More Vikings vs Saints
from ESPN Insider http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/features/take2?gameId=250925016
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Saints and Vikings. Now they're back with a second look.The Vikings have had 24 offensive possessions in 2005 and 12 have ended with turnovers -- the team's minus-9 turnover margin ranks as the worst in the NFL. The offense continues to struggle with consistency, rhythm and timing. Look for head coach Mike Tice to get more involved in the play-selection this week, along with offensive coordinator Steve Looney. Also, look for the possibility of Loney moving upstairs in the coaching box to formulate his game plan.
QB Daunte Culpepper has 10 turnovers, including eight interceptions and a 41.6 quarterback rating through two games. Culpepper also hasn't been running the football as mush as he did in the past. Under former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Scott Linehan, Culpepper played like an MVP in 2004, but has struggled in almost every situation in the first two games. Look for Vikings to go back to basics and simplify the things that Culpepper does best, in order to help him gain confidence.
Saints' return specialist Michael Lewis was lost for the season after injuring his left knee on a kickoff return Monday night vs. the Giants. Lewis, an All-Pro in 2002 when he set an NFL record with 2,432 combined kick return yards, tore the medial collateral (MCL) and posterior collateral (PCL) ligaments and was placed on injured reserve.
Lewis foot got caught in the turf at Giants Stadium and his knee buckled with nobody touching him. With Lewis out, wide receiver Donte Stallworth becomes the primary punt returner with Az-Zahir Hakim maybe getting a shot when he gets healthy. RB Aaron Stecker will return kickoffs this week vs. the Vikings.
Look for great matchups on the outside perimeter with Saints' wide receivers Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth vs. Vikings' corners Fred Smoot and Antoine Winfield. Horn caught nine passes for 143 yards against the Giants and Donte Stallworth added eight receptions for a career-high 141 yards -- giving the Saints dual 100-yard receivers for only the fourth time in club history.
Horn now has 25 100-yard receiving games in five-plus seasons with the Saints. Smoot, when paired with Winfield, was suppose to give the Vikings one of the most talented cornerback tandems in the NFL, but both have struggled somewhat at this early point of the regular season.
The Saints' offense ranks seventh in total yards after two games, with 356.5 yards per game, but stats don't always show the entire picture. They rank 21st in rushing with 86.5 yards per game, so look for offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard to attack the Minnesota front seven and try to get the Saints running game back on track, with a combination of Deuce McAlister and Antowain Smith. The Vikings have allowed 156.5 yards on the ground in the first two weeks.
Expect defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell to use more three-man fronts against the Saints to confuse QB Aaron Brooks in passing situations. The Vikings have used a lot of multiple fronts and personnel in the first two regular season games. They will mix in a lot of three-down lineman, three linebackers and five defensive backs in sub vs. the Saints' multiple formations.
Look for QB Daunte Culpepper to get back on track by using TE Jimmy Kleinsasser and H-back Jermaine Wiggins in the passing game. The Saints have some injury concerns with cornerback Fakhir Brown and free safety Dwight Smith listed as questionable. Also, look for wide receiver Koren Robinson to be involved for the first time this year. With the injury to Nate Burleson and the lack of production in the passing game, the Vikings need a spark this week.
RB Michael Bennett has struggled, but still holds a shaky grasp on the top running back spot. Bennett was the top guy heading into the season, but was benched last Sunday in the second quarter after losing two fumbles. Look for the Vikings to involve both Mewelde Moore and Moe Williams in the gameplan if Bennett continues to struggle. Special TeamsRookie punter Chris Kluwe had another impressive performance, averaging 46.7 yards (41.7 net) on three punts. However, the Vikings return game continued to be a non-factor. Rookie Troy Williams was removed as the primary kick returner after averaging 13.2 yards on five returns. PK Paul Edinger was a non-factor against the Bengals as the Vikings did not attempt a field goal or extra point. Edinger's opening kickoff landed at the Cincinnati 10-yard line.
The Saints special teams struggled against the Giants. A trick reserve play on the opening kickoff was botched and the Giants turned it into an easy TD, John Carney missed a 29-yard field goal, and kick returner Michael Lewis injured his left knee and is done for the year. The Saints averaged just 15.2 yards on kickoff returns, but their kick coverage was good as they allowed just 3.5 yards per punt return and 12.3 yards per kickoff return.
Matchups• New Orleans WR Joe Horn against Minnesota DC Antoine Winfield • Minnesota LT Bryant McKinnie against New Orleans RDE Darren Howard • Minnesota NT Pat Williams against New Orleans OC LeCharles Bentley • New Orleans DC Mike McKenzie against Minnesota WR Travis Taylor • New Orleans QB Aaron Brooks against Minnesota SS Corey Chavous
Scouts' EdgeThe New Orleans Saints go on the road for the third consecutive time against a Vikings team that really struggled in last week's game against the Bengals. According to our Scouts, Inc. breakdown, this game will be very close. Last week, both teams struggled with critical turnovers and penalties.
There are two critical factors in this game -- which quarterback performs better while making the least amount of mistakes, and which team will be more disciplined. The Saints have explosive playmakers on offense and the Vikings spent the whole offseason upgrading their defense with speed and experience, which should make for a great matchup. The Vikings' offense needs to get back on track against a secondary that has some injury concerns. Also, special teams will be critical element again this week in controlling the tempo of the game and field position.
With the Saints going on the road for the third consecutive week and playing in a hostile environment, look for the Vikings to pull out a close game at the end and get back on track in the NFC North division.
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Saints and Vikings. Now they're back with a second look.The Vikings have had 24 offensive possessions in 2005 and 12 have ended with turnovers -- the team's minus-9 turnover margin ranks as the worst in the NFL. The offense continues to struggle with consistency, rhythm and timing. Look for head coach Mike Tice to get more involved in the play-selection this week, along with offensive coordinator Steve Looney. Also, look for the possibility of Loney moving upstairs in the coaching box to formulate his game plan.
QB Daunte Culpepper has 10 turnovers, including eight interceptions and a 41.6 quarterback rating through two games. Culpepper also hasn't been running the football as mush as he did in the past. Under former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Scott Linehan, Culpepper played like an MVP in 2004, but has struggled in almost every situation in the first two games. Look for Vikings to go back to basics and simplify the things that Culpepper does best, in order to help him gain confidence.
Saints' return specialist Michael Lewis was lost for the season after injuring his left knee on a kickoff return Monday night vs. the Giants. Lewis, an All-Pro in 2002 when he set an NFL record with 2,432 combined kick return yards, tore the medial collateral (MCL) and posterior collateral (PCL) ligaments and was placed on injured reserve.
Lewis foot got caught in the turf at Giants Stadium and his knee buckled with nobody touching him. With Lewis out, wide receiver Donte Stallworth becomes the primary punt returner with Az-Zahir Hakim maybe getting a shot when he gets healthy. RB Aaron Stecker will return kickoffs this week vs. the Vikings.
Look for great matchups on the outside perimeter with Saints' wide receivers Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth vs. Vikings' corners Fred Smoot and Antoine Winfield. Horn caught nine passes for 143 yards against the Giants and Donte Stallworth added eight receptions for a career-high 141 yards -- giving the Saints dual 100-yard receivers for only the fourth time in club history.
Horn now has 25 100-yard receiving games in five-plus seasons with the Saints. Smoot, when paired with Winfield, was suppose to give the Vikings one of the most talented cornerback tandems in the NFL, but both have struggled somewhat at this early point of the regular season.
The Saints' offense ranks seventh in total yards after two games, with 356.5 yards per game, but stats don't always show the entire picture. They rank 21st in rushing with 86.5 yards per game, so look for offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard to attack the Minnesota front seven and try to get the Saints running game back on track, with a combination of Deuce McAlister and Antowain Smith. The Vikings have allowed 156.5 yards on the ground in the first two weeks.
Expect defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell to use more three-man fronts against the Saints to confuse QB Aaron Brooks in passing situations. The Vikings have used a lot of multiple fronts and personnel in the first two regular season games. They will mix in a lot of three-down lineman, three linebackers and five defensive backs in sub vs. the Saints' multiple formations.
Look for QB Daunte Culpepper to get back on track by using TE Jimmy Kleinsasser and H-back Jermaine Wiggins in the passing game. The Saints have some injury concerns with cornerback Fakhir Brown and free safety Dwight Smith listed as questionable. Also, look for wide receiver Koren Robinson to be involved for the first time this year. With the injury to Nate Burleson and the lack of production in the passing game, the Vikings need a spark this week.
RB Michael Bennett has struggled, but still holds a shaky grasp on the top running back spot. Bennett was the top guy heading into the season, but was benched last Sunday in the second quarter after losing two fumbles. Look for the Vikings to involve both Mewelde Moore and Moe Williams in the gameplan if Bennett continues to struggle. Special TeamsRookie punter Chris Kluwe had another impressive performance, averaging 46.7 yards (41.7 net) on three punts. However, the Vikings return game continued to be a non-factor. Rookie Troy Williams was removed as the primary kick returner after averaging 13.2 yards on five returns. PK Paul Edinger was a non-factor against the Bengals as the Vikings did not attempt a field goal or extra point. Edinger's opening kickoff landed at the Cincinnati 10-yard line.
The Saints special teams struggled against the Giants. A trick reserve play on the opening kickoff was botched and the Giants turned it into an easy TD, John Carney missed a 29-yard field goal, and kick returner Michael Lewis injured his left knee and is done for the year. The Saints averaged just 15.2 yards on kickoff returns, but their kick coverage was good as they allowed just 3.5 yards per punt return and 12.3 yards per kickoff return.
Matchups• New Orleans WR Joe Horn against Minnesota DC Antoine Winfield • Minnesota LT Bryant McKinnie against New Orleans RDE Darren Howard • Minnesota NT Pat Williams against New Orleans OC LeCharles Bentley • New Orleans DC Mike McKenzie against Minnesota WR Travis Taylor • New Orleans QB Aaron Brooks against Minnesota SS Corey Chavous
Scouts' EdgeThe New Orleans Saints go on the road for the third consecutive time against a Vikings team that really struggled in last week's game against the Bengals. According to our Scouts, Inc. breakdown, this game will be very close. Last week, both teams struggled with critical turnovers and penalties.
There are two critical factors in this game -- which quarterback performs better while making the least amount of mistakes, and which team will be more disciplined. The Saints have explosive playmakers on offense and the Vikings spent the whole offseason upgrading their defense with speed and experience, which should make for a great matchup. The Vikings' offense needs to get back on track against a secondary that has some injury concerns. Also, special teams will be critical element again this week in controlling the tempo of the game and field position.
With the Saints going on the road for the third consecutive week and playing in a hostile environment, look for the Vikings to pull out a close game at the end and get back on track in the NFC North division.
posted by Stew at 6:03 PM
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