MATCHUP:
Saints versus Raiders in the Dome, Friday August 16, 2013. Probably the worst opponent (Raiders) you could have to obtain a true assessment of how this new Saints Defense can play , versus someone else’s #1’s, for about a half. Could the Saints defense have rebounded in the next series if Alex Smith were to stay on the field last week? Or would they fold just like they did all of last year 2012? We’ll never know as the Raiders are still a train wreck sans Al Davis and LSU’s Matt Flynn will not surprise anyone. However, if the Raiders stack the box this week like the Chiefs did last week, I believe Coach Payton will say screw it, abandon the run, and light the scoreboard up!! This will delight the masses on hand, Drew Brees and get all of these new receivers seasoned up. Also, fat boy DC Rob Ryan will probably dial up a medley of blitzes, unlike the vanilla approach week 1.
3 THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
1. The Saints Defense- don’t be expecting the 1985 Bear D anytime soon but more like the 2009 Saints D, a lot of blitzing, bending but not breaking. The breaking part is guaranteed due to our opponent otherwise, I would not know what to tell you. But since I’m aware of the Raiders, I do see the Saints making some strides. In the Williams regime, the defense would bounce back on occasion after getting toasted, whereas they would lay down and die under Spags. I hope they lean more towards Williams’s way. One person in particular to keep your eye on is Cam Jordan. With all of this outside 3-4 LB edge rush, Jordan will get a slew of 1 on 1 matchups, thus I expect him to be very disruptive tomorrow evening. Also, there will be a fierce linebacker and safety battle, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see some jaw dropping licks and perhaps an INT, courtesy of S Jim Leonard. Just a hunch.
2. Team Discipline- coach Payton fell on the sword last week and said himself, his coaches need to do a better job But what he went on to say and really mean was that the offense needed to do a better job of getting to the line of scrimmage, getting the alignment right and communicating better. Look here, we take our offense for granted sometimes, but you know that this Payton-Brees machine is all about precision, adjustments and execution. Nothing pisses Payton off more than missed assignments. Personal fouls are one thing, but illegal procedure or God forbid having to burn a precious time out, drives Payton insane. So keep an eye on how quickly the offense gets to the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball, after Brees makes his last minute reads. A lot of pressure will be on these rookie wide-outs to be in sync with Brees as even though the Raiders D sucks, it’s typically week 2 when the gloves come off for the defense.
3. Coverage Units and Hartley-this seems like a boring topic but the Saints were awful in special team’s punt and kickoff coverage. We simply can’t afford to give the opposition another 15-20 yards against our D, because our D is well, ourrrrr D. This will be a journeyman fullback, veteran linebacker or rookie free agents dream, as the Saints staff WILL KEEP YOU on the 53 man roster if you really succeed in special teams play (see Roby). Speaking of Roby, he’s hurt and guys like LB Humber and S Bush will be playing more with the starting D so whoever else steps up & shinestomorrow night in ST, may have a roster spot waiting on them. Hartley is so hot and cold. He hasn’t been stellar whatsoever in training camp so far. I know he’s not going anywhere but I would really like to see some 40-50 yard attempts on the hash marks if all possible.
PRE-SEASON WEEK 2 GAME PREDICTION
Saints 34 - Raiders 20.
EARLY BIRD SAINTS 53 MAN ROSTER PROJECTIONS AS OF 8/15/2013
1. Brees
2. McCown
3. Collins
4. P Thomas
5. Ingram
6. Sproles
7. Cadet (K Robinson on Pr Squad)
8. Colston
9. Moore
10. Toon
11. Stills
12. Parker
13. Tanner (on to let Roby heal and out of Pr Sq options)
14. Roby
15. Graham
16. Watson
17. Higgins
18. Brown
19. Strief
20. Armistead
21. Jones
22. Grubbs
23. Evans
24. Puente
25. Olsen
26. Hartley
27. Morestead
28. Drescher
29. Jordan
30. Hicks
31. Foster
32. Richardson (T Johnson can’t stay healthy)
33. Bunkley
34. Jenkins
35. Gallette
36. R Johnson
37. Hawthorne
38. Martin
39. Wilson
40. Will Smith (almost left him off, I will next week if he stinks vs. Oak)
41. Humber
42. Chamberlain
43. Reddick (special team surprise)
44. Lewis
45. Greer
46. White
47. Robinson
48. Harper
49. Jenkins
50. Vaccaro
51. Bush
52. Leonhard
53. Carr (vet leadership)
On bubble: Herring, Abdul-Quddus, Tiller, Breaston
Ed Hardy
OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well done Ed
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