DOWN AND OUT ON THIRD DOWN

 THE last three meetings between the Saints and Ravens, were anything but favorable for WHO DAT NATION. The Saints found themselves on the losing end of each of those contests. The Saints even loss in preseason.  The Ravens (7-4), on the other hand, have always given NFC teams a fit; especially the NFC South. This season, Baltimore has trounced the rest of the South by double digits; beating the Panthers 38 to 10, trampling the Buccaneers 48 to 17 and whipping the Falcons 29 to 7.  Heading into this matchup, the Ravens are coming off a bye in week 11 after defeating the Tennessee Titans in week 10.

On another note, the Saints are digging themselves out of a pit at 4-6. The usually “dome-advantaged” team is finding that the home front hasn’t been that advantageous in the last couple of games. With losses to Cleveland and San Francisco, the Saints may find themselves on a weaker end of trying to vy for a wildcard spot, if they’re lucky enough. As of now, the inconsistency on both sides of the ball and injuries will most probably make for long, sh*tty fourth quarter of the season. The biggest problem, getting the defense off the field on third downs.  The Cincinnati Bengals converted on nine-3^rd and long attempts in week 10. If the Saints want to get back on track, they’ve got to stay alert and man up this Monday night. Other than their third down issues, Drew Brees has got to get back to being the consistent leader that headed this team to the postseason numerous times.  Will the real Saints stand up on the home front? Or will the same inconsistent but talented squad give Who Dat Nation a reason to be thankful this holiday season?  Depending on the team that shows up for a prime-time duel Monday Night in the Superdome, that’s the team they will be for the rest of the season. POINT BLANK!

 

Keys to the game:

Offense:

Remember the GENIE: Instead of wishes, you only get three time outs. Use them wisely. Sean Payton called a time out after a minute of regulation.

 

Defense:

Man up: you may not be able to shut down every drive, but stick to your assignment.

 SCORE PREDICTION: SAINTS 32 RAVENS 27 

                                                                                                                    Cheers,

                                                                                                                        SC

Injuries

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Cadet, Travaris probable

Ingram, Mark probable

Knox, Kyle Out

Lewis, Keenan probable

Lofton, Curtis probable

Meachem, Robert questionable

Robinson, Khiry Out

Strief, Zach probable

Thomas, Pierre probable

RAVENS

Campanaro, Michael WR Thigh DNP DNP DNP Out

Daniels, Owen TE NIR DNP FP FP probable

Juszczyk, Kyle FB Foot - LP FP probable

Ngata, Haloti DT NIR - DNP FP probable

Reid, Jah T Hand DNP DNP DNP Out

Smith, Daryl LB NIR DNP FP FP probable

Suggs, Terrell OLB NIR - DNP FP probable

Yanda, Marshal

BROTHERS GRIM

In nine games, they have a combined 54 tackles, 11 sacks, four batted down passes and a forced fumble. They’ve dismantled blockades opposing offenses have put in place to protect their quarterback. One’s from Haiti and the other from Minnesota. Simply put, Saints defenders Cam Jordan and Junior Gallette are the duo offensive coordinators must begin to construct their game plans around.

And for Hue Jackson, the play caller for the Cincinnati Bengals, he better be expecting Andy Dalton to get tugged at, tapped on, and trampled a few times this Sunday. Dalton is coming off one of the worst performances this season against the Cleveland Browns, who might I add have been giving teams a fit this year. Dalton only completed 10 of his passes and was picked off three times against the Browns. If the Bengals think they will come into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with their week 10 performance and leave victorious, not only will Gallette and Jordan have a performance for the ages, but the Saints secondary will have a stellar day as well.

 Sunday the Bengals will enter the field as a team looking to get back to winning. The Saints also need to get back to .500 and here’s how that will happen.

 

Keys to the game:

OFFENSE:

KEEP YOUR HEAD steady and RUN: Drew Brees seemed rattled against the 49ers and was picked off twice. Keeping calm and returning to the former god-like captain, will make for a productive performance and minimize turnovers.
 

DIMINISH CRITICAL PENALTIES: The push-off caused the game-winning Hail Mary, to be called off and ended the game with victory for San Francisco. Without that penalty, the Saints see themselves seated above .500 for the first time this season.

 Defense:

***With Keenan Lewis and Curtis Lofton listed as questionable, it may determine how aggressive Rob Ryan calls his schemes. But just in case these key factors are in tomorrow’s game…

BOMB WITH BLITZKRIEG- This season, Andy Dalton has 8 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Getting him rattled early will be the key. Expect that Saints secondary to come up big.

CHECK off the weapons: Looking at the stats, the Bengals seem to be scoring primarily on the heels of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard and Mohamed Sanu.

 Special TEAMS:
PACK UP PACMAN- ADAM "PACMAN" JONES  has always been a threat on defense but especially as a Return Specialist. Limit his yardage on returns. target no further than the 20 yd line or a touchback. BEST THING, FIELD IT AT THE 1-yard line.

 

Score Prediction: 28-23 Saints

                                                                                 Cheers,

                                                                                                               SC

                                                                                       

Injuries:

SAINTS

Curtis Lofton LB Questionable

Keenan Lewis CB questionable

Thomas Morstead P probable  

Zach Strief T probable

Mark Ingram RB probable  

Edwin Baker RB Out  

Robert Menachem WR questionable  

Joe Morgan WR probable  

David Hawthorne LB probable  

Khiry Robinson RB Out

Pierre Thomas RB Out

BENGALS

Cedric Peerman RB probable

Terence Newman CB questionable

Taylor Mays S probable

Jermaine Gresham TE probable

Andre Smith T doubtful

Vontaze Burfict LB Out

Leon Hall CB  probable  

Mike Pollak G probable

Giovani Bernard RB Out

Rey Maualuga LB Questionable

STAY CALM, FINISH STRONG

 If you think the Saints, overtime blunder in against the San Francisco 49ers is any indication of how the rest of the season will play out, you may want to reconsider. Here’s why.

 1. The defense has shown improvement each week.

2. Sean Payton is still the aggressive play caller.

3. You can be confident the three-headed rushing Minotaur (Thomas, Ingram, Robinson) will be healthy.

4. Cooks and Stills are very reliable.

5. Kenny Vaccaro is still killin’em.

Agree? Doesn’t make much sense to piss your pants over a three point loss to a team who needed a win more than New Orleans. It’s heartbreaking to say the least but let’s move forward and finish the season strong.  Stay optimistic.

Now for a quick toast.

To, Keenan Lewis. Why? Not only did he keep Anquan Boldin in check for most of the game, but also for putting his body on the line and returning after suffering a knee injury.

To, Jimmy Graham. Why? Well, aside from the game winner called off by a slight push-off, he did manage to pull in two scores.

 

Up next, The (5-3-1) Cincinnati Bengals.

 
 

                                                                                                                                Cheers,

                                                                                                                                    SC

 

 

 

BREAKING EVEN

One thing for sure will be on the agenda for the Saints this Sunday, breaking even.  The team sits atop the NFC South at .500.  And if the Saints want to sniff the post season, this game will be the biggest test thus far. Not just any test. For the much improved Saints, who have stomped their competition in the past two weeks against the Panthers and Packers. This test comes in the form of another hungry conference opponent, the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco (4-4) will be desperate for a victory. The tone around the NFL is that the 49ers are a struggling team. The problem surrounds the offense.  And looking at the stat chart, something definitely is eating away at the West Coast elite. Just look at the touchdown total from Super Studs like Anquan Bolden (2), Vernon Davis (2), and Michael Crabtree (3), Steve Johnson(3) Brandon Lloyd (1), and Frank Gore (2). Even the 49ers defense is struggling, with the exception of Perrish Cox. They’re allowing teams nearly 400 yards per game, most on the pass. That’s a regular day for Drew Brees. Final word on Glenn Dorsey is that he may see some action in tomorrow’s game.  Anyhoo, for a woman with writer’s block I will get straight to the point.

 

Keys to the game

Offense-

Balance the aggression- Use the rushing game to punch down the throats of the 49ers with Mark Ingram. It won’t be easy especially when you have guys like Justin Smith. The Saints are so much better on third down than the 49ers. 

Hold on tight- Receivers beware of Perrish Cox. San Francisco has recorded four interceptions on the season. All of them by Cox. #catch#secure#run.

Defense

Zip the pocket and Limit Kap- Giving Kaepernick time to make intelligent decisions will limit his options. But then again, forcing him to run is even worse.  Make sure he stays in the pocket.

 Shut down the pass- Forty-niner receivers will be looking to increase their touchdown total. This will be a test for Keenan Lewis. If he’s not on his A- game, Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree will difficult to cover.  With the support of Corey White and Raphael Bush, that should seal the deal. Look for #Kill‘em Kenny Vaccaro to have a big game as well. The 49ers are only converting a little less than half of their third down conversions.

Use the crowd to your advantage- The Saints are already unstoppable at home. Keep the crowd in the game.

 

Score Prediction- Saints 34 - San Francisco 16

 

 

Apparently, Coach Payton didn’t read my preview and he definitely didn’t adhere to my keys to the game. Glad he didn’t. The Saints pulled out of Bank of America Stadium with an impressive 28 to 14 victory over the Panthers.

Never mind that interception on the first possession or the fumble on the second. Whatever miscues the Saints made in the first quarter, before halftime the Saints made themselves good and damn comfortable in Carolina.  Perhaps,

Rob Ryan and his troops challenged the Panthers offense. If Carolina got anything going, it would have to be on the heels of Superman, Cam Newton. It was a defensive struggle throughout the first quarter. Both teams swapped possessions and remained scoreless. But the Saints defense won that battle in the second quarter. Just minutes before the half, Junior Galette sacked Newton forcing a fumble and the Saints recovered deep in Panthers’ territory. The offense, did the rest. Drew Brees and company scored two touchdowns. The first, on the back of Mark Ingram and the second, a score by Jimmy Graham. The Graham score set up by Meachem blatantly interfered with in the endzone. The Graham score set up by pass interference. In the third, Cam Newton gave the home crowd something to cheer about. With all his options shot, he ran for 10-yards and took a dive into the endzone making the score 14 to 7. But the Saints offense responded with a drive of their own. Sean Payton’s aggressive play calling led to a Brees 4^th down dive for a score. The Saints left the home team trailing 21 to 7 heading into the fourth. That stellar defense that was missing for much of the first half of this season, held the Panthers to a just a field goal in the fourth. And for the first time this season, the Saints closed out with a victory on the road, after running back Mark Ingram put an exclamation on the night with his second touchdown. The final score, 28 to 10.

 

And now, a round for my guys……. A toast

 To:

Mark Ingram,

Corey White, Raphael Bush, Junior Galette, Akiem Hicks, Cam Jordan.

 

Up Next, San Francisco 49ers.                                                                      Cheers,

                                                                                                                               SC

Divisional Duel

NFL Analyst, Charles Davis sums up the NFC South situation like this, “The biggest mistake everyone made in the South, was to let the Saints hang around until they got their game together.” 

Truth.

With a short week for the Saints, the team can only hope that the same momentum from Sunday tail-whipping of the Green Bay Packers will travel to Bank of America Stadium Thursday Night. The Saints’ blowout victory keeps them alive and makes them a contender for control of the division.  Next up, Old divisional foe, the Panthers sit atop the NFC South (3-4-1).  

The Panthers are entering game eight with broken hearts after a disappointing lost against the Seahawks. The game was tied at six throughout three quarters. But In the fourth, with less than a minute in regulation, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson led his troops down the field and shot a missile to Luke Wilson for the score and the game. Thursday, both the Panthers and the Saints will be hungry to get to .500.

Short and sweet this week. Here are your Keys to the Game.

 

 

Offense

Know your friend from your foe: Roman Harper used to be your teammate. He will be eager to have a big game. Harper already has three interceptions this season and will show out Thursday in front of a national audience.

Stay conservative: Carolina’s secondary will be tightly covering the Saints receivers. The Panthers will force tipped balls and deflections. Just to prove how good these guys are, the Panthers defense have on record 14 sacks and eight interceptions.*

Protect the Savior: Breesus isn’t just any old quarterback. He’s an elite quarterback. With players like Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson coming after him, you better be certain you have the right protection. A defense like Panthers have the ability to END Drew Brees’s season and career.

 

Defense

#Kill’em- Utilizing Kenny Vaccaro on the right side of the opposing quarterback is where he has his greatest impact. Look for him to bat or tip a pass or two in Thursday’s game.

Stay Conservative but stay close- The Panthers have many offensive weapons. It is important not to send everyone on the blitz. Don’t blitz often. You’re dealing with a running quarterback in Cam Newton. He does most of the damage with his feet but we know he has an arm. He also has some veteran targets like Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery, and rookie Kelvin Benjamin. Stay close. I’m sure we’ll be good for a few interference calls in this game, especially with these three. Offensive push-offs and defensive PI calls.

 May be a safety scored in this game.

Special Teams

Stay secure- Protect the ball and if the chance to make a play is not there, don’t take it.

Score prediction: Saints 20 Panthers 18




                                                                                                     Cheers,
                                                                                                        SC

POW !!!!!!!!

 From the look on Aaron Rodgers face in the third quarter of Sunday night’s game, you would think he was constipated. Chants of Who Dat filled the dome creating a hostile environment.

And here’s how it happened….. the short dull version.

Both teams took the field and scored on their first possessions. The Packers hushed Who Dat nation with an Aaron Rodgers strike down the field to Randall Cobb. Then, on the Saints first drive, Brees sent a missile to Kenny Stills down to the three, setting up a Brandin Cooks touchdown. The Saints defense would not be embarrassed in front of a nationwide audience. Cam Jordan sacked Rodgers in the first and it would be only one of his two sacks in game seven.  Packers head coach Mike McCarthy couldn’t wait to pull tricks out of the old bag but he pulled one of Payton’s tricks. He went for an onsides kick in the first quarter and Saint Ramon Humber recovered to give the Saints the ball near midfield. The Saints defense kept the team in the game and only allowed the Packers 10 points in the first quarter. Both teams went into the locker room tied at 16.

In the second half, the bottom fell out for the Packers. Drew Brees and his many targets took advantage of Green Bay’s secondary with a 50-yard touchdown strike to Brandin Cooks. Just when the Packers thought they had something going, Sean Payton swipes their momentum with a challenge. The challenge reversed the call setting up 4^th down. Instead of punting, the Packers hand the ball off to Lacy who didn’t get anywhere near the first down marker.  The fourth quarter couldn’t have come sooner for both teams. For the Saints, their performance would seal the deal. But for the Packers, their mannerisms proved they just wanted it to be over. Corey White intercepted a deflected Aaron Rodgers pass and Edebali sacked Packers back-up quarterback and LSU standout, Matt Flynn causing a fumble.  

Other than the Saints champion-style performance, the biggest story of the night, Mark Ingram.  Which headlines our round of toasts. Flutes in the air.

A toast,

To, Mark Ingram. Why? Ingram headed the Saints running game. Most notably a 28-yarder that resulted in a touchdown. Ingram finished the game just shy of the 200-yd mark.

To, Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks. Why? Not only did they make me feel great about being an analyst but more importantly for connecting on the first Saints scoring drive. Cooks racked up nearly 100-yards and a touchdown. Stills also brought in four catches for almost 60-yards including that stellar play in the first quarter.  

To the SAINTS DEFENSE. Why? They showed up to show out. Corey White’s heads up play in the fourth quarter, resulted in an interception. Cam Jordan sacked Aaron Rodgers twice. Saints special team specialist and defender Ramon Humber recovered the Packers onsides kick. Good defensive stance on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Those are just a few of the big plays by the defense. 

 

Up next, the Carolina Panthers (3-4-1) on Thursday Night Football.

                                                                                             Cheers,

                                                                                                                 SC