Contain Peppers

Darren Sproles needs to keep us in good field position on special teams. He doesn't have to run a punt back[it would be nice], but decent returns giving us a short field to work with and we win...

EXACTLY!!!!! :(

Open it up, track meet style with the pass, then run the clock out...

The Bears run the Tampa 2..the best way to beat it is with the run game and TEs and backs hitting the seam route..they will try and keep everything in front of them and let the LBs and corners come up in run support...Drew should be able to hit Sproles and Graham in the middle of the field for good gains..we have to and i mean have to establish the run..I dont think we will have to play catch up ...so we should be able to get the ground game going..

On Defense we need pressure!..Cuntler makes mistakes when he gets rattled..He will try and beat the blitz with quick slants and crossing routes..Dallas got burned by him last year blitzing a lot..so we need to be careful about blitzing and if we do ...make sure and wrap up dont let him get free and beat us on the move..

I would like to see our front four get pressure early and often allowing our our corners time to lock down on their receivers ..also allowing or LBs to shed blocks and make plays..

Bottom line is Chicago has a very mediocre offense and they don't have the explosive play making ability that the Saints do..If the Saints play a smart turnover free game ..this should be a 2 score victory..

Protect the ball. Period.

The rest will follow.

Keys are simple:

The O-line has to engage their block for half a second longer.
The TE must chip the DE's
WR's must be willing to go over the middle, make the catch and expect contact. Without Colston, that means Devery and Meachem must man up.
Red zone play calling must include a backup play to check out of when the defense KNOWS what we're doing.
Snap the ball with 20 seconds on the playclock, not 4. Make the Bears suffer in the 1st half.
Position pursuit to account for the cutback.
Keep a spy on Forte
Corners must hit the ballcarrier in the midsection, not dive at the feet. I say this every week, so I don't expect much to change.

I say go turn off the lights to the locker room, go in and just start to way-lay their asses. Then just keep it going on the field.

Just a little fuel for the fire

Last years stats ( teams never improve that much , unless they had massive injuries, or were great before)

Offensive line
#5 Saints
#32 Bears

Team Offense
#9 Saints
#21 Bears

Passing offense
#3 Saints
#28 Bears

Passing
#2 Brees
#20 Cutler

Rushing offense
#28 Saints
#22 Bears

Scoring
#10 Saints
#21 Bears

Team Defense
#7 Saints
#4 Bears

Pass Defense
#4 Saints
#20 Bears

Rush Defense
#16 Saints
#2 Bears

Current

Stat Time

Offense

3. Saints - 34 points per game, 477 yards per game, 6.5 yards per play, 64% 3rd down conversion, 27:06 time of possession, -1 turnover margin

14. Bears - 30 ppg, 377 ypg, 5.9 ypp, 38% 3rd down, 33:19 TOP, +2 TOM



Passing Offense

3. Saints - 396 ypg, 8.6 ypa, 65.3 % completion, 3 td, 0 int, (6) 20+ yard plays, 3 sacks, 112.5 qb rating

11. Bears - 289 ypg, 9.8 ypa, 68.8% completion, 2 td, 1 int, (5) 20+ yard plays, 5 sacks, 107.8 qb rating



Rushing Offense

17. Bears - 88 ypg, 3.3 yards per carry, 0 td, 0 fumbles, ( 1) 20+ yard play

20. Saints - 81 ypg, 3.9 ypc, 0 td, 0 fum, (1) 20+ yard play



Defense

22. Bears - 12 ppg, 386 ypg, 5.8 ypp, 31% 3rd down, 2 fumble recoveries

25. Saints - 42 ppg, 399 ypg, 6.2 ypp, 67% 3rd down, 0 fr



Pass Defense

21. Bears - 276 ypg, 6.8 ypa, 66% completion, 0 tds, 1 int, (4) 20+ yard plays, 5 sacks, 76.5 qb rating

24. Saints - 296 ypg, 8.9 ypa, 77% completion, 3 tds, 0 int, (4) 20+ yard plays, 2 sacks, 132.1 qb rating



Rush Defense

19. Saints - 103 ypg, 3.8 ypc, 2 td, 0 fr,( 0) 20+ yard plays

22. Bears - 110 ypg, 7.9 ypc, 0td, 1 fr, (1) 20+ yard plays



Overall Statistical Analysis: Looking at statistics without taking into account the situations they occurred in is very much like seeing a quote without context; you can come to the wrong conclusions very easily. I'll leave you with a few important points to ponder. Chicago's offense does not pose much of a threat to the Saints. They have a poor offensive line, a quarterback who takes too many hits and a mediocre (at best) group of pass catchers. With a two score lead, they still could not run the ball or convert well on third downs. Chicago's defense will have a more difficult time against the Saints because the Saints have a complete offense with complementary diversity in the run and pass game. Defensively, both Chicago's 7.9 yards per carry and the Saints 132.1 QB rating are anomalies.

Conclusion: The Saints have the ability to expose and exploit Chicago's defense, while the Bears offense has no such ability. It's as simple as that.





Preston's Bears @ Saints Preview: Vindication, Validation and Vengeance - Canal Street Chronicles

Yep, thats the blueprint for beating a cover-2 defense. The key will be Urlacher. He's the man when it comes to defending those seams, and he's probably the best in the NFL at it.

If Urlacher brings his A-game we're in a dog fight. If he brings his B game, we win by two scores.

Of course as always turnover differential will likely be the deciding factor. Its a cliche for a reason.