Halo

Yesterday a collaborative piece was done from myself and the Arizona Cardinals' Examiner, Scott Jones. We discussed the five things to watch for in the Divisional Round game this Saturday between the Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.


It is obvious that we had differing opinions as you can see. I posted Scott's "five things" that the Saints should be on the lookout for. Over on his end, he posted my "five things" that the Cardinals should look out for.
Needless to say, the responses from local fans here in New Orleans were anything but welcoming or in full agreement.


In case you missed it, check out Scott's five things and then you can fully get some of what I'm about to write next.


All caught up? Good, now let's see some of the responses that Saints' fan had for Scott and the game that is almost upon us. These are actual quotes from die hard black and gold fans.

• "Wrong..the score should be Saints 37 Cards 17"
• "Ain't skeered."
• "Cardinal 'defense' couldn't stop the Packers from scoring 45, and this guy thinks they'll hold Brees and company under 30? They were heralded for their defense in last year's playoff run, but in light of what happened to the Panthers & Eagles this year, that doesn't seem so incredible any more. Two more days. I can't wait!"
• "People are so caught up in the argument about rest, rest doesn't make professional football players rusty. They are healthy.....its not about being rusty....its about being healthy.
  
  Game speed only matters for 60 minutes.....in an entire week. The saints have only been robbed of 120 minutes of real actual football in a 19 week schedule so far. They have practiced just as much, they have won more games than any other team in the league besides the colts while also leading the league in players on IR. People forget how dangerous we are......and all the bandwagon fans will be back after we shoot the cardinals out of the air."

There was a lot more but this seemed like not only some of the simplest and to the point, but also the most descriptive and heartfelt.
Well, Scott thought he should at least let the Saints' fans know that he is reading and listening so much that he'd like to respond. So without any further delay fans, I give you a letter from Scott Jones.
The Cardinals scored 51 points against the number 2 ranked defense in the NFL. The Saints are certainly in the lower half of the rankings in terms of defense (#25 for the season), so to say they will shut down the Cardinals doesn't seem realistic. To be fair, the Cardinals are in the lower half of the defensive statistics also (#20).

But three of the Cardinal's four Pro Bowl players are on defense, two of them in the secondary (yes, the same one that Rodgers' torched last week). Adrian Wilson and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be playing with something to prove this week - that can't be discounted. Will the Saints score points? Yes - but I still think the Cardinals will score more.

Certainly the Saints dominated the league's offensive statistics all season long. Drew Brees is an incredible talent. But, this game is going to come down to experience and talent. Brees is scheduled to start the Pro Bowl (if the Saints don't make the Super Bowl). Who will he be throwing to? The Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald. Brees has a career playoff record of 1 win (2006 vs. the Eagles) and 2 losses (one with San Diego in 2004 and vs the Bears in the 2006 NFC Championship). At this level, experience means something.

Kurt Warner has a career playoff record of 10-3 with two of those losses coming in the Super Bowl (he also was the winning quarterback in Super Bowl XXXIV) and the other of course to...the Saints in 2000. Last week was his second career 5-TD performance in the playoffs and he's got the second highest career quarterback rating in league playoff history (behind Bart Starr). What does all this mean (aside from Warner is a sure Hall of Fame choice at some point in the future)? Well it means that the Cardinals have experience on their side but that isn't always enough.

I'm not going to tell you I've swallowed the Cardinal "Kool-aid". Last week showed me their defense has a few holes (OK, maybe more than a few). But I can also tell you that the team's on a roll, they have a future Hall of Fame quarterback directing the team and they are tired of hearing about giving up 45 points last week.

Will the Saints score more than 30 points? I don't think so, but it's possible. I watched the Cardinals play the underdog role to perfection in last year's post-season and then again last week against Green Bay. Nothing's different this week in New Orleans.

Scott
I don't know about all of you, but that sure as hell sounds like he is as confidant as all humanly possible. I mean he honestly comes across as if the Cardinals will NOT lose this game tomorrow. Now it's not like me to guarantee a victory so I'm not going to, but I will say that a win is in our sights.


And I also believe that "Finish Strong" isn't just a motto the Saints have in place for one game at a time. I am of the mindset that "Finish Strong" is meant for the final three games of their season. That's right, there are three more games this season and my instinct tells me black and gold will be involved in all of them.
Let's black out the Dome and ask the time-honored question..."Who Dat?!?!"


Linkback: TheExaminer.com

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