 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sunday, September 15, 2002 - 12 noon at the Louisiana Superdome |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Packers |
0 |
10 |
7 |
3 |
20 |
| Saints |
7 |
14 |
7 |
7 |
35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Packers Player Of The Game
Trailing the Saints and forced to attack through the air, Terry Glenn became Brett Favre's favorite target on the day, making nine receptions for 81 yards. Most memorable among them was his 14-yard touchdown reception in which he leapt high into the air to bring the ball down between two New Orleans defenders.
Saints Player Of The Game
Although held to only one catch in the second half, wide receiver Joe Horn led Saints receivers with six receptions for 120 yards on the day. Horn failed to score a touchdown, yet all but one of his catches went for first downs.
Stat Of The Game
The New Orleans Saints converted on 7-of-12 third downs (58 percent), while the Packers converted on only 3-of-13 third downs (23 percent).
Play Of The Game
With the momentum seemingly in the Packers' favor after Darren Sharper's interception set up Terry Glenn's 14-yard touchdown catch to close out the first half, Fakhir Brown took the wind from the Packers' sails. Facing third-and-7 in the opening drive of the second half, Brett Favre connected with Glenn, who turned upfield and into the hit of Brown, causing a fumble. Keyuo Craver recovered the loose ball and ran 38 yards into the end zone to increase the Saints' lead.
THEY SAID IT:
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman --
On game: "We didn't play well. That's the second week in a row we haven't stepped up and played to the level that we need to play. I thought the Saints did a fantastic job of making plays when they had to make plays. The jumped up on us and did a good job. We tried to pressure them early, but to their credit they handled the blitz pretty well and completed a couple balls on us."
"I believe we had seven offensive penalties, which put us into long-yardage more types than you can have in this type of environment and against this type of team. This team (the Saints) is not a surprise to me. I told our team all week long, this team has a chip on its shoulder. The most dangerous team in football is the team that has a chip on their shoulder and they proved that today."
On noise factor: "The problem we had today was the New Orleans Saints. They were the problem, and we had plenty of it. I'm not blaming anything on the noise or the dome or nothing, it was the New Orleans Saints outplayed, out-coached the Green Bay Packers."
On Packers' effort: "I think the guys tried to win the football game. I don't think anybody laid down on us. I think the guys tried. They're very disappointed that they lost and I think the true test of this team will be how we handle it . . . Every team will have a day like this, it's not the day that hurts you, it's how you respond to it. I believe in the guys in that locker room. They will respond favorably, bounce back and we'll get better."
Brett Favre --
On Saints defense: "We knew what we were up against. Their defensive front is very good and they have a lot of speed and they attack. We can't say that they threw anything at us that we were not ready for, we just didn't handle it. When you fall behind and you have to throw and they're pinning their ears back . . . bad things will happen."
On turnovers: "We killed ourselves turning the ball over . . . You can't allow the home team in a hostile environment to have the edge by you giving it to them, you have to make them work for it."
On loss: "One thing I've learned from playing in this league so long is you can't take anyone lightly, you can never be comfortable in any situation, you never can be complacent. Shoot, I gave it everything I had, everything I had, and I knew it would still be difficult. From our standpoint as a team, whether you're good or not good, talking about it doesn't win games for you, it doesn't win plays for you. People aren't scared of the Green Bay Packers, they never have been. There's no easy game in this league and I think most of the guys know that. I think they played well today, I don't want to take anything away from what they did, but we're a better football team than we played today."
On disappointment with turnovers: "You can't put your defense in the situations we put them in today. We can't come out in the second half with a little bit of momentum like we had and then turn around and give it right back. That just kills the defense. If I was on the defense I'd be pissed, I would. That's the things we can't do."
On fourth-and-2 fumble: "Frank (Winters) snapped the ball because he thought he heard 'set-hut,' which I didn't say, obviously, because I wasn't ready for the ball. I saw the two linebackers jump, and my thought was he snapped it because they were across the line, which he said he didn't, but they may have been. That's a judgment call in the heat of the battle. If they throw that penalty, I don't know if anyone says anything . . . I thought it was provoking the offense. If you go up there in a loud environment, Frank's got his head down, and you say 'set-hut,' he's probably going to snap it. He's having a hard enough time hearing me, but up to that point we hadn't had any problems."
Terry Glenn --
On hit that caused fumble in third quarter: "They were playing a lot of Cover 2. They were squatting the corners out there and playing the safety over the top. What happened was, it was an in-and-out route where I fake like I'm going across the field and come out of it. Brett did a real good job, I didn't pick up the hint, that when he threw it inside - normally when a quarterback does that they mean that somebody's out there waiting, because I really can't tell when I'm coming back out. Not just being in synch right there, I caught it and I still tried to go outside. I still went that way and the guy, I had no idea he was there, hit me while I was trying to bring the ball in and just jarred it loose."
"It happened so fast. I've got to hold on to that ball. I've got to hold on to that ball. Brett did a great job throwing the ball inside, basically telling me that someone was out there, that's what we're taught to do, and as I caught it, I still didn't think nobody was out there."
On turnovers: "You can't spot a team like that down in the red zone. The one I had was a touchdown and you really can't give them that. . . You can't give a team that much and expect to win a ballgame."
On emotional toll of turnovers: "They had a lot of drives that were pretty long, and for us to get the ball and give it right back, it was definitely mind-blowing for the defense. It's pretty hard."
On leaping touchdown reception: "That was a great play. We need a lot of plays like that and unfortunately we didn't have a lot like that today. They were the better team. They were a lot more physical offensively and defensively and they wanted the game more than we did, obviously."
On what to do next: "We've got to get back to the drawing board, as they say. No one is going to lay down and let us run over them just because we've got on the green and gold. We've got to go out there and we've got to earn it. That was a perfect example tonight, a team that didn't really care about anything but winning the ball game. That's what we have to do each week from here on out."
Billy Lyon --
On defense: "We knew coming in that our first priority was the running game, and I thought we played pretty well against the run except for the last two plays."
On pressuring Aaron Brooks: "I thought we got to him a couple times when he went to five-step drops, seven-step drops, he was scrambling around a little bit. But you just have to take your hats off to them, they played a heck of a game today and it seemed like they wanted it maybe a little bit more than we did."
Darren Sharper --
On defense: "One thing we need to do as a defense is look at one another. We came off the preseason with everyone saying how good we were going to be - we're not as good as we think we are. We've got to get that attitude that we need to go out there and prove something."
Mike Wahle --
On offensive penalties: "It's tough, any time you go on the road, if you start racking up penalties early. I didn't help anybody by getting that holding penalty at the end of the first series. I know I got a second one blocking downfield, I've been doing that since I started playing football, so I don't know what the call was about there. I've got to adjust to that."
On game: "I think it just comes down to lack of execution. They did a great job. I think we felt like we were having some success running the ball early, but unfortunately we put ourselves in position that we couldn't execute our game plan that we came in wanting to do, which is run the ball using play-action. We had to go and start dropping back every down and that kind of plays into their hands, not ours."
On Saints defense: "They did a great job of bringing guys to where we weren't. We're blocking with five, they're bringing six or seven, it's a situation where we have to make plays as an offense, blocking, running, passing, the whole package and we just didn't execute today."
GAME NOTES:
Today's announced attendance was a sellout crowd of 67,958 at the Louisiana Superdome.
**
End of 4th quarter. Game over.
**
The Saints didn't wait long to increase their lead. Deuce McAllister provided all 73 yards on the scoring drive, including a 2-yard scoring run (2:00, 4th quarter). The Saints scoring drive was 4 plays, 73 yards. Time of the drive was 2:31.
**
Ryan Longwell brought the Packers within 8 with a 36-yard field goal (4:31, 4th quarter). Brett Favre led the drive with a 27-yard completion to Javon Walker and three completions to Terry Glenn totaling the same amount. The Packers scoring drive was 12 plays, 61 yards. Time of the drive was 6:03.
**
With the Packers looking to convert on fourth-and-2, Brett Favre fumbled a snap from the shotgun which was recovered by Charlie Clemons at the Packers 48-yard-line (12:04, 4th quarter).
**
End of 3rd quarter.
**
After moving up the field with receptions by Ahman Green and William Henderson, Brett Favre added a pair of completions to Donald Driver, the second for a 26-yard touchdown (0:31). The Packers scoring drive was 6 plays, 71 yards. Time of the drive was 2:31.
Favre's touchdown pass was the 291st of his career, tying him for fourth in NFL history with Warren Moon. Favre completed all four of his passes on the scoring drive for 65 yards.
**
On a drive that included three third-down conversions, Saints kicker John Carney attempted a 39-yard field goal, but his attempt sailed wide left (3:02, 3rd quarter).
**
Facing third down on the opening drive of the second half, Brett Favre completed a pass to Terry Glenn, but Fakhir Brown's hit forced a fumble, allowing Keyou Craver to scoop up the loose ball and run 38 yards for a Saints score (13:53, 3rd quarter).
**
End of 2nd quarter. Halftime.
**
Cashing in on Darren Sharper's interception and return, the Packers earned their first touchdown of the day on a leaping grab by Terry Glenn in the right corner of the end zone (0:40, 2nd quarter). The Packers scoring drive was 1 play, 14 yards. Time of the drive was 0:08.
**
Josh Bidwell's 50-yard punt pinned the Saints at their own 18-yard-line, but on first down Aaron Brooks found Joe Horn for a 33-yard gain to the Packers 49-yard-line. On the following play, Darren Sharper intercepted a Brooks pass and returned it 44 yards to the Saints 9-yard-line (0:48, 2nd quarter).
**
Donte' Stallworth caught a short pass from Aaron Brooks and sprinted 34 yards up the left sideline for a Saints touchdown (2:03, 2nd quarter). The Saints scoring drive was 4 plays, 52 yards. Time of the drive was 1:16.
**
Aaron Brooks' pass intended for Jerome Pathon was intercepted by Mike McKenzie at the Packers 24-yard-line (3:56, 2nd quarter).
**
Facing third-and-goal at the 5-yard-line, Aaron Brooks rolled right and found Jermome Pathon in the right corner of the end zone for another Saints touchdown (5:12, 2nd quarter). The Saints benefited from Ahman Green's fumble at the 21-yard-line to start the drive. The Saints scoring drive was 5 plays, 21 yards. Time of the drive was 2:53.
**
At the end of a 5-yard run, Ahman Green was hit by Charlie Clemons and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Sedrick Hodge at the Packers 21-yard-line (8:05, 2nd quarter).
**
Ryan Longwell made a 28-yard field goal to put the Packers on the scoreboard (10:28, 2nd quarter). The Packers got as close as the 9-yard line when Rondell Mealey was ruled to have stepped out of bounds on his 9-yard reception. Ahman Green carried the load on the drive, including his 14-yard burst on third-and-1. Terry Glenn also had a 14-yard reception. The Packers scoring drive was 15 plays, 71 yards. Time of the drive was 7:31.
**
End of 1st quarter.
**
Facing third-and-8 at the Saints 42-yard-line, Brett Favre looked to Javon Walker, but his pass hit the arm of Saints cornerback Keyuo Craver and deflected into the arms of Darrin Smith for the interception. Smith returned the ball to the Saints 48-yard-line to halt the Packers' opening drive (4:36, 1st quarter).
**
Playing in his 161st consecutive game, Brett Favre extends his NFL record for consecutive starts by a quarterback to 159 today.
**
After Aaron Brooks' 12-yard scamper on third down brought the Saints to the Packers 4-yard-line, running back Deuce McAllister provided the remaining yardage to put the Saints on the scoreboard after their opening drive (9:19, 1st quarter). Wide receiver Joe Horn had a pair of big plays on the drive, first making a 40-yard catch-and-run that brought the Saints to the Packers 28-yard-line, then breaking tackles for a 10-yard gain on third down that moved New Orleans to the Packers 18-yard-line. Michael Lewis started things off with a 35-yard kickoff return. The Saints scoring drive was 11 plays, 68 yards. Time of the drive was 4:36.
**
The following Packers players are inactive for today's contest: Marques Anderson, Kevin Barry, Gilbert Brown, Tyrone Davis, Aaron Kampman, Craig Nall (third quarterback), Jamal Reynolds, Marcus Wilkins.
Brown will not play due to the knee injury sustained last week vs. Atlanta. Rod Walker replaces Brown in the starting lineup. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
