I’ll be inside the Dome tonight for the game with my Colts shirt secretly hidden underneath whatever else I’m wearing. I’ll also have my camera all charged up to take plenty of pictures for you all. So quickly, before the first slate of games starts, here are two things I’ll be looking for at the game tonight.
Saints Tackling
The Colts offense isn’t very good without Peyton Manning, but they can make the Saints pay if the team’s tackling woes continue. Go back to the Colts Monday night game against the Bucs. Curtis Painter threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The two score were to Pierre Garcon for 87 and 59 yards. The yardage numbers are deceiving because Painter threw the ball about a combined 17 yards on those two plays. On the first play the Bucs corner should have knocked Garcon out of bounds but botched the tackle. It should have been a first down for the Colts but instead ended up as a long touchdown pass. The second score it was an easy five yard screen that had tremendous blocking that ended up as a long touchdown. The Colts receivers have a lot of speed and will burn you if you don’t take them down the first time.
The same thing goes for the Colts’ running backs. They aren’t very good (I’ve never been sold on Joseph Addai) and the offensive line is banged up, but if you don’t tackle them the first time they have the ability to pick up a bunch of extra yards. The bottom line is that Saints fans do not want to see the Olay Tackles broken out tonight.
Redzone Struggles
The Saints have struggled getting touchdowns in the redzone this season and have settled for too many field goals. The key tonight will be getting yards of first and second down in the redzone. The Colts have Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis; two players who can absolutely wreck havoc on third down. The Saints will need to neutralize them by staying out of third and long. That will allow quick passes out of the back field to Darren Sproles or underneath to Jimmy Graham. Given how much the Saints’ defense has struggled this season, executing in the redzone and scoring touchdowns will be important to bag a comfortable win.
Also, if anyone is going to be around the Dome and wants to talk some football (or make fun of me because of the Colts , let me know in the comments below, on twitter @nolajake, or email me at [email protected]. Enjoy the games today!
