The Saints just couldn’t keep up with the Redskins in this football game.  Drew Brees completed 22 of 33 passes for 216 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  Reggie Bush was a busy player yesterday for the Saints as he carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 63 yards (9.0 avg).  Bush also returned a punt 55 yards for a TD.  Pierre Thomas pitched in with 8 yards rushing on 6 carries (1.3 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  David Patten led the way in the passing game for the Saints with 5 catches for 55 yards (11.0 avg).  Robert Meachem finally caught his first NFL pass and it went for a 19-yard TD.  The Saints finished up with 55 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 195 yards.

The defense was down 5 starters for the Saints yesterday but that’s no excuse considering how badly they were pushed around.  LB Jonathan Vilma led the way for the Saints in this game with 16 tackles.  CB Tracy Porter pitched in with 9 tackles against the Redskins.  The Redskins finished up with 149 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 36 passes for 306 yards.   The Saints are now 1-1 on the season.

This will be a interesting football game to watch unfold tomorrow afternoon in Washington.  The Saints won 24-20 last week at home against the Bucs while the Redskins did not look good in losing 16-7 to the Giants.  The Saints don’t match up especially well against the Redskins’ Defense without Marques Colston available for this game.  The Redskins had all kinds of trouble with Plaxico Burress because of his size but the Saints don’t have anyone at WR like that now.  Devery Henderson and David Patten will be going deep but look for Brees to use Jeremy Shockey early and often in this game as well as Reggie Bush out of the backfield.  Reggie Bush will also put a lot of pressure on the linebackers of the Redskins when he’s running to the perimeter of the defense.  Pierre Thomas handles the rough stuff inside but the Redskins should be able to handle that stuff better than they did last week against Brandon Jacobs.

The Redskins will likely attack the middle of the Saints’ defense as the Bucs ran the ball all over them rushing for 146 yards on 20 carries (7.3 ypc).  The Bucs didn’t have the patience to stick with the running game but the Redskins will without a doubt.  Clinton Portis could have a huge game for the Redskins tomorrow unless linebacker Jonathan Vilma meets up to the challenge.  The Redskins do have some speed at WR in Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El but that will only matter if Jason Campbell plays a lot better than he did last week.  Look for TE Chris Cooley to have an important role in this game after he only caught 1 pass for 7 yards last week against the Giants.

PREDICTION:  NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 20, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 19

The Saints have lost linebacker Mark Simoneau for the season due to a serious back injury.  This will hurt the depth in the linebacking unit as Simoneau was the top backup there for the Saints.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he made 70 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he had 2 sacks.  Simoneau has played in 32 games for the Saints the last two years and he made 131 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 3 sacks and 1 interception.  He will be missed, especially if the Saints suffer any more injuries in the linebacking corps.

The Saints have released DT Hollis Thomas with a injury settlement as he has torn triceps.  Thomas played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he made 50 tackles and had 3 sacks.  In two years with the Saints, Thomas played in 28 games and he made 93 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he had 6.5 sacks.  The Saints might miss Thomas’ run defense but 1st round pick Sedric Ellis is replacing him and he has a much bigger upside.

This was a signing to add veteran depth to the defensive line.  McKinley played in 15 games for the Broncos last year and he made 14 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and he forced a fumble.  He will come off of the bench for the Saints unless they suffer some more injuries.  McKinley has now played in 97 games in his NFL career and he has made 231 tackles, has defensed 3 passes, has 11.5 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  This was a good move for the Saints.

The Saints have lost #1 WR Marques Colston for the next 4-6 weeks due to a torn ligament in his thumb.  He only caught 3 passes for 26 yards (8.7 avg) in the season opener for the Saints against the Bucs, but make no mistake….he will be missed.  After all, Colston has averaged 84 catches for 1,120 yards (13.3 avg) with 9.5 TD grabs over his first two seasons in the NFL.  The Saints will expect Devery Henderson, David Patten and Lance Moore to step up while Colston is on the shelf.  The Saints also have lethal weapons in Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush out of the backfield in the passing game so don’t feel sorry for them.

The Saints won this game with big plays on offense as Drew Brees’ three TD passes averaged 55 yards in length.  Brees completed 23 of 32 passes for 343 yards passing with 3 TDs and 1 interception.  Pierre Thomas led the Saints in rushing in this game with 52 yards on 10 carries (5.2 ypc).  Reggie Bush had a game for the ages as he carried the ball 14 times for 51 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 8 passes for 112 yards (14.0 avg) with a TD grab that sealed the win for the Saints.  Jeremy Shockey pitched in with a solid 6 grabs for 54 yards (9.0 avg) in this game.  WRs Devery Henderson (84 yarder) and David Patten (39 yarder) each only caught 1 pass apiece in this game and they both went for TDs.  The Saints finished up this game with 101 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 32 passes for 337 yards.

Linebackers Scott Fujita (9 tackles, interception) and Jonathan Vilma (9 tackles) led a so-so effort by the Saints’ Defense in this game.  The Bucs finished up with a stunning 146 yards rushing on 20 carries (7.3 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes for 206 yards.  This was a nice win to open the season for the Saints.

This will be a good football game but the Saints always seem to rally around hurricanes.  The Bucs are hoping that Jeff Garcia and Joey Galloway are ready to go after missing most of the preseason with injuries.  The Bucs would be smart to keep the ball on the ground and throw short passes.  Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn will have to deal with Saints’ first round pick DT Sedrick Ellis when they try to run up the middle.  If they get past him then they have to deal with Jonathan Vilma and that won’t be pretty either.  The Bucs would be smarter to run outside and challenge the Saints’ OLBs Scott Shanle and Scott Fujita.  Joey Galloway has had some huge games against the Saints and he will likely draw Mike McKenzie in coverage.  That should be a fun matchup to watch on Sunday. 

The Saints will likely be wide open on offense and that will be a challenge to the Bucs’ defense.  Despite all of Drew Brees’ heroics in the passing game the Saints like to run the ball too.  Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister will keep the pressure on the linebacking corps of the Bucs.  But, Barrett Ruud, Derrick Brooks and Cato June is one of the better linebacking units in the NFL so Bush and McAllister will have to work hard.  The Saints do have edges against the Bucs’ secondary and it will be up to the O-Line to keep Brees clean so that he can look downfield.  DEs Gaines Adams and Kevin Carter are pretty good pass rushers so the line better be ready.  The Saints will attack with WR Marques Colston who will likely draw Ronde Barber and maybe a safety in coverage.  If they double Colston look for Brees to throw the ball a lot over the middle to TE Jeremy Shockey.  This will also be fun to watch as Bucs’ safeties Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Phillips love to hit.  Should be some good collisions in this football game.  Devery Henderson and David Patten could make some big plays if Phillip Buchanon is covering them for the Bucs.

PREDICTION:  NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 27, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 20

This is way too low for the Saints who have really reloaded on defense.  I think the Saints will battle the Panthers for the division crown in 2008.  Take the over with confidence as the Saints are ready to roll again in 2008.

The Saints have lost DT Orien Harris (Bengals) and guard Andy Alleman (Dolphins).  Harris played well this preseason as he had 18 tackles and a sack in 4 games for the Saints.  But, the Saints have reloaded on the defensive line and that’s why they let Harris go.  Plus, Harris has only played in 2 NFL games and he hasn’t even made a tackle yet.  Andy Alleman played in all 4 games this preseason for the Saints and that’s 4 more games than he played as a rookie last season.  The Saints won’t likely miss either of these guys.