Someone has to say it... (Saints)

[CajunDreDog]

I appreciate my friends, real fans, family, and team for everything they have done for me this season all of the support is highly appreciated!No the season didn’t end as planned but one thing for sure I won’t let one play define the type of MAN or PLAYER that I am or will be!💯

— Marcus Williams (@Babymagik32) January 15, 2018

[ZoomZoom]

Even if he's tackled in play, Minnesota had seconds left, and a time out. And safely in FG range.

[CharlieK]

Even if he's tackled in play, Minnesota had seconds left, and a time out. And safely in FG range.

No timeouts. They used #3 with :18 left.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/playbyplay?gameId=400999180

[Duggie35]

Even if he's tackled in play, Minnesota had seconds left, and a time out. And safely in FG range.

If he's tackled inbounds, game over! No Time Outs!!! Williams made a terrible mistake, but he has been, and will be, a huge asset for the Saints as they move forward.

[CajunSaint08]

Im totally bummed at the outcome of the game, but I dont think the franchise is cursed like it once was.

That was a rookie, playing lights out nearly all year and from all accounts being a real defensive leader for most of the season, making a bad judgement call.

Who is to say we are even this far in the playoffs without some of the other plays he made during the regular season.

I give him a pass. Hes going to be a solid player in this league, and I'm glad we have him.

Of course, the good thing about having Manti T'eo as a teammate is being able to pick the mind of someone else who had also once become the dankest meme of the sports world

Totally agree on Williams. Guy made a rookie mistake at the worst possible time, but hopefully he will learn from it.

But the reason the Saints lost the game had nothing to do with the final defensive series but the final offensive series. With 40 seconds left to go in the game, the Saints had 3rd and 1 to go on the Vikings 26 yard line; the Achilles heal that has hampered the Saints all year long put the nail in the coffin that finally sealed their fate. The Saints third down conversion for the year was the worst in the NFL. Well had they made that one yard for a first down, it would have made the Vikings use their last time out, in which the Saints could have taken the clock down to 1 second over the next 3 plays and kick the winning field goal with time running out.

So why has no one brought this up. Don't know. When they didn't make the first down, I had the worst feeling that came to fruition. So Williams, who should have never been put in that position to begin with had an unfortunate blunder at the worst possible time. But there is always next year.

[Turbine]

All the excuses pointing away from Williams only explain why the game was close.

If a game changing score happens on the last play, it was the last play.

[GeauxLouisiana]

Totally agree on Williams. Guy made a rookie mistake at the worst possible time, but hopefully he will learn from it.

But the reason the Saints lost the game had nothing to do with the final defensive series but the final offensive series. With 40 seconds left to go in the game, the Saints had 3rd and 1 to go on the Vikings 26 yard line; the Achilles heal that has hampered the Saints all year long put the nail in the coffin that finally sealed their fate. The Saints third down conversion for the year was the worst in the NFL. Well had they made that one yard for a first down, it would have made the Vikings use their last time out, in which the Saints could have taken the clock down to 1 second over the next 3 plays and kick the winning field goal with time running out.

So why has no one brought this up. Don't know. When they didn't make the first down, I had the worst feeling that came to fruition. So Williams, who should have never been put in that position to begin with had an unfortunate blunder at the worst possible time. But there is always next year.

Saints were 73 of 194 on 3rd down during the season. 37.6% was good for 19th in the league, not dead last. Atlanta led the league at 44.7%.

And I’ve already mentioned in this thread about not picking up 3rd and 1 as the key play. Not the Williams miss.

[Cajunsmike]

Totally agree on Williams. Guy made a rookie mistake at the worst possible time, but hopefully he will learn from it.

But the reason the Saints lost the game had nothing to do with the final defensive series but the final offensive series. With 40 seconds left to go in the game, the Saints had 3rd and 1 to go on the Vikings 26 yard line; the Achilles heal that has hampered the Saints all year long put the nail in the coffin that finally sealed their fate. The Saints third down conversion for the year was the worst in the NFL. Well had they made that one yard for a first down, it would have made the Vikings use their last time out, in which the Saints could have taken the clock down to 1 second over the next 3 plays and kick the winning field goal with time running out.

So why has no one brought this up. Don't know. When they didn't make the first down, I had the worst feeling that came to fruition. So Williams, who should have never been put in that position to begin with had an unfortunate blunder at the worst possible time. But there is always next year.

Saw a picture of the third down play in question. A Vikings DL definitely lined up in the neutral zone. Of course there was no call. Also, Vikings sold out on the run on that play. To get the first down, a pass play was likely needed. Saints did not want to do that in order to force Minnesota to call their last timeout.

[Just1More]

The last impact play always gets the most scrutiny... positive or negative... especially in real time. After some time passes... everything else that affected the outcome... gets evaluated as carrying equal or greater weight.

I'm a Saints fan... so it's not a laughing matter to me... but I went to the Saints-Panthers playoff game with a friend that played football for Tech. He was a WR. He and I were laughing about how back in the day before indoor stadiums... you'd have a game be an all out physical war... and then at the very end of a contest... some little Latin American soccer player would trot out to kick a field goal... and decide which team won. That used to always crack me up about football.

[CharlieK]

Obviously there were many more than one play that decided the outcome. But it's silly to downplay the magnitude of the f-up that was that last play. Regardless of all the other errors throughout the game, the Saints had the lead and the other team was out of timeouts with a very low probability of winning. A professional football player, rookie or not, should know how to make that play and should make it every time. I keep hearing rooking mistake...it's not like it's his first time playing football. That wasn't some safe-cracking complicated play to make.

He is a great young player, and was instrumental in getting the Saints to that point. And he ____ed up big time and that ____ up cost them the game. The second sentence doesn't negate the first, but it is true.