mutineer10

I don\'t like what I see in regard to the Kitties\' defense. They lead the league in interceptions (26) and total takeaways (38), and we\'ve had a perpetual tendency toward dumb turnovers. Obviously, we need to keep that in check. It\'s possible to run and pass on Carolina, but it\'ll have to be done efficiently.

I like the idea of pounding the ball at them to start the game. Deuce following Karney, grind out some 5-6 yard gains and hopefully break one. When they start stacking the box, hit them with passes outside the numbers. Many of Carolina\'s interceptions this season have come from the middle of the field (often by linebackers and even defensive ends), and the Kitties\' D-line excels at batting/tipping passes. Might want to avoid going over the middle, at least until they get a little tired (and hopefully Deuce and Karney can wear them down).

On defense, of course we have to stop Muhammed. No small feat, especially when many of our CB\'s are simply too short to cover him. Hopefully McKenzie will be able to handle him, maybe with a little safety help. Carolina will sometimes line Muhammed up in the slot, trying to create mismatches (he killed Tampa that way last week), so we gotta pay attention to that.

They\'re also likely to try and commit to the run early, and I think Goings is a little better than he\'s getting credit for. He\'s not necessarily a big play threat, but he\'s more than happy to take a 4-or-5 yard gain ... over and over again. If we allow that, the Kitties will kill us.

Dominate their weakened O-line, and get some pressure on Jake. He\'s repeatedly proven that he\'ll make dumb throws into coverage, especially when pressured, so make him pay for it when he does. It\'s also possible to get Jake rattled, so if we can land some hits on him early, we might be able to shut him down almost completely (look at what some teams did to him earlier this season).

One thing\'s for sure, the Kitties are almost never out of a game, so we\'ve gotta play four full quarters to put them away. Like zombies, they\'ll keep coming until the clock expires. We\'ve gotta do the same.

If none of this works, just do what saintsfan and Deion Sanders suggest and score more points than them!


[Edited on 2/1/2005 by mutineer10]