Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
This is a new series of articles I will be writing that will allow me to take a comprehensive look at the opponent of the week. I will be breaking down their roster and their potential weaknesses.
The New Orleans Saints are my pick for the Super Bowl, and it’s fairly simple as to see why. Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds the game has ever seen, and the Saints have an offense that only the Rams surpass. The defense also has a couple of nice pieces, but how do we match up to them. Well, let’s take a comprehensive look.
The Saints’ Offense
Drew Brees needs no introduction. The future hall of famer has a Super Bowl MVP under his belt and is one of the most accurate quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he hasn’t lost a step either. He is truly an elite player and the best player on the Saints. But he is one man and can only carry the team so far. The good news is, along with Sean Payton’s genius, the Saints have a lot of firepower. The Saints have the best 1-2 punch at running back in the league with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Akin to their 2009 Super Bowl run, where they had Thomas and Bush, Ingram and Kamara are ideal compliments, with Ingram being the quintessential bruiser at running back, and Kamara being the shifty, speedy guy who breaks a lot of tackles, also while e being a quality receiving option out of the backfield. The offensive line they field is one of the most underrated in the entire game. Armstead and Ramscyzk are one of the league’s most underrated tackle duos, Larry Warford is a stud, Peat is a solid power guard. What brings the line together is Max Unger. Although he had a down year last season, he serves as a nice foil to the rest of the line. He’s a zone blocking center and a very good one. This is an unknown but highly effective showing of Payton’s genius. He can effectively call both zone plays to compliment Kamara, and then bruise by pulling with Peat and Warford with Ingram. Unless your front seven is deeper than Mariana’s Trench, this is borderline impossible to prepare for. This leads us to the Saint’s receiving corps. Michael Thomas is one of the best receivers in the game and has turned into the spiritual replacement for Marques Colston. Benjamin Watson has a great rapport with Brees and knows us very well, and provides the Saints with a tight end with reliable hands and a knack for finding soft spots in the zone. Cameron Meredith eases their loss of third down machine Willie Snead, and serves as one of the most underrated #2 wide receivers in the game. Tedd Ginn has fit in nicely with Brees as well, providing them with a deep threat. Overall, the Saints offense has a very good supporting cast, with an all-time great at quarterback. This is a daunting task for any good defense. The Saints are a true test for this defense.
The Saints’ Defense
The Saints have a solid head to toe defense. Cameron Jordan is a perennial all pro and one of the most underrated pass rushers of the decade. Their secondary should have been improved from an impressive unit from last season. Demario Davis was a quality addition in the linebacking corps. Sheldon Rankins is starting to develop into a good defensive lineman. But the rest of the front seven is lacking overall in pass rush. This should be made up in the secondary. Marshon Lattimore is still one of the game’s best corners. Marcus Williams, in spite of his infamous play, was a quality free safety last season as a rookie, and Kurt Coleman has historically been a good safety. Von Bell has been one of the better safeties in the league this season per pff. They have had their struggles this season, but from a talent-perspective this defense is not lacking and they have a lot of quality pieces. They were far better the previous two weeks vs. the Redskins and the Giants. If our offense comes in and treats this defense like a joke, we will lose.
How to counter the offense.
Let’s make this clear, even with an elite defense we cannot stop this offense. We can only hope to contain it. The Saints are literally the perfect counter to our defense. Our defense can beat you in every way possible due to every starter being a quality one, and a lot of our depth being starting caliber. The Saints have the firepower and brains to counteract us. Alvin Kamara is the biggest problem, as he is a threat both as a receiver and a runner. One possible solution is to use Kenny Young to spy, but even Kenny is going to have problems, as Kamara could read Chaucer and still manage a ten yard gain. The Kamara problem is ultimately what gives the Saints the edge here. Otherwise, we are well equipped to handle the rest of that team. Thomas is one of the game’s best receivers, but he’s not AJ Green or Julio Jones. He’s possible to cover, and now that we have Jimmy Smith back, it’d be good to put him to use. I believe Marlon Humphrey can effectively handle Meredith, and Tavon Young continues to prove that he is a fellow budding star at slot. This is a game where Eric Weddle and CJ Mosley are massive x-factors. They may not make the splash plays you would hope for, but their football intelligence will be absolutely necessary to counteract Brees. This is a test for our defense, which has been elite so far.
How to counter the defense.
The defense has talent, but is less worrisome. If we can figure out how to contain Cameron Jordan like we had done for Von Miller, I am confident Flacco will hold up in pass protection. The Saints have a weakness despite having one of the best young corners in the game, you can attack them through the air. It’s been proven effective before against them. If you have examined who they have played, the one team with a truly fantastic defense is the team that almost beat them in week 2. The Browns have a really solid defense across the boards. The Falcons have a ton of firepower, but lost that game because their defense is injured. Eli’s decline and Alex Smith’s mediocrity is the only reason those two teams got blown out. They have made strides, but I think our offense is a far better test for them than the Giants or Redskins. Sure, the Giants have a nice corps of weapons, including future superstar Saquon Barkley and top 10 WR in Odell Beckham Jr, but Flacco has easily outplayed Eli this year, and the Redskins are lacking aside from a resurging Adrian Peterson and Jordan Reed. We have more ways to attack them. The Saints defense is not a pushover, but they can be beaten.
Overall
Beating this Saints team is going to be a massive challenge. The fact that they're offense serves as a good foil to our defense does not help. The good news is, we match up really well against them. This is a game that could be a potential super bowl preview, and I think it will be extremely entertaining.
The New Orleans Saints are my pick for the Super Bowl, and it’s fairly simple as to see why. Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds the game has ever seen, and the Saints have an offense that only the Rams surpass. The defense also has a couple of nice pieces, but how do we match up to them. Well, let’s take a comprehensive look.
The Saints’ Offense
Drew Brees needs no introduction. The future hall of famer has a Super Bowl MVP under his belt and is one of the most accurate quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he hasn’t lost a step either. He is truly an elite player and the best player on the Saints. But he is one man and can only carry the team so far. The good news is, along with Sean Payton’s genius, the Saints have a lot of firepower. The Saints have the best 1-2 punch at running back in the league with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Akin to their 2009 Super Bowl run, where they had Thomas and Bush, Ingram and Kamara are ideal compliments, with Ingram being the quintessential bruiser at running back, and Kamara being the shifty, speedy guy who breaks a lot of tackles, also while e being a quality receiving option out of the backfield. The offensive line they field is one of the most underrated in the entire game. Armstead and Ramscyzk are one of the league’s most underrated tackle duos, Larry Warford is a stud, Peat is a solid power guard. What brings the line together is Max Unger. Although he had a down year last season, he serves as a nice foil to the rest of the line. He’s a zone blocking center and a very good one. This is an unknown but highly effective showing of Payton’s genius. He can effectively call both zone plays to compliment Kamara, and then bruise by pulling with Peat and Warford with Ingram. Unless your front seven is deeper than Mariana’s Trench, this is borderline impossible to prepare for. This leads us to the Saint’s receiving corps. Michael Thomas is one of the best receivers in the game and has turned into the spiritual replacement for Marques Colston. Benjamin Watson has a great rapport with Brees and knows us very well, and provides the Saints with a tight end with reliable hands and a knack for finding soft spots in the zone. Cameron Meredith eases their loss of third down machine Willie Snead, and serves as one of the most underrated #2 wide receivers in the game. Tedd Ginn has fit in nicely with Brees as well, providing them with a deep threat. Overall, the Saints offense has a very good supporting cast, with an all-time great at quarterback. This is a daunting task for any good defense. The Saints are a true test for this defense.
The Saints’ Defense
The Saints have a solid head to toe defense. Cameron Jordan is a perennial all pro and one of the most underrated pass rushers of the decade. Their secondary should have been improved from an impressive unit from last season. Demario Davis was a quality addition in the linebacking corps. Sheldon Rankins is starting to develop into a good defensive lineman. But the rest of the front seven is lacking overall in pass rush. This should be made up in the secondary. Marshon Lattimore is still one of the game’s best corners. Marcus Williams, in spite of his infamous play, was a quality free safety last season as a rookie, and Kurt Coleman has historically been a good safety. Von Bell has been one of the better safeties in the league this season per pff. They have had their struggles this season, but from a talent-perspective this defense is not lacking and they have a lot of quality pieces. They were far better the previous two weeks vs. the Redskins and the Giants. If our offense comes in and treats this defense like a joke, we will lose.
How to counter the offense.
Let’s make this clear, even with an elite defense we cannot stop this offense. We can only hope to contain it. The Saints are literally the perfect counter to our defense. Our defense can beat you in every way possible due to every starter being a quality one, and a lot of our depth being starting caliber. The Saints have the firepower and brains to counteract us. Alvin Kamara is the biggest problem, as he is a threat both as a receiver and a runner. One possible solution is to use Kenny Young to spy, but even Kenny is going to have problems, as Kamara could read Chaucer and still manage a ten yard gain. The Kamara problem is ultimately what gives the Saints the edge here. Otherwise, we are well equipped to handle the rest of that team. Thomas is one of the game’s best receivers, but he’s not AJ Green or Julio Jones. He’s possible to cover, and now that we have Jimmy Smith back, it’d be good to put him to use. I believe Marlon Humphrey can effectively handle Meredith, and Tavon Young continues to prove that he is a fellow budding star at slot. This is a game where Eric Weddle and CJ Mosley are massive x-factors. They may not make the splash plays you would hope for, but their football intelligence will be absolutely necessary to counteract Brees. This is a test for our defense, which has been elite so far.
How to counter the defense.
The defense has talent, but is less worrisome. If we can figure out how to contain Cameron Jordan like we had done for Von Miller, I am confident Flacco will hold up in pass protection. The Saints have a weakness despite having one of the best young corners in the game, you can attack them through the air. It’s been proven effective before against them. If you have examined who they have played, the one team with a truly fantastic defense is the team that almost beat them in week 2. The Browns have a really solid defense across the boards. The Falcons have a ton of firepower, but lost that game because their defense is injured. Eli’s decline and Alex Smith’s mediocrity is the only reason those two teams got blown out. They have made strides, but I think our offense is a far better test for them than the Giants or Redskins. Sure, the Giants have a nice corps of weapons, including future superstar Saquon Barkley and top 10 WR in Odell Beckham Jr, but Flacco has easily outplayed Eli this year, and the Redskins are lacking aside from a resurging Adrian Peterson and Jordan Reed. We have more ways to attack them. The Saints defense is not a pushover, but they can be beaten.
Overall
Beating this Saints team is going to be a massive challenge. The fact that they're offense serves as a good foil to our defense does not help. The good news is, we match up really well against them. This is a game that could be a potential super bowl preview, and I think it will be extremely entertaining.
