Stalwart385
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I've been hearing a lot of talk about how the Eagles have improved and the Saints declined since their last meeting. Rarely do you hear mentioned that the Saints will be a much better team since their last meeting. Here are some things the Eagles didn't see.
1. Saints will have their Pro-bowl Tackle that they played without. Armstead was PFF's #1 Tackle for most of the year, only overtaken to be the #2 while sitting out with an injury. This team depends heavily on their offensive line. Having them full go makes the offense a different animal. They depended heavily on the right side of the line in their slow stretch.
2. Saints will have their talented Rookie DE to bookend their strong right side of Jordan and Rankins. He was PFF's highest graded rookie DE. Okafor is admirable but he doesn't create the remember me hits that have QBs thinking about their blindside the rest of the game.
3. Saints will have a dependable #2 Vet WR that can stretch the field. TQS had a good game against the Eagles but since then a chunk of their offensive struggles have come from lacking a reliable #2 WR. Doubling Thomas and Kamara became a viable strategy without Ginn.
It is also worth mentioning that this defense has not just helped create blowouts but has won games for us since the Eagles' game. If the Eagles think they are playing the same team in that last matchup they will be sorely mistaken. While the Eagles may have improved the quick passing game that spreads the ball and their DBs have settled in, the Saints haven't stayed stagnant and declined. They have won games while getting healthy and are at a full force that the Eagles haven't seen before.
1. Saints will have their Pro-bowl Tackle that they played without. Armstead was PFF's #1 Tackle for most of the year, only overtaken to be the #2 while sitting out with an injury. This team depends heavily on their offensive line. Having them full go makes the offense a different animal. They depended heavily on the right side of the line in their slow stretch.
2. Saints will have their talented Rookie DE to bookend their strong right side of Jordan and Rankins. He was PFF's highest graded rookie DE. Okafor is admirable but he doesn't create the remember me hits that have QBs thinking about their blindside the rest of the game.
3. Saints will have a dependable #2 Vet WR that can stretch the field. TQS had a good game against the Eagles but since then a chunk of their offensive struggles have come from lacking a reliable #2 WR. Doubling Thomas and Kamara became a viable strategy without Ginn.
It is also worth mentioning that this defense has not just helped create blowouts but has won games for us since the Eagles' game. If the Eagles think they are playing the same team in that last matchup they will be sorely mistaken. While the Eagles may have improved the quick passing game that spreads the ball and their DBs have settled in, the Saints haven't stayed stagnant and declined. They have won games while getting healthy and are at a full force that the Eagles haven't seen before.