Now It Counts

The tease that is pre-season is mercifully over. Saints fans have been waiting all year for a game that means something and that time has arrived. On the talent side, summer yielded two pleasant surprises. RB Mike Bell may be an answer to an inside running game and Rod Harper came up a lucky 13, running "downhill" while gaining gobbles of yards returning punts, not an easy chore. He and Reggie Bush potentially make the punt return team the most potent in the league. Better field position means more points. There were no real surprises on the final cuts, except for veteran DE Paul Spicer, leaving the team thin at that position while starters Grant and Smith serve 4 game suspensions out of the gates. I worry that the defense did not add another outside linebacker of note. It was wise to add a young QB, accomplished former Missouri QB Chase Daniel, to begin to develop for the dreaded day that Drew Brees is done. Mark Brunell looks every bit of 39 and hopefully won't be pressed into duty for any extended period of time. TE Billy Miller was a needless casualty of pre-season, rupturing an Achilles heel in the second quarter against Miami that knocked him out for the year. Miller has already proven to be a capable, reliable receiver for Brees, even if something of a stepchild in Sean Payton's eyes. Miller had no business being on the field and there are several young TE's on the roster behind Shockey that should have been getting all the snaps last Thursday, thus the coaches have already made their first blunder of the new season, hopefully one of only a handful. The Lions will inevitably bring some opening day scrap and a rookie QB on Sunday. There are basically two ways to handle a rookie QB, be careful and try to get a feel - or wing it. Don Shula had Dan Marino do the latter when he made his first start against the Saints in the Dome way back when. Marino threw for a fair amount of yards but still lost with an inferior team, a precursor of things to come for him. I am guessing the Lions will go the conservative route with their new QB, though opponents should be expected to continually test the Saints defensive backfield deep until they prove they can stop it. New Lion coach Jim Schwartz is defensive oriented (Titans) and may try to pressure blitz Brees early, stumping the offense a little at first, but the home team should take control of this game relatively easily the longer it goes on. The Saints are almost two touchdown favorites for a reason. It may behoove Gregg Williams to only show as many special defensive packages as he needs to on film; a far superior challenge awaits the following week up in Philly. Geaux Saints, Geaux. '09 could be divine.