GridironGab Week Eleven Preview: Seattle at New Orleans

It seems like a weekly ritual, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll calling his team’s upcoming matchup a challenge; however, he recognizes that Week 11 presents something even more arduous than usual.

Leaving the Pacific Northwest to take on the defending Super Bowl champions.

“This is a really big-time challenge,” said Carroll, at his Wednesday press conference from the Seahawks’ Renton, Wash. training facilities, of facing the New Orleans Saints. “This quarterback. This, this head coach. This defensive coordinator – all of these guys have just expertise out the, out the wazoo.”

The quarterback position is arguably the most noticeable for New Orleans. Drew Brees was crowned last season’s Super Bowl MVP in the team’s 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts and finds himself among the top in the National Football League in passing yards this year.

“They’re averaging almost 50 throws a game the last three weeks, so, why not?” asked Carroll.

“He does everything right. He understands. He does a marvelous job of checking off and adjusting and doing the things that great experienced quarterbacks do. Moves perfectly in the pocket to find his throwing lanes and he has every throw.”

While Brees has excelled this season, his success has been tempered as defenses have used two-deep zones to hang back in coverage and take away the deep ball – a staple in the Saints’ aerial attack last year. Because of this, wide receivers Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem have been relatively quiet. Both had career seasons last year, but both have less than 24 receptions this season.

“You have to do everything,” said Carroll of how to defend Brees. “You can’t just cover. You can’t just rush. You won’t be able to just blitz him and knock him outta the boat because he’ll tear ya up.”

Helping to possibly relieve some defensive attention off Brees will be Reggie Bush. The running back is set to return to the Saints’ lineup after missing the past seven games with a broken fibula.

“He’s just a factor, you know?” asked Seattle’s Carroll, who coached Bush in college at the University of Southern California. “They use him in so many different ways and he’s so explosive that you have to pay attention to him.”

While New Orleans’ offense has been noteworthy, its defense has been even better.

Led by coordinator Greg Williams, the unit’s jumped from 20th in points allowed in the NFL and 25th in yards allowed last season to fourth and third, respectively.

“Over the years, Greg’s done so much stuff and he’s always been on the cutting edge of aggressive attack,” said the Seahawks’ head coach.

Subduing that aggressiveness will be even more important this week than others for Carroll and the Seahawks because starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has a broken bone in the wrist of his non-throwing hand. However, Carroll won’t change the team’s offensive game plan due to the injury.

“Our plan is that we can do whatever we want to do,” said the head coach.

With the game plan intact, wide receiver Mike Williams will look to continue to be a prominent fixture. His 145 receiving yards in last week’s win in Arizona was the best single-game performance of his four-year career in the NFL and, in Seattle’s last three wins, the wideout has had at least 10 receptions.

Sunday’s kickoff for Seattle (5-4) and New Orleans (6-3) from the Superdome is set for 4:05 p.m. Eastern.

Can’t get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

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Gridiron Gab Week Eleven Preview: Cleveland at Jacksonville

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars

When: November 28,2010

Where: Ever Bank Field

Weather: High of 74, Sunny

Players to watch:

Colt McCoy

Colt’s drive at the end of regulation could go a long way for his career. That was a great drive and if put in the situation again this week I look for Colt to respond with a Touchdown again. Colt is playing against a pretty bad defense this weekend and look forward to seeing how he does against it.

Peyton Hillis

Hillis looks to be headed to the Pro Bowl this season. The Browns running back needs to continue his success he has had this year for this team to be successful. The team needs Hillis to have another big game and lead the team to a victory against a decent Jaguars team.

Chansi Stuckey

Stuckey cost the Browns the game last week against the Jets. Stuckey has had a pretty good year for the Browns and they need to him to rebound from last weeks fumble. The Browns need Stuckey to make some plays this weekend in Jacksonville.

Keys to the Game

Mistake free Football

Win the Turnover Battle

Colt McCoy continues to grow

Establish the Running game.

Stop the Running game.

Prediction:

Cleveland Browns 31 Jacksonville Jaguars 14

The Browns to continue to grow as a football team. I look for McCoy and Hillis to have pretty big games to lead the Browns to their fourth victory of the season. The Browns are going to need Stuckey to forget about his overtime fumble and make some plays this weekend.

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Gridiron Gab Week Eleven Preview: Houston at New York Jets

The 4-5 Houston Texans fly to New York this weekend to take on the (7-2) New York Jets at Giants Stadium  this Sunday.  The match-up likely sends chills up the Texans’ coaching staff and players heading into Sunday, not to mention fans who remember last year’s beating.  In fact, for the past two years, Rex Ryan has been able to make the Texans look like test dummies for his newest blitzes and creative playcalling.  

From his 2008 Ravens as defensive coordinator to last season’s Jets as head coach, Rex Ryan has done a spectacular job with the Jets.  And this year, the Jets are a better team than last year.  The Texans, on the other hand, have improved in some areas but truly have fallen off in the rest.  Expect the Texans to struggle for breathing room on Sunday, the Jets should be playing at will.

The Houston Texans will likely utilize the pass more than they would like Sunday.  Against the Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez and receivers Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery, the Texans’ secondary has their worst match-up for the season.  Let’s not calculate what that means.  Additionally, with the Jets’ likely to go up early, the Texans will likley resort to their 2010 form – quit the run and pass.  

Arian Foster has benefited from excellent run blocking this season, but his excellent field vision and quickness have turned him into one of this season’s best running backs.  Expect him to carry the rock 15-20 times; where as he would normally carry the ball over 20 times a game against any other defense.

The Texans’ defensive line will also likely have a very hard time on Sunday.  The Jets’ offensive line is stacked to say the least.  left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, center Nick Mangold and right tackle Damien Woody are a few of the league’s best at their position.  

The Texans’ defensive line has yet to play a line like this, and that also shouldn’t be calculated for meaning.  However, expect Mario Williams to step-up his game in the face of the best talent he’s seen all season.  He struggled after a great opening two minutes against Kansas City’s former-Texan and Chief replacement tackle, Jordan Black.

In case you are not familiar with the Jets’ defense, it is a very talented group.  Led by middle linebacker David Harris, a former Michigan Wolverine, the Jets 3-4 defense are fifth best in the league.  Harris is joined by Bart Scott, Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace.  

These linebackers should present a problem for Arian Foster, who said this is the best defense he’s ever seen.  With superb secondary play in Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Jim Leonhard and Brodney Pool, the Jets are more than well equipped to handle the Texans’ receivers.  Also, although the Jets’ number one nose tackle Kris Jenkins is out for the season, their defensive line should have the upper edge against the Texans on Sunday.

For the Texans to win Sunday, they’ll have to come out playing their best football of the year.  They’ll need to shut down the Jets’ running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene before they shut down Sanchez and the Jets pass game.  Most importantly, the Texans’ coaching staff has to be ready for anything and everything.

If we learned something from Rex Ryans’ whooping on the Texans last season, then the Texans’ defense should be ready to put up as many points as the offense.  Hopefully we don’t see the 2008 (four interceptions) or 2009  (183 total offensive yards) Texans against Rex Ryans’ defense; however, Texans fans should be ready for anything, as well.

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Sports Gab Network Senior Editor Matt Loede’s NFL Picks for Week Eleven

Last Week: 9-4
Season: 82-60

Oakland at Pittsburgh - The Raiders look like legit AFC West contenders after two wins and a bye, while many think the Steelers are headed for another collapse like last season. The injured Steelers will have to find a way to stop the Raiders attack, and there offense also needs to get something going. Why do I see a repeat of the game at Heinz from last season? Oakland 27 Pittsburgh 21

Cleveland at Jacksonville - After three emotional weeks in which they went 2-1 against three of the leagues best, the Browns travel to play the 5-4 Jags. Last week the Jags won on a last play Hail Mary, but this week they won’t need it, taking advantage of a beat up Browns team. Jacksonville 21 Cleveland 18

Washington at Tennessee – Albert Haynesworth goes back to Tennessee this weekend, and if the Skins are lucky, they can leave him there. Washington was awful last week, going down 35-0 8 seconds into the second quarter. The Titans will rebound vs a Skins team that is reeling after getting crushed on Monday night by the Eagles. Tennessee 27 Washington 16

Houston at New York Jets - The Jets were lucky to walk out of Cleveland without a tie last week, but that’s what good teams do. Now they take on a Texans team that can’t get out of their own way, and saw their starting QB sit a night in the hospital this week. The Jets D should lower the boom on Matt Schaub and the Texans. New York Jets 17 Houston 6

Baltimore at Carolina - Brian St.Pierre vs the Ravens D? I think very little needs to be said here, as if this game is even close in the fourth quarter, the Ravens should take a long look in the mirror. Baltimore 31 Carolina 0

Green Bay at Minnesota – The last gasp for the Vikings, who will be trying to ride Brett Favre’s arm one more time against his former team. Won’t matter. The Packers, despite being banged up, are the better team, and need to keep winning to stay with the Bears in the NFC North. Look for the Pack to pick on the Vikings secondary and walk out of the Twin Cities with a sweep over their rivals. Green Bay 35 Minnesota 24

Arizona at Kansas City – The Cards were beaten up by the Seahawks at home last week, and now play a Chiefs team coming off the bye after they were beat in OT the week before by Oakland. KC is a team that seems to still be growing, and they should be able to make it a long day for Derek Anderson and the Cards. Kansas City 26 Arizona 14

Detroit at Dallas - The Cowboys were a new team last week with Jason Garrett running the show, and against a Lions team that couldn’t even beat Buffalo on the road last week, the Cowboys will step up for their new coach at home and win their second in a row. Dallas 27 Detroit 20

Buffalo at Cincinnati – Two bad teams do battle here in Cincy, where the Bengals couldn’t sell out for the first time in 57 games. Buffalo has been competitive for the last few weeks, and there’s no doubt with the Bengals playing like team ready for new coach and high draft pick, they will hang here till the end. Cincinnati 14 Buffalo 13

Seattle at New Orleans - The Hawks won on the road last week, but that was in Arizona, not the Superdome vs a good Saints team that had the bye last week and will be well prepared for the Hawks here. Matt Hasselebeck should be back, but Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be more than enough to overcome Seattle and send them to 5-5. New Orleans 34 Seattle 21

Tampa Bay at San Francisco – Suddenly the Niners are looking like a team that has found themselves, and why not – they have the talent to get the job done here at home, and they should. Tampa Bay crushed the Panthers, but it’ll be a long road trip vs a Niners team that is feeling good about how they have played. The Niners outphysical the Bucs for their fourth win. San Francisco 28 Tampa Bay 13

Atlanta at St.Louis – The Falcons appear in quite a few areas to be the best team in the NFC, and on the road they have to make sure not to have a slip up against a gritty Rams team. They should have a good showing on offense vs the Rams, who need to have a good day from Steven Jackson to hold the Falcons in check. Won’t happen, as Roddy White and Matt Ryan both play at a high level. Atlanta 29 St.Louis 23

Indianapolis at New England - The best rivalry in the NFL, bar none. Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady, always a classic. The Pats showed quite a bit of heart going to Pittsburgh last week to pound the Steelers, and they are now back on top in the AFC. The Colts continue to be banged up, as they will have to have Donald Brown as the feature back again this week. The Pats will once again be inspired against Manning, pulling out a big win. New England 31 Indianapolis 27

New York Giants at Philadelphia – Two big boys in the NFC East, and this game will come down to if Mike Vick can continue his high level of play vs the G-Men. The Giants have to contain him, and also watch for the long balls from Vick to his wide outs. Look for the Giants to try and use Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs to run the ball, but in Philly, it won’t go so well. Philadelphia 23 New York Giants 13

Monday Night:

Denver at San Diego - An AFC West showdown on Monday night, the Broncos put on offensive fireworks last week vs KC, and hope that carries over vs the Chargers. San Diego is 4-5, but with Philip Rivers and the offense clicking despite all the injuries, it’s hard to imagine the Chargers losing at home to a Denver team that has been up and down all year. San Diego 33 Denver 21

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