MNF Thoughts: Week 8: Falcons Vs Saints

-Drew Brees and the Saints offense wasn't in full steamroll mode but they had too much for the Falcons. Brees took some pressure and hits in the first half, and the Falcons ended up sticking around until the fourth quarter. However, despite some late game theatrics, the Saints were just a little too good for the Falcons. Brees had 308 yards passing, and spread the ball around well to his stable of receivers. Saints look awfully good at 7-0

-Matt Ryan has still got some learning to do: His nickname is “Matty Ice”, and everyone talks about how great Matt Ryan's decision-making is but, boy, was that an ugly throw at the end of the second quarter.

Ryan threw a pass that just wasn't there to Roddy White, which Saints corner back Jabari Greer intercepted and took to the house. That decision meant his team went in at halftime down by 14 instead of 7.

His second pick of the night came on a deflection by Saints 'backer Jonathan Vilma, so can't be entirely pinned on him, but it nonetheless occurred at a crucial moment in the game, in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons down four.

He also threw an interception the very end of the game on a Hail Mary toss.

-Brent Grimes is only 5ft 8. He had no right to get up that high to intercept Brees' pass in the first half. Man, what a vertical.

-The fall of Reggie Bush: Pierre Thomas was an undrafted running back out of Illinois in 2007. Not only did Mike Bell go undrafted out of Arizona in 2006 but he has already been cut by two NFL teams in his short career.

Yet both of them appear to be ahead of Reggie Bush, the second overall pick of that same 2006 draft, in the Saints rushing depth chart right now. Bell had 17 carries on the night, Thomas had 14 but Bush only had two. Bush, the former Heisman winner, seems to have had his role reduced to that of a part-time gadget player and return man.

The Saints coaches seem intent on working to help Bush regain his confidence. They put the ball in his hands from a few yards out for an easy score in the first half but more tellingly when faced with the same situation in the fourth quarter, it was Thomas' number that got called. The question is: how long can they continue to coddle their former prize pick?