He said that in looking at film from Saturday's game, the Saints did well with running McCallister. He went on to say that whatever the Saints decide to do in attacking offensively that the Chicago D "should be ok however they do it". Keep believing. Of course Payton was classy in saying that the Bears O was well balanced and that their D is solid. He also went on to say that their special teams poses definite problems that makes it a challenge this week. I really don't think Chicago will take the Saints seriously enough. They think they are preordained to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl with their runaway #1 seed and 13-3 record. Grossman has false sense of security that his problems are behind him now and won't prepare amply enough. Like I said, keep believing.
Saints Game plans, Punts - KICK BALL OUT OF BOUNDS KickOffs - Kick the BALL OUT of the ENDZONE DEF - KNOCK Sexy Rexy on his ASS every single play! Off - RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN Run Early and Run Often! Win Saints!
This is true. Sad thing about it is that they ordained themselves as the NFC champs. Every analyst in the sports world seems to be picking the saints to win this game.
Here' the take from Chicago Sun-Times (sorry, no link so I had to cut/paste the whole thing): suntimes.com Member of the Sun-Times News Group The big uneasy: Saints a threat With Brees, McAllister, Bush in high gear and most of America behind them, Sean Payton's team presents a mighty challenge for the Bears on Sunday January 15, 2007 BY NEIL HAYES Staff Reporter NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints will be the sentimental choice and popular pick to beat the Bears in Sunday's NFC Championship Game and reach the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchise's 40-year history. Here are 10 reasons why the Saints could shatter the Bears' Super Bowl dreams: 10: DREW BREES In one season, Brees has become the most popular quarterback in the Crescent City since Archie Manning. He accomplished that with equal parts compassion for Hurricane Katrina victims and by leading the league in passing yardage (4,418). He is a savvy quarterback who is the personification of coach Sean Payton on the field. He is patient enough to take the short throws while also leading the league with 41 completions of 25 yards or more. He had eight 300-yard passing games during the regular season for an offense so diverse that 10 receivers had at least 14 receptions. 9: COACHING Payton did a great job of identifying Brees as his quarterback and designing an offense that takes full advantage of his personnel. But if there's one reason why he was voted coach of the year, it's because of his game-planning and play-calling. If you don't believe it, ask his former boss Bill Parcells, whom he masterfully outcoached during a stunning 42-17 victory in Dallas late in the season. Payton will have some wrinkles for Bears coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Before players can make plays in big games, coaches must put them in position to succeed. Whoever wins the strategic chess match will have a big edge. 8: DEUCE McALLISTER The Saints' all-time leading rusher had 143 yards on 21 carries against the Eagles, proving he's the type of bruising runner that can create problems for the Bears and give New Orleans the ability to grind out a win at cold and windy Soldier Field. McAllister rushed for 100 yards or more in four of his last five games and carried the ball nine out of 15 times late in the fourth quarter Saturday -- when everybody knew what was coming -- and still was able to keep the chains moving and preserve the Saints' victory. 7: ROAD WARRIORS Teams that play in domes often are exposed on the road. That's not true of the Saints, who outscored opponents by an average of 30-19 while winning six of eight games on the road this season, which would seem to dilute the Bears' home-field advantage. 6: REGGIE BUSH The Bears are one of the league's best tackling teams when they are playing well, but they need to be extra careful with Bush, who has the rare ability to turn a nominal gain into a game-changing play. Handing the ball to Bush is like pulling the lever on a slot machine. Every once in a while, it pays off big, which is why Bears defenders must be diligent. He stretches defenses vertically when he lines up at wide receiver and horizontally on swing and screen passes in the flats. If the Bears thought they had trouble stopping Shaun Alexander, Bush and McAllister could be double trouble. 5: DEFENSE IN DECLINE The Bears' defense isn't the threat it was before Mike Brown and Tommie Harris suffered season-ending injuries. They Bears have allowed an average of 356 yards in their last seven games after allowing 251 per game in their first 10. That would seem to be a big advantage for a Saints offense that gained 435 yards (6.0 yards per play) and was hitting on all cylinders against the Eagles. 4: SAINTS' FRONT SEVEN The numbers are somewhat deceiving. Yes, Eagles running back Brain Westbrook ran for 116 yards, but the majority of those came on a 62-yard touchdown in the third quarter. In the first half, the Eagles had 11 carries for 14 yards, and therein lies a potential problem for the Bears. The Saints, despite ranking 23rd in run defense and 30th in rush yards per carry, excel at stuffing the run and forcing the quarterback to throw early in games, which is the ideal game plan against Rex Grossman. If Grossman plays well early, he's usually on his way to a solid game. When he struggles early, he can come undone. 3: BOOKENDS Will Smith and Charles Grant give the Saints one of the best young defensive-end combinations in the league, which is troubling for two reasons -- the first being the pressure the Seahawks put on Grossman on Sunday. Secondly, the pass rush of Smith and Grant, who combined for 16½ sacks, when coupled with the front seven's run-stopping ability could make it even tougher for Grossman. 2: SPECIAL TEAMS The Saints have blocked a punt this season. They have blocked a field goal. They have recovered an onside kick, and Bush returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. Suffice to say, Bush is a dangerous returner. So is Michael Lewis, who has yet to return a kickoff for a touchdown but has returns of 43, 46, 47 and 53 yards this season. Kicker John Carney has connected on 23 of 25 field goals with a long of 51. New Orleans, ranked sixth in opponents' punt-return average, is equipped to stop Devin Hester. The Bears usually have a special-teams advantage over opponents, even if their kickoff coverage team had its worst game of the season against the Seahawks. They still will have an advantage because of Hester, but it may not be a big one. 1: VOODOO The most dangerous teams stand for something besides winning. It can be tradition, a style of play or a standard of excellence. The Saints have come to represent a city trying to rebuild after a devastating natural disaster. There's a little bit of magic around this team that makes you feel as if the Saints are being swept along by outside forces. [email protected]
Great post SabanFan. That was a pretty damn fair writeup on the Saints and the problems they pose. Saints will have to do a lot of things wrong to lose this game: 1) Dropped passes - we avoided this against Philly but have had our problems before 2) Penalties - Saints are most discipliined team in the NFL 3) Turnovers - Saints have had only 2 turnovers in their last 6 games not counting the exhibition game vs. Carolina 4) Big plays - this continues to haunt us with Philly converting 2 of them for TDs otherwise the defense plays a fairly stout game (200 yards allowed vs a great Philly offense if you take away Stallworth and Westbrook long TDs) 5) The "Hester factor" - Payton must scheme to prevent either a kickoff or punt return that could change the game into the Bears favor
