God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION

Rugby Saint II · 08-29-2013, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Vegas

This is the kind of junk I would expect to hear from fans of other teams who just look at statistics and are like "oh they had a bad defense last year, must have no talent." That is so far from the truth it's laughable. Do you honestly think Jordan, Hicks, Greer, Vacarro, Lofton, Hawthorne, Bunkley wouldn't even make another team's 53 man roster? That is ludicrous talk.

DL - We've got two of the best young defensive linemen in football in Hicks and Jordan. One of the league's top nose tackles in Bunkley. Young depth in Jenkins/Foster/Walker and some solid vets with Johnson and Richardson.

LB - Don't get me wrong, there are some weaknesses and some unknowns. But Lofton, Hawthorne, Vilma and Haralson are all solid, dependable players and you can expect a reasonably high level of play from them. We've seen Galette and Wilson excel as pass rushers in part-time roles. enough that we know they can contribute and won't be a liability. Humber has always had great talent, now starting to put it together.

DB - Worst part of the defense, maybe. But we've got three solid man-to-man corners in Greer/Lewis/Robinson, a great-looking young safety in Vaccaro, and even Jenkins and Harper despite their sometimes struggles both have the ability to play well in a defense geared toward their strengths (ie an aggressive, blitzing style).

I am not saying they are elite, but somewhere in the 15-20 range this year should be just about right, and with all the youth and inexperience there is a lot of room to get better in a hurry. The future of this defense is with guys like Jordan, Hicks, Vaccaro, Hawthorne, Galette, Wilson, etc and that is a great place to be.

I'm afraid that we lose the first game to Atlanta with our new defense. After that it's anybodys guess.

thebdj · 08-29-2013, 04:34 PM

You know sometimes you win for a reason. Remember that game. That game against the Falcons. The rebirth. The blocked punt. We won for a reason. And I think we actually may give Atlanta a hiding for the same reason. We are owed one. God owes us one!

Beyond that, I think we start at 4-0 but slip on the road to both Bears and Patriots. That's 4-2. We bounce back with 4 straight wins, finally beating ScumFran which we are also due (note I was at playoff game and home game last season. Also at home game this season. You wanna know someone who deserves some bloody redemption???? ME!!!).

Sitting pretty at 8-2, all the talk of NFC #1 seed crashes back to reality with 2 big losses to Falcons and Seahawks on the road. At 8-4, it's a big finish.Panthers at home sends us 9-4. Rams on road sends us 9-5 with a loss. 2 big wins finishes the season nicely with an 11-5 record, good enough to win the division on a tiebreaker and put us at #2 seed.

I've seen it in my crystal ball!

As an aside, 5 of the last 6 games I have gone to America for, the Saints have lost. I suck. It's about time my luck changes or I am turned back at Border Patrol!!

The Dude · 08-29-2013, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by Danno

Yet 2012 isn't?

By your logic then since the Falcons have added Steven Jackson on offense they should have a more prolific offense than last year and pick up right where they left off.

Danno · 08-29-2013, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by The Dude

By your logic then since the Falcons have added Steven Jackson on offense they should have a more prolific offense than last year and pick up right where they left off.

Nope, their talent additions do not outweigh their subtractions, especially on the O-line and defense. They should be a slightly worse off team than last year's.

We, on the other hand, have way more additions than subtractions. If you can't see that you aren't paying attention. If you are paying attention yet still disagree, then nothing will convince you otherwise.

Here's a little reminder...
Mitch King, Turk McBride, Sed Ellis, Johnny Patrick, Tracy Porter, Leigh Torrence, Jonathan Amaya, Scott Shanle, Shaun Rogers, Abreyo Franklin and Jeff Charleston.

I'm of the opinion that we significantly upgraded all of those guys.

WillSaints81 · 08-31-2013, 06:25 PM

There's too much smokescreens this preseason by teams. For one the bears defense is playing as good as ever without Lovie and Urlacher? Not buying it. Cam is struggling in preseason? Not buying it. And I'm not buying either the falcons vanilla offense in the preseason.........

Yes it pains me as well to say Atlanta is dangerous but they are and they are a threat to win it all, that game is a must win or we are going to have problems. And also it doesnt help knowing that the AFC's big three all have flaws. NE is hated, Manning always falls short, and Houston has never been there and has a QB that isnt better than any NFC one that plays him. God help us if Pittsburgh backs into it again.

TheOak · 08-31-2013, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by WillSaints81

There's too much smokescreens this preseason by teams. For one the bears defense is playing as good as ever without Lovie and Urlacher? Not buying it. Cam is struggling in preseason? Not buying it. And I'm not buying either the falcons vanilla offense in the preseason.........

Yes it pains me as well to say Atlanta is dangerous but they are and they are a threat to win it all, that game is a must win or we are going to have problems. And also it doesnt help knowing that the AFC's big three all have flaws. NE is hated, Manning always falls short, and Houston has never been there and has a QB that isnt better than any NFC one that plays him. God help us if Pittsburgh backs into it again.

All offense in preseason is vanilla, so was ours and Atlanta has no o-line due to injury. Did the fake the sacks they allowed?

LBCutta · 09-01-2013, 06:04 AM

In a weird way I think Spags had alot to do with our terrible season last year. It was said he took ZERO input from players and played very conservative. We get out edge back this year I think.....12-4 or 11-5

44Champs · 09-02-2013, 10:09 PM

Saints are playing with a chip on their shoulder this year, and we have some 2nd year players that don't know what it's like to play with Payton on the sidelines. If I were the other team, I'd hate to be lining up against us this year.

08-29-2013, 01:04 PM	#21
Rugby Saint II Bounty Money $$$ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5800 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. Posts: 24,120	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION Originally Posted by Jack Vegas This is the kind of junk I would expect to hear from fans of other teams who just look at statistics and are like "oh they had a bad defense last year, must have no talent." That is so far from the truth it's laughable. Do you honestly think Jordan, Hicks, Greer, Vacarro, Lofton, Hawthorne, Bunkley wouldn't even make another team's 53 man roster? That is ludicrous talk. DL - We've got two of the best young defensive linemen in football in Hicks and Jordan. One of the league's top nose tackles in Bunkley. Young depth in Jenkins/Foster/Walker and some solid vets with Johnson and Richardson. LB - Don't get me wrong, there are some weaknesses and some unknowns. But Lofton, Hawthorne, Vilma and Haralson are all solid, dependable players and you can expect a reasonably high level of play from them. We've seen Galette and Wilson excel as pass rushers in part-time roles. enough that we know they can contribute and won't be a liability. Humber has always had great talent, now starting to put it together. DB - Worst part of the defense, maybe. But we've got three solid man-to-man corners in Greer/Lewis/Robinson, a great-looking young safety in Vaccaro, and even Jenkins and Harper despite their sometimes struggles both have the ability to play well in a defense geared toward their strengths (ie an aggressive, blitzing style). I am not saying they are elite, but somewhere in the 15-20 range this year should be just about right, and with all the youth and inexperience there is a lot of room to get better in a hurry. The future of this defense is with guys like Jordan, Hicks, Vaccaro, Hawthorne, Galette, Wilson, etc and that is a great place to be. I'm afraid that we lose the first game to Atlanta with our new defense. After that it's anybodys guess.

08-29-2013, 04:34 PM	#22
thebdj 100th Post Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: London, England Posts: 272	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION You know sometimes you win for a reason. Remember that game. That game against the Falcons. The rebirth. The blocked punt. We won for a reason. And I think we actually may give Atlanta a hiding for the same reason. We are owed one. God owes us one! Beyond that, I think we start at 4-0 but slip on the road to both Bears and Patriots. That's 4-2. We bounce back with 4 straight wins, finally beating ScumFran which we are also due (note I was at playoff game and home game last season. Also at home game this season. You wanna know someone who deserves some bloody redemption???? ME!!!). Sitting pretty at 8-2, all the talk of NFC #1 seed crashes back to reality with 2 big losses to Falcons and Seahawks on the road. At 8-4, it's a big finish.Panthers at home sends us 9-4. Rams on road sends us 9-5 with a loss. 2 big wins finishes the season nicely with an 11-5 record, good enough to win the division on a tiebreaker and put us at #2 seed. I've seen it in my crystal ball! As an aside, 5 of the last 6 games I have gone to America for, the Saints have lost. I suck. It's about time my luck changes or I am turned back at Border Patrol!!

08-29-2013, 04:35 PM	#23
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,055	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION Originally Posted by Danno Yet 2012 isn't? By your logic then since the Falcons have added Steven Jackson on offense they should have a more prolific offense than last year and pick up right where they left off.
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,055

08-29-2013, 04:46 PM	#24
Danno Truth Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Spanish Fort, AL (via NO and B/R) Posts: 24,749	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION Originally Posted by The Dude By your logic then since the Falcons have added Steven Jackson on offense they should have a more prolific offense than last year and pick up right where they left off. Nope, their talent additions do not outweigh their subtractions, especially on the O-line and defense. They should be a slightly worse off team than last year's. We, on the other hand, have way more additions than subtractions. If you can't see that you aren't paying attention. If you are paying attention yet still disagree, then nothing will convince you otherwise. Here's a little reminder... Mitch King, Turk McBride, Sed Ellis, Johnny Patrick, Tracy Porter, Leigh Torrence, Jonathan Amaya, Scott Shanle, Shaun Rogers, Abreyo Franklin and Jeff Charleston. I'm of the opinion that we significantly upgraded all of those guys. SmashMouth likes this.

08-31-2013, 06:25 PM	#25
WillSaints81 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 4,267	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION There's too much smokescreens this preseason by teams. For one the bears defense is playing as good as ever without Lovie and Urlacher? Not buying it. Cam is struggling in preseason? Not buying it. And I'm not buying either the falcons vanilla offense in the preseason......... Yes it pains me as well to say Atlanta is dangerous but they are and they are a threat to win it all, that game is a must win or we are going to have problems. And also it doesnt help knowing that the AFC's big three all have flaws. NE is hated, Manning always falls short, and Houston has never been there and has a QB that isnt better than any NFC one that plays him. God help us if Pittsburgh backs into it again.

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08-31-2013, 06:44 PM	#26
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,041	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION Originally Posted by WillSaints81 There's too much smokescreens this preseason by teams. For one the bears defense is playing as good as ever without Lovie and Urlacher? Not buying it. Cam is struggling in preseason? Not buying it. And I'm not buying either the falcons vanilla offense in the preseason......... Yes it pains me as well to say Atlanta is dangerous but they are and they are a threat to win it all, that game is a must win or we are going to have problems. And also it doesnt help knowing that the AFC's big three all have flaws. NE is hated, Manning always falls short, and Houston has never been there and has a QB that isnt better than any NFC one that plays him. God help us if Pittsburgh backs into it again. All offense in preseason is vanilla, so was ours and Atlanta has no o-line due to injury. Did the fake the sacks they allowed?

09-01-2013, 06:04 AM	#27
LBCutta 500th Post Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Killeen, TX....Born in Marrero, LA Posts: 592	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION In a weird way I think Spags had alot to do with our terrible season last year. It was said he took ZERO input from players and played very conservative. We get out edge back this year I think.....12-4 or 11-5

09-02-2013, 10:09 PM	#28
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589	Re: God help the optimist...GAME BY GAME PREDICTION Saints are playing with a chip on their shoulder this year, and we have some 2nd year players that don't know what it's like to play with Payton on the sidelines. If I were the other team, I'd hate to be lining up against us this year.
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589

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