New Orleans Saints Review

At long last, playoff football has returned to New Orleans as the Saints will play host to the defending NFC champion Cardinals on Saturday inside the Superdome.  The anticipation has driven this Saints fan to near insanity.  I simply have to see this team prove that their season-ending 3 game slide was just a bump in the road.  With a win, the Saints will host the NFC championship game for the first time in team history.

This week, the challenge will be stiff as the playoff-tested Cardinals come to town.  After a thrilling 51-45 overtime win against the Packers in last week’s Wild Card game, Arizona has momentum on their side.  Still, you wonder if they may be running on fumes a bit after such an emotional, back and forth game (not to mention a short week of preparation).

For the Saints, there has been some concern about the offense, which stumbled down the stretch.  But the good news is that injured starters Pierre Thomas and Jeremy Shockey will be ready to go on Saturday.  While any offense can have an off day, I can’t imagine Drew Brees and company not putting together a terrific effort against a Cardinals defense that is known for giving up big plays.

Saints coach Sean Payton will need to strive for balance and show a willingness to run the ball – something that has benefited this team greatly during the regular season.  Running the ball may be especially important in this game, given that it’s not every week that you play against an offense as potent as Arizona’s.  Without balance, this game could very well come down to who has the ball last.

On defense the Saints will have a tall task in stopping quarterback Kurt Warner and his aerial assault.  Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is going to have to bring pressure.  Warner, like Brees, is simply too good to allow him time in the pocket to make plays.  He will find the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin (provided he’s healthy enough to play) and Steve Breaston down the field for big plays.  The Cardinals offense operates similarly to the Saints in that they do spread the ball around and have a lot of weapons in the passing game.

Fortunately for the Saints they will have a healthy secondary out there for the first time in quite awhile.  With top corners Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter healthy and ready for action, the Saints’ depth is once again a strong point for this team, much as it was during the first half of this season.

Williams loves to bring blitzes from all angles and was a bit hamstrung by the injuries to his corners late in the season.  When playing an offense like Arizona’s, I say the more pressure you can bring, the better.  They are too talented to sit back and play prevent.  That doesn’t mean you blitz on every play, but Warner’s timing must be disrupted.

Whenever a team has a bye week, there is always a question of how rusty they will be early in the game.  Drew Brees hasn’t played a snap since Week 16 against Tampa Bay.  But Brees is known for his preparation and I don’t see him having to shake off much rust.  He’ll be just fine as long as the offensive line can give him some time to throw.

Thomas will be running with some injured ribs and that could be a factor.  While he has said that he feels fine, he’s obviously not going to give the Cardinals defense anything they can use against him.  So Mike Bell will have to be ready to split time in the backfield as he has all season.

Maybe the x-factor for this game will be Reggie Bush.  He’s really run the ball well this season when given an opportunity.  I think Payton has used him wisely in the running game.  He’s been more of a change-of-pace type of player this year and it has been very successful.  So perhaps the Cardinals won’t be expecting Bush to see many carries, but I would not be surprised if he is used in that role more than he has at other times this season.  Bush has had some big plays in the running game and he could very well catch Arizona off guard.

Having Shockey and David Thomas back at tight end will be a big boost for the passing game.  It’s hard enough to find one tight end who can catch the ball, but the Saints have two of them and, along with receivers Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem and Lance Moore, it’s going to be very difficult for the Cardinals to cover all of those weapons.  They’re going to have to get in Drew Brees’ face, or else they’re going to be in for another long day.

Keys to the Game:
1. Get to Warner – Gregg Williams likes to employ the strategy of being physical with Kurt Warner.  Hit him after every play and make sure that he knows the Saints are coming after him.  But the keys to this strategy are (a) get to Warner before he can make a play or, at least disrupt his timing and (b) don’t cross the line and take penalties.  The last thing the Saints want to do is give this offense 15 free yards.

2. Use what got you here - It’s all about balance on offense.  The Saints were the 6th best team in the league this year running the football.  If they’re going to win this game, they’ll need keep the Cardinals guessing.  That can really open things up for Drew Brees to make plays down the field.

3. Special teams coverage – It’s been a problem at times for the Saints and, in a game that figures to be full of big plays, you have to clamp down on punt and kickoff returns.  Sean Payton will apparently use a few more starters in coverage and hopefully that strategy will work.

4. Get up, but don’t let up - One way to get Kurt Warner off of his game is to make him play a little bit of catch-up.  If the Saints can get up by a couple of scores early on, that can lead to some opportunities on defense.  The key is to stay aggressive and not allow Arizona any breathing room.  Watching the Cardinals blow a big lead against Green Bay last week should serve as a reminder.

5. Make this season special - The regular season was great, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you make something happen in the playoffs.  You never know how many opportunities the Saints will get, so they must seize the day and put forth their best effort.

Prediction: Saints 34 – Cardinals 28

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 9:57 am and is filed under Opinion, Super Bowl Season. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.