my .02
Brees- very quick reads, very quick release. his quick outs, screen sets, pocket presence, and adjustments at the LOS are very bradyesque. His problems come from his size. He's very prone to blocked passes and deflections. a lot of his INTs come from deflections. IMO, shrinking the pocket (not necissarily sacks) is key here.
RBs- Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas will see 10 - 14 touches each. the Saints never overwork either one, so there are always fresh legs. Bell loves to lower his head and initiate contact. I see one of the Brandons fixing that quick.
Bush- should play. despite the overhype, you must hawk him. He dances way to much, and gets tackled by the ankle. but in open space he can be deadly. BB's too smart to give him that open space, so I think he'll be neutralized.
TE's- Dave Thomas has been coming on strong seeing a lot of reps recently. Shocky is healthy. This is a very scary part of the Saints Off. With Lance Moore out (a poor man's Welker...led the team in rec's last year), Thomas and shockey have been the "over the middle" guys, and they seem to show up everywhere.
WR's- Colsten had a good game last week, but has been inconsistent recently. He's dropping passes and dissappearing for long stretches. I'm sure BB can figure out what other teams are doing to him. If he gets hot though, he has scary good hands and makes crazy circus catches ala Moss (not nearly as fast though). Devery Henderson and Robert Meachum are legit speedy longball threats. The have to be respected.
OL- All pro left tackle Jamal Brown is on the IR. Bushrod and Strief are the guys to beat to make life hell for Brees. Both have been needing help in protection. Stinchcomb on the right side is ok, but he's known to turnstyle a few here and there. Middle of the line is pretty solid. Sacks and pressures almost always come from the outside. I think Big Vince will handle them though.
DT- Sedrick Ellis should be back this week. he's the big run stuffer up the middle. Saints D has been absolutely bludgeoned up the middle by RBs in recent weeks. A steady diet of eLMo and Law Firm will keep the Saints O off the field.
DE- Charles Grant and Will Smith are paid as the best players on this D (i think that's open to debate). The Saints count on them for pressure so they can rush only 4. Smith is having a good year, but he's not Freeney. Grant shows up from time to time but I feel is overrated.
LB- Vilma's the big chief here and seems to enjoy the 4-3 a lot more than his Jet days. He's no Mayo, but a heck of a playmaker. Shanle and Fujita are serviceable if uninspiring.
CB- Porter is out, and Greer is questionable. Jenkins is a stud in the making, but still has very few reps under his belt. Brady should abuse these corners.
S- Harper is having a career year in this D. One of the big playmakers for this D. Sharper is playing good as well, but has had to play back to protect the rookie CB.
Keys to the game -
don't abandon the run. Saints D is opportunistic, but is different when smacked in the face. Ask DeAngelo Williams, Michael Turner and Stephen Jackson. Brady is more than capable of beating the Saints throwing it 50 times, but why? Keep the Saints Offense off the field
Abuse the DBs. they'll have help over the top, but these guys can't cover Moss. the more panic they can put into the Secondary, the less corner and safety blitzes you'll see (something they do a lot).
pressure the left side. The LTs of the Saints are pedestrian. Strief got burnt 3 times last week from a DE on the bucs that was almost inactive.
Get big at the pocket. Sacks are tough on Brees, but blocked and tipped passes are common. He gets really aggrivated.
Final score Pats 34 - Saints 21
