Last night’s draft gave Saints’ fans high hope. With the 24th pick, the Saints select Cameron Jordan, defensive end from the University of California. Jordan brings much need athleticism to the Saints’ defensive line, and will hopefully prove to bolster the Saints’ pass rush. Last season the Saints generated 33 sacks, only 18th in the NFL. With strong quarterbacks Matt Ryan of the Falcons and Josh Freeman of the Buccaneers, the Saints will need a strong pass rush to compete for the division title. Though “Matty Ice” has shown great poise in the pocket, a strong pass rush will be able to force Josh Freeman to make mistakes. The Saints will also need a strong pass rush to contain the Panthers’ versatile Cam Newton. Additionally, a stronger pass rush should help the Saints’ secondary improve on its league-low nine interceptions last season.

Perhaps the shocker of the night was the Saints’ last minute trade with the New England Patriots to move into the 28th spot in the first round, which the Saints used to select Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Jr. The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner was an excellent selection, and should immediately bolster the Saints’ rushing attack, which had slipped to 28th in the NFL, averaging only 94.9 yards per game. Last season’s running back-by-committee approach failed to take the pressure off the passing game. It is likely Ingram’s arrival spells the end of Reggie Bush’s career with the Saints. What Ingram lacks in Bush’s game-breaking speed he makes up for with his ability to pound the ball between the tackle and be an every-down workhorse running back.

The Saints only have four draft picks left; two each in the third and seventh rounds. The Saints need to use its third round picks to upgrade its defense, with an emphasis on a run-stuffing linebacker and help in an aging and under-producing secondary.

Welcome to the first step of the march towards Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, with the defending champion Saints travelling to Seattle to face the NFC-West champion Seahawks. Much has been made over the Seahawks’ losing record. However, this will not be an easy test for the Saints. The Saints have played to the competition all season, most notably losing to lowly Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. The Saints won the week 11 matchup with the Seahawks in the Super Dome 34-19. New Orleans had a solid offensive performance in that game, with Drew Brees passing for 382 yards and four touchdowns, and Chris Ivory added 99 yards on the ground. Here New Orleans’ key areas of focus for this game.

Compensate for injuries
New Orleans has placed Ivory and running back Pierre Thomas in Injured Reserve, ending their seasons. Starting cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and tight end Jimmy Graham, a key contributor late in the season, are both out of the game as well. If the Saints are to win, they will need contributions from running backs Reggie Bush and Julius Jones, as well as tight end Jeremy Shockey and Tracy Porter.

Exploit the Seahawks defense
Seattle is ranked 27th against the pass (249.6 yards per game) and 21st against the run (118.9 yards per game). New Orleans’ passing attack averaged 277.6 yards per game, good enough for third in the NFL. Drew Brees and company need to establish the vertical passing game early, forcing Seattle to primarily use its nickel and dime packages. This will create soft zones in the middle of the field for Reggie Bush, and open up running lanes near the line of scrimmage.

Blitz Matt Hasselbeck
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is coming off a hip injury, which kept him from the season-ending game against the St. Louis Rams. With his limited mobility, Hasselbeck will not be able to scramble and prolong plays with his legs. New Orleans needs to blitz to pressure Hasselbeck into rushing his throws and throwing off his back foot, likely leading to interceptions by free safety Darren Sharper.

The Saints playoff experience and more talented roster should deliver a victory. Seattle will keep it close until the fourth quarter, but New Orleans will prevail, 33-14.

Today the New Orleans Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last week the Saints clinched a playoff berth by defeating the division-leading Atlanta Falcons. The Saints have a chance to improve its playoff position with a win and some help if the last-place Carolina Panthers can manage to defeat the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay is playing to determine its own playoff fate, and will not be an easy victory for the Saints. To win, the Saints will need to follow a few key things.

Maintain the up-tempo offensive style
Quarterback Drew Brees and company have regained the high-flying rhythm from last year’s Super Bowl run. Tampa’s defense is ranked sixth against the pass, allowing only 201 yards per game. The Buccaneers defense is allowing 133 yards per game, 28th in the NFL. The Saints will be able to maintain the passing game by establishing the run with Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory. A solid running game will force Tampa Bay to dedicate more defenders to the line of scrimmage, setting up play action and allowing New Orleans to spread the field with four and five receiver sets.

Contain the run
Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blunt has been an offensive force the past few games. Quarterback Josh Freeman has had a strong sophomore season, throwing for over 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions. However, Freeman does not have big-game NFL experience. If the Saints can contain the Buccaneers’ running game, Freeman will be forced to make plays on his own. This would force Freeman to play into the Saints’ strength; its turnover-generating defense.

New Orleans is more experienced and has more talent than Tampa Bay. Look for the game to be close, but New Orleans will pull out the victory, 28-17.

Today, the Saints take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Saints are coming off a 31-13 win off the St. Louis Rams, which was reminiscent of one of last season’s wins. The Saints’ passing game was operating on all eight cylinders, and the defense generated turnovers. The Ravens present a much stiffer challenge, with the talent on offense and its traditionally stout defense. The Saints have already beaten two of the three AFC North members faced, winning matchups against the Bengals and Steelers and losing to the Browns. To win, the Saints must do the following:

Exploit the Ravens’ Secondary
Safety Ed Reed is always a force to be reckoned with on defense, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the secondary. This matchup favors the Saints, especially the 6’4 Marques Colston. Last week the Houston Texans were able to expose this Ravens’ weakness, so look for Brees and Company to stretch the field vertically against the Ravens.

Protect Drew Brees
The Ravens’ swarming pass rush is well-renowned, especially with Terrell Suggs coming off the edge, and Haloti Ngata coming from the middle or the right end. The Saints need to keep Brees vertical so he can stretch the field. Look for New Orleans to keep tight end Jeremy Shockey in on pass plays for extra protection, or for the Saints to use two tight end formations.

Pressure Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is turnover prone is he’s rushed into making decisions. Using linebacker Jonathan Vilma to blitz on obvious passing downs could make Flacco uncomfortable, forcing him to make mistakes.

This should be a close game. Baltimore will run the ball with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to keep the Saints’ offense off the field as much as possible. However, the Ravens’ defense is not as solid as it used to be. Look for the Saints to prevail, 27-24.

The Saints managed to pull out a close victory over the hometown Bengals, eking out a 34-30 win. As has been the case this year, the game was very close, and took a last-minute miracle to pull out victory. On fourth down and two inside the Bengals’ 10 yard line, the Saints opted to go for it instead of attempting a field goal to send the game into overtime. Drew Brees was able to draw Bengals’ lineman Pat Sims off-sides. Brees then hit Marques Colston for a three yard touchdown for the go-ahead score.

The Saints only turned the ball over once, but did not generate any turnovers. On offense, the Saints were able to run for 146 yards, averaging an outstanding 6.6 yards per carry. The Saints’ defense allowed Caron Palmer to pass for 249 yards, but only allowed 3.7 yards per carry. If the Saints are to make a deep run into the playoffs, the defense must generate more turnovers and produce points, as it did last year.

Next week the Saints host the St. Louis Rams, who currently lead the NFC West. Until then, the Saints will enjoy this narrow victory, and look forward to a return trip to the Super Dome.

This week, the 8-3 Saints visit the 2-9 Bengals. New Orleans is coming off a thrilling Thanksgiving Day win over the Cowboys, while Cincinnati is reeling after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Jets, its eighth in a row. On paper this would appear to be a sure win for the Saints. However, the Saints have played down to the competition this year, losing to the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. Here are a few Ner Orleans’ keys to victory. Fight the Elements The Saints’ two previous games against AFC North opponents Pittsburgh and Cleveland were in the friendly confines of the Superdome. The Saint are only 2-2 in cold weather December games in the Drew Brees era, with both of those loses coming to the Chicago Bears. In those games, the Saints have averaged almost 31 points per game, so scoring should not be an issue. The forecast is calling for a 30% chance of snow during the day. To avoid turnovers, the Saints should keep the ball on the ground. The cold weather and snow will make passing very difficult. Establish the Running Game This has been the knock on the Saints all season, but it still remains true . New Orleans needs to establish the running game early to avoid turnovers and control the clock. Cincinnati allows 123 rushing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL. The Saints have a multi-pronged running attack, with Julius Jones, rookie Chris Ivory and Reggie Bush as the healthy backs on the depth chart. Pierre Thomas is listed as questionable. If he returns today it will add the important element of a strong inside running game. Get Reggie Bush Involved Last week’s game was Reggie Bush’s first game back from a broken leg, and was a rough outing for him. New Orleans needs his dynamic game to be incorporated if it wants to make a deep playoff run. The best ways to do this are to utilize Bush’s outside speed, by throwing him screen passes or running sweeps. Getting Bush involved will build his confidence, and make him valuable later in the season. Pressure Carson Palmer Although Palmer has two great receivers in Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, he has thrown 13 interceptions this year, tied for third in the NFL. The Saints need to blitz Palmer early and often to disrupt his rhythm and force him into mistakes, which he is prone to do. Despite the Saints’ advantages, look for this to be a close game. The Saints’ victories this year have been close, with the exception of blowouts of the Panthers and Buccaneers. New Orleans 33, Cincinnati 27.

The Falcons pulled off a thrilling victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers yesterday, extending the one-game lead in the highly competitive NFC South. Although the Buccaneers lost a tough-fought game against the Ravens, the Saints maintain only a one-game lead. With only give games remaining in the regular season, it is tough to tell which teams will make the final cut on the trip to Dallas.

At the beginning of the season, hopes were high for the Cowboys, Vikings and 49ers. After 11 weeks, those teams are 4-7, 3-8 and 3-7, respectively. Needless to say, the season is now wide-open. Are the Falcons going to end the Saints’ dominance of the NFC South? Can the newly-anointed comeback king Matty Ice overcome the Saints’ late-game defensive heroics? How will the Saints’ run defense stack up against running back Michael Turner? Saints fans, what do you think?

The Saints pulled out a thrilling victory over the Dallas Cowboys, 30-27. After jumping out to a quick 17-0 lead, the Saints suffered a stereotypical tryptophan-induced three quarters, eventually falling behind 27-23. The Saints showed signs of returning to last year’s form, with the passing game accounting for 352 yards, and a late-game turnover forced by the defense.

The Saints did an excellent job in the first half controlling the tempo of the game with Chris Ivory running for two touchdowns. The Saints tried to run the ball later in the third quarter, but by then momentum had swung the other way. Although it was a victory, the Saints have a few areas in need of improvement.

Reincorporating Reggie Bush

Reggie Bush showed signs of rust, dropping a pass that could have sealed the victory and fumbling, which gave the Cowboys a chance to get back into the game. Bush finished the game with one carry for one yard, and one reception for 12 yards. If the Saints plan on using Bush, he needs to get more involved quickly, as in the past he has done well when getting more involved right after a few mistakes.

Pass Rush

The Saints only sacked Jon Kitna once. Kitna was able to pass for 313 yards, and get Dallas back in the game. Especially with upcoming tough games against the Ravens and Falcons, the Saints will need to pressure the quarterback.

Defending the Big Play

The Saints’ aggressive blitz packages expose its defense to the big play. The Cowboys were able to get two big plays: the Miles Austin reverse to open the second half, and Roy Williams big catch up the middle of the field that almost put the game out of reach. If the Saints are to go deep into the playoffs, it cannot afford to rely on late game heroics and forced turnovers.

The Saints next play at the Cincinnati Bengals, who have lost eight games in a row. This should be an easy game for the Saints, although they did lose to the AFC North Cleveland Browns.

Happy Thanksgiving! Today the New Orleans Saints visit the Dallas Cowboys in a rematch of the game that handed the Saints the first loss of the 2009 season. The Saints are coming off a 34-19 home victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys, 2-0 in the Jason Garrett era, are coming off a 35-19 win over the Detroit Lions. Here are some of the key matchups to watch in between tryptophan-induced naps on the couch.

Saints passing game vs. Cowboys passing defense

Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints’ receivers have regained the rhythm and timing that lead to last year’s Super Bowl victory. The Saints rank third in the NFL in passing yards per game (286.8 yards per game), while the Cowboys rank 21st in the NFL in passing defense, allowing 235.1 yards per game.

The Saints running game

Over the last two games, the Saints’ running game has passed the 100 yard mark, something that been lacking this year. Chris Ivory and Julius Jones have brought a change of pace to the running game, which traditionally has relied on Pierre Thomas’ strong inside running and Reggie Bush’s perimeter speed. The Cowboys allow 117.3 yards per game, 22nd in the NFL. Look for the Saints to establish the running game early to force the Cowboys to put eight in the box, freeing up the Saints’ high-powered passing attack.

The return of Reggie Bush
The Saints have missed Bush’s game-breaking speed and big-play ability since he broke his leg against the San Francisco 49ers. Although Bush is listed as questionable, Sean Payton will make every effort to get him on the field. Look for the Saints to use Bush to establish the outside running game, and in screen or flare passes out of the backfield to exploit the matchup between him and the Cowboys’ linebackers.

The Cowboys pass rush
The Cowboys best chance for victory lies with its pass rush. Last year Demarcus Ware exploited the matchup with Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod. Look for the Cowboys to take an aggressive approach by blitzing early to throw Drew Brees off his rhythm. However, cornerbacks Terence Newman and Michael Jenkins have to shut down Marques Colston and Lance Moore, the Saints’ top two leading receivers who both have big-play ability.

Although the Cowboys are riding high off of two big wins under Jason Garrett, the Saints offense is too powerful for the Cowboys defense, and the Cowboys’ offense is too one-dimensional to keep pace with the Saints’ attack. Although Kim Kardashian may be conflicted between former beaus Miles Austin and Reggie Bush, I am not. My prediction: 35-14 Saints.

This week the New Orleans Saints host the Cleveland Browns. The Saints are coming off a 31-6 victory over the Buccaneers, after suffering a 30-20 loss at the Cardinals. This game should be a fairly easy test for the Saints. The Browns are coming off a 28-10 loss to the Steelers in rookie Colt McCoy’s first NFL regular season start. The Saints were able to establish the running game against the Buccaneers; something it had been unable to do so far this season. Here are the keys to a Saints’ victory.

Establish offensive balance
The Saints successfully established the run with Chris Ivory (158 yards on 15 carries) against the Buccaneers, and recently-acquired Julius Jones added 32 yards on nine carries. Cleveland is allowing 115.7 rushing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL. The Saints need to establish the run early, to allow Drew Brees and his receivers to spread the field.

Contain the Browns’ running game
New Orleans is allowing 106 rushing yards per game, 15th in the league. Surprising acquisition Peyton Hillis has rushed for 391 yards, good enough for 17th in the NFL. Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy will look to rely heavily on Hillis and the running game to keep the Saints’ offense off the field, and the game close.

Unleash the pass rush
The Saints need to push McCoy into making mistakes. The best way to do this is to establish the pass rush, which will make McCoy rush and make more mistakes. So far, the Saints have 11 sacks, sufficient enough or only 17th in the NFL. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis is the only Saints defender with more than one sack. New Orleans needs to bring linebackers on obvious passing situations to free up defensive ends Will Smith and Alex Brown to sack McCoy.

The Browns are clearly in a rebuilding year. Both sides of the ball are struggling. The Saints seemed to have rediscovered the balance and chemistry that delivered a Super Bowl victory last season. The Saints will continue to establish the running game against a weak rushing defense, and will pressure McCoy into making rookies mistakes: Saints 34, Browns 10.