First off, a bowl of Smoked Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo to Aquib Talib of the Patriots for knocking down that last pass to Roddy White. The Who Dat Nation salutes you, Talib.
Secondly, a big “crap burger” and wet kiss on the cheek goes to Dashon Goldson for his late game hit on Cardinals’ Jaron Brown that contributed to the last minute drive of the Cards. Goldson’s league high personal fouls (16) have kept the Bucs head below water. Not that they needed anything further to their coach and his 3 game blind faith confidence in – now beer hawker – Josh Freeman.
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Tonight, at the Mercedes Benz Super Dome:
Keys:
Saints O-Line vs. Phin’s D-Line:
Saints are okay…just “okay”. Zack Strief and Benn Grubbs are the best of the lot. Pass blocking of their $100m QB has been less than their usual TOP-3-lines-in-football selves. Brees is getting whacked a lot more than usual, but has not been devastated by it. Still a 350-yd guy regardless. Also, with all pro Jahri Evans hobbled lately and out last game, that has been ½ the problem.
The running game? One word, “sad”. Though do not discount the Saints short passing game as a good replacer. The more Pierre Thomas touches the ball, the better.
Phins pass rush has been 2nd in the NFL to this point. BUT, Cameron Wake’s status is questionable at best, and with a bad MCL sprain, will be limited at best. He was on his way to Defensive Player of the Year. Dion Jordan played well last week as a fill-in, but we have no real body of work to go from on the rookie.
Saints Pass Rush vs. Fins O-Line
The Saints D has been bringing the wood, and the D-Line their strong suit. Cameron Jordan is the NFL’s #1 ranked 3-4 Defensive end & the youth in the rest of the line is accelerating at a fast pace. How disruptive has Jordan been to this point? His #’s exceed JJ Watt’s MVP season from a year ago.
Phin’s have barely kept Tannehill upright, but he has occasionally has been thrown around like a ragdoll. Phins have surrendered 14 sacks. But he has hung in the pocket, leading the NFL in 3rd and long, and has made the line look better than it actually is. Tyson Clabo may be the only glaring blemish on the O-Line overall to this point of the season, but they haven’t faced a pass rush like this.
Tannehill VS. Brees:
First off, hot girlfriend. Wonder if he has an incentive program with her? You know, a buck fifty for a 1st down, a steak dinner for a TD; and a suite with her and her friends at Mandalay Bay for a romp!
Look, Tannehill has been great, and great on all counts. His passer rating differential vs. opposing QB’s is off the charts. He has torched great pass defenses so far, and all signs point to continued success and growth. He’s looking at the pundits and the churches of RG Pope, Andrew Luck, and the Hawk’s Wilson the past year and saying: “look at me now, beatches!”
Brees on the other hand has been pedestrian at best. YAWN…………..getting his 350 and 2 tds’…YAWN, but has underthrown potential TD’s way too many time. Example, The Falcons opener would have been way out of hand had Brees been on target. And he’s had a few errant throws for picks. And the Bucs game left him scratching his head.
But, he sleeps better at night now that he doesn’t have to put up 48 each night to win. Brees will break out and have a 398, 4 TD, 0 picks, and a 123 rating any week now. As soon as we see him less on commercial TV (mobile phones, laundry detergent) and more in the end zone, we won’t pass 2013 judgment on the most prolific QB in the past decade until we have a larger sample of work
Saints Air Force vs. Grimes & co.
Jimmy Graham was not listed in the joke of TOP 100 players list.
Jimmy Graham is un-guardable this year, and un-guardable when healthy. Graham is healthy.
Lance Moore and Marques Colston have yet to break out.
Sproles is on fire out of the backfield, and the Saints can still spread the ball around to Stills, Meachem, Thomas and other TE Watson. Pick your poison.
Both Brent Grimes (former Falcon who’s played well vs. Brees) is in “top 10” form at cornerback, but with Jimmy Wilson almost the best slot corner this season, their secondary, all in all, can hold anyone in check. On top of that, Chris Clemons has allowed 1 reception in 3 games and almost 150 snaps. They’re good, Real good!
Guess: Saints 27 – Phins 19
Gridiron Chef “Doc”
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