MVN - Most Valuable Network

Super Saints Weekly 259

Super Saints Weekly 259

Player of the Game
This week’s Player of the Game honor was yet another tough call due to the gritty performances of several players. However, upon further review, this week’s honors are split between two players, going to running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. Both of these running backs played crucial roles in the Saints victory this week and introduced to the league the Saints new dynamic duo.
First let’s touch on Bush, who showed the grit and determination to win with several of his runs this week. Overall Reggie didn’t have the most impressive statistics for this week’s game, but it was what you don’t see in the stat column that earned him his half of the player of the week honors. This might have been Reggie’s most impressive performance as far as showcasing his sheer determination and drive to leave it all on the field to get the victory. On several occations during the game Reggie seemed to step up when a big play was needed. Finishing the game with 17 rushes for 54 yards and five catches for 19 yards, one would look at the stat column and figure it was an average performance at best. However, Reggie showed what he was made of several times during this game. Perhaps the three biggest plays that he had came in the fourth quarter. The first was a touchdown run that he seemed to have made off determination alone. On a run to the left the Falcons seemed to have stopped Reggie on the 2 yard line. However, he continued to pump his legs and then suddenly did a spin move and dived for the end zone for the score. For most players they would have run to the sideline to celebrate, Reggie instead took an end around and outran several defense players before diving into the end zone for the two point conversion. Finally, Reggie clinched the victory with a strong run with under two minutes remaining to get a first down and allow the Saints to run out the clock.
Our other player of the game this week was un-drafted rookie running back Pierre Thomas. Thomas overcame all odds to make the team and had slowly been waiting for the opportunity to earn some playing time. When Deuce went down Thomas began working his way into the lineup and so far he has been earning the faith that the coaching staff put into him. Thomas came into this game perhaps unknown to many, but quickly introduced himself with a long 24 yard touchdown run in the second half that helped put the Saints on top and spark the offense. Pierre had 2 carries for 28 yards and 3 kickoff returns for 78 yards, nearly breaking one of them. While these stats were not eye popping either, they came at key points in the game that helped to change the momentum of the game.
Overall Bush and Thomas are similar running backs in that they both make people miss. Both of them played vital roles in today’s game and if Thomas continues to impress he could help take some of the carries from Reggie between the tackles and help to keep both of them fresh through the course of the season. This is very impressive for these two young running backs and so far they both look very good in their young pro careers.

Saints vs. 49ers Game Preview
The Saints will look to continue their winning streak this week against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have struggled over the past few weeks and their offense hasn’t seemed able to hit on all cylinders. Hopefully the Saints will be able to continue their winning streak and force the 49ers to keep struggling. In order for the Saints to do this, they will have to play a solid game and limit turnovers. On defense the Saints will need to shut down the rushing attack of the 49ers and force them to go to the air. If they can keep the 49ers running back, Gore, from being a factor, then they should be able to limit the amount of points the 49ers can score. On offense the Saints will need to establish the run early with P. Thomas and Reggie Bush so that they can set up the big plays with the play action pass. If the Saints are able to do both of these things, then they should have a very solid chance at victory.

Q & A
Q & A is the question and answer section. If you have a question you would like answered, email it to SuperSaintsWeekly@yahoo.com with the subject heading of Q&A and we will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.
Q – Amen! How bad I felt Saturday when Kentucky won that game. I wanted to fire the coaches and fine them for not getting the boys ready. Do you think the Saints need Joe Horn just because he was such a leader and motivator? People ask me too why do you care so much, I love it and am so true to my teams. – MOMFB45
A – I believe that early on the Saints really did miss the fire that Joe Horn provided to the team. Even when he was hurt, Joe was on the sideline cheering on the team and getting in their faces. However, I believe that if you watch Bush on the field, he has the potential to fill that role.
Q – JB do you think PT will become more involved in the offense along with RB? With the fullback in the backfield that would be one heck of a running offense. It seems every time PT is involved in some way or another he makes plays. – SD Saint Fred
A – I believe PT, or as I like to call him, M80, will continue to see his playing time grow with the kind of production he brings to the table. When I watch Thomas play, he reminds me of an M80 fire cracker. He is a small back with a big bang. As long as he continues to improve and make an impact from week to week you might see him start to handle a few more of the carries, especially those between the tackles.

Psycho’s View
Overall I believe the Saints came out flat this week, but they showed their character by being able to pull things together in the second half and get the victory. While there is still a long way to go for this team, they have a section of the schedule right now that could easily allow them to get back into the playoff hunt. However, my suggestion to them is not to look at any team beyond the 49ers. Don’t worry about saving up anything for the second half of the season; instead, play as if each week is the playoffs and a loss means you’re out because with a 2-4 record that easily could be true. Hopefully they continue to win and can claw their way out of the hole they dug, something I believe they are capable of doing.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.