Saints win napping contest

By Dan Rodgers

So out of depression I'm not going to talk too much about this one. The Saints won 14-9.

They did nothing but throw the ball in the first half. The game showed promise as New Orleans scored in two minutes on their opening drive. Brees threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson. Minnesota responded with a field goal in the second quarter, and then a touchdown to Shiancoe with under a minute to play in the half (XPT blocked).

The Saints punched it in again on a one-yard run by Pierre Thomas. Thomas got the bulk of the carries but Reggie had two carries and five catches.

Jon Vilma intercepted Favre on a play in which Brett got destroyed (see left). The INT didn't lead to any points because Hartley missed the field goal (46 yards). He missed another one in the second half (32 yards). Uh oh, issues in the kicking game?

Favre completed three passes in the second half, all on their final drive of the fourth quarter which amounted to no points. He was forcing balls into coverage and didn't seem to move around the pocket too well. It will be interesting to see if Favre continues to throw the ball 25+ times per game if he is having issues. AP only had 87 yards on 19 carries and three catches for 14 yards. Peterson will most likely see an increase in workload as the season progresses. Bodes well for fantasy owners.

Brees seemed to be mostly on point with his receivers. Checked down quite a bit but didn't take too many risks. He made a few really nice throws down field. One thing I did notice, the Saints had 25 carries. They seemed to want to pound the rock a bit more often than last season. It is a solid formula for victory, but they won't cover too many spreads that way.

Well, the rest of my week one picks end up a bit better than that.

Rodgers That

Opening Night: Vikes @ Saints

By Daniel Rodgers

Okay folks, the time has finally arrived! Opening night of the NFL season minutes from going underway and I couldn't be more excited. I have a few more days to wait until my Jets play the opening MNF game, but I just love football in general.

Spread: Saints -5.5 Over/Under: 48.5

The Saints are opening the 2010 NFL season at home against the Minnesota Vikings. Since the Super Bowl champs started consistently hosting the opening game in 2004, they haven't lost. I don't think New Orleans will break that trend.

Vikes: A lot of people are saying that the Viking defense is going to bring some payback for the beating that Brett Favre took during the NFC Championship game. I don't think too much will happen outside of the ordinary. In terms of the offense, don't be surprised to see a lot of Adrian Peterson. This means you could expect a lot of fumbles, we'll have to wait and see if AP made the necessary adjustments.

Nawlins: The Saints are coming off of the first Super Bowl in franchise history. They have a high-flying offense and a big-play defense. Their offense is compiled of Brees, and he just makes everyone better. There is no one special, Colston is a damn good receiver and they have other talented players. Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Robert Meachem are nothing to brag about but Brees' ability increases their value. The same goes with their defense. Jon Vilma and Will Smith are good players but it's the big play they make that changes games. They don't shut teams down, they just force turnovers when necessary.

I like the Saints to repeat what they did in the NFC Championship game, just with a bit more authority. Look for the Saints to try to strip the ball like they did last season. The game will be a big test for AP. The Saints should cover the spread, but I think the over/under will be close because the odds maker people are good at their job.

My Prediction: Saints 30 Vikings 23

Saints -5.5 Over 48.5

Rodgers That