Saints fan here :) We have a looong wait so...thoughts?

[lengai]

And remember, we already beat Harvin in the NFC game in '09. It won't be our first time planning for him.

 

[DynoHawk]

Our punt return team is giving up around 1.5 yards/return on punts this year, #1 in the league I believe.

Correct me if I am wrong, but i believe that we have given up a total of 15 yards all year on punt returns, so it would be 1.5 yards/game.

 

[mikeak]

Yeah, the Saints D will be forcing a few turnovers, that's for sure. Glad we can agree on that.

First NFL game I ever saw live was Panthers vs Saints. Collins had just walked out on the Panthers as he was getting hit in the mouth to often and apparently it impaired his ability to drink alcohol so he didn't want that to keep happening. The saints had signed him and everyone hoped that he would get to play . Unfortunately it didn't happen but both teams were bad and it led to lots of turnovers. Was awesome to watch as you never knew which direction the ball would be going in.

That won't happen this game. We all know Seahawks will create the turnovers

 

[Hawks46]

Glad to have ya.

46 said everything I was thinking, and much more. There really isn't any matchup's that present any true concern for our staff, or for our players. Percy is going to create so many problems it's not even fair.

I think, in all seriousness, if you were to leave Monday night with no more key injuries to your skill guys, you're going to be doing good.

Yeah... I reeeeeealy hate to sound this arrogant, but in our house, at night in December against a finesse dome team from the South; I have a hard time seeing us do anything but beat the ever living shit out of them. I think merely surviving is a good moral victory for the Saints in this one. Our guys LIVE for primetime and look forward to every opportunity to show the world what they're capable of. This is probably the biggest matchup of the year so far, so our guys know that all eyes will be on them. I can't predict anything short of a critical beatdown.

Sorry brah...

It's hard not to be arrogant, but there's a few factors here:

1. Weather. If it's rainy and crappy, we're going to pummel them.

2. Saints run game. If they try to throw it all over the field, it's going to be a mistake. If they can run on us, and we get crappy run fits this game, it's going to be closer than us fans like to see.

3. Smelly McUgly said it first, but Sproles makes a huge difference for them and it's poor matchup for us. Depending on what side he goes to....Malcolm Smith and Bruce Irvin have the speed to limit his gains in the flat, but Wright doesn't. Avril has the speed to get him but Clemons doesn't. And Graham is no joke, I can see him going off.

4. I have to revise part of my post. I said our ST were good and the Saints were average. Evidently, according to PFF, ours is the best (by a wide margin) and theirs is top 5. It's still enough to win the field position battle, but maybe not as big a deal as I made it. Then again, we get Harvin returning kicks, which is a different level than we've had all season.

5. We have to limit dumb penalties that give Brees 1st downs. No personal fouls on Brees.

 

[quail man]

4. I have to revise part of my post. I said our ST were good and the Saints were average. Evidently, according to PFF, ours is the best (by a wide margin) and theirs is top 5. It's still enough to win the field position battle, but maybe not as big a deal as I made it. Then again, we get Harvin returning kicks, which is a different level than we've had all season.

hartley (our place kicker) is inconsistent at best, and many fans want him gone. moorstead (punter/kickoff guy) is top 3 (possibly best) in the league. he's going to make a huge difference in the game. dude's got a boot. if it's rainy and cold, special teams may make all the difference in this game.

 

[CANHawk]

Why does everyone keep saying "you got Harvin back?"

What we did was get Harvin period, he never played a snap for us this season until now.

:les:

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm not even factoring in Harvin because honestly... I don't really know what he'll even do. He's a total X-factor but really, I think we could whoop NO with Harvin on the bench.

Glad to have ya.

46 said everything I was thinking, and much more. There really isn't any matchup's that present any true concern for our staff, or for our players. Percy is going to create so many problems it's not even fair.

I think, in all seriousness, if you were to leave Monday night with no more key injuries to your skill guys, you're going to be doing good.

Yeah... I reeeeeealy hate to sound this arrogant, but in our house, at night in December against a finesse dome team from the South; I have a hard time seeing us do anything but beat the ever living shit out of them. I think merely surviving is a good moral victory for the Saints in this one. Our guys LIVE for primetime and look forward to every opportunity to show the world what they're capable of. This is probably the biggest matchup of the year so far, so our guys know that all eyes will be on them. I can't predict anything short of a critical beatdown.

Sorry brah...

I don't take it that way. I'm on you guys' baord and you've all had good insight and I expect you to believe you will win. I know we're a dome team, but thinking we're a finesse team is not something I agree with. Our O is designed that way (although we did power run all over Dallas), but the D is definitely not a finesse defense. They bring it as much as anyone right now. Corey White at CB is our weak link. We're going to have to jam Harvin or we're in deep doo doo. The good news is that both teams will be in the playoffs no matter what happens but HFA is huge for teams with loud fans like Seattle and N.O.

Fair enough, but I wouldn't be using "running on Dallas" as some great validation. The Cowboys suck. They're nobodies compared to Seattle. Again, not meaning to sound too arrogant, but I think the Saints are a real paper tiger in the Kansas City mould. They play in the cupcake division that be the NFC south and haven't really played anybody of note yet (yeah yeah, San Fransisco... phhhhht). Last time you took the show on the road to somewhere kinda cold, y'all lost to the Jets. Before that you lost to the Pats.

Seattle is light years better than the Jets and the Pats. It's going to be colder than those games, it's likely going to be wetter than those games, it's going to be later and you have all those pesky time zones to overcome. Oh and you'll be walking into a buzzsaw that is a Seahawks team eager to prove they're the best team in the league right now.

Sorry brah... bloodbath.

 

[RolandDeschain]

CAN, while I agree that the Saints are a BIT of a paper tiger in my opinion, they are definitely not as much of one as the Chiefs. The Chiefs are the biggest paper tiger we've seen in years, IMO.

 

[Wartooth]

What I saw in last nights game, is that if Matt Ryan had some balls, they score a touchdown instead of a FG...4 Point difference in the game.
If that rookie wide out for the Falcons hadn't fumbled the ball in the redzone late in the game...Saints lose.
The Saints pass rush is slow...Matt Ryan is a statue, thus what, 6 sacks? Russell won't be standing there waiting for the big guys to get there.
Your secondary is suspect, Russell will find the holes in it, and contrary to what I've heard some Saints fans say...He has an amazing deep ball!
Lynch will get his, these are the types of games he thrives in, and he'll be well rested.
The Hawks defense will bring the heat on Brees from a lot of different places, Not sure your oline will hold up to that...Doubt it.
Hawks defense finds ways to get turn overs, and can score once they do.
Having watched both teams these last two games, I think you and the rest of the Saints fans are going to be a little surprised at what the Hawks do.
To be honest with you, the Panthers are more of a threat than the Saints at this point.
But you guys will find that out the following week.
Good Luck, hope the refs don't interfere in this gamel!
Go Hawks!

 

[quail man]

Seattle is light years better than the Jets and the Pats.

i feel like there's a bit of selective memory on this board. didn't y'all nearly just lose to the Bucs? earlier in the season, you nearly lost to a really shitty texans team. in fact, the Saints have the second hardest SOS in the league. the seahawks have the 10th. so to say the saints have been playing cupcakes is far from the truth, brah.

 

[Laloosh]

This guy lost me at "we did power run all over Dallas". Good luck to your team, you'll need it.

 

[CANHawk]

Didn't we clean our toilet with the 9'ers and the Falcons, two teams you could barely beat in your own barn (where you're sooooo dangerous)?

 

[MontanaHawk05]

I'm not as optimistic as my fellow twelves. We win, but we don't run away with the game.

Brees isn't Newton, Kaepernick, Henne, Schaub, Fitzpatrick, Palmer, Clemens, Glennon, Ryan, or Palmer. He isn't even Luck. He doesn't throw to his guys in the same manner that our defense typically feeds on, panicking on blitzes and throwing up desperate sideline fades that Thomas and Sherman pick off. Brees makes his living between the numbers and can beat the blitz with underneath passes. When he does need to go deep, he rifles it horizontally instead of floating it. I doubt our defense gets a pick. In fact, I expect our defense to have their worst game of the year. They'll pay for more mistakes than they usually do. People here will panic, but the explanation will simply be that we finally faced an elite QB for the first time since last year and that forcing him to dink-and-dunk all day is actually a victory.

That being said, we do have the D-line to keep Brees busy, and he's not the same QB on the road. We also have the personnel to keep Graham grounded, whether it be with Thurmond or with one of our bigger and more physical guys. Our run defense is humming right now, or at least it was before the bye. It's impossible to predict what the bye does to a team's focus and readiness, so I'll go with Murphy's Law and say that we end up in a hole early. But I do believe our tendency to limit explosive plays will be tough on Brees. Earl Thomas has the range to discourage those rocket deep shots of his.

That's where our offense comes in. Frankly, Russell Wilson doesn't play well unless and until he's staring at a deficit. He's nigh unstoppable once that happens and has never lost at home. Now he has Percy Harvin, and I don't care whether you've played him before or not. That was with Favre. Wilson is not even remotely Favre. He's not a gunslinger. He doesn't take risks. He doesn't throw at all unless he's feeling good about it, and then he runs around punking flailing linebackers until he does feel good about it. His conservatism has driven us nuts at times this year, but you know what? It means rare turnovers. Seattle will keep themselves in the game the entire time. Harvin, for his part, is already drawing enough coverage to make splash plays without touching the ball (four times last week). It's gonna be good.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

didn't y'all nearly just lose to the Bucs? earlier in the season, you nearly lost to a really shitty texans team.

Neither team is horrible. Low record, but not horrible. And you're using "nearly" a lot.

 

[Wartooth]

The Bucs have won their last two games after 'almost' beating us, that should concern the Saints more than us.
And the Texans were 2-1 when we played them, and have been in every game all season.
The Saints have beat the Falcons twice, barely beat the Bucs, and would have lost to the 9er's if not for Brooks and that stupid penalty.
They would have lost to the Falcons last night, if they weren't so inept.
Seattle is just the beginning of the Saints 'tough' schedule.
I can realistically see the Saints losing the rest of their games!

 

[RolandDeschain]

Montana, I think your "Wilson doesn't play well until he's at a deficit" comment is at least 50% on our offensive play calling. Just my opinion.

 

[BocciHawk]

BTW forecast for Monday night (which obviously could change, given that we're on the coast, you never know how quick a storm will come or if one will linger) is cloudy with showers and 45 degrees, give or take. That's actually going to be pretty damn cold when the sun goes down. The Sunday and Tuesday forecasts are similar, so that's probably what we're going to get.

 

[mikeak]

Seattle is light years better than the Jets and the Pats.

i feel like there's a bit of selective memory on this board. didn't y'all nearly just lose to the Bucs? earlier in the season, you nearly lost to a really shitty texans team. in fact, the Saints have the second hardest SOS in the league. the seahawks have the 10th. so to say the saints have been playing cupcakes is far from the truth, brah.

With that logic didn't you almost lose to the Falcons last night a team that just got crushed by Tampa and Seattle?

 

[Johnny]

This will be our toughest matchup to date. IMO. and, if we don't contain that freak of a TE of yours this game could get out of hand.... We've had troubles covering the TE this year and Graham could have a monster game if our pass rush doesn't get to Brees and effect his throwing lanes...

This game might be won on the last possession of the game.... I think any Hawks fan that thinks this will be a cakewalk is being a huge homer and doesn't see the 9-2 team coming our way.

 

[Laloosh]

I'm not as optimistic as my fellow twelves. We win, but we don't run away with the game.

Brees isn't Newton, Kaepernick, Henne, Schaub, Fitzpatrick, Palmer, Clemens, Glennon, Ryan, or Palmer. He isn't even Luck. He doesn't throw to his guys in the same manner that our defense typically feeds on, panicking on blitzes and throwing up desperate sideline fades that Thomas and Sherman pick off. Brees makes his living between the numbers and can beat the blitz with underneath passes. When he does need to go deep, he rifles it horizontally instead of floating it. I doubt our defense gets a pick. In fact, I expect our defense to have their worst game of the year. They'll pay for more mistakes than they usually do. People here will panic, but the explanation will simply be that we finally faced an elite QB for the first time since last year and that forcing him to dink-and-dunk all day is actually a victory.

That being said, we do have the D-line to keep Brees busy, and he's not the same QB on the road. We also have the personnel to keep Graham grounded, whether it be with Thurmond or with one of our bigger and more physical guys. Our run defense is humming right now, or at least it was before the bye. It's impossible to predict what the bye does to a team's focus and readiness, so I'll go with Murphy's Law and say that we end up in a hole early. But I do believe our tendency to limit explosive plays will be tough on Brees. Earl Thomas has the range to discourage those rocket deep shots of his.

That's where our offense comes in. Frankly, Russell Wilson doesn't play well unless and until he's staring at a deficit. He's nigh unstoppable once that happens and has never lost at home. Now he has Percy Harvin, and I don't care whether you've played him before or not. That was with Favre. Wilson is not even remotely Favre. He's not a gunslinger. He doesn't throw picks. He doesn't throw at all unless he's feeling good about it. His conservatism has driven us nuts at times this year, but you know what? It means rare turnovers. Seattle will keep themselves in the game the entire time. Harvin, for his part, is already drawing enough coverage to make splash plays without touching the ball (four times last week). It's gonna be good.

I hear ya, but the guy can't throw hot routes all game and not make a mistake (unless he gets extremely lucky). Point being, our defense has thrived on giving up the short underneath stuff while preventing the big plays. Forces the other team's offense to make a lot of accurate throws and not screw up. Alternatively, all your defense has to do is make a play on 3rd down and those long, dink and dunk drives come to an end.

NO doesn't run up the gut like the running teams we've struggled with. They tend to use a lot of short, quick passes to a back in the flat, on a screen or up the middle in short yardage and while they've done it effectively, they rely heavily on YAC. Our defense is loaded with solid 1:1 tacklers.

If we can get decent pressure with our front four consistently, I think we win the game pretty handily, relying on our LBs to make plays and prevent the big YAC. Chancellor's going to have to have a big game IMHO. Between Graham and those backs, I think safety play has to be air tight. If we cannot get pressure, potential for big plays in space goes up and it's a close game.

 

[lengai]

This guy lost me at "we did power run all over Dallas". Good luck to your team, you'll need it.

It was in parenthesis and an aside to what I was saying, but that's your perrogative. And, yes, we did power run on Dallas...242 yds. I did not say the Saints would be doing that in Seattle. The Saints may very well lose the game. They have the odds stacked against them, but they should not be taken lightly. I appreciate your confidence, but the Saints will show up to play and will make plays. They are looking forward to this game as much as the Hawks.