Mickles: Saints need to reverse turnover woes

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 4, 2009 - Page: 1C

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No one has to tell the New Orleans Saints what turnovers can do to a team.

Better yet, no one has to tell them how a giveaway here or there — or three or four — can directly affect the outcome of a game.

That’s because the Saints have been there many times in Sean Payton’s first three seasons on the job. From 2006 to 2008, they were 0-4 when committing four or more turnovers in a game and 1-11 when they had at least three.

The Saints have been able to overcome that telling stat so far this season, winning all three games in which they gave the ball away three times or more — surviving despite four turnovers in each of the past two contests.

As one reporter pointed out after Monday night’s 35-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons, these Saints are so good they can’t beat themselves.

But as happy and proud as they were to improve to 7-0 for the second time in franchise history — on national TV nonetheless — giving the ball away a total of eight times against the Miami Dolphins and Falcons was quite disconcerting.

The good thing is the Saints realize it’s a trend they can’t allow to continue if they want to keep winning and make a deep postseason run.

It seems that teams that make mistakes in bunches like the Saints have in October and November won’t be in the playoffs long if they make them in January.

That’s why there was a bit of relief mixed with their joy late Monday night.

It could have easily been a lot different for the Saints had the Falcons been able to capitalize on their mistakes. But four turnovers, a missed 37-yard field goal and a botched onside-kick recovery by the Saints netted the Falcons just 10 points.

“Yes, we’re 7-0 and we’re happy to be 7-0,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said, “but there’s some things last week and this week that will get you beat.

“First off — turnovers. Four last week and four this week,” he said with a frown. “I thought we had that figured out for a while, then all of a sudden the last two games have been horrendous.”

Brees has had a hand in six of those eight turnovers with four interceptions and two fumbles, which will probably eat at him this week.