I spent some time over at Hogs Haven answering five questions about the Saints vs. Redskins game today and they've returned the favor by answering five of my own questions for all of us here at CSC. Make the jump to see what they think the Redskins will bring to the table this afternoon in the Dome. Thanks to Kevin Ewoldt for reaching out.
1. The hype on RG3 has been well deserved in our eyes, but is he capable of playing well enough Week 1 to beat a team the caliber of the Saints?
Well, the Saints have a lot of things going against them (see my article here on that). The Redskins have the element of surprise in that there's no film on RGIII and our playbook. Our front 7 on D is arguably the best in the NFL. Brees will struggle at times and the Saints D was ranked horribly last year so, Skins have a chance here. There's also the fact we beat you and went to OT with you with Jim Zorn as our coach.
2. The Saints have been trying to bolster their run support in order to get better on defense. Does the Redskins running game pose any real threat?
Not really. Our biggest threat is our passing game, which will stretch out your defense. That's when we'll go back to the running game. The Redskins have 3 solid (not great) RBs...so the Saints' D will continually be tackling hard, pounding RBs. Ds got worn down in the second half of games last year, so I expect Shanahan to continue that. Bringing in a fresh Roy Helu in the second half worked well last year.
3. The Redskins released Chris Cooley and went with their guns at TE. Is there confidence amongst fans that this is the right decision and you have upgraded at this position?
Redskins fans aren't sure. We haven't seen enough of Niles Paul to say his transition from WR will definitely work. He's still a work in progress, but it was clear Cooley lost a step.
4. Confusing the young quarterback seems to be the key to victory for the Saints. Is this truly a weakness, or should the Saints be focused elsewhere?
Absolutely it's a weakness. RGIII has primarily been going against the Redskins D all summer, so Spags throwing different schemes will make a difference. Honestly, I think the noise will be the biggest problem. I've been in the Superdome and it's deafening. How is a rookie QB suppose to audible? Especially with new WRs on both sides of the ball?
5. What is your prediction and please provide stats for the two quarterbacks and turnover ratio for the game.
Redskins 24. Saints 23. Brees: 25/35 312 yards, 2 TDS, 1INT, 1 FUMBLE.....RGIII 18/35 266 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs