Saints preparing for matchup with Falcons
After their Monday night tilt with the 49ers, the Saints had to travel back home to New Orleans in the wee hours of Tuesday morning to begin their preparations for their matchup with division rival Atlanta.
As unfortunate as the short week of preparation is for the Saints, the loss of Reggie Bush for the next four to six weeks puts the team futher behind the eight-ball in their preparations for the Atlanta matchup. The Falcons, considered by many to be either the favorites to with the NFC South or the Saints toughest 2010 competition, will be looking to make a statement against the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Saints defeated the Falcons twice in 2009, both both of those victories were two of the Saints tighter wins, as the Falcons always give the Saints their best shot. It will be interesting to see how fast the Falcons come out of the gate to start the game, and how the Saints offense responds following the loss of one of the most valuable players in Bush.
After Bush injury, Saints resign Betts
After Saints running back Reggie Bush was officially diagnosed with a fibula fracture and is expected to return for the second half of the season, the Saints resigned a familiar face to their active roster.
Running back Ladell Betts, who was signed late in training camp after PJ Hill’s season ending injury and was one of the final players released before the start of the season, was resigned by the team on Wednesday. He is expected to help void the hole in the Saints’ running back corps while Bush recovers from his injury. To make room for Betts on the roster, the Saints cut running back DeShawn Wynn, a late addition to the team in training camp who has mainly played on special teams during the regular season so far.
While Betts won’t be the answer in Bush’s absence, he will provide a veteran backup to go along with Pierre Thomas in the Saints backfield. Even though no one player can duplicate what Bush did for the Saints, Sean Payton and the coaching staff will likely go with a committee approach to fill Bush’s backfield void. Running back Chris Ivory is expected back in a week or two from his preseason injury, which should also make the time go by faster until Bush is healthy again.
Saints’ Bush reportedly has fibula fracture
While the good news from Monday night was that the Saints pulled out a hard-earned win over a feisty 49ers team, some sobering news came with the good.
After Reggie Bush was helped off the field and carted to the locker room following the pile up on his dropped punt return, ESPN has reported that he suffered a fracture in his fibula, and could miss four to six weeks with the injury.
While the injury could be worse, and the Saints are fortunate that he is not out for the season, it is a tough break for both the player and the team. The Saints offense really thrives on Bush and the mismatches he can create with defenses, which opens up lots of other players for big plays. Other players, like Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, must step up in his absence for the Saints to keep rolling.
It’s also hard to imagine it getting much tougher on Bush currently. The week after forfeiting his Heisman Trophy, he gets seriously injured in a game where scored a touchdown, but was largely ineffective. It’s hard to see a guy hit so much when he’s down, but hopefully he will use all of the hardships as fuel and come back stronger than ever when he recovers.
Saints outshine 49ers, win 25-22
For the second straight week, the Saints offense didn’t click on all cylinders, but for the second straight week, the Saints pulled out a hard-earned victory over a quality opponent.
On a national Monday Night Football broadcast, the Saints got off to a hot start via a safety just over a minute into the game courtesy of a very high snap from the 49ers center. The Saints followed their two-point gift by scoring on a methodical touchdown drive, capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Reggie Bush.
However, for the second straight week, the Saints offense stalled after the first quarter. The Saints did not reach the end zone again until Brees’s pass to David Thomas in the third quarter.
No matter how much the Saints offense struggled, their defense and special teams picked them up. Garrett Hartley atoned for his poor week one showing by kicking three field goals, including the game winner with time expiring. The Saints defense and special teams also recorded four takeaways, while the Saints offense did not put the ball on the turf once.
Overall, it was an entertaining game, and a great game for Saints fans. A sign of a good team is when the team is outplayed for the entire game, but is still able to pull out a victory. That’s what happened to the Saints tonight, and are 2-0 as they face Atlanta in their week three matchup that should be highly entertaining.
NFC South Roundup: Week Two
If someone would have stated before the beginning of the season that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be the first team in the NFC South with two wins, not many people would have believed them. But on the Sunday night of the second week of the season, the Bucs stand alone at the top of the NFC South, even though the Saints can tie them with a win on Monday Night against the 49ers.
Through a balanced attack featuring a strong running and passing game, the Bucs topped division rival Carolina 20-7. On the other side of the division, Carolina, at 0-2, has looked shaky at best during their first two games, losing handily against both the Giants and the Buccaneers, with quarterback Matt Moore struggling mightily in both games.
Atlanta, considered by many to be the Saints top competition in the NFC South, fared much better in their second game than in their first one. They throttled the Arizona Cardinals 41-7, with all of their points being unanswered. Matt Ryan and the Falcons bounced back nicely after their disappointing opening loss against the Steelers. The Falcons play the Saints in week three, and we can all expect the Falcons to come out ready to play and make a statement against the reigning NFC South and Super Bowl champion Saints in their week three contest.
