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Saints Clobber Bucs in Tampa 38-7
NewOrleansSaints.com, NewOrleansSaints.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009 - 3:20 PM
Tampa – QB Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes this afternoon, two to WR Robert Meachem and one to TE David Thomas, and RB Mike Bell added a pair rushing touchdowns as the Saints scored 38 unanswered points and dropped the Bucs, 38-7. The Saints’ defense recorded three interceptions and a forced fumble that the Saints’ offense turned into 17 points.
In the process, the Saints improved to 10-0 for the first time in team history, and recorded the first ever 10-game winning streak. The Saints increased their lead in the NFC South to five games, as the Atlanta Falcons (5-5) lost in overtime at the New York Giants on a Lawrence Tynes field goal, 34-31.
“A lot of players stepped up today and did a good job,” Head Coach Sean Payton said. The Saints, who played without their two starting cornerbacks (Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter), were also missing RB Reggie Bush and DT Sedrick Ellis, among others, but battled valiantly and fought back from an early 7-0 deficit and stormed back to score 38 unanswered points and put the game early in the third quarter and cruise to victory.
 TE David Thomas scored his 1st Saints TD “Any time you can go on the road and win a game in your division is big,” Payton continued. “We did a good job of protecting the football and the defense came up with big stops and takeaways and the special teams did a good job of keeping a very dangerous return man in check. I am pleased with effort and the results and now we will turn our attention to a very good New England Patriots team that will be coming into new Orleans for a Monday night game.”
The Saints didn’t commit any turnovers and played a relatively clean game and out gained the Bucs 370 yards to 219 and kept possession of the football for 33:24 in time of possession. The Saints rushed for 183 yards and QB Drew Brees was completed 19-of-29 passes for 187 yards and the three touchdown passes. The Saints defense didn’t allow a single Bucs player to gain more than 32 yards individually and kept dangerous receiving threats such as TE Kellen Winslow (5-29) and Antonio Bryant (3-40) in check, while harassing rookie QB Josh Freeman (17 of 33 passing for 126 yards and three interceptions) for a passer rating of 33.1.
The Saints accepted the opening kickoff and following a 27 yard kickoff return by Courtney Roby, began their opening possession of the game at their own 23. RB Pierre Thomas, making the start, picked up seven yards on a delayed handoff on the first play of the game. Two straight completions by Drew Brees converted the Saints’ first third down of the game, but the Saints were unable to convert their next third down conversion when Thomas a pitch around the left side of the Saints’ line but slipped when he tried to make a move. P Thomas Morstead hammered a 53-yard punt into the wind that was fair caught by return man Clifton Smith at the Tampa Bay 5.
Two straight carries by Cadillac Williams picked up a total of eight yards, and the Bucs converted their first third down attempt with a short completion from QB Josh Freeman to TE Kellen Winslow. Fullback Earnest Graham then picked up 17 yards on a first down run. DE Will Smith then blew past left tackle Donald Penn for an eight-yard sack. A second down screen pass was negated when Saints DT Remi Ayodele lined up in the neutral zone. CB Malcolm Jenkins stopped a second down run by Williams for no gain, but on third and 13, Freeman scrambled for a gain of 15 yards and a first down. Williams then added two yards on first down at midfield. On second down Williams tried the left side and managed a gain of 12 yards and an additional 15 yards was tacked on when S Darren Sharper was guilty of a personal foul facemask penalty. After a gain of two yards by Williams, Freeman tried to hit Winslow on the end zone but S Roman Harper broke the pass up. On third and seven from the 18 Freeman rolled out and threw a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to WR Michael Clayton. The touchdown pass ended a 12-play, 95-yard drive in 6:55.
 Leigh Torrence & Roman Harper team up for a sack New Orleans started at their 30 and after a run for no gain by Thomas, picked up a 37-yard gain when Brees hit TE David Thomas for gain that took the ball into Bucs territory. The reception was the longest gain of Thomas’s career. On the next play Pierre Thomas found a crease behind RG Jahri Evans and picked up seven yards to the Bucs 24. Brees then hit a crossing Marques Colston for a gain of nine yards to the 15. RB Mike Bell then churned out six yards to the 9. Brees went back to TE David Thomas for a five yard gain to the Bucs four and on the next play Brees spotted a sprinting Robert Meachem over the middle for a reception and the tall third-year man reached out and scored his fifth touchdown of the season, his third straight game with a touchdown reception.
The Saints’ defense then pitched a three-and-out and forced the Bucs to punt, with the Saints starting at their own 18. Despite a seven yard run by Pierre Thomas on first down the Saints couldn’t manage a first down and called on Morstead again, who hit a 58-yard booming punt. The Bucs started at their own 30 and tried tow carries by Williams, who picked up seven yards, but a third down pass by Freeman was off the mark and the Bucs were forced to punt, with the Saints taking possession of the football at their own 33 with 11:45 remaining in the second quarter.
Drew Brees’s first down pass, intended for Pierre Thomas, was incomplete, but the two connected on a second down screen pass that picked up six yards to the Saints’ 39. Brees then found David Thomas crossing across the field from right to left and connected for a 13-yard gain and the first down. Brees then dropped back and unleashed a deep pass intended for Meachem, the officials threw a flag on the flag but then over-ruled themselves due to a rule of “not enough restriction.” It was the second time the Bucs had a flag picked up when after the officials had thrown it. Brees then hit bell for a five-yard completion, but CB Ronde Barber broke up a third down pass intended for Shockey. Morstead hit a 42-yard punt that was downed by Courtney Roby and Usama Young at the Bucs’ one-yard line. The Bucs challenged whether the ball was dead at the one-yard line, believing that Young touched the goal line when downing the ball. Replays clearly showed that neither Roby, who batted the ball backwards, nor Young, were in the end zone. The Bucs were charged with their second timeout of the first half.
Harper nearly tripped up RB Derrick Ward in the Bucs’ end zone but the powerful runner was able to keep his balance for a gain of one yard. On second down Freeman hit Williams in the flat for a gain of six yards before being tossed down by LB Jonathan Vilma. The Bucs were guilty of an illegal motion infraction on third down, which pushed the ball back to the four, but Freeman zipped a pass down to sideline to WR Antonio Bryant for a gain of 21 yards and a first down. Williams then pounded out a gain of seven yards to the 33, but Scott Fujita tossed Ward for a loss of two yards on a second down rushing play. On third down Malcolm Jenkins recorded his first career interception when he made a diving theft of a Freeman pass over the middle of the field. The pass was intercepted and returned 14 yards to the Bucs’ 29.
RB Lynell Hamilton picked up three yards on a first down run, followed by an incomplete pass from Brees to RB Pierre Thomas. The Bucs challenged the incompletion, believing the pass was intercepted, but the review of the play stood and the Saints retained possession of the ball. On third down Brees hit Roby over the middle for a gain of six yards to the 20. It marked Roby’s first reception as a Saint. The Saints called timeout, their first of the game, and then called on John Carney to try a 38-yard field goal, which he knocked right between the uprights and gave the Saints a 10-7 lead with 4:11 left in the first half.
The Saints’ defense then posted another three-and-out and forced the Bucs to punt the ball away with 3:09 left. The Saints took over at their own 31 and went to a spread formation and nearly had a tipped pass intercepted on first down. Pierre Thomas managed two yards on second down and a third down pass from Brees, who was under pressure, was incomplete to Colston. Morstead came on and hit a punt to the Tampa 25.
Fujita and Scott Shanle stopped Williams for no gain on the play before the two-minute warning. Jenkins then broke up a second down pass intended for Bryant and Vilma broke up Freeman’s third down pass intended for WR Sammie Stroughter. The Bucs punted away with Devery Henderson fielding the ball and returning it five yards to the Saints’ 37 with 1:30 left and one timeout. Brees then hit Colston for a gain of 16 yards to the 47. Brees’ next pass attempt was incomplete after the pocket collapsed and he threw the ball away and stopped the clock. Brees and Colston then connected again, this time over the middle for a gain of 27 yards. On the next play the duo added a gain of 21 yards to six and the Saints called their last timeout. With :28 left Brees rolled to his right and fired a pass into the end zone to Meachem, who scored his second touchdown of the afternoon and gave the Saints a 17-7 lead. It also marked the first multiple touchdown game of Meachem’s career.
The first half ended with Roman Harper and Leigh Torrence sacking Freeman, which sent both teams to the locker room.
Clifton Smith returned the ball to the Bucs 27 to start the second half, but an illegal block in the back penalty on the Bucs pushed the ball back to the Tampa nine yard line. Freeman hit Graham on a check down for a gain of five before a host of Saints defenders snowed him under. Williams then added four yards on an inside run before Will Smith brought him down. Williams converted the third down with a two-yard run to the 20. Freeman then hit TE Jerramy Stevens for a five-yard gain before being pushed out of bounds by CB Leigh Torrence.
Freeman then rolled out and was sacked by Fujita, who stripped the ball loose from freeman and was recovered by DT Anthony Hargrove at the Tampa 15. Thomas picked up two yards on a carry then another two on a short pass from Brees. On third down Brees hit TE David Thomas for his first touchdown as a Saint, and the second of his career. The touchdown and extra point gave the Saints a 24-7 lead.
The Bucs, following a Morstead kick that went for a touchback, started at their own 20. Freeman hit Williams for a five-yard gain, then picked up four more on a carry. Graham picked up the first down with a short carry. DE Bobby McCray nearly sacked Freeman close to the line, but the quarterback spring free for a scramble of 15 yards to the Tampa 46. Freeman then connected with Graham for a gain of four yards. A second down pass was incomplete and the Bucs were faced with a third-and-six from midfield. The Bucs used their first timeout of the second half with 7:09 left in the third quarter. Vilma then picked off his first pass of the game when he made a one-handed grab of an errant Freeman throw and returned the football six yards to the Saints’ 45. It was Vilma’ first interception since the picked off San Diego’s Phillip Rivers in a game at London last season. It was Vilma’s eighth career interception.
After a first down pass was incomplete, Pierre Thomas ripped off an 18-yard gain behind the left side of the Saints’ line. Bell then managed a 28-yard gain but was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for apparently jawing with a Bucs player. But Brees hit Colston for a gain of eight yards, then Bell hammered away at the middle of the line for a gain of 13 yards to the Tampa 3. On the next play Bell scored his first rushing touchdown since the Giants game in week six with a three-yard score that made it 31-7 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay, trailing by 24 points, elected to go to a wide-open attack and try to throw on each down but could only manage to drive as far as their own 45 before being forced to punt.
New Orleans started with the ball on their own 18 and picked up three yards on a carry by Bell. The hard-charging runner nearly broke a long run but was stopped after a gain of two yards on second down. A third down completion between Brees and Shockey picked up 12 yards and a first down. Pierre Thomas then ended the third quarter with a 23 yard run over with a cutback run that took the football from the Saints’ 24 to 36 to the Tampa 41. Bell then added six yards to his totals with a carry to start the fourth quarter. A second down pass from Brees to TE Darnell Dinkins was incomplete, but Pierre Thomas slammed over the right side of the Saints’ offensive line for a gain of eight yards and a first down. Bell then picked up two more yards to the 26, then added another two yards on second down. Thomas took a draw and squirted through the middle for a gain of 18 yards. Bell added a one-yard gain to the Tampa four-yard line and the Saints let the clock wind down to the 10:39 mark before taking their first timeout of the second half. Bell then picked up three yards to the one and on the next play dove over the middle for a touchdown. It marked the fourth time in his young career that he had multiple touchdown games. On the drive the Saints ran the ball 11 times out of 13 plays and picked up 82 yards in 7:26. The touchdown and extra point made the score 38-7 with 10:12 left in the contest.
Tampa continued to try to move the ball through the air and moved into Saints’ territory against a grouping of defenders listed as backups on the Saints’ depth chart. Freeman threw mostly underneath passes and was very nearly intercepted by Chris Reis but the safety was unable to hang onto the ball. The Saints’ defense stopped the Bucs on downs at the Saints’ 27 with 6:50 left in the game on and backup quarterback Mark Brunell entered the game in place of Brees. Other reserves to get in included C Nick Leckey, Dinkins, RB Lynell Hamilton and WR Courtney Roby.
Hamilton managed a gain of six yards to the 33 on first down and then ran behind the right side of the line for a gain of one yard. Hamilton picked up two. In order to keep the clock running the Saints went for of on fourth down and Hamilton picked it up with a three yard run. The San Diego State product kept running, picking up five yards, then another yard and on third-and-four from the 46 he was stacked up short of the sticks by the Tampa Bay defense. The Saints, facing a fourth-and-two, gave it to Hamilton again, although he was stopped and the Saints turned it over on downs.
A few plays later Reis recorded the first regular season interception of his career when he picked off Freeman and returned the football 33 yards to the Saints’ 42. It was the Saints’ third interception of the game and fourth takeaway and the Saints just took a knee to run the clock out and improve to 10-0 for the first time in team history.
Inactives: New Orleans Saints: K Garrett Hartley, WR Lance Moore, CB Tracy Porter, RB Reggie Bush, CB Chris McAlister, CB Jabari Greer, LB Jonathan Casillas and DT Sedrick Ellis.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Byron Leftwich, WR Yamon Figurs, CB Mike Mickens, CB Elbert Mack, G Shawn Murphy, T James Lee, WR Brian Clark and DT Dre Moore.
*The Saints won the opening coin toss for the first time since week seven (at Miami).
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