Mickles: Saints downright offensive in 2008

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 9, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

ATLANTA — As they open the second half of the season with today’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints are making a bid to lead the NFL in total offense for the second time in three years.

Going into today’s matchup against the surprising Falcons in the Georgia Dome, the Saints have piled up a league-high 3,225 yards and are averaging 403.1 yards a game.

If they continue at that pace, the Saints, who also lead the league in passing at 314.4 yards per contest, would finish with 6,450 yards.

That would shatter the franchise record of 6,264 yards — which was set in 2006, Sean Payton’s first year with the club.

Quarterback Drew Brees, the catalyst of Payton’s West Coast attack, said while it’s nice to say you have the most productive offense in the league (they also led the NFL in 2006) it’s not the most important thing.

“Yards, I don’t pay attention to yards,” Brees said this week. “The stats I pay attention to are turnovers, third-down efficiency, and red-zone efficiency.

“There are other things that are nice. Big plays are nice, but we’re certainly ready to march the ball down the field. But for us, I think the most important stat is taking care of the football.”

The Saints can do a better job of that in the final eight games as they’ve given up seven interceptions and four fumbles in a 4-4 start. They’re in the top 10 in the league, however, in third-downs conversions (third) and red-zone efficiency (eighth).

Despite an easy 34-14 win for the Saints over the Falcons in the Georgia Dome in December, the two NFC South rivals have waged some close battles over the years.

They’ve played twice a year since 1970, first as members of the NFC West (1970-2001) and now the NFC South (since 2002), except when they met only once in the strike-shortened season in 1987.

Thirty-eight of their matchups, nearly half of their 78 meetings, have been decided by seven points or less. It all started with a 27-24 Saints victory in the first meeting on Nov. 26, 1967 — in New Orleans’ inaugural season.

The Falcons, however, hold a 23-15 edge over the Saints in games decided by a touchdown or less.