WOW

MNF: Saints Preview

Players To Watch:

DT Sedrick Ellis – The New Orleans defense has greatly improved this year, and has a great pass defense to go along with their ability to create turnovers. Their stout pass defense starts up front with Ellis, as the 3^rd year big man is a nightmare to block and doesn’t give opposing QBs much time to operate in the pocket. Ellis has 6 sacks this year and is getting better with every game, making neither the run nor the pass attracting options for his opponents. Matt Ryan is an elite QB, but still is only in his 3^rd year, so pressure will be key to rattling Matty Ice.

WR Marques Colston – Drew Brees likes to spread it around to numerous targets, but if there is one go to guy its Coltson. He’s a big play receiver averaging over 12 yard per catch with 7 touchdowns. Because of the lack of a running game, defenses have keyed on Saints passing gaming, and this has resulted in more interceptions for Brees. Look for Brees and Colston to try to establish a rhythm early, because mistakes against the Falcons will kill a football team.

RB Reggie Bush – He has missed a large chunk of games with a broken leg, but Bush has been disappointing in the games he has played in. While Bush’s statistics are never going to be exceptional, he remains an integral part of the offense. He can always break a big gain and is a threat catching out of the backfield. Bush will need to elevate his game, and deliver his best game of the season in order to give Brees the options he needs to limit his mistakes. Look for Bush to make his impact felt through screens and dump passes and end up with a big game.

Key Matchup – QB Drew Brees v. CB Brent Grimes – Grimes has the 2^nd most interceptions in the last 2 seasons of any player, and the Falcons will be looking to him to rattle the Super Bowl MVP. Brees will have to be more perfect than usual if he wants to beat a tough Falcons team, so he can’t give the gifted Grimes any opportunities to pick the ball.

Why the Saints Will Win – They took the Falcons to overtime the first time around, and the Super bowl champions haven’t given up hope for the division title. Atlanta’s season has been extremely impressive, but most of their wins are close. Eventually the Falcons will be on the wrong side of a close game, and the Saints are just the team to be able to come into the Georgia Dome and hand Matt Ryan a rare home loss. Both offenses are among the best in the league so look for a shootout, but the Saints will come away with the win.

Prediction: Saints 38, Falcons 34

NFC South Quarter Review

This division may contain the two best teams in the NFC, the Saints and the Falcons.

New Orleans (3-1)

The Saints, who are coming off their inspiring Super Bowl victory, have shown some rust, but not enough to prevent them from a 3-1 record. All four of their games have been decided by four points or less, which is a concern for a Super Bowl team that had many dominating victories when they started last season 13-0.

Standout Players: Drew Brees, Sedrick Ellis

Atlanta (3-1)

The Falcons have been the most impressive team in the NFC. Going into the Superdome against their rival Saints, and coming away with a victory is very impressive, and their lone loss to Pittsburg is of little concern considering the Steelers’ championship caliber defense and the offensive rust that many teams experience in their first couple games.

Standout Players: Matt Ryan, Roddy White, John Abraham

Tampa Bay (2-1)

The Bucs have to be feeling pretty good after the first quarter of the season, with their lone loss being against the Steelers. Their two wins, however, have been against the Panthers and Browns, two of the weaker teams in the NFL. Tampa Bay has shown that they have made significant improvements over last season; however it is unlikely they will be a contender for the playoffs as the season progresses.

Standout Players: Mike Williams, Ronde Barber

Carolina (0-4)

The Panthers are one of the few teams in the NFC who have no shot at the playoffs. The Matt Moore experiment at QB is over, ushering in the future with 2nd round pick Jimmy Clausen. The running game led by dynamic duo DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have been struggling, as opponents are cheating by overly defending against the run, knowing the Panthers have very poor passing attack.

Standout Players: DeAngelo Williams, Charles Godfrey

Prediction: Atlanta rides a fairly easy schedule to the top of the division, while New Orleans is right behind them, scooping up one of the two wildcard spots.

MNF: Week 2 Saints vs. 49ers

49ers' Keys to the Game:

RB Frank Gore – Gore is one of the best backs in the NFL, and the 49ers are going to need him to play much better than his 38 yards on 17 carries in week 1 against the Seahawks. It is clear that Alex Smith is not an elite QB in this league, so having him attempt 45 passes like last week is generally not a great idea. The offense, and really the whole season, may lie on RB Frank Gore’s shoulders.

Emulate the Vikings' Defense – The Vikings may have lost to the Saints, but they held them to just 14 points. In the first 13 games last year the lowest point total any team held the Saints to was 24 points, done by the Jets who had the number one defense. After letting up a quick touchdown, the Vikings were able to hold the Saints to a 3.2 yards per carry average and created long third down situations, where they were able to get the Saints off the field (Saints were 3-11 on third downs). Look for the 49ers to copy the Vikings game plan on defense.

Players to watch:

LB Patrick Willis – One of the best defensive players in the NFL, if not the best. I predicted him to win the Defensive Player of the Year award; we will see if he can have a big game against a great offense.

TE Vernon Davis – Davis is a playmaker at the tight end position, and nightmare for defenses to match up against. He is 6’3” 250 lbs and can run in the 4.4’s in the 40. He had a good first game with 8 receptions and 73 yards. It will be interesting to see how the Saints try to take away the 49ers biggest receiving threat.

WR Michael Crabtree – Crabtree held out for the first five games of his rookie season, but still had a nice season, with 48 receptions and 625 yards. I want to see what he can do with a full year.

Saints Keys to the Game:

Attack down the Field – Last week the 49ers made an average Seahawks offense look very good in their 31-6 loss. The Saints have a lot more weapons than the Seahawks and have QB Drew Brees under center.  They should have no problem moving the ball on the 49ers' defense.

Get up early and make the 49ers one dimensional – If the Saints can get up early on the 49ers, it could be a long day for the 49ers. Taking the ball out of the hands of RB Frank Gore and making QB Alex Smith try his luck against the Saints' talented defensive backs  plays right into the strengths of the Saints. The Saints did a good job last week of making Adrian Peterson, one of the best running backs in the game, irrelevant. I expect them to do much of the same this week.

Players to watch:

DE Will Smith – Smith is one of the top defensive ends in the game, but had a pretty quiet game against the Vikings. It should be an interesting match-up between the 49ers young offensive tackles and Smith, who can be very disruptive.

RB Pierre Thomas – A really hard runner and a fun back to watch, Thomas is a lot better tailback then Reggie Bush but does not receive nearly the same attention.

WR Robert Meachem – Meachem is a big play threat for the Saints. Last year he had only 45 receptions but averaged 16 yards per catch, and had 9 touchdowns.

The Pick: Saints -5.5, this game may be closer than people think, but I think the defending super bowl champs should have no problem beating the 49ers by at least a touchdown.

New Orleans Saints 2010 Preview and Prediction

Last Years Record: 13-3

Wins: Lions, Eagles, Bills, Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Falcons (x2), Panthers, Rams, Buccaneers, Patriots, Redskins

Losses: Cowboys, Buccaneers, Panthers

Biggest Playmaker: Drew Brees

QB, Purdue, Drafted #32, 10^th Year

There is no question that Brees has established himself as one of the top QBs in the NFL. Brees did not have any weaknesses last year, you could blitz him, drop everyone back in coverage, play man, play zone, do anything and he was going to complete passes. He threw for an amazing 34 TDs and only 11 INT with 4,388 yards passing, and he sat out the final game of the year.

Impact Player: Will Smith

DE, Ohio State, Drafted #18, seven years

Smith had led the Saints defense with 13 sacks and 3 forced fumbles last year. If Smith can put up similar numbers this year then the Saints defense should very solid once again.

Biggest Offseason Addition: Keeping The Team Together

The Saints did not really make any big offseason splashes, because they really did not need to make any big moves. All the key parts to last year’s team are still in place. They picked up Alex Brown, to help replace Charles Grant, but other than that the roster looks very similar to last years super bowl team.

Biggest Offseason Loss: Scott Fujita

LB, California, Drafted #143, nine years

Fujita was a team captain and was known for making big plays when they needed them. He is a player that will certainly be missed.

Biggest Draft Steal: Charles Brown

OT, USC, Drafted #64, Rookie

Brown has the potential to be a very good tackle in the NFL and it was a steal to get him in the late 2^nd round. Brown is big and athletic, but does not have the greatest technique. Fortunately Brown can go to the Saints and sit and learn from some veterans.

Biggest Draft Reach: Patrick Robinson

CB, Florida State, Drafted #32, Rookie

This pick just seemed odd to me. The one place they are pretty deep is defensive back, especially after drafting Malcolm Jenkins with the 14th overall pick last year (he has moved to safety now but will probably still play some corner). I figured that the Saints would try to get a defensive end or linebacker possibly a Sergio Kindle, Carlos Dunlap, Daryl Washington or Brandon Spikes. Instead they went with a cornerback a position that is very strong for them. Robinson has very good potential, it just was not a position of need for them.

Offseason Grade: B

It was a pretty mellow offseason for the Saints. Usually after a super bowl-winning season, you see a lot of players holding out and asking for more money or cashing in on their recent success and signing a big free agent contract. Jamaal Brown did end up being traded, but he did not play last year. The biggest thing is that they have kept the key players from last year’s team.

X-Factor: Reggie Bush

RB, USC, Drafted #2, five years

Bush a former 2^nd overall pick has yet to live up to the hype of his USC days. It is clear now that he may never be a 200+ carry back, but it seems like he is so dynamic that he should be making more of an impact. Last year his touches dramatically decreased, he only got 70 carries and 47 receptions. With Mike Bell now gone, It will be interesting to see if the Saints can find a way to get Bush more involved and get his numbers back up.

Name You Should Know: Darren Sharper

S, William & Mary, Drafted #60, 14 years

Sharper is a guy that does not seem to age. The future hall of famer led the team with nine interceptions last year three of them for touchdowns. He may not be able to have the same production this year, but Sharper is a great veteran to have on the team and should make a positive impact. If they did not resign Sharper this year, there would have been a lot of angry Saints fans.

Rising Star: Tracy Porter

CB, Indiana, Drafted #40, three years

After the two huge interceptions last year in the Super Bowl and Divisional playoff game, Porter became a household name. Porter, who is only 24, should be a guy to watch for for a long time.

Offensive Outlook: A

With Drew Brees under center and Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey, and Reggie Bush as weapons, it will be a nightmare once again for defensive coordinators to game plan. Look for the Saints to have a record book year on offense.

Defensive Outlook: B+

The Saints are probably going to have one of the best and youngest secondary’s in the NFL this year. The Saints were known for causing turnovers last year and it should be no different this year. The one concern is their linebacker core. Jonathan Vilma is a stud, but Jonathan Casillas only has 2 starts under his belt and he will try to be replacing Scott Fujita.

Special Teams Outlook: A-

Reggie Bush and Courtney Roby have proven that they can be electric in the return game. Garrett Hartley was solid in the playoffs, and Thomas Morstead probably will not be used much but is very good.

Projected 2010 Record: 13-3

The biggest question with the Saints is will they have a let down season like so many other teams have had after a super bowl winning season. I do not see Drew Brees, Darren Sharper, Jonathan Vilma and the other leaders on their team letting that happen.