Payton-Brees combo still potent for Saints
Offensive production has been a Crescent City staple since coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees arrived together in 2006.TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO By Ira Kaufman | Tribune Staff Published: December 9, 2015TAMPA — Even in their season of despair, the New Orleans Saints can still light up a scoreboard.Offensive production has been a Crescent City staple since coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees arrived together in 2006. Since that partnership formed, the Saints lead all teams in total offense with 402,6 yards per game and rank No. 2 behind New England in scoring at 27.4.This season, the Saints average 25 points and boast the NFL’s fourth-rated attack.“They complement each other well,’’ Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. “I’ve known Sean Payton for a long time. He’s got a good mind for offensive football. For a guy like that to get your hand-picked quarterback and to see the amount of success they’ve had together, you have to look up to that. When you’re on the other side of the ball, you know what you’re getting. Drew Brees has seen it all and he knows exactly where to go with the ball.’’Brees owns four of the top seven marks for most passing yards in a season and his career completion percentage of 66.2 stamps him as the most accurate passer in NFL history.“Anytime you have a relationship between a head coach and quarterback where they can feed off of each other, that leads to a high level of respect,’’ said Saints TE Ben Watson, who has 54 catches for 642 yards and four touchdowns. “That permeates the offense and trickles down.’’Injury reportBucs G Logan Mankins (not injury related) and DE Jacquies Smith (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday while five others were limited: LB Lavonte David (ankle), DT Gerald McCoy (hand), WR Vincent Jackson (knee), DE William Gholston (concussion) and DE George Johnson (calf). T Gosder Cherilus (knee), LB Bruce Carter (concussion) and rookie CB Jude Adjei-Barimah (elbow) practiced without limitations.Four starters did not practice for the Saints: LT Terron Armstead (knee), WR Marques Colston (not injury related), DT John Jenkins (concussion) and CB Delvin Breaux (hamstring). Four other starters were limited: G Jahri Evans (ankle), RT Zach Strief (shoulder), DE Bobby Richardson (hamstring) and LB Dannell Ellerbe (hip).Staying trueDespite the struggles of the Saints trying to defend against the pass, don’t expect the Bucs to veer from their season-long reliance on offensive balance.Led by the league’s No. 2 runner, Doug Martin, Tampa Bay averages 30 rushing attempts per game. Opposing quarterbacks have fashioned a stellar 116.6 passer rating against the Saints through 12 games, but offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said this is not the time for Tampa Bay to abandon its core principles.“The Saints have had a lot of bad luck on defense this year as far as injuries,’’ Koetter said. “We just did the depth chart and they’ve been playing with eight rookies in their defensive rotation.“They’ve still got some very talented players. We are not tempted to get out of our lane. We’ve got to stay right with what we’ve been doing. We’re doing fine.’’Extra pointsThe Bucs signed LB Orie Lemon, who has played in six games for Tampa Bay this season. Lemon also played in 10 games with the Bucs last year, including three starts. ...The Saints are 29-0 under Payton when committing zero turnovers. ...Martin needs to average 103 yards per game on the ground in the final month to break James Wilder’s single-season franchise record of 1,544 rushing yards, set in 1984.Ira Kaufman
