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3 PLAYERS TO WATCH 4
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Preview: New Orleans Saints (10-0) vs New England Patriots (7-3)
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-3) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-0)
KICKOFF: 7:40 p.m. Monday at the Superdome (70,000)
TV: ESPN (simulcast on WDSU-TV)
RADIO: WWL 870-AM and 105.3-FM, and WFNO 830-AM (Spanish).
AT STAKE: The NFC South-leading Saints are trying to remain unbeaten and ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (10-1) in the race for homefield advantage in the NFC. The magic number remains at 2 for the Saints to clinch the division. Atlanta moved to 6-5 with a 20-17 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday, meaning any combination of Saints wins or Falcons losses totaling two will give the division crown to New Orleans.
NEXT GAME: The Saints return to the eastern time zone where they will play the Washington Redskins (3-8) at noon on Dec. 6 at FedExField.
NEW ORLEANS - The superlatives have been flying fast and furious between the two camps this week, but that’s about to change as the undefeated New Orleans Saints and the undaunted New England Patriots get ready to rumble on a national stage Monday night at the Superdome.
The story lines are plentiful. Among them:
_ Tom Brady versus Drew Brees. Two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks go head-to-head. Neither has lost to the other team. Brady is 2-0 vs. New Orleans. Brees is 2-0 against New England while playing for San Diego.
_ Bill Belichick versus Sean Payton. A chess match is expected to break out on the green carpet as Mr. X matches wits with Mr. O.
_ The NFL’s model franchise (New England) versus an aspiring wannabe (New Orleans). A three-time Super Bowl champion (2001-03-04) squares off against a three-time division champion (1991-00-06).
_ Big market owner Bob Kraft versus small market owner Tom Benson. According to the September issue of Forbes Magazine, the Patriots’ franchise, lock, stock and barrel, is valued at $1.361 billion, behind only the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion) and Washington Redskins ($1.55 billion) in the 32-team league. The Saints are ranked 22nd, worth an estimated $942 million.
But the only story that really matters is which team walks off into Tuesday morning with a victory.
It may only be the last game played in Week 12 but this game has that unmistakable playoff feeling to it as we flip the calendar from November to December.
Let’s get it on.
“Each game, as we have gone along here, has just gotten bigger and bigger,’’ Brees said. “But the fact that we’re playing a team that is one of the teams of the decade _ they’ve won three Super Bowl championships, they’ve been to the playoffs just about every year; some would say they’re a dynasty. That’s the type of organization that we’re aspiring to be; to be a championship contender every year.
“Any time you play against a team like that, it’s a big-time game because you feel like if you’re able to go out and win these games and compete with these teams, then you belong.’’
Based on comments made by Belichick during a mid-week conference call with New Orleans reporters, the Saints not only belong, they appear to be in a league of their own.
“There really hasn’t been a competitive game all year, really,’’ Belichick said. “They’re basically running out the clock in the middle of the third quarter most of the time. A couple of scores were fairly close at the end of the games really weren’t that close. They just have been dominant in all phases of the game; returning kicks, covering kicks, offensively, turning the ball over on defense. I mean 29 turnovers … I don’t think most teams get 29 turnovers in practice during the year and to have 29 turnovers halfway through the season.
“Gregg (Williams) and Sean (Payton) and they’ve all done a great job down there. You can’t say enough about them.’’
INJURY REPORT: The Saints are expected to get back DT Sedrick Ellis, who has missed the past four games with a sprained knee. There are key game time decisions with regard to starters for both teams. NEW ORLEANS _ CB Jabari Greer (groin), CB Randall Gay (hamstring), RB Reggie Bush (knee), C Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), MLB Jonathan Vilma (knee) and DE Bobby McCray (knee/back). CB Tracy Porter (knee) and WR Lance Moore (ankle) are not expected to play. NEW ENGLAND _ In keeping with Belichick tradition, nearly one third of the Patriots’ 53-man roster is listed as questionable, including C Dan Koppen (knee), RG Stephen Neal (head), OT Matt Light (knee), OT Nick Kaczur (ankle), WR Julian Edelman (forearm), WR Sam Aiken (hip), DE Jarvis Green of LSU (knee), DE Ty Warren (ankle) and RB Sammy Morris (knee). QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), CB Shawn Springs (knee) and TE Ben Watson (knee) are probable.
5 THINGS TO WATCH 4
(1) BALL SECURITY _ Going into Week 12, the Patriots are No. 2 in the NFL in takeaways/giveaways at +12; the Saints are No. 3 at +10. The Saints lead the NFL in takeaways with 29 (19 INTs, 10 FRs), including seven defensive touchdowns, but have committed 19 turnovers. The Saints are 12-0 under Payton when they do not commit a turnover, including 2-0 this season.
(2) BRINGING THE HEAT _ When New England faced Washington in 2007, then-Redskins Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams did not blitz Brady one time on 38 passes. Now in charge of the Saints’ defense, look for Williams to kick it up a notch or two against Tom Terrific on Monday night. If not, the Brady Bunch will pick the Saints’ defensive carcass clean. Keep in mind, WRs Wes Welker and Randy Moss have combined on 142 catches for 1,779 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the last five games, Brady has targeted Welker 59 times, connecting with him 53 times, including a franchise-best 15 last week against the New York Jets.
(3) START FAST (PATRIOTS), FINISH STRONG (SAINTS) _ New Orleans has struggled recently coming out of the gate, either being tied or trailing in the first 15 minutes of the last five games after never trailing at any point in the first five games. The Patriots have been at their best in the first half, outscoring the opposition 71-25 in the first quarter and 125-52 in the second quarter. Their troubles have come in the second half when they have squandered third-quarter leads in each of their three losses. Conversely, the Saints have been dominant in the fourth quarter, outscoring their 10 foes 105-24. Look for these trends Monday night.
(4) BREES AND BRADY _ I am so looking forward to watching two master craftsmen at work. For Brady, it’s not a matter of if, but when, he goes in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brees, meanwhile, is building a strong case for himself in New Orleans. Though the comparisons are inevitable, Brees did his level best to downplay one of the game’s most intriguing storylines … “me against him.’’ “It’s an honor to be put anywhere near the same category as him,’’ Brees said. “I think he’s an exceptional player and has been for a long time. He will go down as one of the best of all time. I definitely think that if you just stood the two of us next to each other, we wouldn’t look anything alike, so maybe you’d say that our styles are a little different. But in the end you want the result to be the same _ you win football games and you win championships. Obviously, he has three (Super Bowl wins) and I’m still trying to get that one. I have a lot of respect for him.’’
(5) RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP _ Perhaps, the most overlooked aspect of this contest is each team’s running game. Both teams like to throw the ball around, but look for each to run the ball when the defense is most vulnerable in nickel and dime pass coverage. I’ll give the edge to New Orleans with Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and a healthy Reggie Bush, although former LSU standout Kevin Faulk of New England and Laurence Maroney are more than capable. Incidentally, Faulk is the Patriots’ career leader in all-purpose yards with 11,948.
POTENTIAL MILESTONE
The Saints are trying to extend their franchise-best 10 game winning streak.
KEY STAT
All three of the Patriots losses have come on the road this season _ 16-9 at the New York Jets (Sept. 20), 20-17 at Denver in OT (Oct. 11) and 35-34 at Indianapolis (Nov. 15). New England did win at a neutral site, beating Tampa Bay 35-7 on Oct. 25 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
BY THE NUMBERS
30-4 _ Patriots’ record in regular-season games against NFC teams since 2001, including 17 straight wins since losing to Carolina 27-17 (9/18/05). New England is 2-0 against NFC teams this season (Atlanta 26-10, Tampa Bay 35-7).
9-0 _ Saints record this season in games played against teams based in the eastern-time zone, including all three NFL teams in the Empire State (Buffalo, Jets, Giants), Philadelphia and Miami. All but one of the Saints’ 16 games comes against eastern-time zone teams. The Saints beat fellow central-time zone foe St. Louis 28-23 in Week 10.
HE SAID IT
“He’s certainly a guy that when his career’s over with (he) will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach. He’s a guy that you worry about out-coaching you on the coin toss. He’s done it over a long period of time, not just one year or two years, and he’s done it with a lot of different people. I think that track record over the long haul speaks for itself.’’_ Saints Coach Sean Payton on Patriots’ Coach Bill Belichick.
MY PICK
SAINTS 31, NEW ENGLAND 30
written by Pete in Lowell (MA), November 30, 2009
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