Saints vs Dolphins

With the Saints coming to Miami, Tony Sparano should have his team fired up to have a strong showing in front of a sell-out crowd. The Dolphins are coming off of two straight victories against AFC east rivals, and are now feeling much better about the unfolding season. Much of the focus, of course, will be on Miami's defensive squad, as they look to contain the most powerful offense in the land.

The Dolphins have enjoyed success thus far running the football out of the wildcat formation, using Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to stack up serious yardage. Many speculate that Miami will try to take full advantage of this, as it will help control the tempo of the game and keep Drew Brees off the field for as long as possible. If all goes according to plan, the Dolphins should be able to make a few good plays on defense as well, and claim another home victory.

However, things do not always go so smoothly. Miami learned this the hard way against a very strong Colts team. Playing extremely well executed ball control football, the Dolphins chewed up nearly all of the clock. Unfortunately, this forced the Colts to do what they do best. (Peyton Manning throws the football, Colts Win!) Taking this into consideration, Miami may try to rely more on quarterback Chad Henne, and have him come up with a handful of big plays. This is not at all an unlikely scenario, as Henne completed 20 of 26 passing attempts in a shoot-out style game against a strong Jets defense.

The Saints, as always, should attempt to come out swinging, hopefully climbing to an early two or three touchdown lead. If this is allowed to happen, then its assuredly Game Over for Miami. (Time to reset/Smash the Nintendo) Of Course, the Dolphins are well aware of this possibility, and will try to keep things under control. They have been studying film from the Saints-Bills game, where New Orleans entered the fourth quarter with an unusually small 10-7 lead. They will do everything in their power to keep Drew Brees "uncomfortable."

Overall, I predict that the Saints continue their trend of coming out victorious by a margin of more than one score. They have demonstrated that they can excel in defensive games, and have more than proven that they are not a one-dimensional team. Until anyone is able to prove otherwise, I will continue to have faith.