SaintsFan1998
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Greetings. A Saints fan here who thought it would be entertaining (and possibly even informative) to give you my take on the upcoming game. First, I hope that it is a well-played and injury-free game for both teams.
The Seahawks are the more physically talented team, and I do not think that it is even close. For that reason, I expect the Seahawks to win. Your defense is scary because it is not just scheme and not just talent, but a combination of both.
The other thing you really have going for you is that the Saints defense has just been destroyed by injuries. It has gotten to the point where if one more guy goes down, I think that they will be calling me to see if I am willing to play safety. Last season, the Saints had the worst defense ever. In history. Rob Ryan came in and turned chicken [stuff] into chicken salad. But he is now down to whatever is worse than chicken [stuff]. At some point, scheme can only do so much; a lack of athletes will doom you. I am not saying that by way of making excuses--it is just a fact that a TON of guys have gone down recently and a bunch of practice squaders are taking their place. Part of the price the team had to pay for not getting a bye week.
For that reason, I think that y'all will score points. Which will, I think, make the Saints more one-dimensional than they want to be. The running game has actually turned on for the Saints the last couple of weeks. But I do not know if ball-control will be enough to keep up with y'all. And the Saints offense is not as talented as people think. Brees and Payton are Hall of Famers. Which is awesome. But their ability masks the fact that the Saints lack a quality speed receiver. Robert Meachem used to be that guy, but he's too old. Kenny Stills will be that guy, but he's too young. (FWIW, Joe Morgan would be that guy this year, but his knees are too ligament-shredded). And Colston, Graham, and Sproles are great at what they do, but none of them are speed guys. Basically, Brees and Payton manage to get 110% out of what they have through scheme and intelligence. But a smart and athletic defense can take that away, and you are left with guys like Lance Moore and Ben Watson trying to win the game for you.
All that said, I have a couple of reasons that I feel strangely confident notwithstanding everything I just said. First, the weather looks like it will be nasty. Lots of folks seem to think that that will be to the Seahawks's advantage. But I see the opposite. To me, bad weather neutralizes athleticism. And, since y'all are the more athletic team, I think that some rain and wind will actually help put the teams on more even footing.
Second, y'all kicked the Saints's butts last time the teams played. Which, I think, works to the Saints's advantage. First, to the extent guys getting paid millions of dollars need to be motivated by things like "nobody believes in us," the Saints have that advantage. Also, there's a loose-ness to the Saints that I think also works to their advantage. Almost like they are playing with house money. Sean Payton is at his most dangerous when he's going gunslinger. Same thing with Rob Ryan. And the team certainly has that vibe going into this week. Teams and players with nothing to lose can be dangerous. Teams and players with everything to lose can get tight.
As for the quarterbacks, I say Brees is best. Y'all, I am sure, say that Wilson is best. We will agree to disagree on that point. I still wonder, though, how a second year quarterback will do with the weight of "you are supposed to win" expectations on his shoulders if the game is tied in the fourth quarter.
Finally, is the Percy Harvin thing good or bad? He's a top five receiver at his best. And you can't really keep him off the field if he can physically play. But, man, there's also something to be said for if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I can see a game where a rusty Harvin manages to actually hurt by taking some touches away from other guys who have been doing it all season long.
Anyway, here's to a good game. My wife spent a year in Yakima and talks often about how much she enjoyed her trips into Seattle. And I think that Fraiser totally holds up and is still good for a laugh when you catch it on re-runs. So, really, nothing but peace and love from down here.
(Oh, and if you had any questions about the Saints, feel free to post them, and I will do my best to answer, with the caveat that all my opinions are, of course, just my opinions.)
The Seahawks are the more physically talented team, and I do not think that it is even close. For that reason, I expect the Seahawks to win. Your defense is scary because it is not just scheme and not just talent, but a combination of both.
The other thing you really have going for you is that the Saints defense has just been destroyed by injuries. It has gotten to the point where if one more guy goes down, I think that they will be calling me to see if I am willing to play safety. Last season, the Saints had the worst defense ever. In history. Rob Ryan came in and turned chicken [stuff] into chicken salad. But he is now down to whatever is worse than chicken [stuff]. At some point, scheme can only do so much; a lack of athletes will doom you. I am not saying that by way of making excuses--it is just a fact that a TON of guys have gone down recently and a bunch of practice squaders are taking their place. Part of the price the team had to pay for not getting a bye week.
For that reason, I think that y'all will score points. Which will, I think, make the Saints more one-dimensional than they want to be. The running game has actually turned on for the Saints the last couple of weeks. But I do not know if ball-control will be enough to keep up with y'all. And the Saints offense is not as talented as people think. Brees and Payton are Hall of Famers. Which is awesome. But their ability masks the fact that the Saints lack a quality speed receiver. Robert Meachem used to be that guy, but he's too old. Kenny Stills will be that guy, but he's too young. (FWIW, Joe Morgan would be that guy this year, but his knees are too ligament-shredded). And Colston, Graham, and Sproles are great at what they do, but none of them are speed guys. Basically, Brees and Payton manage to get 110% out of what they have through scheme and intelligence. But a smart and athletic defense can take that away, and you are left with guys like Lance Moore and Ben Watson trying to win the game for you.
All that said, I have a couple of reasons that I feel strangely confident notwithstanding everything I just said. First, the weather looks like it will be nasty. Lots of folks seem to think that that will be to the Seahawks's advantage. But I see the opposite. To me, bad weather neutralizes athleticism. And, since y'all are the more athletic team, I think that some rain and wind will actually help put the teams on more even footing.
Second, y'all kicked the Saints's butts last time the teams played. Which, I think, works to the Saints's advantage. First, to the extent guys getting paid millions of dollars need to be motivated by things like "nobody believes in us," the Saints have that advantage. Also, there's a loose-ness to the Saints that I think also works to their advantage. Almost like they are playing with house money. Sean Payton is at his most dangerous when he's going gunslinger. Same thing with Rob Ryan. And the team certainly has that vibe going into this week. Teams and players with nothing to lose can be dangerous. Teams and players with everything to lose can get tight.
As for the quarterbacks, I say Brees is best. Y'all, I am sure, say that Wilson is best. We will agree to disagree on that point. I still wonder, though, how a second year quarterback will do with the weight of "you are supposed to win" expectations on his shoulders if the game is tied in the fourth quarter.
Finally, is the Percy Harvin thing good or bad? He's a top five receiver at his best. And you can't really keep him off the field if he can physically play. But, man, there's also something to be said for if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I can see a game where a rusty Harvin manages to actually hurt by taking some touches away from other guys who have been doing it all season long.
Anyway, here's to a good game. My wife spent a year in Yakima and talks often about how much she enjoyed her trips into Seattle. And I think that Fraiser totally holds up and is still good for a laugh when you catch it on re-runs. So, really, nothing but peace and love from down here.
(Oh, and if you had any questions about the Saints, feel free to post them, and I will do my best to answer, with the caveat that all my opinions are, of course, just my opinions.)