Interesting stats about penalties. Buffalo likes them apparently.

NFL Football Stats - NFL Team Penalties per Game on TeamRankings.com

Hey Saints fans.

Long-time Bills' season ticket holder here (this is my 26th season--so I was there for the glory days of the early 90's). Always respected the Saints, and thought I'd pop in to give you folks the low-down on our squad.

I've seen some folks here say Thad Lewis has been playing well--I give him a C grade. He acquitted himself nicely against Cinci two weeks ago at home, but it was a far different story on the road yesterday against Miami. He was inconsistent passing and showed some panic in his game. From the 2 games I've watched him, he seems to be in trouble when he can't throw to his first read. He is pretty athletic though, so you've got to watch his escapability out of the pocket.

Our running game is what can get you. Spiller is the big-play threat, but hobbled as he is, he's limited in that capacity right now. Freddie Jackson is like novacane--give him time and dosage and he'll get you. Mike Mayock accurately described Buffalo's run game as a "boa constrictor", just keep tightening and tightening until they crush you.

Receiver-wise, Stevie and Woody are route-runners that can really move the sticks. Goodwin and Graham are the speedsters. Chandler is effective over the middle but by no means a game-breaker.

To get at this offense, you have to attack the LG spot, which is the weak link in the line. Not easy because LT Cordy Glenn and C Eric Wood are very good at covering up. The key for NO (in my opinion) is going to be taking Thad's 1st read away and backing that up with pressure.

On D, it's a whole different story. Buffalo is VERY aggressive. The run D is up and down, but when they're solid, they're very solid. So goes Marcel Dareus, so goes the run D. He's inconsistent, but when he plays well he's a load to handle.

The pass rush is very formidable, thanks to Mario Williams and a bevy of pressure packages from DC Mike Pettine. He loves to blitz and will send anyone from anywhere. Jerry Hughes has also had a bit of a resurgence as a situational rusher.

One guy to watch is Kiko Alonso. He's a special athlete--leads the NFL in tackles and interceptions (as a rookie LB). He can get washed out a bit in the run game, but at least once or twice a game he does something that boggles your mind. He's going to be a good one.

Stephon Gilmore isn't quite healthy yet, which is hurting the team. McKelvin and rookie UDFA Nickell Robey, on the other hand, have been spectacular at CB so far.

To beat this D, Brees will need to reliably hit his hot reads and be accurate on his down-field throws. They are very, very aggressive, which means they're prone to the big play.

Hope that give you folks some talking points for this coming week...looking forward to the ongoing discourse.