There’s an update on the Superdome: Sunday’s game will take place at the Superdome. Fans are expected to come out in droves and the atmosphere is expected to be electric as the locals once again display their resiliency to the nation, per ESPN.com.
On to the rest of this post…. We recently asked our New Orleans Saints Blogger, Dave, from Canal Street Chronicles, a few questions about his New Orleans Saints ... here’s the Q & A with Saints blogger Saintsational:
JScott:
Is Deuce McAllister healthy? If McAllister is injured and misses time or is ineffective, will the Saints go with a committee of Bush/Pierre Thomas/Aaron Stecker again or will they try to feature one of the three?
Saintsational:
Deuce should be good to go on Sunday! He has progressively shown steady improvement as the pre-season wore on. I'm still not sure if he's the same old Deuce, but he it's looked pretty promising. I expect the team will use Reggie and Deuce the way they did in 2006, as a two back attack. Deuce for the up the middle pounding and Reggie with the outside stuff and short passes. I also think (read: hope) they use Pierre Thomas a bit. I am a huge PT Bruiser fan. Stecker can also get the job done, but I am not sure how much time he will see. I think it's safe to say we are fairly deep at running back.
JScott:
How have TE Jeremy Shockey, MLB Jonathan Vilma, DT Sedrick Ellis, and CB Randall Gay looked? Which new addition will have the biggest impact this season? How will Shockey fit into both the locker room and the offensive game plan?
Saintsational:
I will go through this one at a time. Shockey, we have no idea. He hasn't played a down yet. I haven't heard about him causing any trouble in the locker room so far, so thats a good sign. As far as fitting in with this offense, he should do nicely. I don't think Payton would have been so aggressive in acquiring him if he didn't plan on using him significantly. Vilma has looked pretty good and I expect as the season wears on he will continue to get better and better. Ellis has looked very good. I think the team made the right decision when they drafted him. Gay has been a little disappointing. He has not been the quick fix I think most people expected when we acquired him. He may just get used in Nickel packages. Out of all of them, I think Ellis will make the biggest impact because of how much help this defense needs.
JScott:
The Saints were projected to win the NFC South last season. We all know who took the division last season *cough cough*.. The Saints again are projected to take the NFC South this season, do you agree with that assessment? What makes you so confident or not (whichever applies)?
Saintsational:
Well, last year was an abberation. Things just started off poorly and we could never quite get back on track. Unfortunately, we can't predict the future, but on paper, I think the Saints should definitely run away with it this year. We have arguably the best offense in the division, if not the conference. All we need is the defense to play a little better, make some stops and maybe force some turnovers and we should be good to go. With a very strong emphasis on that part of our game this offseason, I definitely expect to see more out of those guys on that side of the ball.
JScott:
Is there a plan to keep Reggie Bush in that slash-type role or to focus more on one element of the offense (running the ball or catching the ball)? With the emergence of Mario Williams and the relative struggles of Reggie Bush as an every down back, some media types are dubbing Williams the better pro player than Reggie Bush. What's your take?
Saintsational:
I think they definitely plan on using Reggie in multiple aspects of the game, running and catching. I really don't think Reggie is an up the middle type of back. We know he's fast and he's got great instincts and moves, but he seems to require more open space to make those moves. Pitch outs, screens, quick slants and the like should help make Reggie more effective and put him in better situations to succeed.
JScott:
Name one player Bucs fans should keep an eye on, using none of the players mentioned above… Give us your prediction for Sundays match-up, complete with a projected score….
Saintsational:
DE Bobby McCray. I really like him. He's so fast off the end of that line. You may be familiar with his body of work this pre-season: Carson Palmer's nose. As far as the result of the game, you know I have to give it to the Saints. With the game still being played in the Superdome this Sunday following Gustav, I think the crowd will be even more electric than usual. You guys have no chance. I'm gonna go with 31-10. I think our defense will show up.
Thanks for letting us pick your brain Dave, now prepare to lose!!