The 1/8/11 Wild Card thread Saints vs Seahawks

[jmt57]

With eleven days to go before the Pats play again, discussion about the Patriots is starting to dry up. The biggest news over the next 72 hours will be the first round of the 2010-11 NFL playoffs, so I'm going to go ahead and start four threads on each of those games now.

#5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at #4 Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
Saturday January 8 at 4:30 p.m. EST on NBC
Tom Hammond and Mike Mayock are the announcers
Alex Flanagan will be the sideline reporter
Larry Kahn, Dan Fouts and Mark Malone will do the radio broadcast

New Orleans is currently favored by 10 to 10½ points
Over under is from 44 to 44½ points
The Money Line has the Saints -550 to -700; Seahawks +375 to +500


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EDIT (4:40 Saturday)
With the game now started, I'm going to merge the pre-game thread with the in-game thread to avoid confusion.

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Originally Posted by PATSNUTme

I thought that is would be good to have ONE thread to post your comments on the Wild Card games today. That could save several OT threads regarding the game.

I'll try to start another before the Colts but if someone else wants to put one up around 6-6:30 please go ahead.

By all rights the Saints should win this one. But that's why they play the games. Remember the AZ Cardinals and their awful regular season record making the SB. That was the same year that the Patriots had an 11-5 record, 2 more wins, and stayed home.

[jmt57]

I wonder when the last time was that an NFL team was a double-digit underdog in a playoff game at home? Everybody seems to giving Seattle no chance in this game, but here are a couple things to consider.

- The Saints placed RBs Pierre Thomas AND Christopher Ivory on IR this week. That leaves them with Reggie Bush, who is really almost a receiver - a 3rd down back catching screen passes behind the line of scrimmage - and Heath Evans, a tight end converted to fullback. The Saints signed a couple of unemployed running backs off the street in their places: DeShawn Wynn, the former backup in Green Bay who was the RB at Florida behind Tim Tebow when the Gators won the national championship, and Joique Bell, a rookie who appeared in eight games with the Colts and Eagles on special teams this year.

Bell has zero carries and zero receptions in his NFL career. Wynn has 19 touches in the last three years and zero this year. Evans has two carries this year and seven receptions this season. Bush has 36 rushes this year. Though New Orleans is the superior team, it certainly has to help Seattle that they will apparently be very one-dimensional on offense.


- We often talk about the Colts being a dome team and not playing as well in poor conditions outside; what about the Saints? Every year they have at least eight games inside, plus games at Tampa Bay and Carolina. The Saints had only two late season games in northern cities this year: December 5 at Cincinnati and December 19 at Baltimore. The Saints gave up 30 points in both of those games, losing to the Ravens and barely beating the Bengals.

What's the weather going to be like? Matt Hasselbeck has played in northern climates his whole life, and the rest of the Seahawks are used to it. How will the Saints be if it is cold, rainy, or windy?


Seattle was able to move the ball at New Orleans earlier this year; Hasselbeck threw for 366 yards on the Saints in that game. If the Seahawks can finish drives better - they fumbled in the red zone twice in that game, and settled for field goals four times - perhaps they can hang with the Saints.

[JMarr]

The noise level in that stadium makes Bill Poilan jealous. It will be insane on Saturday. The Super Bowl curse is alive and well and the Saints will be the first team to exit the playoffs.

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Originally Posted by JMarr

The noise level in that stadium makes Bill Poilan jealous. It will be insane on Saturday. The Super Bowl curse is alive and well and the Saints will be the first team to exit the playoffs.

I would suggest to put the beer down and take a nap

There is as close to no chance the Seahawks pull a win over the Saints this weekend...it may end up a close game but I can't see this monumental upset of your prediction ever happening.

The Seahawks reek of a team that will be just thrilled to be a part of the playoffs with a putrid record but won't be ready to play any time of competitive game with the defending World Champs

[Dufflebagz]

Originally Posted by JMarr

The noise level in that stadium makes Bill Poilan jealous. It will be insane on Saturday. The Super Bowl curse is alive and well and the Saints will be the first team to exit the playoffs.

Super Bowl Curse.....

Maybe you forgot but the Pats won back to back just 6 years ago.

[naF staP]

The network has to be very disappointed on the Saints Seahawks matchup. No chance the seahawks have a shot at winning this one. Its going to be a Saints highlight film. Saints starters out by the 4th qtr.

[Dragda]

Originally Posted by JMarr

The noise level in that stadium makes Bill Poilan jealous. It will be insane on Saturday. The Super Bowl curse is alive and well and the Saints will be the first team to exit the playoffs.

That coupled with a 50% chance of rain makes me think the lowly Seahawks can do this. They are tough at home.

In the Northwest, any % chance of rain is about 100% chance of rain this time of year.

[PATSYLICIOUS]

we want the ball and we are going to WIN

[JMarr]

Originally Posted by PATRIOTSFANINPA

I would suggest to put the beer down and take a nap

There is as close to no chance the Seahawks pull a win over the Saints this weekend...it may end up a close game but I can't see this monumental upset of your prediction ever happening.

The Seahawks reek of a team that will be just thrilled to be a part of the playoffs with a putrid record but won't be ready to play any time of competitive game with the defending World Champs

You're falling into the same trap as practically everyone else is regarding this game. "Defending World Champs" will mean squat tomorrow. Good thing you're apparently not old enough to bet yet.

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

If you've been paying attention to the NFL and not the hype, you'd be rooting hard for Seattle. Brees and Payton are the only combo that compares with Brady and Belichick. The Saints are a dangerous team, especially if they get some momentum in the playoffs.

Also, in terms of what WILL happen, I like the Saints, but how could you not put money on the Seahawks getting 10 points at home?