Freeney injury gives Saints a shot at upset

James Cook

February 6, 2010

Anonymous The Record Eagle Sat Feb 06, 2010, 11:00 PM EST

Anybody who roots for the Colts is pro-hurricane.

OK, maybe that's a bit harsh.

But the Saints will have a huge cheering section around the country as the team draws on sympathy for a city still rebuilding from hurricane devastation.

Anyone named Katrina -- even in Indianapolis -- should root for Who Dat nation to bring some relief to a city that our government nearly forgot about.

How about this little nugget: Former FEMA chief Michael Brown is taking the easy road and picking the Colts to beat the Saints? Guess it's not the first time he ignored New Orleans. Stick to horses, Mr. Brown.

New Orleans has fantastic food, Mardi Gras, a diverse and abundant nightlife, voodoo, plenty of history and local lore and Indianapolis has, um, uh ... Peyton Manning. Sorry Peyton, but N'awlins and its cajun food wins that one, hands down.

Besides, if the Saints win, it just puts the Detroit Lions one step closer to being the only NFL team to have never won a Super Bowl. How fitting is that?

Without Dwight Freeney -- who has a torn ligament in his ankle, which is bad for a 268-pound man who relies on quickness -- the Colts will not be able to generate enough pressure on Drew Brees, who completes over 70 percent of his passes even when facing all the opposition can throw at him. The short-handed Colts' defense -- also missing key safety Bob Sanders -- could be picked apart by New Orleans' jambalaya-powered offense.

Freeney combined with fellow defensive end Robert Mathis to record 23 of the Colts' 34 sacks this season. With Freeney out -- or severly limited -- the Saints can double team Mathis and take away virtually all of Indy's pass rush. Defensive linemen Raheem Brock had 3.5 and Eric Foster 2.5. Only 2.5 sacks came from the team's linebackers in 16 regular-season games.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton is an offensive guru who has to make Jerry Jones question his own decision-making after letting him go from the Cowboys' coaching staff. He'll find a way to pick apart Indianapolis' weakend defensive corps.

The Saints defense, however, isn't very highly regarded, either. Tell that to Brett Favre, who was knocked around by their defensive line like a rag doll, despite Minnesota's daunting offensive line.

The Colts could also be missing offensive lineman Ryan Lilja, a key blocker in their scheme. Combine that with New Orleans' suddenly rejuvenated pass rush, and the Saints can put pressure on Peyton Manning that Drew Brees likely won't see by a Freeney-less Indy defense.

There's a reason why the line on this game is shrinking, and that's because the Saints can do more than just cover the spread; they can win it.

Payton -- not Peyton -- comes out of this one a winner.

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