We're gonna lose... :(
 

Well, it's 10 days away now. Only ten more days to the start of the season (yes I know it officially starts on Thursday, but Sunday the 12th is when it all really starts for me).

When I think about it I get all kinds of jacked up. I'm so ready for football, I can't even articulate it. When I think about our team, our beloved Saints, I have a hard time not laughing at the sick talent we've assembled. I start thinking about how unstoppable we should be. Explosive on both sides of the ball, chalked full of pro bowlers... and then reality sets in.

Man... when I begin thinking about what September 12th will probably mean for me, I envision cursing, disappointment, and most likely, too much alcohol.

Here's what I see for the Seattle game.

Seattle's offense is even scarier than ours. They lost no one. Alexander has been consistent and is the kind of guy who can be scary dangerous. Jackson, Engram, and Co. are solid. Mili is a good possession TE and Hassleback is one of the most consistent and highest producing QBs in the league right now. They've played together for a while now. Even on their best day, our defense simply couldn't match up. Sure, they'll pressure, and they'll make some plays. A few sacks, maybe a pick, but Seattle will shred us on the ground and through the air, mostly with a short passing attack.

On the flip side, I expect our offense to look better than it has in preseason, but we're still the Saints. I am fully prepared to see inconsistency. Penalties, dropped passes, missed blocks that have Deuce and Brooks getting drilled in the backfield. Sure, the offense will come together somewhat. They'll chew up big chunks of yards at a time, sometimes stringing together three or four 10+ yard gains in a row. But those will inevitably be followed by mishaps. Conversion will not be made, and we'll settle for field goals, or have to punt from our opponent's 40 yard line.

I fully expect this game to be an offensive one, and end in a relatively high score, especially for a season opener. Both D's will get abused at times, and make a few plays. But in the end, Seattle will look like a well kept corvette, and the Saints will look like a Ferrari desperatley in need of a tune up.

My final: 31-23 Seattle.

I hope I'm wrong I really do, but Seattle seems formidable, and I haven't seen a lot to inspire a ton of hope for change this season. :(


Note to Saintfan: I'm sure this will bring a smile for you especially. Call me a pessimist, but c'mon, if you bet on the game, where would your money go?

We're gonna lose... :(
 

I think we will really see the true Saint\'s come opening day.

Saint\'s 27 - Seahawks 19

We're gonna lose... :(
 

I agree, but WhoDat\'s being optimistic.

Saints - 9
Seahawks - 28

We're gonna lose... :(
 

True to form Whodat, but I\'m not exactly sold that the opposite will happen either. I just can\'t help but think that if the Saints make a play or two early they\'ll be in business. I think the team need some confidence more than anything and a quick start is the ticket, cause if they get down early by very much it may not be pretty.

Still I think the Saints have a chance to win the opener, and a good one. If I were to bet on this game I\'d bet on the points total and not the spread thats for sure, but I never bet on the Saints (and hardly bet at all). I do agree with you about the points...I think this\'ll be a high scoring game and I think the Saints will prevail! Surprised? LOL

Saints - 27
Seahags - 24

We're gonna lose... :(
 

If Pease is more vocal on the defensive scheme and play calling instead of Venturi

Saints 45
Seahawks 19

If not

Seahawks 37
Saints 30

We're gonna lose... :(
 

This season will start exactly the same as last.

Seattle 27
Saints 10

The offense will struggle with Brooks just coming back. The defense will have trouble stopping Alexander and company.

We're gonna lose... :(
 

I hear ya, brother. I\'m rootin\' for friggin\' Utah against TX AandM right now. Couldn\'t care less about either team.

I haven\'t posted this preseason because I didn\'t wanna hear all the junk about optimism and pessimism and suns and moons, etc. Yeah, I know that fans shouldn\'t base their team\'s future season on a couple of games played in August, so I\'ve just shut my mouth and tried to enjoy the positives.

Will the team be better? I feel positive about Watson and Smith on D. I like that Young doesn\'t seem to have an off switch. I love Freddy T. and am beginning to develop a man crush on Bellamy. I just wish he didn\'t have to do so much tackling.

I am more concerned with the O line after the pre-season than I was before the pre-season. I am also extremely concerned about the dropped passes by the receivers. I do not want to suffer through another season of wide-can\'t-receivers. Seriously.

Seatlle has looked very crisp in August. They are a solid team. I\'m glad we\'ve got a legit team week one. We\'ll definitely know where we stand. Could be game one of the beginning of Haz\'s rebirth as a coach, or it could be the beginning of the end.

I\'m rootin\' for the former, but I dang sho\' ain\'t puttin\' money on it.

We're gonna lose... :(
 

Its a tough call. Seattles defense versus the run is worse than ours, but I think they have better overall coaching.

Seattle sucked on the road last year. But we were only so-so at home.

Alexander is just as good as Deuce. Our D-line and LB\'s are improving, but they\'re still susceptible to the cut back because they overpersue. Alexander will eat a team up with that cutback.

If we were playing Seattle in October I\'d say we win hands down. I thnk it\'ll be close but if I had to put money on it I\'d probably pick Seattle in a close one.

Just like the whiney-ass Democrats the Pessimists will have reason to scream and cry early. This is their Convention.

The upbeat Optimists have their convention later in the season and send their gloomy countparts to the john to up-chuck their crow-gumbo.

But alas, an early set-back...
Seattle-24
New Orleans-17

We're gonna lose... :(
 

McCarthy will surprise the Seattle Defense with some of his formations. Execution has to be a lot better on the offensive side than it has been in the pre-season.
We won\'t be able to stop Alexander (or maybe they are just bluffing? Naaah). So the biggest hope is to be aggressive and force some turnovers.
It can be done.

Saints - 31
Seahawks - 27

We're gonna lose... :(
 

who dat i picked the seahwaks for the super bowl this year from the nfc. n they have a chance. i wish we could win this one. ill take it ugly but i dont think it even if we play well. if we play at top notch

seahawks 27
saints 24

if we do the same old saints thing n have the dropped balls penalties on first down n r sloppy like we were last year

seahawks 30
saints 17

man i hope we win. this could be a huge win because we only or should only have two tough games out of our first 4. **** if we can win one of those two ill be happy

We're gonna lose... :(
 

Saints 134
SeaHawks 3 (field goal with 10 seconds left in the 4th)

We're gonna lose... :(
 

Saints 21
Hawks 7

I think the points allowed in the preseason will carry over to the regular.Look for the D-line to have a big game. Deuce will get rolling as well, 120 + yards.

We're gonna lose... :(
 

Hey guys - can you stand a Panther troll? I\'ve been crusing here for a while - nice site compared to nola.com. What\'s up with their forum? Do they ban you if you post positive info about opposing teams? All my posts were erased. Anyway, it\'s nicer here.

I see you guys going 3-1 in the first qtr. of the season. The first game is a toss up, but the next three are very winable.

How about the NFL scheduling the Falcons the worst team in the league for their first game? That may kick start some momentum for them. I hope not, but it looks like they can easily beat the 49\'ers.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, we might go 0-5, 1-4 or 2-3 our first five games. Then again, we may do even better.

The crazy thing is, the South won\'t be won until the end of the season, so no matter what happens, we must both hold on and be there when it really counts. Good luck tonight, and good luck during the season.

We're gonna lose... :(
 

Deuce puts up a decent game for 110 yds and a TD. Alexander does about the same. Our D pulls together and keeps us in the game for a while. AB and the receiving corp never put it together (surprise, surprise....) Eventually our D appears to lose heart as the many opportunities they give the O are wasted. Hasselback lights our secondary up BIG TIME with short, precise routes - that eventually lead to a big pass or two.
Seattle - 31
N.O. - 13

We're gonna lose... :(
 

I guess it\'s finally time to weigh in against the haters. :D

Somehow there\'s the impression that Seattle\'s offensive talent is all world and the Saints have chopped liver.

I did something simple: looked at last year\'s stats. And here\'s my conclusion: the teams are very closely matched on both sides of the ball. Some numbers then some observations:

1) QB\'s are even. Same QB rating. Hasselbeck threw for slightly more yards and TDs, but had double the picks of Brooks.

2) Deuce edges out Alexander in everything but TDs.

3) Seattle\'s O had a 4 point scoring edge over the Saints last year.

On the defensive side of the ball over a 16 game season the defenses were dead even. Same scoring, Same total YPG. However Seattle gave up 40 YPG more in the air than the Saints. Of course the Saints gave up 30 more YPG on the ground.

Both teams were -1 in total turnovers.

So here are my observations:

1) It\'s going to be close with similar offenses and defenses.

2) The game is going to come down to who can control the ball, who doesn\'t turn it over and most importantly who doesn\'t give up the big play.

3) I believe that the Saints have upgraded offensively talenwise. Boo and Stallworth should be on the field for the vast majority of the game. Henderson/M. Lewis/Boo may end up being the difference in terms of the big play. I\'ll take our
4th receiver over anybody\'s nickel back or linebacker all day long.

4) It may come down to to coaching. Unfortunately for the Saints that\'s where the cupboard is most bare. But Pease can make a different all by himself if he can get his D-Line (the deepest in the league) to dominate the way we know they can.

So predictions: The offense is efficient and has the two big plays required to win the game. The defense gives up a lot of yards to Hasselbeck and Alexander but limits the big plays and counteracts with a positive turnover ratio.

Saints 24 - Seattle 17

SFIAH