New Orleans Saints Review

Opening week was good to both the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.  The Saints laid a 45-27 beat-down on the Lions and the Eagles impressively dismantled the Carolina Panthers, 38-10.

However, the Eagles did lose quarterback Donovan McNabb to some fractured ribs.  At “press time”, we don’t know if McNabb will suit up in Philly on Sunday.  Backup Kevin Kolb would get the start if McNabb can’t go.  The Eagles also went ahead and signed veteran Jeff Garcia as a backup, while Michael Vick finishes out his suspension this week.

The Saints got some very good news this week in that defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith won’t face suspension anytime soon.  Thanks to the MN court ruling on Vikings players Pat and Kevin Williams, Commissioner Roger Goodell is keeping Smith & Grant on the field in the name of fairness.

This game seems to be the classic match-up of the cheetah (our offensively talented Saints) and the brick wall (the defensive stalwart Eagles).  Can the cheetah bust through or jump over the wall?

I predicted the Eagles to be an 8-8 team, and I still believe that.  That doesn’t mean they won’t be a threat to the Saints, but I don’t think they’re as elite as some are making them out to be.

But let’s face it, neither the Saints or Eagles beat a top flight opponent in Week 1.  If the Saints win this game, it’ll go down as a statement to their toughness (as opposed to their perceived finesse) and if the Eagles prevail it will show that they’ve still got it on defense, even with the passing of longtime defensive genius Jim Johnson.

Either way, we know it’ll be a hostile environment at the Linc!

Keys to the Game
1. Sitting Ducks, or, Eagles: Whether it’s Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb playing QB for Philly, neither is likely to be very mobile.  McNabb’s injury should force him to avoid running at all costs.  If Gregg Williams is going to pull out the exotic blitzes he’s famous for, you’d think this would be the week to do it.

2. Shadow Westbrook: RB Brian Westbrook is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the game.  He’s everything we want Reggie Bush to be.  So it stands to reason if the Eagles’ quarterback situation is less than ideal, coach Andy Reid is going to call Westbrook’s number quite a bit.  Watch for the screens!

3. Hold On: The Eagles feasted off of Carolina turnovers last week.  If the Saints are careless with the football, they’ll play right into Philly’s hands.

4. Ring the Bell: Nope, not the cracked Liberty Bell.  I’m talking about the one and only Mike Bell!  The Saints should also have Pierre Thomas back in uniform, so the running game needs to be effective.  That’s the best way to slow down the Philadelphia pass rush.

5. It’s the Little Things: Hold on to the ball, cover punts and kickoffs and play a well-rounded game.  The Saints can’t outsmart themselves.  Line up and play some ball.

Prediction: Saints 21 – Eagles 17

Rating:

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.