The fallout from the Deflategate scandal hit the Patriots last week. With Tom Brady spending more time in court than on the football field, is backup Jimmy Garoppolo the answer? Saints quarterback Drew Brees is back, he’s healthy and he will play for the first time this preseason when New Orleans battles the defending Super Bowl Champs.
ODDS
The Saints will look to recreate some of that home field advantage they lost last season. They opened as a 1-point favorite for this preseason tilt. The total came in at 43, which is well within reach for these clubs.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Jimmy Garoppolo played all but two series in New England’s preseason opener and, while he completed 20 of 30 attempts, he was held in check by the Packers reserve defenders. The Pats will need to see more from their backup if he’s going to take the reins for the first four games while Brady sits out his suspension. Brady, in a surprise move, played the first two series and was ineffective for the most part. But we know what Brady can do while Garoppolo is still a question mark. Third-stringer Ryan Lindley, who signed with the club on Aug. 10, is expected to see some action after not playing against Green Bay.
After sitting out the Saints preseason opener, Drew Brees said he expects to play his typical amount during Saturday’s game. We don’t know what the typical amount is exactly, but Brees said, “It’s typically a quarter, quarter and a half.” The Saints likely want to get rookie Garrett Grayson more work than they typically give their fourth quarterback. He played the fourth quarter last week, completing 8 of 12 passes and looked better than he had at any point in camp. The Saints also don’t want to short change Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin, who are battling for the No. 2 job.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
The Tom Brady saga continues to hang over Patriots camp while Bill Belichick and the rest of the country await a decision on what happens to the New England quarterback. Brady was suspended four games for his participation in the use of underinflated footballs in last year’s AFC Championship Game but has appealed the ruling. The NFL ban has been playing out in federal court with Brady missing several practices to attend hearings. Meanwhile, Belichick has to field a football team and not knowing if, or for how long, he’ll be without the three-time NFL MVP has to be concerning. The suspension is only four games, but in the NFL that’s one-quarter of the season. Belichick must move forward with the plan of having Garappolo under center for the first four games.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“No. 1, there’s a mental toughness that we’re looking for and that’s kind of measured in small increments. Often times it’s not measured until you get into the game. If you have the discipline to avoid a penalty or you have the discipline to come back when you’re behind 14 points. So, you’re developing that at camp.” – Saints coach Sean Payton
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
The Saints typically use only four receivers on game days, not counting special teams roles. Second-year player Brandon Coleman has a good shot at earning the No. 3 job behind starters Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston. After that it’s a free-for-all for roster spots between veterans Nick Toon, Joseph Morgan, Josh Morgan and second-year receivers Seantavius Jones and Willie Snead. “I don’t know how it’s all going to shake out in the end, but I like the guys we have,” Brees said of his receivers.
INJURIES
The Saints had a backup defensive secondary in practice this week. Starting cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Keenan Lewis both sat out, as did safeties Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro and primary nickel back Delvin Breaux. All have injuries which coach Sean Payton has declined to discuss.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
New England may have an advantage with Garoppolo again getting a heavy workload as he prepares to lead the Pats for the first quarter of the regular season. But we saw how well that worked out for them last week. New Orleans gets its quarterback back for this one with Brees expected to play at least the first quarter. His presence should be enough to get the offense rolling. The Saints need work on the defensive side and the group’s starting secondary is all beat up. That opens plenty of holes for the Pats to exploit.
New England 24, New Orleans 21
BookMaker opened the spread for this Saturday game at -1 in favor of the Saints. The NFL odds total surfaced at 43. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints will take place Saturday, August 22, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
