saintswhodi

Hopefully this well get some discussion going.

Game 1, Carolina: Loss. Only cause the Panthers won't be beat up and injured, and improved greatly through the draft and FA. Plus we knocked them out of the playoffs last year, so revenge will be on their minds. This is also the team I feel will win the division.

Game 2, NY Giants: Win. Eli, although I wish you well, behind that line you will still struggle. And your only decent receiver is Burress, Toomer is done. Shockey will prob get hurt tripping on his way out the locker room. The Giants defense is okay. but I see the Saints winning this one at home.

Game 3, Minnesota: Loss. Addition by subtraction was their motto, and their defense was improved across the board. They also got a speedy receiver in the draft, and already had a decent one in Burleson. The size of their receivers will give our corners problems again, and Culpepper is a beast. They beat us pretty good with Randy playing half a game last year in our house, I can't see us beating them with an improved defense.

Game 4, Buffalo: Toss up. Pretty much hinges on Losman cause their defense is a bear. If Losman makes some errors, we can win this game. But if they decide to pound our suspect run defense with McGahee, limiting Losman's impact, could be a loss. Lee Evans is a deep threat and Moulds is consistent in what he does. For arguments sake, let's call it a loss for now.

Game 5, Green Bay: Win. Too many off-season losses on Green Bay's side of the ball, and hopefully the weather won't be a huge factor in October. Plus Javon Walker is holding out, and who knows how long it will be before that situation is resolved. Our offense should look dominating against their defense.

Game 6, Atlanta: Loss. Got better on D simply by adding Hartwell. Lavalais has had a year to grow, as well as DeAngelo Hall. We have some young guys on D, and Vick might fake them into some mistakes. If we can run the ball effectively, we could pull an upset. But for now, this has to be marked as a loss.

Game 7, St. Louis: Win. We beat them last year, we'll beat them again. Their offensive line is, at best, suspect. And their defense is not looking too pretty either. We should win this one easily, provided our secondary doesn't let Torry Holt run free all day.

Game 8, Miami: Win. Miami has a great defense, but still suspect O. They have a star in TB Ronnie Brown, but he is a rookie. Their receivers are so bad they are thinking about bringing David Boston back, their O-line is bad, their DT situation is far from settled, new coach. I think this all adds up to another win for us.

Game 9, Chicago: Win. Another rookie RB, so-so defense, young QB who has been injury prone with no decent back-up, we're at home. Should take this one.

Game 10, New England: Loss. Nuff said.

Game 11, NY Jets: Loss. Weather will be a factor. Curtis Martin can pound the ball. The Jets have a very fast, active defense as well. They may sign Ty Law also. Herm Edwards is a better coach than Haslett. All equate to a loss.

Game 12, Tampa Bay: Win. I don;t see Tampa being a factor for two or three more years. We SHOULD beat them both times in this season. We allknow how that goes. But I am picking us for a win.

Game 13, Atlanta: Win. We have to pull one out against them, might as well be this one. Several factors could play here, our defense gelling late again, Vick being hurt, bring above .500 on the horizon, potential for playoffs, whatever the factors, we win this game.

Game 14, Carolina: Loss. I think they sweep us this year. Just a very good team as it stands right now, and should be competing for the NFC crown, barring injuries. Shelton should be taking over for Davis as the RB if he hasn't already, and he is more of a bruiser. Carolina's main weakness is in the receivers, but if they can run without fear of being stopped, it doesn't matter.

Game 15, Detroit: Win. Even with their shiny new offense, defense is still young and suspect, as well as Harrington. And I have little faith in Garcia even if he does play. And will Rogers even be healthy at this point? They have, on paper, a team that can score buckets of points, but at this point in the season, I think injuries will be a factor on their team, and to key players.

Game 16, Tampa Bay: Win. See above.

9-7, just missing the playoffs. But a couple of games, especially the Buffalo one so early in the season, could turn for us. Or, we could split with Tampa or get swept by Atlanta, so it could be worse. But 9-7 I think is a strong possibility, barring the unforeseen.