Long Way To Go
With a loss dropping them to 3-4, the Saints head to London for a home game
Peter Finney
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If Winston Churchill were still around to welcome the London-bound Saints to his country, he'd probably go back to some of the titles in his five-volume history of World War II in an effort to come up with a fitting greeting.
"After what happened to you folks on Sunday," Sir Winston would be telling coach Sean Payton, "I think 'The Gathering Storm' would be far more appropriate than 'Finest Hour.' "
Can't argue with that.
By the time you read this, the Saints will have touched down (possibly a poor choice of words) to begin preparations for next Sunday's "home" game against the San Diego Chargers in Wembley Stadium.
What the Carolina Panthers managed to do Sunday was turn a seven-hour plane ride into, let's say, what had to feel like a 14-hour journey of pure torture -- that is, if you choose to reflect on what went wrong in the worst whipping of the season.
A team that lost its first three games by a total of 10 points lost its fourth 30-7, mainly because the guys wearing white jerseys failed to show up in the second half.
By the time the Panthers extended a 13-7 halftime lead to 20-7, then 27-7, the storyline to this one had been etched in stone.
The Panthers' pass rush was dominant, forcing a hurried, harried Drew Brees into his worst performance of the season.
In 39 passing attempts, Brees was intercepted only once, but was fortunate he wasn't picked off at least another four times, as he spent the afternoon double-clutching, throwing off balance, never able to find his usual rhythm in the face of pressure that came from all sides.
"At halftime," Brees said, "I thought we were right there. Even at 20-7, I felt the same way, felt we were still in it. But, after my interception (that set up the 27-7 TD), the momentum had swayed so much, it was tough to fight back from there."
And that was only part of the story.
Returning a punt on the final play of the first half, Reggie Bush tore his meniscus in his left knee, not only knocking him out of the London game, but leaving his return this season up in the air.
Then there were the performances involving the return of a few high-profile players: receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey.
Colston obviously was not himself after missing five games with an injured hand, coming up without a catch and with a couple of drops.
Shockey, meanwhile, reflected extended idleness as well, along with having to deal with Julius Peppers, Carolina's highly active defensive end.
In the first half, Peppers stripped the ball from the tight end, a fumble that led to a 40-yard drive that erased a 7-3 Saints lead.
In the fourth quarter, Peppers roared past Shockey to nail Aaron Stecker shy of a first down on a fourth-and-two try from the Carolina 3-yard line.
"I thought we got beat in every area," Payton said. "And for that, you've got to credit Carolina. We allowed the big plays, all the things that keep you from winning games. Starting with me, we've got to do a better job. Losing a divisional game is always frustrating, and it's tough to have to jump on a long flight after you don't play well."
For the Panthers (5-2), coming off their worst loss of the season at the hands of Tampa Bay, it was all sunshine and flowers, especially for Jake Delhomme, whose 122.3 quarterback rating doubled that of Drew Brees, at 61.0.
"We got embarrassed last week," Delhomme said, "and we came back and fought. We blocked well, and our receivers made some big plays."
That would apply to the always dangerous Steve Smith, who grabbed a 39-yard Delhomme strike in double coverage as he crossed the goal line. "Steve is so explosive and fast," Delhomme said. "He's a stud. That's a saying I heard from a coach a long time ago: 'You got a stud, you feed him.' "
For Payton, Sunday's loss, and the possible extended loss of Bush, obviously leaves the path ahead strewn with thorns. Even if the 3-4 Saints manage to beat a 3-4 San Diego club also fighting problems of its own, Payton will be facing three road games -- Atlanta, Kansas City and Tampa Bay -- in four outings following a bye week.
Which means there will be little margin for error for any of you still thinking playoffs.
More and more, after the events of Sunday, as Churchill would have put it, the road ahead looks more like a "Gathering Storm" than anything else.
