So, here we go again. Nine months of mock drafts, #Byrdwatch, and “projecting the 53” has finally brought us here. Week 1 and the long-awaited debut of our 2015 Saints.

For the second year in a row, however, the “schedule Gods” haven’t been particularly kind. After opening with a tough divisional road game in the Georgia Dome last year, this season the Black and Gold head to the desert for an equally challenging matchup against the dangerous Arizona Cardinals.

The BoiLa’s Snapshot – The Arizona Cardinals: Arizona are a talented team on both sides of the ball, who have simply found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had the Cardinals been in any division other than the red-hot NFC West over the past few seasons, they would undoubtedly be an established NFC playoff team. This is particularly true of the Cards’ when playing at home – they are 13-3 at University of Phoenix Stadium over the last two seasons, with the sole losses coming against Seattle (x2) and San Fran. In fact, the last team from outside the NFC West to go to Glendale and come away with the W was Chicago. In 2012. In fact, particularly given the health of the Saints’ secondary, on paper this might just be the toughest road trip on the schedule outside of the non-conference trip to Indy in October. Underestimate these Cardinals at your peril.

So do the Saints’ even stand a chance this week?



Of course they do. This is the Saints, lest we forget. The team that laid an egg in Cleveland last year and then blew out Green Bay a few weeks later.

But there are more reasons to be optimistic than just “old lady luck” blindly falling in favor of the Black and Gold. Despite being a tricky match-up, our strong feeling is that the Saints are “catching the Cards at the right time” this week. Injuries, suspensions and poor preseason play have left Arizona soft in four key areas (and one in particular). So we’re quietly confident that the Saints can exploit these and become the first non-NFC West team since the 2012 Bears to leave Arizona with a W.

The BoiLa’s Keys to Desert Glory: Saints Defense: 1. Exploit the patchwork Arizona O-Line 2. Guard against Carson Palmer’s deep ball Saints Offense: 1. Target the heart of the Cardinals D-Line 2. Capitalize on the inexperience of Arizona’s inside linebackers



We’ll begin by taking a closer look at the defensive keys for the Saints. In our view, the battle on that side of the football – matching an understaffed Arizona O-Line and an equally decimated Saints secondary – will likely be the key deciding factor in Sunday’s game.

By the numbers – The Cardinals Offense:

15 – Number of sacks given up by the shorthanded Arizona O-Line in the preseason. 2nd highest in the NFL. 3.3 – YPC for the Arizona Cardinals offense in 2014. Lowest in the NFL. 6-0 – Arizona’s record with Carson Palmer under center in 2014. 93 – Number of deep passes (20 yards or more downfield) attempted by Arizona in 2014. Highest in the NFL.

Saints Defensive Keys to Desert Glory :

1. Exploit the patchwork Arizona O-Line

Although there is never a perfect time to head out to the desert for a road game, this week might be as good as any for the Saints to make the trip. Why? Because the Arizona O-Line is absolutely decimated to begin 2015.

Last year, the offensive line was the Achilles heel for the Cardinals. Their run blocking was appalling, particularly in the interior, leaving Arizona with the worst YPC average in the league (3.3). The Cards’ pass blocking was not much better – according to PFF’s “pass blocking efficiency” grade (which measures sacks, QB hits and QB pressures on a per snap basis), Arizona’s pass protection was ranked 29th in the NFL.

To shore up the ailing O-Line, the Cardinals splashed out this offseason on marquee free agent LG Mike Iupati (San Francisco), also added C A.Q. Shipley (Indianapolis), and spent their first round draft pick on former-Gator RT DJ Humphries. However, through a combination of injury and sub-par preseason play, none of these new arrivals will be lining up for the opening snap on Sunday.

Instead, the Cardinals “revamped” starting offensive line will look like this against the Saints:

LT Jared Veldheer – LG Ted Larsen – C Lyle Sendlein – RG Jonathan Cooper – RT Earl Watford

It is a far cry from what the Cards’ coaching staff had hoped for when camp opened in August.

Starting at the center position, the Cardinals’ intention was for A.Q. Shipley to provide an upgrade on the ageing Lyle Sendlein this year. By whichever measure you use, Sendlein was awful last year. PFF graded Sendlein as the 2nd worst Center in the NFL in 2014 (40th out of 41). Sendlein’s main weakness was in run-blocking, where he was consistently dominated in the trenches. He was also responsible for 28 QB hurries (nearly 2 per game). In the offseason, the Cardinals released Sendlein and brought in A.Q. Shipley from Indianapolis to steady the ship. The problem? Shipley has looked terrible through camp and the preseason. The staff obviously had concerns over Shipley’s play early in August. Within a week of training camp opening, the Cards quietly re-signed Sendlein (who had unsurprisingly attracted no interest from other clubs). Fast-forward to the end of preseason, and Shipley has somehow now managed to lose the starting job to the (almost retired) Sendlein, who himself spent the preseason playing only against 2s/3s/4s and looking less than stellar in the process.

The Cards’ O-Line woes don’t end at center. Lining up to the left of Lyle Sendlein on Sunday will be LG Ted Larsen, another player who had a poor 2014 season. Although a better run blocker than Sendlein last year, Ted “Turnstile” Larsen was even worse than Sendlein in pass protection (surrendering 30 QB hurries). Larsen also had 11 flags thrown on him in 2014 – 77th out of the 78 active NFL guards. Ex-49er guard Mike Iupati was acquired in the offseason as a direct replacement for the sub-par Larsen. The problem? Iupati has picked up a knee injury and is ruled out of this week’s game. Meaning the Cards’ are lumbered with the Sendlein-Larsen duo on the interior again.

Completing the interior is RG Jonathan Cooper. In keeping with his teammates, Cooper is also a player with question marks hanging over him to open the 2015 season. Originally drafted in the first round in 2013, Cooper missed his entire rookie campaign through injury. The highly-rated guard started twice at the tail-end of last year (at LG), before spending this offseason transitioning to play on the right side. His preseason play at RG looks unconvincing on tape, with Cooper in particular struggling mightily against the blitz-happy Raiders in week 3. Cooper undeniably has potential, but he will be making only his third career start on Sunday (and his first at RG).

And it doesn’t end there. We mentioned DJ Humphries above – the Cards’ 2015 first round pick. Humphries was selected to challenge the inconsistent Bobby Massie for the starting spot at RT. The problem? Massie is suspended for the first three games of the season. Step forward DJ Humphries, then? Not so fast. The former Gator has been a disaster this preseason. So much of a disaster, in fact, that Bruce Arians does not even trust his first round pick to temporarily deputise for Massie in his short three week absence. It leaves Arizona with hastily-converted guard Earl Watford inked in as emergency starter at RT. Watford was a 4th round selection in 2013 and has only taken 9 career snaps since (all as a back-up guard). In fact, Watford even opened this preseason at guard. His only experience at RT has come in the final 2 preseason games against Oakland and Denver’s 2s/3s/4s. Nonetheless by default more than anything, Watford will not only be making his first career start on Sunday, but he will be doing so in the unfamiliar RT position. Expect Arizona to give Watford significant TE help. Expect the Saints to introduce Watford to Mr Hau’oli Kikaha.

If there is any consolation for Carson Palmer, it is that his blindside is protected by talented LT Jared Veldheer. The left tackle was probably the sole bright spot for the Cardinals up front last season. The rock-solid Veldheer is easily the most reliable lineman for Arizona, which isn’t saying much. However he will not be able to hold together the line single-handedly.

All of this points towards a fantastic opportunity for the Saints’ defensive line to exploit on Sunday. Veterans Cam Jordan and Akiem Hicks have both shed weight in the offseason and appeared leaner and meaner throughout camp. Big John Jenkins was solid, if unspectacular, at nose tackle . He might not face a softer center than Lyle Sendlein all year. Kevin Williams flashed his ability to physically dominate interior linemen in the preseason. And we can’t forget the Saints slew of hungry, young rotational players who will undoubtedly pick up snaps this week. Tyeler Davidson, Tavaris Barnes, Bobby Richardson and Kaleb Eulls make-up an unprecedentedly young “8 man” rotation up front for the Saints. Although their talent is untested, all four showed enough in the preseason to win the wide-open battle for the rotational spots up front. Generating a better interior pass rush is a key goal for the Saints defense this year – and if they can’t show improvement against this patchwork Cards’ line, we can rightfully be concerned.

2. Guard against Carson Palmer’s deep ball

Before we get too carried away, however, we need to remember how the Saints’ secondary looks this weekend. Starters Jairus Byrd and Keenan Lewis are both out this Sunday. Delvin Breaux will be thrown in to start outside in his first ever NFL game. And fifth round rookie Damian Swann will also likely make his NFL debut as the nickel back. Although both looked sound in the preseason, this is a very different test. We expect the Cards to target both Breaux and Swann this week, as well as other potentially vulnerable targets like Kenny Vaccaro.

The Saints’ banged-up secondary is particularly concerning because no NFL team attempted more downfield deep balls (meaning 20+ yards) in 2014 than Arizona. They are a highly vertical offense. When he isn’t on his back on Sunday, Carson Palmer will be gunning the ball downfield. And Arizona are stacked at WR – with Larry Fitzgerald, Malcolm Floyd (who looks set to overcome injury in time to play), John Brown, Jaron Brown and JJ Nelson all set to contribute in 2015. The stable is a lethal combination of size, speed and hands, and represents one of the toughest the Saints will face this year.

So keep an eye out for those early deep balls from Arizona on Sunday, especially testing new arrivals Breaux and Swann. The Cards’ will undoubtedly take their “home run” shots, particularly as it looks unlikely they will have either a consistent ground game or consistent pass protection. Any mistakes or teething problems for the Saints’ “new look” secondary will be magnified. Instead of just costing New Orleans a new set of downs, mistakes in coverage this weekend will likely cost the Saints points.

A couple of easy “quick scores” for the Cards through the air will be difficult to overcome on the road. Remember, Palmer played behind an equally questionable Cardinal O-Line last year and went 6-0 to start the season (before getting injured). The Saints coverage will no doubt need to “bend” at times on Sunday against the talented Cards receivers. But it absolutely cannot “break”.

Defensive Summary – The Boila’s Take “Although the Saints D has a few question marks of its own, what we do know is that the Saints D-Line probably won’t face an O-Line this suspect again this year. If the Saints D-Line can “win” in the trenches as expected, it will stifle the run and make the Cards’ one-dimensional, which should in turn allow the linebackers and secondary to focus on playing coverage. The Saints defense then just needs to “win” those downfield coverage battles – which remains a concern against a dangerous receiving corps. Nonetheless, the old adage of “it all starts up front” has never been so apt.”

We’ll now turn our attention to the Arizona defense and the ways in which the Saints offense can hopefully expose it in two days time. First up, it’s fair to say the Cardinals D is a highly regarded unit. Certainly looking over the numbers from 2014 there are some impressive statistics. They ranked “Top 10” in the NFL for fewest passing and rushing TDs allowed, as well as the percentage of drives that resulted in their opposition scoring points. Even though teams moved the ball fairly easily on the Cardinals at times last season, preventing the opposition from turning those yards into points is something Arizona did a pretty good job of in 2014.

However, fast forward to the start of this campaign, and a combination of players moving on, injuries and coaching changes has potentially left part of this Cardinals defense somewhat exposed. Putting it in plain English, the interior of the Arizona D-Line and their depth at inside linebacker is going to be far from tried and tested come gametime on Sunday.

By the numbers – The Cardinals Defense:

7 – The number of games offseason signing Sean Weatherspoon has managed to play in since 2012. He’s missed 25 with injury. 1,153 – Snaps vacated from 2014 following the departures of NT Dan Williams and DL Tommy Kelly. 30 – QB hurries by DE Calais Campbell in 2014. 3rd in the NFC amongst 3-4 defensive ends. 66.2 – Receiving yards per game conceded by the Cardinals to TE’s in 2014. The worst in the NFL.

Saints Offensive Keys to Desert Glory:

1. Target the heart of the Cardinals D-Line

There’s been a change of scenery along the Cardinals defensive front in the lead up to this 2015 season. Arguably most notable is the departure of highly-rated nose tackle Dan Williams, who crossed state lines for Oakland in March after his 5 year deal in Arizona expired. Williams was a dominant run-stuffer as a Cardinal, and started every game at NT in 2014, totalling 475 snaps in the process. Arizona chose to move on without him for 2015 however, a decision no doubt made easier by their success in signing ex-Falcon Corey Peters to a three year deal. So, replacing one veteran nose tackle for a cheaper but still serviceable replacement… the Cardinals are sorted there, right? Wrong. Peters went down in practice on August 20th. The diagnosis was a season-ending torn left achilles tendon. Peters was put straight on IR and Arizona were left with two weeks to find a new starter. The winner (somewhat by default) is relative unknown Rodney Gunter, a 4th round rookie who played his college ball in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for Delaware State. There’s not even that much tape of Gunter playing in preseason to go by. Beyond a 34 snap run-out against Kansas City’s 2s and 3s, Arizona basically shut Gunter down following the Peters injury, presumably worried about losing yet another newly-named starter at the heart of their D-Line. The rookie played just 12 snaps over the last two weeks of preseason. He’ll likely be expected to play anywhere between 20-35 in the Cardinals starting base defense come Sunday, mostly on obvious running downs. With dependable 14-year veteran Tommy Kelly also not returning to Arizona this year, aside from the dangerous Calais Campbell, the Cardinal D-Line looks untested and arguably downgraded in comparison to 2014. Expect Gunter, as well as Frostee Rucker, Josh Mauro and Cory Redding to compete for playing time. In contrast, the Saints’ revamped offensive interior of Lelito-Unger-Evans has shown flashes in preseason that it will be a significant upgrade on last year’s offering. Replacing the struggling Goodwin with the impressive Unger was one of the easiest to identify differences in the Saints first team offense during this year’s exhibition cameos. With Unger likely to take on Gunter for most of the rookie’s NFL debut, you’ve got to fancy the ex-Pro Bowl veteran to take full advantage. One 6-foot-8 note of caution regarding the Cardinals defensive line, however, comes in the form of the aforementioned Calais Campbell. Equally as disruptive playing the run as he is attacking opposing QBs, Campbell totaled 41 stops, 30 QB hurries and 7 sacks in 2014. With Campbell lining up on the right side of the Cardinals D-Line, he’ll spend most of the game working in front of Terron Armstead and perhaps working inside on Tim Lelito. Campbell will no doubt provide an extensive workout for both. If the Saints can overpower the rest of the Cardinals untested D-Line, then this in turn should free up some extra resources to double team Campbell and hopefully subdue the Pro Bowl right end. Either way though, the Saints would be wise to generally keep play flowing away from Campbell when possible. 2. Capitalize on the inexperience of Arizona’s inside linebackers

If the Saints interior is able to establish the push we think it should on Sunday, then you’ve got to fancy the chances for the running backs heading into second level as well. The inside linebacker position in Arizona seems to have been in flux ever since Daryl Washington was first suspended under the league’s substance abuse policy in 2013. Veterans Karlos Dansby and Larry Foote assumed his role as defensive signal caller in 2013 and 2014 respectively (both on one year deals). However, with Foote hanging up his cleats in order to take up a role on the Cardinals coaching staff, and Washington no closer to being reinstated by the NFL, Arizona signed Sean Weatherspoon to take hold of the on-field defensive reins for 2015. As Saints fans we all know about ex-Falcon Sean Weatherspoon. A brash trash-talker who always seemed a little inconsistent, capable of making a game saving tackle one play before costing you the W the next. If there is one thing that’s consistent about Weatherspoon, it’s his inability to stay on the field. The linebacker has had some terrible luck with injuries. Weatherspoon has played just 7 games since 2012. Almost inevitably following his signing he reported to the Cardinals Training Camp with a hamstring injury, managing just 17 snaps of gametime action during the whole of preseason. If Weatherspoon even makes it onto the field on Sunday, it seems unlikely he’ll slot straight into the role of every down starter that Arizona may have intended. The flip side of this means that LSU’s own Kevin Minter is now likely to see significant time in the middle of the Cardinals linebacking corps. Minter provided solid rotational depth for the Cards in 2014, but following Weatherspoon’s injury woes this preseason, the 2nd rounder has now moved right up to the top of the depth chart. Minter assumed the role of signal caller for the latter weeks of training camp, before getting a full audition in the role for the final preseason game against Oakland. It now looks likely he’ll get the start against the Saints on Sunday. Minter is a talented linebacker, no doubt. But to take on such responsibilities for the first time against an offense as complex and substitution heavy as the Saints… it’s a big ask. Even if a semi-healthy Weatherspoon can suit up on Sunday, depth remains a concern for the 3-4 Cardinals at ILB. Based on preseason tape, it seems Deone Bucannon (who’s listed as a safety on the Cardinals official roster) is likely to get reps at inside linebacker. This is no doubt in part due to another key 2014 weakness for the Arizona linebackers – their inability to cover tight ends. The Cardinals conceded 66.2 yards per game to TE’s in 2014, highest the NFL. Although the Saints no longer have #80 to take advantage of such a mismatch, we fully expect Ben Watson and Josh Hill to be a big part of the gameplan on Sunday, to test any perceived “improvements” in the linebackers’ coverage. Beyond Bucannon, the undrafted duo Alani Fua and Kenny Demens make up the ILBs on the Arizona 53.

Offensive Summary – The BoiLa’s Take “The Saints should be looking to run the football early and often in this one. We’re expecting a heavy dose of power running sets early that attack Gunter and Co right up the gut. Shorter throws across the middle to TEs/HBs could also be particularly effective against an unconvincing set of Cardinals inside linebackers. There’s no doubt the strength of the Cardinals defense (Campbell aside) lies in their secondary. Peterson, Mathieu, and Powers in particular are all very strong in coverage. If the Saints fall behind, it may be a tough task to chase a game through the air in Arizona. Establish the run and get ahead early however, and the Saints shouldn’t need to force anything that brings the Cards secondary into the game.”

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We’re hoping to get The BoiLa out to a wider range of Who Dats in 2015, and any help in achieving this would be greatly appreciated. So do spread the word and feel free to share this article with any other Saints fans you think might be interested.

Following the game on Sunday we’ll be grading each players performance using our color-code grading system, as we did with all Saints games last season. If you’ve never seen our grading before and want to know what you can expect, then feel free to check back through all of our Saints grades from last season here.



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