11/21/10 Seattle Seahawks VS New Orleans Saints

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Which team will win this game?

  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .
savage

savage

OG
#1
Feb 14, 2004
16,667
4,746
113
41
#1
When: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. PST, Louisiana Superdome

Record: 6-3 and second in the NFC South coming out of their bye week

Where they rank: No. 7 on offense (25th rushing, 5th passing); No. 3 on defense (17th rushing, 1st passing)

Series: Tied 5-5. The Saints won the last meeting – 28-17 at Qwest Field in 2007 – to snap the Seahawks’ three-game winning streak.

Star power: Drew Brees. If being the only Super Bowl MVP in franchise history isn’t enough to warrant this recognition, there is the plethora of TV and print ads that have followed Brees’ performance in the Saints’ run last season. This year, he leads the NFL in completions (261) and completion percentage (.698). His passer rating is down (91.7, from 109.6 last season) because he has thrown more interceptions (12) than any QB in the league besides the Giants’ Eli Manning (13). But Brees also has 18 TD passes, and only Manning and the Chargers’ Philip Rivers have thrown more (19). When Brees settles into a groove he’s, well, it’s like Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said on Monday, “The best quarterback you can imagine.”

Unsung hero: Julius Jones. Yes, that Julius Jones, the Seahawks leading rusher the past two seasons. The Saints signed Jones after he was released by the Seahawks in October because Reggie Bush has missed the past seven games with a broken bone in his right leg and Pierre Thomas the past six with a sprained ankle. Jones got his first start in the Saints’ pre-bye 34-3 rout of the Panthers and responded with 68 rushing yards on six carries, including a 54-yarder – his most yards since going for 98 against the Bears in Week 3 last season and his longest run since scoring on a 62-yarder in the 2009 opener against the Rams. Jones also had an 11-yard gain on a swing pass the week before, when he made Steelers’ All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu miss in the open field. Bush is expected back this week, and Thomas might be able to return, so it remains to be seen how many touches Jones will get against the team he played for the past two seasons and the first four games this season.

On the spot: Jabari Greer. The shutdown ability of the Saints’ 5-foot-11 cornerback is a big reason why New Orleans leads the NFL in pass defense, allowing an average of 166.3 yards. But with coordinator Gregg Williams’ fondness for blitzing against the run as well as the pass, Greer is left in single coverage a lot. This week, that will be against the Seahawks’ 6-5 Mike Williams, who is coming off an 11-catch game against the Cardinals and has three double-digit reception games in the past five weeks. When Greer has had problems, it’s been against big, physical receivers.

Burning question: Who dat? As in, “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” The Falcons and Browns didn’t just say it; they did it this season, and at the Superdome. The Cardinals also beat the Saints, but that was in Arizona. That’s as many losses as the Saints had all of last season. The obvious follow-up question: Will the Seahawks be able to make it a who-dat trio at the Superdome?

Familiar faces: In addition to Jones, FB Heath Evans (2001-04) and snapper Jason Kyle (1995-98) also played for the Seahawks. Then there’s the Seahawks South flavor to the Saints’ front office. Executive VP/general manager Mickey Loomis was with the Seahawks for 15 years (1983-98), while assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Vitt (1982-91), director of operations James Nagaoka (1980-2002), director of college scouting Rick Reiprish (1984-94) and area scout Mike Baugh (1992-99) also worked for the Seahawks. Area coach Terry Wooden was a second-round draft choice by the Seahawks in 1990 and started at linebacker for seven seasons.

http://blog.seahawks.com/2010/11/16/up-next-new-orleans-saints/
 
savage

savage

OG
#2
Feb 14, 2004
16,667
4,746
113
41
#2
This game is going to be scary for Seattle. I just got done looking at those stats, and the Saints' Pass D is ranked #1. And Hasselbeck is going to be playing in this game with two cracked bones in his left wrist, but Russell Okung might be coming back for this game.

What's keeping my hopes up for this game for Seattle is that the Cardinals and Browns already beat the Saints lol
 
F

Fucky McFuckerson

Sicc OG
#8
May 9, 2002
37,066
16,282
113
#8
This aint the Cards. Although, Saints HAVE looked pedestrian at times this year, particular against SF, Minny and Carolina (@ HOME), and even lost to the Cards and the Browns...both away games. They are not as scary as people think. With that said, we are still a bit banged up. This game comes down the pass rush...if Curry can have another game like he did last week, we can compete.

NO 21
Seattle 13
 
savage

savage

OG
#9
Feb 14, 2004
16,667
4,746
113
41
#9
^The only time you participate in my polls are to pick against Seattle lol

Rich and I are the only believers so far lol
 
savage

savage

OG
#17
Feb 14, 2004
16,667
4,746
113
41
#17
I just want to see a good game and not a slaughter, unless it's Seattle kicking their ass lol

And so now we have 5 believers lol
 
savage

savage

OG
#18
Feb 14, 2004
16,667
4,746
113
41
#18
Five things to watch in Seahawks-Saints game

Here's what to look for when the Seahawks travel to New Orleans to take on the Super Bowl champion Saints.

1. It's all in the wrist

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has sworn up and down all week that he will not be limited by the non-displaced fractures in his left (non-throwing) wrist, but the real test will be in a live game.

Making throws is one thing, but Hasselbeck will have to take snaps, make handoffs and fake handoffs.

"The setup that I'm going to be playing with, I think I'll be OK," Hasselbeck said Wednesday. "Honestly, I'm OK. It's really not an issue. We didn't do snaps yesterday and I think we didn't do some handoffs yesterday, and that was it. That was just as a favor more than anything."

And there's always the danger of Hasselbeck banging the wrist on the ground or on another player.

The Saints like to bring a lot of pressure on third down and force quarterbacks to make quick reads and quick decisions. If Hasselbeck can get rid of the ball and avoid taking hits, he should be OK. If not, the Seahawks will have to worry about the wrist.

"It is a huge challenge facing this defense," Hasselbeck said. "They've got a great defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, they're very aggressive on third down, they empty the middle of the field, their corners go for interceptions – you saw it in the Super Bowl last year against Peyton Manning. They ended the game basically with an interception for a touchdown. So there's going to be opportunities there because of their aggressive nature, and we'll see."

Carroll isn't worried about his quarterback's toughness after last week's performance.

"He wouldn't let anything get in the way," Carroll said. "He comes in at halftime and they tell him, 'OK, you got a broken wrist.' And he comes back out raring to go and to play. So I think it was a very, very good moment for Matt, for all of us. It's your guy that's your captain and your leader and to see him do something like that, it's good stuff."

Still, it's a tall order for Hasselbeck. He will be facing the top pass defense in the league. The possible return of Russell Okung at left tackle should help, but the Seahawks offense will have to be balanced and precise to move the ball against the Saints.

2. Can Bush leg it out?

The Saints started the season with a potent one-two punch in the backfield with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. That tandem didn't last long.

Bush broke his leg against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. Thomas sprained his ankle against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.

Neither has played since.

Bush has been limited in practice this week, but all signs point to him returning this week. Saints head coach Sean Payton is excited by the possibilities.

"Well, he does multiple things," he said Wednesday. "So when you have a player that can do that, you know, treating him as either a running back or a slot receiver. He handles the underneath passing game well. He can go outside and play outside and also play in more conventional running backs roles. So when you have a player that can do a few of those things, then you get into the challenge of nickel defense, base defense, and et cetera. Those are some of the things, along with his return ability, that he gives you."

That doesn't mean Bush will get 25 carries or catch 10 passes. Chris Ivory has been serviceable getting most of the carries for the Saints. He broke out for 158 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

Still, the addition of Bush to the arsenal creates an extra wrinkle for opposing defenses.

"They use him in so many different ways and he's so explosive that you have to take guys to him and utilize your plan accordingly, because they do (the same)," Carroll said. "He's a fantastic player and he's going to help special teams as well. So he certainly will help those guys."

3. Big-play Mike

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been the Seahawks best big-play threat for much of the season. He might get a few more chances Sunday, especially on third down.

If the Saints continue to bring pressure in third-and-long situations and leave their corners in one-on-one coverage, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound wideout could break a long play or two. He's averaging 11.8 yards per catch and is coming off an 11-catch performance against the Cardinals.

Even without a big play, he could be enough of a distraction to spark the Seahawks attack.

"Mike Williams has been huge for us all season – I think that's probably the starting point for us," Hasselbeck said. "And then if they want to do things specifically to take Mike away then we've got Ben Obomanu and Deon Butler who we think can be big play guys for us."

Williams is less analytical.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," he said.

4. The ease of Brees

Saints quarterback Drew Brees hasn't let up since winning the Super Bowl.

Even without a potent running game, Brees is completing just under 70 percent of his passes. He's averaging 277.3 yards per game through the air and he's thrown 18 touchdowns.

He has struggled with interceptions this season, including throwing four against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, but he has carried the banged-up Saints offense this season and kept them in a strong playoff position.

"They're throwing the ball a lot, great confidence in what he's doing – they're averaging almost 50 throws a game the last three weeks," Carroll said. "So why not? He does everything right, he understands, he does a marvelous job of checking off and adjusting and doing the things that great experienced quarterbacks do."

The Seahawks will mix up their defensive schemes as much as possible to counter Brees' comfort in the pocket. Carroll knows Brees is going to complete passes, but he wants his defense to take advantage of any mistakes.

"You can't just cover, you can't just rush, you won't be able to just blitz him and knock him out of the boat because he'll tear you up as well," Carroll said. "So we have to do a variety of things – we have to mix rushes and mix our coverages, and try to keep him off-balance sometimes. He's going to make a bunch of plays. We got to hopefully create some plays that help us, you know get a couple turnovers somewhere in there."

5. Standing in the spotlight

The Seahawks are in first place in the NFC West. They are playing the Super Bowl champions on the road. They are making a run at the playoffs and have their fans genuinely excited for the first time in recent memory.

Carroll sees the game as a test for the playoff run.

"To me, a game like this, it comes at a great time," Carroll said. "We need these big challenges. You need to learn how to focus like you focus week after week after week, regardless of who you're playing, one way or the other. This is one of those challenges that brings so many obvious issues because they're such a great team and they have so many explosive players and that kind of stuff. To me this is one of the tests, you know, can you deal with it and do you handle it well."

Hasselbeck isn't putting any extra stock in the game, or at least he won't admit it.

"I don't know, it's been awhile since the Seahawks have really been in the spotlight," he joked. "I'm not really feeling the spotlight, not at all actually.

"I remember what it was like and it felt pretty much the same, more cameras. I know some guys care about that a lot, I know other guys don't. For me personally it doesn't matter. I treat them all the same, don't do anything different."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/229135.asp
 
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