YawningAnus said:

bullocks

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Quote:

Saints Keys For Success


1. Blitz the left side of the Colts' line. With the sudden retirement of left tackle Tarik Glenn just before camp, GM Bill Polian looks like a genius for trading up to draft Tony Ugoh. Polian thought he was drafting Glenn's successor and figured the transition wouldn't take place for a year or two.

Ugoh protected Peyton Manning's blindside nicely in preseason against vanilla defenses, but this game will be his first true test. The Saints will attack Ugoh and guard Ryan Lilja by blitzing linebacker Scott Fujita and/or safety Roman Harper through the left side. This will make Lilja kick out wide to block defensive end Will Smith, a battle the Saints should win.

The Colts might be forced to keep in tight end Dallas Clark to help Ugoh in pass protection, easing the heavy burden on the Saints' secondary.

2. Attack the Colts' cornerbacks. The Colts lost both starting cornerbacks from the Super Bowl team, and Drew Brees should be sure to test replacements Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson. Hayden (6-0, 195) loses the size advantage to Marques Colston (6-4, 231), and Jackson lacks the quickness to stay with Devery Henderson out of breaks.

Look for Colston on hitch routes and jump balls, using his size to defeat Hayden. Henderson must use his explosiveness out of breaks to get inside Jackson after the snap and beat the cornerback on slant routes and go routes.

3. Use Reggie Bush on screen passes. Bush is the X-factor in this matchup because of his rare versatility. He can line up in the slot or in the backfield on any play.

Coach Sean Payton has a separate package for Bush because of his unique skill set. On screen passes, especially middle screens, center Jeff Faine can ride defensive tackle Raheem Brock down the line while right guard Jahri Evans climbs to the second level to clear out middle linebacker Gary Brackett. Once in the open field, Bush can use his agility and speed to create huge plays.


Colts Keys For Success


1. Run inside. The Colts have an elite passing attack with quarterback Peyton Manning throwing to Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Clark. Still, the key in the Thursday night opener could be the offensive line's ability to open holes for new starting running back Joseph Addai.

Center Jeff Saturday, Lilja and right guard Jake Scott must explode off the snap and get inside hands on the defensive tackles. Projected starters Hollis Thomas (weight) and Brian Young (foot) are ailing, but backups Antwan Lake and Kendrick Clancy played well in preseason. By steering the defensive tackles off the line, blockers will open seams for Addai. Plays like this will keep the defense honest and slow the pass rush.

2. Throw early to rookie slot receiver Anthony Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the Colts' first-round pick, takes over for Brandon Stokley (Broncos). At times, Gonzalez will be aligned against a linebacker, usually Scott Shanle, in man-to-man coverage. By using his speed and quickness to shake Shanle off the line, Gonzalez will be free on quick-out routes because cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Jason David first must account for Harrison and Wayne.

3. Stuff Saints running back Deuce McAllister. The Colts yielded 173 yards rushing per game last season, by far the NFL's worst run defense. Some of the Colts' problems can be traced to injuries to strong safety Bob Sanders, but a bigger problem was undisciplined play of defensive linemen and linebackers.

On undersized as a unit, linebackers Freddy Keiaho, Rob Morris and Brackett must better attack the line and meet McAllister in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage instead of making drag-down tackles five or 10 yards downfield. Look for the Colts to use more run blitzes Thursday to get the linebackers playing more aggressively

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