New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills: Game Preview

by Dave Cariello on Sep 23, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Make the jump for the NFL's official game capsule.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-0) AT BUFFALO BILLS (1-1)

SERIES

	SAINTS	BILLS
SERIES LEADER	Series tied, 4-4
STREAKS	3 of past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Payton: 0-0	Jauron: 0-1
LAST WEEK	W 48-22 at Eagles	W 33-20 vs. Buccaneers
LAST GAME	10/2/05: Bills 7 at Saints 19 in San Antonio. Following early Buffalo TD, New Orleans scores 19 unanswered points in Saints' 1st home game at Alamodome following Hurricane Katrina.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/9/01: Saints 24, Bills 6. New Orleans QB Aaron Brooks throws 3 TD passes to different teammates as Saints win on Kickoff Weekend. Saints RB Ricky Williams adds 93 rush yards.
BROADCAST	CBS (4:05 PM ET): Ron Pitts, John Lynch. SIRIUS: 91 (NO), 127 (Buf.). XM: 104 (Buf.).

STATS

PASSING	Brees: 51-68-669 (1C)-9 (1L)-2-132.9 (1L)	Edwards: 36-56-442-4 (T2C)-1-104.9 (2C)
RUSHING	Bush: 17-47-2.8-1	Jackson: 43-220 (2C)-5.1-0
RECEIVING	Colston: 11-128-11.6-3 (1L)	Jackson (RB): 11-108-9.8-1
OFFENSE	468.0 (1L)	357.0
TAKE/GIVE	+3	0
DEFENSE	347.0	397.0
SACKS	3 tied: 1	3 tied: 1
INTs	Sharper: 3 (T1L)	3 tied: 1 (T3C)
PUNTING	Morstead (R): 50.4	Moorman: 44.7
KICKING	Carney: 21 (T2L) (12/12 PAT; 3/4 FG)	Lindell: 21 (1C) (6/6 PAT; 5/5 FG)

NOTES

SAINTS: 1st team since 1968 Oak. to score 45+ points in 1st 2 games...QB DREW BREES completed 28 of 33 (84.8 pct.) for 339 yards with 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 149.1 rating in last game vs. Buf. (11/20/05 with SD). Has 9 pass TDs, tied for most ever in 1st 2 games (CHARLEY JOHNSON, 1965). Since joining NO in 2006, has 14,579 passing yards, most by QB in 1st 50 games with new team. In past 8 games, Brees has 25 TDs. Aims for 9th in row with 2+ TD passes. In past 22, Brees has 15 300-yard games...RB-PR REGGIE BUSH has 25 career TDs (13 rush, 8 rec, 4 PR) & is only player in team history to score via rush, rec. & PR...WR MARQUES COLSTON had 2 rec. TDs last week & has 7 TDs in past 5. TE JEREMY SHOCKEY has 429 receptions since 2002, 3rd most in NFL among TEs. WR DEVERY HENDERSONaverages 21.6 yards per catch in career...S DARREN SHARPER had 97-yard INT-TD last week, 9th INT-TD of career, tied for 2nd most all-time. Leads active players with 57 INTs. DE CHARLES GRANT had sack & FF in last meeting...

BILLS: Club has won 5 of past 6 in Sept. & aims for 5th consecutive win at home in Sept...DICK JAURON is longest-tenured Bills head coach since MARV LEVY (1986-1997)...QB TRENT EDWARDS has 7-6 (.538) record as starter at home. Edwards has 88.3 passer rating in past 3 at home vs. NFC...RB FRED JACKSON posted career-high 163 rushing yards (5.8 avg.) on 28 att. last week. In past 2, Jackson has totaled 328 yards (220 rush, 108 receiving)...WR TERRELL OWENS leads NFL with 110 TD receptions since 2000. Owens has reception in 185 consecutive games - 3rd longest streak in NFL history (JERRY RICE, 274; MARVIN HARRISON, 190). In past 5 vs. NO, Owens has registered 7 TD receptions...Since 2000, WR LEE EVANS leads NFL with 6 70+ yard TD rec...Bills became 1st team since Seahawks in '98 to record an INT-TD in 1st 2 games of season...S DONTE WHITNER posted 1st career INT-TD return last week...DE AARON SCHOBEL ranks 2nd in Bills history with 69 career sacks (BRUCE SMITH, 171).

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Comments

interesting

that Bush is highlighted in the rushing stats, but Bell is actually our rushing leader.

Is it Sunday yet? I am so ready to play this game (er, watch them play this game – sometimes I forget that I’m only a fan and don’t actually suit up).

WHO DAT!

Smell Greatness

by HansDat on Sep 23, 2009 1:10 PM CDT reply actions

also good

is that awesomely beautiful

+3

in the take/give box. Keep it going, SAINTS!

Smell Greatness

by HansDat on Sep 23, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

Pressure

I would like to see more pressure on QB by our def. 347 yds/ gm is not good!!

by Nomoaints on Sep 23, 2009 2:20 PM CDT reply actions

its misleading

most of em are garbage yards when we are up by three scores. we just play prevent and keep in front of us and in bounds.

by DrewBreesManCrush on Sep 23, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions

?

Why Bush instead of Bell? Just askin.

A SAINT in Panther country

by carolinasaintsfan on Sep 23, 2009 4:47 PM CDT reply actions

i was thinking that too

since he’s our leading rusher. maybe Bush is listed as the starter for the games?

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Sep 23, 2009 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Bush is listed first on the depth chart at RB. Why? I have no idea.

If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.

by Tigernut on Sep 25, 2009 1:55 AM CDT up reply actions

Like I said earlier

an important stat is WHO edwards has been throwing the ball to—or, more importantly, who he’s NOT throwing the ball to: his big wideouts. through two games owens and evans have 9 combined receptions. 9. that’s as many as their injured TE, and two fewer than fred jackson. i don’t even really need to point out our receivers’ stats—but instead think about what that means for our defense—we’ve gotta cover the flats and the middle of the field.

prediction: shanle gets his third consecutive interception.

BOOM!

by jful on Sep 23, 2009 5:31 PM CDT reply actions

here's what sean p said about shanle

according to pat y on espn:

He was our MVP last year on defense…I think sometimes it’s misunderstood when we work out a linebacker that it’s to replace Scott Shanle. That really couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s playing well; he’s smart; he can run well. He got his hands on a ball last week which was a big play for us. He’s someone who is getting a lot of snaps, not only in the base but in the nickel as well.

Oh, and apparently Brees will have all day to throw, since their DC said he’s not dialing up the blitz very much.

by jful on Sep 23, 2009 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions

I think Sean is at least part right here too. He got a TON of tackles. Now some of those probably came just like against Celek — unable to prevent the pass and tackling the guy before he got too far. But that’s far better than not preventing the pass and also failing to tackle the guy. But quite a few of his tackles came from stopping a RB after they broke through the initial line and he stopped them from romping to town. And that too is better than letting them get through to the secondary.

He isn’t perfect or even anywhere close, but he isn’t as bad as some people think he is either.

by FriarBob on Sep 23, 2009 7:33 PM CDT up reply actions

He never said he wasn’t dialing up the blitz. The Bills have blitzed on almost half their passes so far. He said people haven’t achieved good pressure on Brees. I expect him to call a bunch of blitzes.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.

by MattRichWarren on Sep 23, 2009 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions

god i hope so

because our receivers matched up in single coverage = much easier target for brees.

by jful on Sep 23, 2009 11:47 PM CDT up reply actions

from espn's pat y:

It turns out Brees is even better when he’s blitzed and he also is pretty good against conventional pressure. Brees has the league’s best passer rating in situations where defenses send more than four pass-rushers.

by jful on Sep 24, 2009 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions

I said we would blitz… we don’t do single man on man coverage. We play a heavy zone based defense with a CB in the short stuff and a safety over the top.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.

by MattRichWarren on Sep 24, 2009 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions

it's not about man-to-man

it’s about the number of bodies in the secondary. the zone-based blitz schemes work based on disguising coverages, but brees’ interceptions typically don’t happen from misreads but instead trying to squeeze a ball into too small a window—a window that invariably gets bigger when you bring more than 4 rushers.

if y’all bring the heat—even though you run a zone defense—the arithmetic of it means there won’t be as many guys in coverage relative to our receiving threats.

by jful on Sep 24, 2009 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions

If that's the Bills strategy...

… you guys are in for a looong day.

If we could just sythesize life in a laboratory, we could prove that the creation of life requires no intelligence.

by Tigernut on Sep 25, 2009 2:01 AM CDT up reply actions

I was surprised at how weak Buffalo’s pass defense is statistically at this point. I know it’s only two weeks of math, but it’s a huge number of yards.

Hopefully Bell can go this week. Having his inside running ability has been a big part of the first two wins.

Heart, Max Talbot has it by the mile. The Pens are your 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

by Malsby on Sep 23, 2009 10:14 PM CDT reply actions

It’s because we were ahead both those games so the opponents have had to pass to catch up.

by CronoDroid on Sep 24, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions

Brady and Leftwish each threw 50+ passes against us. No matter how good your pass defense actually is you’re going to give up a buttload of yards that way. I think opponents are averaging like 6.7 yards an attempt against us. That’s my most important stat. I wish it was lower but it could be a lot higher…. like Brees and his like 9million YPA.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.

by MattRichWarren on Sep 24, 2009 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions

I could care less how my pass yards a team rings up...

…if the defense keep them out of the end zone.

by jack_casse on Sep 24, 2009 10:17 PM CDT up reply actions

IMO

The change up this week on offense will be pounding it up the middle with Hamilton (that’s right, its his turn) and then Pierre late. A nice one-two unexpected punch.

Secondly, McGee and McKelvin are both nursing sore ankles. So look for alot of double moves by our wideouts. Make them turn and run and then turn again. They won’t be able to last a complete game. All this, obviously, depends on the O-line giving Drew time-those routes take longer to develop.

by WhoDat_OH on Sep 24, 2009 4:25 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

Go Saints Go

Bills..
I am a Saints fan since 1967. I know how it feels to have team and watch how the press never says nothing about you at all (Saints). I never hear much about Buffalo either because you are like us here in New Orleans. They only like to chat about Jets-Giants and Cowboy’s-Farve-Patriots ? Heck if would win a super bowl here we would only hear about Romo’s girlfriends or Farves plans for his next comeback with even yet another team..over @ over @ over ??? Note …who cares if Mc Rib plays again or not and I really think this Vick-Mac-Dog is getting old , thx

by femadog on Sep 25, 2009 5:41 AM CDT reply actions