NFC Championship - place your bets

[chiefwahoo]

New Orleans @ Chicago, Sunday 3:00 PM on Fox

Grossman vs. Brees
Reggie Bush vs. the Bears D
First NFC title game ever for the Saints
Bears trying to win with Grossman

This has the makings of a great NFC Championship game so let's start the wagering. Most places have the Bears favored by 2.5 at home so that's where I'll set it.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=270121003

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Saints hoping to rattle Grossman

Why To Watch
The Saints have had a Cinderella season and find themselves one victory away from their first Super Bowl appearance. Their offense is explosive behind the solid play of QB Drew Brees, RB Reggie Bush, WR Marques Colston and RB Deuce McAllister. However, it remains to be seen if this offense can play in cold weather. The Bears won a close game last week, with QB Rex Grossman playing his best game in recent weeks. Can he put together two solid games in a row and avoid multiple turnovers against the Saints?

When the Saints have the ball
Rushing: Saints coach Sean Payton likes to use a lot of shifting and motion to help QB Brees read the defense and to force the defense to realign. McAllister had one of his best games of the season Saturday against the Eagles (143 rushing yards, 6.8-yard average) and will look for similar success against the Bears. The Saints like to run the ball to the left side of their offensive line behind LT Jammal Brown and LG Jamar Nesbit. Fullback Mike Karney has done a good job of opening holes for McAllister and Bush by blocking and knocking linebackers out of the hole.

Bush has been a good change-of-pace back who gives opposing defenses matchup problems. The Bears have struggled of late to stop the run and will need to shut down the dynamic due of Bush and McAllister to make the Saints one-dimensional. Look for defensive coordinator Ron Rivera to utilize more eight-man fronts, zone-run dogs and line stunts this week to contain the Saints' ground game.

Passing: The Saints' offensive line has done a good job of protecting Brees, who gets the ball out of his hands quickly and attacks the underneath coverage off play-action. Brees also does an excellent job of protecting the football by making smart decisions. He had only 11 interceptions in the regular season and none Saturday against the Eagles. Look for Payton to attack the middle of the Bears' defense by getting Colston or tight end Billy Miller down the seam off play-action, which can provide solid protection for Brees if the Bears bring pressure.

Payton loves to create mismatches that put his skill players in a position to make plays. Look for Bush to be used a lot out of the backfield and in the slot to exploit weaknesses in the Bears' defensive scheme. The key for the Bears' pass defense is to get teams in long-yardage situations by shutting down the run on first down. That allows Chicago to play its two-deep scheme to take away the pass. MLB Brian Urlacher will be tested this week and must stay deep to protect the middle of the field. The Bears will need to dial up some pressure to get Brees.

When the Bears have the ball
Rushing: Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner used a ball-control approach Sunday against the Seahawks that allowed running backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson to take some pressure off Grossman. Look for Turner to call more right-sided running plays this week, as the Bears get most of their positive running plays to the right side. The Bears run the ball well on first down, giving them more options in play-calling on later downs.

The Saints had problems stopping the Eagles' running game. New Orleans' linebackers were often caught out of position, and the Saints must fix that problem this week. Their defensive front is not getting enough penetration (or stops) in the backfield and was near the bottom of the league in tackles for loss in the regular season. The Saints' D has also been susceptible to explosive runs (over 10 yards).

Passing: If the Bears can run the ball efficiently on first down, they will force the Saints to use a safety in run support, thus opening up the outside passing lanes for play-action. Look for the Bears to attack Saints CB Fred Thomas, who played poorly versus the Eagles, with either Muhsin Muhammad or Bernard Berrian deep off straight go routes or double moves, depending on the situation. Turner will look to get tight end Desmond Clark the ball down the seam if the Saints play a two-deep zone.

Grossman must play smart and protect the football because he does not want to give the Saints good field position off a turnover. The strength of the Saints' defense is its ability to stop the pass. The Saints have gotten a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, even though they have only 38 sacks. Defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith provide consistent pressure from the outside. Grant leads the team in quarterback hits and hurries with 46 combined.

 

[James]

damn, i this was a good game for a while, but the weather really seems to have phased the saints...reggie bush's TD celebration was a little OD.

 

[shutmouth]

I took the bears on this one. nice to see grossman do well.

 

[shutmouth]

I heard saints practiced indoors only. wonder who's dumb idea that was.

 

[James]

its also good to see an African-American coach get into the Super Bowl...its insane that there have been 41 Super Bowls and not 1 time was an African American coaching either team. Also, its good to see a Running Back from SoCal conduct himself with "class" after losing. although he had the TD which was to much.

 

[Mac]

You have no right to talk about class.