Lions vs Saints at the Superdome. It looks like New Orleans will get off to a quick start in the 2009 NFl season. The Detroit Lions are starting from square one. just hoping to get that first NFL win under their belts. As easy as this game looks, Saints ticket holders should be holding their breath. Nothing is as dangerous as an NFl team with nothing to lose and that fits the Lions to a tee.
Still, the oddsmakers have the Saints as heavy favorites and that’s as it should be. Offensively, the New Orleans Saints should be tough to stop. Drew Brees is as good a quarterback as there is in the NFL. Reggie Bush is a dangerous if you can get him the ball in space, which Sean Payton will find a way to do. In 2009, it looks like the Saints may have some type of straight ahead running game to boot as Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell have come along nicely.
The real action will come on defense for the Saints in 2009. Everyone has been holding their breath, watching a Saints secondary that appears to be promising. More important to the New Orleans defense, and not as obvious, will be the ability of the Saints D-line to effectively stop the run and pressure the passer. With Will Smith and Charles Grant out for the first month, depth is going to a major issue and injury could be a disaster.
So what we’ll see in the Superdome on Sunday is two teams fighting to move upwards. The New Orleans Saints are trying to rise to the status of an elite NFL team. The Detroit Lions are just trying to gain some respect and build a foundation for the future. For New Orleans, the issue could go either way. The Detroit Lions have nothing to lose, no further to fall, and that makes them a dangerous team.
