It’s official, as I predicted, that Matt Hasselbeck will start Saturday for the Seattle Seahawks. While very expected, I think this is somewhat bad news for the Saints in that Hasselbeck is experienced and battle tested.
I still think the Saints win, but I think Gregg Williams was foaming out the mouth to face Whitehurst and would have had a field day with him. Oh well, not to be. The 35 year old veteran played a pretty solid game against the Saints in the Superdome in the previous meeting this season throwing for 366 yards with no turnovers. For the season, though, he’s struggled with 12 touchdown passes to 17 interceptions. It’s clear that while he’s still capable and dangerous, his best years are behind him.
As for the injuries:
Malcolm Jenkins, Jimmy Graham, Anthony Hargrove and Danny Clark have all yet to practice this week with injuries. While Sean Payton claimed to be encouraged with Graham and reveal that Jenkins has a bruised kneecap with no structural damage, I doubt that either will play. If you’re not practicing and getting reps with the starting units, you’re usually not playing. The exception would be a big game in the playoffs but I think the Saints feel they can win without those players. Here’s why:
Malcolm Jenkins – The alternative is Darren Sharper. Sharper has been practicing with the starters all week and he’s good to go. You know Gregg Williams and Sean Payton trust their former Pro Bowler on a big stage like this.
Anthony Hargrove – He’s a situational player that hasn’t played well this year anyway. It just means increased reps for Sedrick Ellis and Jimmy Wilkerson on passing downs. No big deal.
Jimmy Graham – Having him would be nice, but the good news is that Shockey and David Thomas have both been practicing and should play. The tight end position is looking a little better off than it was a few days ago. The Saints would miss Graham most in red zone situations so I’m still holding out hope he could at least play in limited situations. Don’t see it happening, though.
Danny Clark – I was incredibly encouraged by the way Jo-Lonn Dunbar played against both the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (for the short amount of time he played). He would be in line to start if Clark can’t go. Dunbar is really turning a corner, and while my preference would be to start Clark because of his experience, why not throw throw the young guy in the fire? I love Dunbar’s upside and I think he’s ready.
And finally the best news of all: Marques Colston has been practicing all week and looks ready to go!
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