AsylumGuido
Well-known member
Scottemojo":2frjfrc0 said:AsylumGuido":2frjfrc0 said:Scottemojo":2frjfrc0 said:Saints have a good team, no doubt, and their fans should feel good about their chances, especially with the suspension of WTIII.
However, having spent a few days watching them, I feel pretty good about Seattle's chances. I expect to see a lot of Maxwell on Graham, and Maxwell might be as close to an Aqib Talib type as there is in the league. Will we see Seattle shut down the Saints? I doubt it. But I also doubt the Saints can muster the 35 points I think they will need to win this game.
I have seen a number of Saints fans expressing confidence that their team can shut down Lynch like they did Gore. This ain't N'Awlins, and crowding the box with 9 to stop Lynch (actually, the Saints even had 10 near the line to stop Gore on occasion) will make for an excellent night for everyone but Lynch. Frankly, Ryan isn't stupid enough to even try that, so it is kind of a moot point. I am not too impressed with the all around game of the linebackers for the Saints, and Hawthorne looks even slower than when I thought his legs were shot in Seattle. I have also seen New Orleans fans categorize Wilson as one of those mobile guys like Kaepernick. They don't even know what they don't know. And while New Orleans fans should be confident Brees can take advantage of WTIII being out, Seattle fans should be drooling over the backup corner the Saints will be starting.
And Lynch. There is only one guy in the league I think runs like Lynch, Chris Ivory of the Jets. Any Saints fan worth a Po Boy should be shitting himself, as a Po Boy will often make one do, when he reflects on what Ivory did to their team.
So, while I am not in love with how Brees will exploit the underneath area, I like our pass rushers around the edges, with Avril being a huge mismatch for both New Orleans tackles, I think Maxwell has a pretty good chance to make plays vs Graham, and I love our offenses chances against that D. And if Harvin is returning kicks again, there could be some easy points there too.
I feel like 38-27, Hawks.
38 points? Are you serious?
Yep. Serious. I would take the over on the Vegas line for sure this game. I think that Harvin, Tate, Baldwin, and Lynch are just bad matchups for your team, and I think Miller can get some quality catches over your linebackers. I also know that Brees will take some chances against our secondary. Brees will get his, and the secondary will get a couple of theirs. I know, missing Browner and Thurmond kind of has you thinking Brees might do pretty good. Well, me too. But I can't help remembering that last year Seattle played the final 4 games without both players, and the secondary was actually even better. Press man is what we do, it's pretty simple for DB's to execute, and it usually takes an extra tick to beat press man. The get off Avril, Clemons, Bennett, and Irvin will have at home will lead to big plays for Seattle.
When I look at your D vs our O, I see 3 matchups that concern me. I like Vaccaro, and I think your interior D-line can make a play or two over our guards. I don't love Kearse vs your corners either. But if you want to know why I think mid 30's or more is the mendoza line for your team to win, just look at every single play Harvin was on the field vs the Vikings. Harvin had one great grab, and that was it. But the field opened up. 6 of his plays resulted in 200 yards of field position, and it was his presence that pit the final nail in the Vikings chances before halftime of what had been a close contest.
So, that's why I think 38 is perfectly reasonable despite the fact that you are convinced your D is very good. Why don't you give me your thoughts on what it will take for the Saints.
You are giving Harvin FAR too much credit toward your team's upcoming performance against the Saints. Yes, Harvin did have one solid return and one average catch versus the Vikings, but to claim that his presence against one of the worst defenses in the league was in any way significant in the final outcome is ludicrous.
As for Miller, do not forget that the Saints defense faces the best TE in the league (Graham) every day in practice and the greatest TE in history (Gonzo) twice every year. I feel pretty confident that they can keep from being hurt too badly by Zach Miller and his astounding 22 catches for 248 yards and 3 measly TD's. Wooo, really scary.
Honesty, your offense is decent, but nothing special. Your defense is very good, but missing parts in its strongest component. Your one true advantage is your crowd and the somewhat cold weather.
I really can't see the Seahawks offense putting up over 23 points in a game that will be played tough unless they get way behind and are forced to open it up just to keep within reach. And I truly doubt that will be the case. I'm thinking somewhere around 27-23 Saints.