Falconcast: Saints Preview
Contrary to popular belief, working out of the home office isn’t always so great.
Take three days before the biggest Falcons game of the year…
As I type, I’m laid up in the comfy office chair with some sort of illness that may or may not be mildly contagious. That said, I’m not taking any chances (who wants to be the guy that gets everyone sick)?
Luckily, I’m blessed to have great friends and coworkers that make up the rest of the AF.com team.
Matt Moore, New Media Intern Vance and John Manasso kept things going.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FALCONS-SAINTS PREVIEW
I know everyone is going to talk this weekend — and at the office Monday — about the Saints offense and what the Falcons need to do to slow down Drew Brees on Monday Night Football. But the thing that continues to draw my attention is the New Orleans defense.
As Matt (@FalconsMMoore) puts it: “We always knew they were scary on paper, but they’re starting to put it together a bit.”
New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the architect of a Titans defense that helped the team to the Super Bowl and, though he hasn’t had success as a head coach, his defenses have sparked teams to greatness.
With that, here are some of my Keys to the Game (live from the office chair):
- Plan well. I hate to go back to preparation because game day often requires last-minute adjustments, but the Saints have a top-5 offense and score upwards of 40 points a game like I’ve been flipping channels from the sick bed. They make it look easy. You beat that with careful preparation.
- Handle the pressure. I’m stealing this one from John but trust when I say it would be a key if I were on the air or not. According to center Todd McClure the Saints have been blitzing on more than 50 percent of their plays. Part of that is because they’ve played with ridiculous leads and know the opponent is passing. Part of it is game plan. Oh, thanks John.
- Run, run, run. The best defense is a good offense. If the Falcons can run the ball early and get a lead on New Orleans then hold on to the ball and control the clock, tremendous amounts of pressure will be removed from the defense. And, against Drew Brees and Co. it will be appreciated.
MORE FALCONS-SAINTS COVERAGE:
- SCOUTING REPORT: Updates on injuries and key stats from John Manasso
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Stats, preview information, video and more from AF.com
- BLOGS: An inside look at the Falcons on the official blog site<
- VIDEO: Video interviews and more as the Falcons prep for the Saints
- FALCONCAST: Matt and John preview Monday night’s game against the Saints
- INJURY REPORT: Updates on Falcons and Saints injuries
- EXPERT’S TAKE: Thoughts on the NFL and the Falcons running game
- WHAT TO WATCH: Some stats that could be key on Monday night
- NUMBERS, NOTES AND COLORS: Notes and fun facts to get you ready for the game
So can anyone tell me anything about the signing of aaron stecker as far as what kind of replacement he is gonna be and how good of a quality player is he?
He is a veteran backup back that has been in the league for about 10 years, he has a superbowl ring with the TB bucs as a return man, and has been training his butt off all spring, summer, and fall to get ready to play again. Be prepared to see a new improved younger healthier looking, and more explosive stecker. He has a lot of heart, now let’s see if it will convert to on the field success.. GOOD LUCK STECK!!
obviusly contrlling the clock an running the ball is the game plan. the problem is that we cant . every time i hear mike smith say thats the game plan we fail to excute. this game is gonna rest soley on matt ryan out scoring drew brees and just hope we can get a turn over or two cause its all we are good at on defense. so matt really is gonna have to play at a whole nother level an are gonna have to go for it on 4th down a couple of times to win this game.
what hell is wrong with this site. i didnt write that
and someone needs to tell mike smith that this team is matt ryan and mike mlrakys team and mike smith needs to focus on what he does best and thats defense. thats just how it is, some teams are the coaches some are the defense some are whatever. all 4th down descions should be matt ryans call all the time.
Stecker, 33, has spent his entire career in the NFC South, doing stints with Tampa Bay and New Orleans, and carried a career-high 114 times for the Saints in 2007. Stecker could fill a backup role behind Michael Turner in Atlanta and he also has return abilities and can fill in for Norwood in that area.
milloway101, i concur with you. we lost to NE because we never played 4th. it has to be Matt to decide and I’m saying we’ve got nothing to lose. the recipe of the game is determination+desperation. If i see us punting 4th and 2 (or less) in our 40-es I’m saying we’re doomed…
GO FALCONS!!!
The key to this game which controls all aspects if the Falcons are to win is a successful running game. Perhaps Stecker, the unknown commodity, can be instrumental in assisting. The only way to really control Brees and the Saints’ offense is to keep them off the field.
@milloway101
y should there be a head coach then…?
what the hell is wrong with u whoo gives a crap about stecker atlanta is the bomb