Week 13, and the 49ers go to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Take this moment to make a donation to a hurricane-related charity. They still need help. The column can wait.
Here is a verified list of Katrina charities from give.org.
Back to the show.
* San Francisco vs. New Orleans
Sunday, December 3, 2006. 10:00 AM, PST.
Week 13
Battle Of The Resurgent
Last season, both the Saints and the Niners were considered doormat teams. New Orleans did poorly enough to garner the #2 overall pick in the 2006 draft, which became USC's hyper-agile RB Reggie Bush.
As of this wknd, the Saints are atop the NFC South standings, and the Niners... well, they're doing well enough to disappoint by losing games that they should have won. But even having games that they should win is an improvement over last season! What a luxury!
So, this year them Saints sure have been doing well under n00b/rookie Head Coach Sean Payton. Their offense has been putting up hilarrrrious numbers.
For example, the net offensive yardage for the Saints' last three games looks like this: 427 @ ATL; 595 vs CIN; 517 @ PIT. Yow.
The Saints have the #1 yards-per-game offense in the league! #1 in passing, too.
With an unheralded offensive line, how're they getting this done with just-had-surgery-on-his-throwing-shoulder-in-the-offseason QB Drew Brees at the controls?
Answer: Coach Payton's well-built offensive scheming.
The adaptive longball style that Payton spearheaded in his time under Head Coach Bill "Tuna" Parcells with the Cowboys is making stars of the Saints' wide receivers. Marques Colston? Devery Henderson? Who? These guys are reaping the benefits of opposing defenses trying to focus on the threat of Reggie Bush and big-talking WR Joe Horn. Payton's offensive scheme probes the weak points in a D with deep passes, and now Colston and Henderson are fantasy football stars.
Colston, drafted as a tight end in the seventh round of the draft this year, is currently considered the front runner to be Offensive Rookie Of The Year over his teammate Bush. Muy impressivo for a seventh rounder!
This doesn't look all that good for a struggling Niner secondary. 'Specially since the best SF cornerback Shawntae Spencer is hobbled with an ankle injury. Expect the Saints to bring out lots of multi-receiver sets -- some including Bush -- and throw, throw, throw,throw.
Now, last week after the exasperating last-drive loss to the Rams, the local media threw up on 49er Head Coach Nolan II. Why didn't he go for it on a short 4th down in the red zone? Yap, yap, yap. This question hung above the Coach's head all week. It is a situation custom-built for talk radio raving. And rave they did. Second-guess-tastic. All the proper barbs were deployed and the teeth were gnashed, but so what? Coach decided to be conservative in that instance. More times than not, he is aggressive on 4th-and-short. If the last quarter hadn't been taken by the Rams, there wouldn't have even been a controversy. Get off his back, fellow media folks, sometimes things just don't work as planned. That's why we play the games.
Anyways, this wknd's matchup of these two former NFC West foes looks to be a wild 'n wacky high-scoring affair. Which defense will be able to get more fingers in the dam? The Niner weak-against-the-pass-with-little-pass-rush D? Or New Orleans' porous-against-the-run D?
Surely an exciting game to behold. Now go make another donation.
Next up on your American Football Spectacular: Previewing Oakland's Week 13 bout with the Texans. If the fractious Raiders can stick together long enough to play the game.
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You forgot the headline:
"Bush v. Gore"
I feel like a Superbowl Widow when I read SFist these days.