To Rest, or Not to Rest: Part Deux

AND they could play without getting a new injury or reinjuring a mostly healed injury, then maybe it would make sense to play everyone Sunday, but that’s not likely and it is risky.

Additionally, if all starters play and we lose because either Carolina is really on a roll or Carolina handles the weather better than we do (we haven’t had a bad weather game all year) , it doesn’t help our teams fragile psyche.

The only chance we have is to rest up and prep up, make some adjustments. We only have to win 2 home games to go to the Super Bowl. And, we may face 2 beat up teams and we will have much more time to prep and be prepared with a good game plan than them. A key injury or two to oppoents (such as Eagles center or Carolina’s Steve Smith) can really help us out tremendously and while you don’t really want to hope for that, the reality is that starting with last Sunday, Phila, Dallas, Ariz, Green Bay and Minnesota- all except one are really having like 3-4 playoff intensity games before they even get to our round. They are fighting for high stakes even before the playoffs start, it could take its toll.

For ooh, I don’t know. Say maybe………HALF THE TEAM.

I saw what I needed to see in the first quarter of the Bucs game. I saw that we are still the team that we once were and we can be. I know that the rest of the game was played like crap, but I think that was kinda the plan. I don’t know for sure, but based on the playcalling for the offense, I hope that was what the plan was. If if wasn’t then I don’t know, maybe we should play our hearts out to the extent no one else gets injured. Do you really want to be Sean Payton and have Drew Brees go down with a broken leg ala Theisman???

Coaches should call a team meeting after practice and everyone should talk it out. I would have no problem with resting the starters, as long as everyone was on board with it and understood the reasons behind it. As long as the team had a good mindset and understood that a loss to the Panthers truly meant nothing, then no problems. We don’t want to have any resentment simmering beneath the surface. Like Payton Manning toeing the line after their loss. He spoke all of the right phrases in the post game conference, but many sportswriters said that his body language revealed something totally different. Plus the fact that he never removed his helmet after being pulled spoke volumes. I don’t think he was a happy camper!

I think Malcom jenjins should play he needs the experience

Look, a chance to rest your players for an extra week going into the playoffs in which you have homefield advantage is too big to pass up here. Momentum is extremely overrated. The Saints clobbered the Bucs and Pats…so they should have been amazing against Washington right? Nope. Dallas lost two in a row and came to New Orleans against a 13-0 team. So, the Cowboys lost miserably, remember? Oh, wait…

Yeah. And this is actually two weeks of time between games, not one. So, treat this game like a preseason game and give yourselves the best chance to win in the playoffs. Also, giving the backups some time might not be bad idea. We’ll probably need some of them en route to the Super Bowl.

Who plays QB if we put brunell back there and peppers has a career sack day against him he’s old and wont last the whole game
I think we should activate Chase Daniels i would like to see him in the game saturday which is meaningless
This is the perfect setting to find out if he can be a long time back up because Brunell will be gone after this year

I think we should practice as normal this week and line up and play as well, but after a quarter or so, bring in Brunell, etc. Also, anyone who is slightly banged up can rest

That being said, I expect Brees to be in street clothes.

A lot of our key players are going to be in the game no matter what. We can’t afford additional injuries.

I guess I think that if anyone is injured at all then they should not play. Otherwise we need to keep at it. I wish that our corners would play against Steve Smith because I think he’ll test them. I’d like to see Sharper sit and I might rest Big Sed. I’d use Hamilton at running back unless he has difficulty blocking. I’d keep Bush’s touches to a minimum as well as Bell’s. PT won’t play. If Shockey played I wouldn’t let him go more than a half. And I’d sit Colston, Dev and Meach for a significant amount of time. I’d be most inclined to rest Meach because he’s used to playing off the bench. Dev and Colston have been hot and cold this year so I"d give them some touches.

Essentially, this comes down to a player by player evaluation for me.

SP should … rest our key guys with injuries of course; Greer, Shockey, Shanle, Moore and the others that are nursing injuries. We need Pierre Thomas to be 100% for the playoffs.

Having said this …
I still believe the majority of first string units should start the game and play the better part of the first half!!! It’s important going into a bye to work on what needs attention.

So play those who need to play and consider it an opportunity to practice …
but in a game situation.

Offensively …
I think little has changed and in fact I believe we may actually be in better shape than we were at the beginning of the season. The emergence of Meachem and the improvement in Reggie’s yards per carry are encouraging.

Drew is Drew!!!
He is consistent and automatic and as such he and the first string should see no more than a quarter or two of action.

What has been inconsistent as of late …
it the offensive fronts inability to protect the pass rush. Against Dallas and a handful of others, Brees just didn’t have the time needed to make plays. Some improvement is needed here.

I have been encouraged by our secondary’s overall improvement since Porter’s return and am hopeful Greer will be on board soon as his coverage has been missed. These two guys in addition to Sharper and Vilma, put the "D" in the Saint’s Defense.

Speaking of something missed …
our teams ability to stop the run, worries me as we head into the second season …
the season that counts!!!!

I think that Sunday’s matchup against Carolina will be a good test even without DeAngelo Williams on the sidelines as Jonathon Stewart has been a load and was key to the Panther’s win this past Sunday.

So the starting D should see as much if not more game action come Sunday as our offense!!!

When Drew comes out …
and Brunell marches the Saints down field …
I’m hoping Hartley gets a chance knock some pigskin through the uprights as he certainly just needs more opportunities going forward!!!

After week 17, I’m hoping the bye gives our injured and the coaching staff ample time to heal, fix and tweak …
and that the Saints finish what they’ve started

The Saints clinched home field advantage because the Vikings are collapsing worse than they are. What the Saints need to do is get on track before the playoffs and get a statement win against Carolina.

Just by reading some of the posts in the last couple of days, I think a lot of us need it! Should give some egos a chance to mend!

I’ve gone back and forth on this, but they’re obviously hurting, and could use the time off. They got more than a single week to recuperate, which could do the running backs, Shockey, the precious outside linebackers, and whoever else is playing through pain right now a chance to really get healthy. If the O-line could use the rest(they’re all on every injury list, so my guess is they could), I’d say, welcome to the NFL, Chase Daniel. And to paraphrase the great Grandmaster Wang, there is no momentum left to lose. There is absolutely nothing to play for next week now, thanks…to…the Bears…grrr…thank you Chicago. I think they should take a page from Caldwell’s book, and let those play that want to play, rest those that are not 100%, and take Drew out after a quarter, if that long. And no matter what, Lynell Hamilton and Kyle Eckel are the Saints’ rushing attack next week, behind the solid blocking of Jamar Nesbit and Zack Strief, or Digger Bujnoch, if they can find him. Let Goody rest, let Nicks rest, and if it’s possible, let Evans rest. Bushrod could use the practice, but I don’t know who would be left behind him if he got banged up, so maybe let Dinkins hold the LT position. I could care less if I ever see him in a Saints uniform again. The secondary should be McKenzie(in his triumphant last game as a Saint), Jenkins(in his triumphant last game as a cornerback), Prioleau, and Reis. Grant should play, as he really needs to keep his momentum alive(and he might really shine as a member of the second-string D). Rest Ellis. Let Smith play if he feels great(he could add to his career-year in sacks). LB’s should be Waters, Casillas, and Mitchell.
Everyone else should be at work, rehabbing and going through walk-thru’s every day from now until their playoff game, hopefully getting angry and hungry for some redemption.

he needs to get his rhythm back

If a player needs a couple of weeks to be at his best for the playoffs, then he should rest. But there are players that need to play to stay sharp. DB’s and TE’s and O-line needs to take a week off and get healthy. Eckel needs to play and get into the game plan, i.e. Help the LT block Drew’s blind side.

All Starters should play at least a half. If playing well, rest starters for second half. If not playing well, play entire game. If not playing well, does it matter if someone gets hurt? The Saints have to build some momentum (mojo, confidence, swagger, you pick) going into the play-offs.

then take them out once we have a huge lead, securing a 14-2 record and some happy fans/organization

I think that all of our players need a rest. They are playing slow and worn down. But unfortunately we still have a lot to prove. Sounds funny saying that about a 13-2 team. They need momentum going into the playoffs and if they beat Carolina on the road then they should have it. I think our D needs to prove that they can stop the run consistently and the O needs to get back into stellar form. They should have all the opportunity in the world next Sunday to right the ship and regain confidence. And i hope they play the starters.

We should play the starter for the first quarter and part of the second and then sit em.

Then put in Brees for a quarter or two to keep him in tune, and let the defensive staters see if they can stop Carolina’s running game- We need to know if we can do it…..

It would be interesting if the Cowboys had to play the Eagles two weeks in a row. Has that ever happened? Is it even possible?

they should deactivate everyone and let the practice squad dress out for this game.

and then you start the rest of the starters, now you have a team that is like 70 or 80 or 90 per cent as good as our “REAL” team. So that puts RBs, QBs, WRs at risk to get “jacked up” and injured, it puts LBs at risk to get beat up
because the DL is compromised and now LBs to shed more blockers than usual, ditto for safeties and CBs, and if the pass rush is compromised then DBs bet beat up on screen passes, draws, etc and have to play more downs and everybody loses more confidence. The worse your DL is, the more work by defensive seondary and this more risk. At least now, 1) offense knows they can still score re: 1st few drives vs. Tampa til they let up, defense knows they went 60 minutes only giving up 1 fg 1 td. If they get pushed around on Sunday because 3/4 of starters play, how will that help them??

For most of this season, Sean Payton was lauded as an “offensive genius” by the “football experts”. I don’t think he suddenly became stupid after the Patriots game.

Since that brilliant game plan for the Patriots, our problems on offense have been more due to limited play calling than which players are on the field. The only way I could get behind playing the A team (or as much of the A team as possible) and going for a win would be to open up the play book and go back to what this team does best. BUT, as Payton didn’t do this against the Cowboys on a nationally televised game when an undefeated season was on the line, I think we all know he’s not going to do it against the Panthers on the last game of the season that means absolutely nothing.

Bottom line is Payton doesn’t want to lose this game, but he’d rather lose it than tip his hand to other playoff teams regarding what they can expect in the post season. Makes no sense to put key players at risk, particularly if they’re going to have one hand tied behind their back.

The good news is the Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings (and to a lesser extent, the Packers and Cardinals) all have something to really play for this week. What are the odds that 4 out of 6 playoff teams will be playing each other on the last game of the regular season? And, the fifth team (Vikings) are in a must win situation. No other team has the option we have as they will have to play this weekend as though it’s the first game of the playoffs. They will probably have to open up their play book and risk injury to key players. We don’t.

When we get to games that really matter, we will have a much better idea of what to expect from them than they will of us. I think that will benefit us much more in winning a Super Bowl than any " swagger " we might get from beating a team we’ve already beat.

If they need rest for better health than rest. We need to get back our confidence as a team. It’s like putting points on the board before half time, when you’re down. Yeah people could get hurt, but hell people could get hurts what’s say driving home drunk @ 4:30 Hmmm……

If Brees were to be injured, we might all be driving drunk at 4:30.

And remember, the injury that ultimately brought him to the Saints occurred during a meaningless last game of the season in San Diego. He also recently sustained an injury in a Pro Bowl game that exists for no other reason than for the NFL to make even more money. Ironically, injuries seem to occur more frequently in games that don’t matter more than in games that do. Don’t think it couldn’t happen.

Why not just forfeit the game? They could use the jet fuel they save to start a New Year’s Eve bonfire. A huge “Burn the Black Pants” pep rally. It would also teach all the idiots who stage fantasy football championships on Week 17 a valuable lesson in ass-u-me-ing.

And once She has spoken on the matter…well, the debate is over. Of course.

Play the starters. They don’t deserve a rest. Something is broken on both sides of the ball, and we have one game left to try and fix it before the playoffs. The practice field may be the place to make the repairs, but not to test them. We need real game experience to tune up for the playoffs. And if we play in earnest and get beat and it hurts the Saints’ confidence…awwwwww. Poow widdle boys.

(My wife is a hard woman. I mean, vicious…)

Physically and mentally.
That is why we lost the last two games. It’s really that simple.
Playing the starters is not going to prove anything. We didn’t win 13 games in a row by accident. We’ve got the talent, coaching, etc. WHAT WE NEED IS REST.
There is a reason that the home teams in the NFL division games are the safest bet in sports: they all are teams that had a week off playing beat up wilcard winners. Look up the percentages.
This is a meaningless game. I’d activate the practice squad to play in Carolina. Don’t waste time game planning for this game, either. Use this week to rehab and start preparing for the playoffs. Don’t give the playoff teams anymore gametape of our strengths and weaknesses.
I think the loss to Tampa should be enough of a wake-up call. It should be much more motivating than “finishing strong” in Carolina and limping into the playoffs. Finishing strong would only make the fans feel better—and what if we lost?
We’re the number one seed. We won 13 games in a row. We’ve earned the right to rest up for the playoffs. And come playoff time when it counts, I’ll take our full-strength squad over any other squad in the NFL.