The Big Easy...won't be. Patriots prepare for the Saints
by MaPatsFan on Nov 29, 2009 10:51 AM EST
in Opinion/Analysis
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PrintIf you look at the nfl.com stats by team, the Saints make their mark in only 2 categories: 1st in Total Offense and 5th in Rushing Offense. That's not burning up the field. A closer look also reveals they give up a lot of yardage and points on defense. So, how is it that they win games if their defense is giving up so much? The answer is offense. Drew Brees and his collection of weapons score a lot of points, to the tune of a league #1 36.9 on average.
So how can the Patriots be successful in New Orleans?
This is a huge game for both teams. To be somewhat egotistical, it's most likely the toughest game on the Saints' schedule. It's certainly the toughest of their remaining 6 matchups. A victory against NE would potentially legitimize the Saints as a "for real" team. From a New England perspective, our Patriots have struggled on the road against quality teams. We're 1-3 on the road with our only W at Wembley (you're not counting Tampa Bay as a quality team, are you?). A statement game for both teams.
As mentioned above, the Saints are not burning up the field in any one area except total offense. However, I can't get rid of this nagging feeling that they remind me of Patriots teams from the "Golden Years", the Super Bowl winning seasons. What the Saints DO have is solid team play across the board; just as there's only 1 or 2 areas where they statistically excel, conversely there's few areas where they're lacking. They seem to cover all of the bases...all of the time. So, what are the keys to coming out ahead of this franchise?
- Drew Brees - This answer always pains me because it's so formulaic, but it's very true: take away Drew Brees. Remember how successful our defense was at Indy in the first half? That was from consistent pressure on Peyton Manning. the same is true of just about every quarterback as well; consistently put someone in his backfield, and Brees will have less time to weigh his options.
- Saints' Backfield - Bush is having an incredible season. Like his team, he is not burning up the charts in any one area, but he's a constant threat. Much like our Kevin Faulk, Bush can hurt you in so many different ways - his yardage rushing is almost identical to his passing yardage. He's listed as questionable in the injury report, by I doubt that has any credence. However, Bush is not the only weapon in the backfield. Much like the Patriots, there's no clear star but there's dangerous ones.
- Passing Attack - Our New England Patriots are 6th against the pass for average yards. That's not bad considering the defensive backfield of 2008 was a joke, in my opinion. Taking away Brees' targets is paramount to winning this game. However, he has so many. Marques Colston at 6-4 225 lbs is a serious threat to defensive backs; not only does he have the height, but he has the strength and poundage to win against CB's and safeties. Then there's TE Jeremy Shockey. Jettisoned by the Giants, he's found a home in New Orleans and appears to be thriving.
- RedZone Defense - New Orleans is 5th in the league at 65.3%. Unfortunately, New England is 28th in RedZone defense. We let our opponents score 65% of the time inside the 20. Ugghh...
- Score more points - As basic as that sounds, it's a classic Belichick answer to how a team wins a game. New Orleans is a high scoring team and to combat that, New England has to keep pace. That means throwing the ball A LOT. NO will be smart enough to take away Randy Moss. Sure, Wes Welker is super dangerous at moving the chains, but a guy like Moss puts points on the board. With Moss most likely covered, who do we go to? As I'm fond of saying, Benjamin Watson, Julian Edelman, and Sam Aiken. Let's not forget screens to our running backs; Sammy Morris (if he plays) can be successful as an option and Kevin Faulk is the master of this backfield at that particular scenario.
What are you keys to winning? Is it any one of three phases? Play well on all phases? Any player in particular that has to step up or an NO guy we need to neutralize?
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Should be a dandy
hey guys I’m from CSC. first thing i want to say is that i really respect the New England Patriots because they are one heck of a team. Coming into the season, this is the one game on our schedule that really scared me. It’s finally here, and I think the biggest key to our victory is to stop randy moss, and actually put a corner on wes welker. from all the highlights i have seen of wes welker, teams always have a linebacker covering him. if the saints put a corner like chris mcalister or malcolm jenkins on welker, i think we will be able to slow his production down. The key for the Patriots to shutting down the Saints’ attack is: first you have to run the ball well, keeping the ball for as long as you can and winning the time of possession. second, you have to get a consistent push in the pocket so that Brees cannot step up. that will disconcert brees somewhat and will make him throw the ball a little off target. Finally, you cannot have any second half collapses because the saints are one of the best second half teams in football. we dominate the fourth quarter. bill belicheck is a beast with gameplans and this matchup scares me. good luck to you guys and this one should be one of the best games in recent memory. Monday night can’t come soon enough.
looking forward to it
I love Monday night games…but man, waiting an extra day for the kickoff is painful!
A question
Of all the injured players who will likely play?
by saintfever09 on Nov 29, 2009 5:12 PM EST via mobile reply actions
To be honest
nobody ever really seems to know, apart from Belichick. Your guess is as good as anybody’s.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Nov 29, 2009 5:21 PM EST up reply actions
Very very hesitantly
Aiken, Brace, maybe Edelman out, Sammy Morris might get limited snaps, Ninkovich and Banta-Cain in, because they’re mainly situational players, and perhaps Warren and/or Green back in. I would imagine all the O-linesmen will play, but I’m not sure how effectively – there might be chopping and changing during the game to cater for the injuries.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Nov 29, 2009 6:42 PM EST up reply actions
He broke his arm a month or so ago, and had two games out
and I guess he re-aggravated it, because he has been listed as limited or no practice, I forget which, due to an arm injury.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Nov 29, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
I feel like...
…BB gave all the sort-of-injured players limited/out on Friday to nurse their wounds. But that seems very un-BB because it’s a big game coming up.
Or perhaps its thinking of the season as a whole and that they’ll be needed later and not just against the Saints?
But what about the season as 1 game at a time?
ARGH
by Richard Hill on Nov 29, 2009 10:23 PM EST up reply actions
Saints
I think everyone for us is in except Tracy porter and lance Moore
by saintfever09 on Nov 29, 2009 8:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I don't usually beg but
Please beat the Saints this week? It’d be much appreciated, as we could really use HFA
From the only TRUE North division
by thewild_viking_twins on Nov 29, 2009 10:49 PM EST reply actions
At this point, the Vikings would
because it would come down to strength of victories
This post should explain it better
From the only TRUE North division
by thewild_viking_twins on Nov 29, 2009 11:30 PM EST up reply actions
Vikings
The Vikings would be the #1 seed because of a better conference record…
Just by default...
Because the Vikings have played and won 1 more conference game…
Oh forgot to mention
stop their running game first, it’s much better than people think, take that away, and you might be looking at W
From the only TRUE North division
by thewild_viking_twins on Nov 29, 2009 10:51 PM EST reply actions
the saint's running game is better than the viking's.......
and we don’t have to deal with AP the fumbler.
legitimize this......
the saints don’t need no help from ya’ll or the media. that’s why some people don’t like the pats(not me,but some), ya’ll think everything is about ya’ll.
look, ya’ll need the win not us, this would legitimize ya’ll, and help secure a play off berth.
PATRIOT1 , we have the same conference record as the vikings, and unless the nfl has realigned ya’ll into the nfc this game has nothing to do with it . we are undefeated in conference play
You're putting me on, right?
Six “y’alls?” Six?
For fans of a team, everything is about that team. That’s the point.
And this game would legitimize the Saints by showing that they can beat quality competition (albeit with a significant home field advantage). True, they don’t need “legitimacy” to make the playoffs, but that’s hardly the point here — we’re critics and fans, and those are the only conversations where legitimacy matters.
The fact is, the Saints have played a weak schedule. Not just the weakest schedule in the NFC, actually, but the weakest schedule in the entire NFL. Out of the teams that you’ve played or will play, the Lions, Panthers (2), Rams, Bucs (2), Redskins, Bills, and Dolphins have absolutely no chance of making the playoffs.
The Giants and the Falcons have a 70% of not making it, either.
In winning their games, the Saints have looked balanced and dominant. But they’ve accomplished all of their victories against teams that are mediocre at best and cover-your-eyes awful at worst. For that reason, some people question whether the Saints are truly a great team or merely a good team playing bad teams.
To be fair, the Patriots have beaten bad teams and lost to good teams (we will be the first good team you’ll play). That puts us on the cusp of the top 25% of the NFL right now. It’s fair to say that if the Saints win — and I think they will — it will be their first win against quality competition. That will bring competitive legitimacy that your team currently does not have.
We do not need this game to secure a playoff berth. In fact, there is a 99% chance that we’ll win our division — with or without a win over the Saints.
As to whether this game has playoff implications for the Saints, it does. “Strength of victory” is a tie-breaker for home field advantage if the teams have identical records. “Strength of victory” is not the same as margin of victory. Strength of victory is calculated by finding the combined winning percentages of the teams your team has beaten.
If the Saints lose to the Pats, they will still hold a 1 game advantage (I think) over the Vikings in the playoff seeding race for home field advantage. With five games left in the season, the only team that you face with any credibility is the Cowboys. The Vikings’ schedule over that span is slightly more credible, with games against NYG and Cincy. While a loss tonight doesn’t hurt you too much, it does narrow the gap and make it easier (though not easy) for the Vikings to swipe your lead.
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Nov 30, 2009 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
We have
Played just as hard a schedule as the Pats.The difference is we played 3 bad games and we won them,ya’ll played three bad games and lose them so it seems to me the Pats need to prove them selves
by mississippisaintsfan on Nov 30, 2009 3:11 PM EST up reply actions
You really aren't paying attention.
Your schedule is the weakest. In the league.
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Nov 30, 2009 4:08 PM EST up reply actions
PS
That said, I think you’ll win tonight. The Pats have had trouble on the road, have trouble in domes and have trouble against balanced attacks. That’s 0-for-3.
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Nov 30, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
Use your delusions
Read Smoke and Mirrors below…
by Patriot in Hawai'i on Nov 30, 2009 4:18 PM EST up reply actions
Welcome to the Pulpit and aloha.
You’re halfway to ComedicSans in NZ and probably exactly opposite of Hythlodeus in Denmark. We’re finally getting the recognition we deserve!
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about. --Shaun of the Dead
by JohnHannahRules on Nov 30, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions
You said it much more eloquently than I was going to
probably a good thing you had it here first.
Keep the faith!
They are weak
Could not agree with you more…
by Patriot in Hawai'i on Nov 30, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions
I agree
The pats will see how legit we are on monday night
by mississippisaintsfan on Nov 30, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
NO Saints: smoke and mirrors
That is the secret to the Saints success and they have their fans following this line. Granted after the futility that city has suffered in the past from their sports team, I am happy they have something to cheer about. What we have seen is a steady progression in inprovement under the guidance of Sean Payton. Drew Brees is a re-incarnate of, I can not believe I am saying this, Doug Flutie, but honestly better than Doug slightly. But as noted above: who have they played? IN BILL WE TRUST is the mantra we believe in at PATRIOT NATION. Those losses, to include Indy, is Bill tinkering with his system. Especially the beginning of the season with Tom’s return. Bill is a forward thinking coach. He knows looking at the standings that we are going to the playoffs. What he is doing is all “situational drills” and looking at what we in the military call PACE: Primary plan, Alternate plan, Contingency plan, and Emergency/Egress planning. he does this to make statements. And he will make a statement tonight. Because honestly, if you asked yourself and the other thirty-one head coaches, defensive coordinators, and general managers of the NFL which team you would not want to face come playoff time let alone the Super Bowl, who would be the number one answer?
by Patriot in Hawai'i on Nov 30, 2009 4:02 PM EST reply actions
OK
So you know when this game is over tonight i’m coming back to answer this.
So your in hawaii are you in the navy or the army
by mississippisaintsfan on Nov 30, 2009 5:28 PM EST up reply actions
Would you like to retract this now
Smoke and mirrots really?
Slightly better then doug flutie?
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 1, 2009 6:32 AM EST up reply actions
what is it with you
Not enough to celebrate an all-out, no-doubt, dominating win by the Saints? It makes me wonder about a self-proclaimed “mississippi saints fan” who can’t take joy in his team’s 11-0 record. Wow.
Fans of 29 other cities (besides Indy and Minnesota of course) would love to be celebrating and feeling good this morning, reliving their team’s spotlight victory and sure spot atop the league, but not you.
So much for being an example of Louisiana graciousness. Your motto seems to be kick ’em before, kick ’em after, come back to gloat.
Keep the faith!
See your just too thin skinned
I didnt talk smack at all even after he wrote this I clearly stated I will answer this after the game.
I didnt talk bad about your team i simpley asked if he still thought the Saints are all smoke and mirrors.
And if he thought Drew Brees was still slightly better then Flutie.
It seems like your the one trolling every post i make
by mississippisaintsfan on Dec 1, 2009 9:15 AM EST up reply actions
you're simply rubbing it in and gloating
Go celebrate for heaven’s sake. Practice how to be a fan of a winning team with grace and a bit of dignity. It’s been a while since the Saints lost, but c’mon man, let the fans of teams you beat lick their wounds in peace brother.
Keep the faith!
what do you except?
their team has been one of the worst teams in the nfl and now they are good…and don’t know what do to…hell my friends (who are bengal fans) are talking smack to me…i just point to 3 SB rings in 5 SB’s…they have just 2 SB appearances w. losses to the 49ers.
the jets fans did the same thing when they won over NE in week 2
Guess I expect better than that
Especially from fans of a non-rival team, that has nothing to complain or be upset about as they have the full respect of the media with the number 1 power rankings. Why take the jerky route when they’re at the top?
Keep the faith!
Congratulations
My opinion of Saints fans went down, solely thanks to you. I actually liked the Saints prior, that whole feel-good post-Katrina thing was great. But your absolute lack of class is amazing.
Again, well done.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
It will all hinge on the Patriot's OL
If the depleted OL can somehow keep Brady from being pummeled and open some holes for Maroney & Co., then I believe the Patriots should win.
Without pressure, Brady shouldn’t make the same mistakes that other QBs have made against the Saints all season which have lead to so many defensive scores and short fields. Take away those mistakes and the Saints per-game scoring average drops noticeably.
But that isn’t to say the Saint’s defense didn’t earn those turnovers. They have done a great job at applying pressure and creating opportunities to make defensive plays.
If Light, Vollmer, etc. aren’t able to put up a good game, keeping Brady upright and neutralizing the crowd’s pumping up of the defense, then the Saint’s will take it.
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