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Three to Focus on – Buccaneers @ Saints, Week 9 November 4th, 2011 | Author: Gordon McGuinness

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1) LeGarrette Blount vs. The Saints’ linebackers

... Of the Saints’ top four linebackers, only Scott Shanle has a positive grade against the run. All four of them have missed at least three tackles so far, and both JoLonn Dunbar (-5.6) and Johnathan Casillas (-5.9) are ranked amongst the worst five 4-3 outside linebackers against the run. Believe it or not, no middle or inside linebacker in the league has a worse grade against the run than Johnathan Vilma (-7.7 against the run). It all potentially adds up to a long day for the Saints as they try and stop Blount.

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2) Michael Bennett vs. Zach Strief

Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett (+19.5) has produced two of the best weeks of any player in the NFL this year. Strief didn’t exactly light things up before his injury, so it will be interesting to see how he handles Bennett on his return to the starting lineup.

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3) Drew Brees vs. Josh Freeman

After a fast start to the year, Josh Freeman (+10.8) has struggled recently. He was terrible in London against the Bears, finishing the game with an overall grade of -4.4. He’s particularly struggled going downfield, where he has completed just five of 16 passes and of his 10 interceptions, seven have come when he’s thrown the ball across the middle of the field. By contrast, Drew Brees is having a fantastic year. Using our signature stat, Quarterback Accuracy Percentage which takes into account dropped passes, spiked balls and throwaways, Brees’ accuracy for the season so far comes in at a staggering 76.5%. He trails only Aaron Rodgers in that regard. And in terms of his full grade, Brees is our top ranked quarterback and leads the league by nearly 400 yards in terms of passing yards. It’s safe to say that Brees will show up on Sunday, the question is which Josh Freeman will be on the opposite side?
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