run defense -- all of it is there on

the game tape (which won't be too dissimilar from 2016, 2015 and 2014 film). All of the hubbub

surrounding Peterson’s return to Minnesota didn't mean much once game situations removed him

from the action. Back to the drawing board for the Boyz N Black & Gold, who'll try to pull out

of their annual 7-9 spin cycle by returning to The Dome. Only one problem: The opponent is an

ANGRY bunch of Brady’s.

“A big win at home against the Bunch is just what we need to turn things around!” – Alyssa the Fan

“That’s right Alyssa! It’s time for the Super Saints to come back again.” - The Brees Puppet

SERIES HISTORY: New England has dominated the series, including a stretch where the

Patriots won the first five games between the two clubs. New Orleans posted three-straight

victories from 1989-95 – all on the road. The Saints broke a three-game losing streak with a 38-

17 win over the Patriots on Monday Night, November 30, 2009, when they improved their record

to 11-0.

Eight of the thirteen games have been decided by a touchdown or less - including two by a field

goal and the Week 6 clash in 2013, which was decided by a last-second TD that should’ve been

reversed because of this ‘no-call’….

DID YOU KNOW THIS: With four (4) starts in his career against Tom Brady (2 as a Charger

and 2 as a Saint) Quarterback Drew Brees is 3-0-1 against the evil franchise quarterback.

Since they only play once every four years, the Patriots have actually gone longer without

beating the Saints than any other team in the NFL (if you don’t include that 2013 loss, which was

just a gift from the League).

Hey now, that’s a really cool stat….and I spent a long time looking that up!

“Join me, and all my favorite Who-Dats

next Sunday to watch the “Aerial Assault” take on the “Brady Bunch” in our

first battle against the sinister League of Evil!! Game time is at 12Noon!!!!

It’s the 11th

Season for the DDWD and for Week 2 I’ve got Halftime Raffle

Prizes, a 3QTR Trivia Question with a bucket-of-beer going to the winner,

touchdown beads, complimentary swag, and much more, so don’t miss out!!”

__________________________________________________________________

Unleash the Assault!!

2017 Football Season Specials include….

$3 Fireball Shots $5 Revolver Draft

$5 Franconia Lager Draft $5 Dallas Blonde Draft

$5 Local Legend Draft $5 Deep Ellum IPA Draft

$3 Miller Lite Draft

$3 Bud Light Draft

$3 Coors Light Draft

Coupon is good for any visit to The Quarter. Limit One per person (per visit)

For only food purchases totaling $20 or more. Expires 9/18/2017

(Not to be used in conjuction with other offer)

20% OFF

JUST PRINT IT OUT AND BRING IT WITH YOU or PULL IT UP ON YOUR GOVERNMENT TRACKING DEVICE!

$19

EVIL FRANCHISE UPDATE:

Self-proclaimed Emperor, Jerry Jones said he's been “doing some of his best work in years”, but

after the meltdown by Eli & the G-Man exhibited in the season opener I’m wondering if that was

a REAL win at all or just a free-pass to the win column? “Jerry’s Kids” have drooling all

around town after another regular season win for softmore QB, Dak Prescott. And ‘Dak’ isn’t

even a real name!!

NFC SOUTH: The Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers traveled to teams expected to be near

the bottom of the NFL standings in Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers (and they are) which

explains why the “Dirty Birds” and “Cam’s Kittens” both won. The Saints opened Monday

Night Football against one of the better defenses in the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings and the

“Aerial Assault” was GROUNDED all night, with the exception of one deep-pass to Tommy Lee

Lewis.

So what happened in Week 1? What was expected.

Carolina was able to take care of business against the 49ers, beating San Francisco 23-3.

Likewise, the “Dirty Birds” squeaked by the Bears 23-17 with a win on the last play of the game.

Next week, the entire NFC South plays at home, with the Saints at The Dome against the

defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, so it surely doesn’t get any easier for

them from here.

Tampa Bay makes their season debut, hosting the Bears. Carolina hosts the Buffalo Bills and the

“Dirty Birds” have a tough match-up against the Green Bay Packers.

It’s only Week 1, so let’s get that one loss out of the way and move on Who-Dats!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hey gang! In case you didn’t know.…

Your VOTE will choose the FAN-OF-THE-SEASON!

Below, are the nominees for our next FOTS voting ballot. During the course of last

season we had many fans win multiple raffle prizes, attend more DDWD Saints parties than

others and some were even chosen as the ‘Fan-of-the-Week’. During Week 2, for our 2017

home-opener, your vote will determine who will be the reigning ‘FAN OF THE SEASON’ and

below are the Top 5 candidates to choose from, along with info about what set them apart from

others, over the course of the 2016 Campaign, last year. You can vote for your favorite Who-Dat

by either emailing me your vote or filling out the ballot slips that I’ll be handing out during our

game for the 2017 Week 2 Kick-Off Spectacular!! The winner will be announced during the

Opening Kickoff of our divisional game against Carolina in Week 3 and that faithful Who-Dat

will be the DDWD reigning FAN OF THE SEASON all year!!

“You’re vote is needed Who-Dats.” – Coach

(INSERT DRUMROLL HERE)…And the nominees are:

_____ Jerri the Fan This 7th Year member attended 11 out of 16 Saints parties at The Quarter last season; was named Fan of the Week 2 times and

won a total of 11 prizes in the Halftime Raffle last year!

_____ Nathan the Fan This 1st Year member attended his first DDWD Party during the season opener against the Raiders. He was named Fan of the

Week once and won a total of 9 prizes in the Halftime Raffle last season, while attending 11 out of 16 Saints parties!

_____ Ed the Fan This 1st Year member attended his first DDWD Party during the Week 6 battle against the Panthers. He was named Fan of the

Week twice and won a total of 5 prizes in the Halftime Raffle last season, while attending 11 out of 16 Saints parties!

_____ Ryan the Fan a/k/a “Fan-Boy” This 6th Year member attended 11 out of 16 Saints parties at The Quarter last season; was named Fan of the Week 2 times and

won a total of 2 prizes in the Halftime Raffle last year!

_____ “The Goldie”

This 5th Year member attended 12 out of 16 of the Saints parties at The Quarter last season; and even though he was not a Fan-of-

the-Week winner, he won 1 prize in the Halftime Raffle and attended more parties than anyone else!!

2017 CLUB PHOTO: We will be taking the Dallas Dome Who-Dats 2017 Club

Photo in the game against the “Brady Bunch” in Week 2 so if you want to be in this year’s

picture then be sure to attend with your favorite Saints stuff on!!

2012

2013

SPECIAL THANKS to all of the Who-Dats

that have come to check out the DDWD website over the last 5 seasons!! On

September 13th, the site got its 17,479th

visitor since being launched on

September 1st of 2012!! Let’s get to 20K by the end of this season by

spreading the word!!

The website’s being UPDATED all month so

check it out soon and tell other Who-Dats!!

“Everybody needs to be at The Quarter for our first battle at home! – The Drew

“Come’on Coach, let’s do this!” – Brees Puppet

1991 2000 2006 2009 2011

SIR SAINT WILL LEAD US TO VICTORY OVER THE EVIL NFL COMMISSIONER