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Fresh off a bye week that followed their first victory, the New Orleans Saints seem confident they've begun to turn things around.

 

Whether the Saints' beleaguered defense can handle a resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense remains to be seen Sunday when the NFC South foes meet at Raymond James Stadium.

 

Mired in an 0-4 start and without suspended coach Sean Payton, New Orleans finally had something to build on after it rallied for a 31-24 home win over San Diego on Oct. 7.

 

"We're still very confident," safety Roman Harper said. "Nothing has really changed. I understand we lost some games, but you can't let them see you sweat. We understand we're right on the cusp of greatness. We just have to go out there and achieve it."

 

The Saints have had a plenty of time to get healthy and prepare for their next shot at greatness, but also understand there is plenty of work to be done.

 

"We control momentum," interim coach Aaron Kromer told the Saints' official website. "We control momentum with the way we practice, the way we prepare and the way we play in the game. We've continued to get better each week and that's our goal, to keep climbing and keep getting better."

 

Though the Saints did not allow a point after the Chargers scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, they still rank last in the league allowing 456.0 yards per contest, including 172.8 (31st) on the ground. Even if linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who is appealing a season-long suspension in connection with the NFL's bounty scandal, manages to see the field Sunday, New Orleans faces a serious challenge against a Tampa Bay team that set season highs with 145 rushing yards and 318 passing in last Sunday's 38-10 rout of Kansas City.

 

"We know what is ahead of us," Kromer said. "We know it's a formidable opponent, we are at their place, and it's a divisional rivalry. We need to play our best football to win on the road and we can do that."

 

The Saints usually have a chance to win with Drew Brees under center. The former Super Bowl MVP set an NFL record with a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game versus San Diego, and finished that contest 29 of 45 for 370 yards with four TDs. He's thrown for 816 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception in his last two games.

 

Marques Colston has hauled in four of those TD passes while catching 18 balls for 284 yards in the last two.

 

Brees threw for 383 yards with a touchdown pass to Colston, but was intercepted three times during last season's 26-20 loss at Tampa Bay.

 

Though the Buccaneers (2-3) held the feeble Chiefs to 260 total yards and star Jamaal Charles to 40 on 12 carries, they rank 31st through the air, giving up 312.2 yards.

 

These teams have split their last eight meetings, including the last four at Raymond James, where the Bucs have won two of three since dropping their final three there last season.

 

Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards with three touchdowns while Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson combined for eight receptions for 179 yards and three scores versus Kansas City. Freeman has completed 60 percent of his passes for 627 yards with four TDs and two picks in two games since he went 10 of 28 for 110 during a 16-10 loss at Dallas on Sept. 23.

 

Williams is averaging 22.1 yards per catch on 15 receptions with three TDs, while Jackson averages 18.5 on 20 catches and has four scores. Both averages rank in the top five entering Week 7.

 

"We've got the talent, we've got the pieces, we just have to go out and play," Freeman said. "We know who we are and you just have to continue to work, continue to prepare like we've been preparing."

 

Freeman has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,058 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions while Tampa Bay has split its last four with New Orleans.

 

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.

 

Saints suck. Bucs suck. Good game? :think:

Edited by Vin

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I really want the Saints struggles to continue, but I don't know if Tampa Bay can play well two weeks in a row.

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Vincent Jackson (calf) left Friday's practice with a trainer, but is still expected to play versus the Saints in Week 7.

 

Jackson's calf is obviously an issue this week, but beat writer Roy Cummings is hearing that "this is all precautionary" the past two days. Check back Friday afternoon for Jackson's injury designation. At this point, he appears safe to roll out as a WR2 option versus the Saints' generous defense.

 

Also,I'm taking the Saints here in a very close game..

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I'll say Saints, but their horrible D will keep it far too close for comfort here.

 

:Saints: 33

:Bucs: 30

Edited by BigBen07

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Saints suck. Bucs suck. Good game? :think:

 

IMO, neither of these teams suck. Yea, they both don't have winning records, but the Bucs have not lost a game by more than 7 points, and the Saints have not lost a game by more than 8. Both of these teams have been in it till the end for every game they've played, and I expect this one to be no different.

 

For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this game though. I feel like we lose in a heartbreaking way. Hope I'm wrong though. GO :Bucs::towel: I'm so pumped for this game.

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Also,I'm taking the Saints here in a very close game..

 

Good to hear he'll probably play. That'd be a huge loss.

 

BTW, rumor has it that DaQuan Bowers may suit up this weekend and we just waived a DE... Would be remarkable if he came back this quick. I'd hate to see him rush back and get hurt again though.

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Bucs are wearing the creamsicles for this game, no? Victory is imminent.

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Bucs are wearing the creamsicles for this game, no? Victory is imminent.

 

They are. :yep:

 

It sucks that I'll end up missing probably our only non-blacked out home game of the year for work lol.

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I'm scared of Drew Brees, however I think the Bucs defense can prevent him from doing much. Go Bucs!

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First Sunday I'll have to work in months. I think Freeman can do some good things against a terrible Saints D. We need to take advantage of every drive and not turn the ball over. If we can do that, we will win this game. Our defense is good enough to stop Brees a few times maybe even get a turnover or two. However, if our offense becomes stagnant, as it has this year, and we keep putting the defense back on the field, Brees will break this game open and it will be a L for us.

 

Also, how bad do the Bucs and Saints have to be for a Jags fan to insult them? :shrug:

  • Upvote 1

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I'm scared of Drew Brees, however I think the Bucs defense can prevent him from doing much. Go Bucs!

 

Hopefully. I am a bit worried with Talib being out. McCoy and the d-line will have to be on their A game getting pressure on Brees.

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A league source tells Profootballtalk.com that Jimmy Graham (ankle) will not make the trip to Tampa Bay in Week 7.

 

Hate to see a player injured, but this is good news for us. :D

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So no Jimmy Graham for the Saints, they will have Vilma back though.

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So no Jimmy Graham for the Saints, they will have Vilma back though.

 

Yep, I'd much rather have Vilma out there instead of Graham. :yep:

 

Vilma just had his first practice the other day and isn't that good anymore. Having him on the field doesn't worry me too much. Would love to Blount steamroll his ass though...

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Yep, I'd much rather have Vilma out there instead of Graham. :yep:

 

Vilma just had his first practice the other day and isn't that good anymore. Having him on the field doesn't worry me too much. Would love to Blount steamroll his ass though...

Same here, Graham is too much of a threat offensively, now without him it helps our defense out a bit. And I'd love to see a lot more of Blount tomorrow.

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Same here, Graham is too much of a threat offensively, now without him it helps our defense out a bit. And I'd love to see a lot more of Blount tomorrow.

Yep, Graham is just a mismatch waiting to happen. I was interested in seeing how Barron would do against him though.

 

And I agree about Blount. I really hope we continue to use him more. He's looked good with the carries he has gotten. Split carries with him and Martin and we should have a solid running attack.

 

 

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Saints declared TE Jimmy Graham, RB Chris Ivory, LB David Hawthorne, CB Elbert Mack, DE Turk McBride, DT Tyrunn Walker, and OT Bryce Harris inactive for Week 7 against the Bucs.

 

Graham didn't travel to Tampa Bay with the team and is out with an ankle injury. We'll have plenty of updates on the tight end throughout the upcoming week. David Thomas will start in his place. Ivory is fifth in the running back pecking order. Jonathan Vilma will likely slide into Hawthorne's (hamstring) spot at weak-side 'backer.

 

 

Bucs declared RB Michael Smith, OL Cody Wallace, WR Chris Owusu, TE Danny Noble, LBs Jacob Cutrera and Najee Goode, and DB Keith Tandy inactive for Week 7 against the Saints.

 

Smith is a healthy scratch as the team's No. 4 running back. The Bucs enter Sunday's game as one of the healthier teams in the league. They listed just two players on the injury report, and both were probable.

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lol at thing saying we are one of the healthiest teams in the league. Both our starting DE's are out, we don't have our top CB, and one of our pro bowl OG's is out. We are far from being one of the healthiest teams in the league.

 

Anyways, my score prediction:

 

:Bucs: 34

:Saints: 31

 

GO BUCS! :towel:

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:Saints: 24

 

:Bucs: 27

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Bucs win the toss and will defer. Saints will get the ball first.

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