The best part of the game today is that once it starts we can start focusing on it as fans and at least momentarily leave behind the painful ending of week 1 in Atlanta. I’m not ready to call this game a “must win” but going 0-2 to start the season would be a big hole to climb out of. This is certainly a winnable game for the Saints and it’s critical to play well if they want to bounce back from what was hopefully an aberration. Cleveland presents a completely different challenge than the Falcons did as they are built very differently from a tactical standpoint. I will say this: if the Falcons’ offensive line had a tremendous amount of success against the Saints that does not bode well against the Browns. If you could pick the receiving core as Atlanta’s biggest roster strength, for the Browns it’s the offensive line. Left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack in particular are as good as it gets. That doesn’t mean the Browns are a better team than the Saints, they’re not. I expect the Saints to win this game, but it is a challenge to be sure. Here’s five things I’m looking for in this game:
1. Please tell me Steve Spagnuolo only came back to guest coach for one game
If Cleveland comes close to duplicating what Atlanta did on offense, it’s time to panic. I’ve seen a lot of jokes about how the Saints’ defense last week reminded people of the “Spags era”. I’ve made the joke myself. But here’s an even scarier truth: as bad as Spagnuolo’s defense was (read: THE WORST IN NFL HISTORY) it never had a game that bad. That’s right, the Saints gave up more yards in that game against Atlanta than any individual game in 2012. It was the second worst performance yardage wise in team history. That also means Rob Ryan currently is on pace to obliterate Spagnuolo’s record. Now I don’t think any of us expect this to continue, but it needs to end now. We all want to see the defense respond and play well. I don’t think it’s fair to expect a complete 180 in 7 days, but there needs to be significant improvement. It’s almost impossible not to improve, especially considering the weaker offensive opponent this week. Cleveland will run, run and run in this game, so it will be a different gameplan. We’ll see Parys Haralson more, and we’ll see Rafael Bush less. This will be about filling gaps and tackling. Stopping the run, or at least slowing it down, is paramount. A different assignment, but one that will require better play nonetheless. I’m not expecting much from Patrick Robinson but I know Galette, Jordan, Byrd, Lewis, Vaccaro and others can all do much better this week.
2. How do the Saints run the ball?
The Saints offense was firing on all cylinders and I can’t wait to watch them play more this weekend. It’s too bad the stellar offensive performance is being disregarded due to the heart breaking overtime loss. But I was impressed by how good the offensive line was, the backs, the quarterback, the receivers. Everyone was playing well. So maybe we will see more of a commitment to the run? If Mark Ingram has his way we certainly will. Will his pouting lead to even more carries? I’m fine with that if he can duplicate that performance. I’m not sure what that means for Khiry Robinson in terms of reps (we know Pierre Thomas will still be the receiving back) but if this offense can continue to run the ball like they have it makes them virtually unstoppable.
3. Junior Galette vs. Joe Thomas
One of the tastiest matchups in this game. When it’s 3rd and 5 or more, we’ll see the Saints’ newest $40 million + man against one of the best tackles the game has to offer. Based on Galette’s lack of success against Jake Matthews, he could me in for a long day, but I have a feeling he’s going to come out hungry and will be up for the challenge of facing arguably the best blocker he’ll go up against all season.
4. Let’s get penalized more! More penalties please!
I’m calling for more penalties. Sounds crazy, right? I don’t want the team to make a bunch of mental errors and play crazy, but they were only penalized 3 times in Atlanta. On the road! I believe penalties were a major point of emphasis because of how out of hand things got in the preseason. So much so that it actually caused the team to lose a little aggressiveness defensively. Maybe that’s a ridiculous theory, but I’ll live with a few more flags if it means the team plays more physical. I’m not talking double digits here, but let’s lean on the side of being more aggressive at the risk of a handful more flags, guys.
5. Receiver rotation?
Last week having no Kenny Stills meant Robert Meachem was active, and Nick Toon was a healthy scratch. So what if Stills is healthy and ready to come back? It looks like he might play. If he does, do the Saints still keep two receivers inactive? If so, which two between Toon, Meachem and Morgan? Or will they activate five receivers if Stills is a go, while continuing to shelve Toon? And would a return by Stills mean less targets for Brandin Cooks? Can’t wait to see how that all plays out.
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