Saints At 49ers: Is It A Trap Game?

To all of my faithful Saints family--I must apologize for having neglected my blog for a week and a day.  But things got so hectic as the first game approached that I got caught up and found it hard to rebound.  After that, I came down with a terrible cold or the flu or something that has laid me flat on my back this week.  I want you all to know that I do appreciate you though and I want you to keep reading. 

I was so glad that our boys handed it to the Vikings--Yaaaaaay!!!  It didn't matter if they'd won by 5 points or 50, just as long as they beat those guys.  My friends Marylyn and Joan ran across a comment from one of their (Vikings) fans steady making excuses for THIS latest loss.  Like I told my girls, we are soooooo over the Vikes.  They are no longer our immediate problem nor are we theirs.  No more excuses, Vikings fans; the Saints beat you in the NFCCG and they beat you opening night---PERIOD---DOT--DASH!!!!!!

But what about these 49ers?  They were humiliated by their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks in a game I was sure the Niners would run away with.  It just goes to show that you can never take anything for granted.  We know that they have a workhorse in RB Frank Gore, but did y'all see Anthony Dixon in the preseason?  I'm too familiar with Dixon who played his college ball at Mississippi State; he often gave my LSU Tigers fits!  He's a physical young back that has a burst of speed and he's often tough to bring down.  I look for them to try to mix things up with him.  They're passing game is somewhat of a question mark, but I don't think it will be as terrible as in the game against Seattle.  I expect the big TE Vernon Davis to take most of that action, the way Minnesota utilized Shiancoe.  And y'all know we've got Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter ready to defend, so that's going to make it just that much tougher for them.  I think Jonathan Vilma and Sedrick Ellis will both have another big game because of the focus on stopping Gore and Dixon, but that will also force Alex Smith to try to make something happen vertically.  Hopefully, he'll be so pressured, he'll turn the ball over.

Our offense, on the other hand, should have a good day, provided the receivers can hold on to the ball this time and make the big plays.  The 49ers secondary is sort of thin and it should have problems matching up with the Saints three and four receiver sets.  Brees should crack 300 yards through the air for sure, but once again, the receivers have to hold on to the ball.  That can't be stressed enough.  As for our running game, we've got Evans and Nicks clearing the way for Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush (the X factor).  Bush might actually have a breakout game here if Coach Payton uses him correctly.  Running against SF is going to be tough, but I think our guards should provide enough of an opening for Thomas to post decent numbers.

I think that the Saints really need to be careful here, but I don't think it's a trap game for them at all.  They learned their lesson about taking situations for granted when they didn't practice right for the Dallas Cowboys last year.  I think it is going to be a tough game though--very physical and hard-fought, another defensive battle in week 2!  But if they limit the penalties and turnovers like last week, they'll be that much better.  They showed a lot of discipline and toughness against a very tough Vikings team.  Let's hope it carries over into the grinder they've gotta face Monday night.

That's it for now.  Please remember to check my daily posts at http://www.saintsgab.com/ .  And remember, let your life serve as a blessing to others.