saintsfan1203

War Room scouts break down every NFL game. Here is a excerpt of their Saints-Colts matchup:

1. Run inside. The Colts have an elite passing attack with quarterback Peyton Manning throwing to Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Clark. Still, the key in the Thursday night opener could be the offensive line's ability to open holes for new starting running back Joseph Addai.

Center Jeff Saturday, Lilja and right guard Jake Scott must explode off the snap and get inside hands on the defensive tackles. Projected starters Hollis Thomas (weight) and Brian Young (foot) are ailing, but backups Antwan Lake and Kendrick Clancy played well in preseason. By steering the defensive tackles off the line, blockers will open seams for Addai. Plays like this will keep the defense honest and slow the pass rush.

2. Throw early to rookie slot receiver Anthony Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the Colts' first-round pick, takes over for Brandon Stokley (Broncos). At times, Gonzalez will be aligned against a linebacker, usually Scott Shanle, in man-to-man coverage. By using his speed and quickness to shake Shanle off the line, Gonzalez will be free on quick-out routes because cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Jason David first must account for Harrison and Wayne.

3. Stuff Saints running back Deuce McAllister. The Colts yielded 173 yards rushing per game last season, by far the NFL's worst run defense. Some of the Colts' problems can be traced to injuries to strong safety Bob Sanders, but a bigger problem was undisciplined play of defensive linemen and linebackers.

On undersized as a unit, linebackers Freddy Keiaho, Rob Morris and Brackett must better attack the line and meet McAllister in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage instead of making drag-down tackles five or 10 yards downfield. Look for the Colts to use more run blitzes Thursday to get the linebackers playing more aggressively

SportingNews.com - NFL - Week 1 Matchup: Saints vs. Colts

hagan714

saints power game is key. keep manning of the field