The Raz Report: Defense Optional

By Marc Rasbury

If you like good old fashion defense, I hope you did not watch Sunday’s Giants-Saints game. And if you appreciate what the New York Football Giants used to represent, I’m sure that you turned off the game by halftime or the middle of the third quarter.

As I sat there and watched the game, I could not believe that two NFL teams with playoff aspirations no less could display such defensive inefficiencies

The New Orleans Saints 52-49 victory over the New York Giants resembled an Arena Football League, NFL Madden or a Big XII game where defense is considered to be a necessary evil. As I sat there and watched the game, I could not believe that two NFL teams with playoff aspirations no less could display such defensive inefficiencies. Both teams have Defensive Coordinators in Rob Ryan and Steve Spagnuolo who are known and respected for their abilities to bring the hammer to opposing offensives. However on Sunday, their respective reputations took a hit.

New Orleans natives Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. both enjoyed their homecomings as Manning threw for 350 yards with 6 TDs while Beckham snagged 3 of those TDs and accumulated over 130 yards on the day. That should have been more than enough to secure a win. However, Drew Brees, Benjamin Watson and Marques Colston had other ideas.

Brees threw for an astonishing 511 yards and connected on 7 TDs passes between five WRs. Brees had a day for the ages and the Giants defense was just offensive to say the least. Brees might have well been playing catch in the back yard with teenage son. The Giants put up very little resistance or pressured Brees all day as the former MVP feasted on the multiple blown coverages presented to him by Tom Coughlin’s defense.