New York Giants at New Orleans Saints Preview

By Jonathan Solomon  |   Monday, September 19, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

NFL Football News
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In what will be the strangest game of the season in terms of scheduling, the New Orleans Saints play at Giants Stadium as the designated home team later this evening. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM EST.

In what had to be a rushed decision by NFL officials shortly after Hurricane Katrina ruined the Gulf Coast, the league decided to move the Saints home opener, technically onto the road. The Giants will do their part to try and make the Saints feel at home by painting logo's on the field and hanging Saint banners throughout the stadium.

The New Orleans Saints will clearly be playing with unprecedented emotion on Monday at 7:30 pm eastern as they try and focus on football. The New York Giants meanwhile, must put all their gut wrenching feelings towards the hurting city aside and prepare to beat their opponent.

Both teams are coming off victories last week. The Giants dominated the Cardinals while the Saints edged out the Panthers with a last second field goal. Big Blue received help from six different skill players that each scored a touchdown in running backs Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs, Chad Morton and receivers Plaxico Burress, Willie Ponder and tight end Jeremy Shockey. Whether they can do anything remotely close to that performance remains to be seen although it will be tough against an emotional Saints team.

Quarterback Eli Manning will play against his hometown team for the first time as a pro. When asked about the game, he said, "`It's going to be special playing the Saints." He'll have to grow on his mild Week 1 performance that saw a couple of interceptions and miscommunications.

The Saints star running back Deuce McAllister only rushed for 64 yards on 26 carries against a stout Carolina defense last week. On the flipside, the Giants were able to shut down the Cardinals rushing game (Kurt Warner was their leading rusher with 11 yards). The emergence of third-year defensive tackle William Joseph has helped the Giants improve what was a weak middle in previous years.

Last week versus the New York Giants secondary, Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald caught over 10 passes for over 100 yards and a touchdown. The Saints should be able to exploit match up problems against a banged up unit. Look for Joe Horn to be very active, although I don't expect a repeat of their last game when Horn caught three touchdowns and pulled the infamous cell phone celebration out of nowhere.

As of Thursday, Jeremy Shockey (ankle), offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie (ankle), and corners Will Peterson (knee) and Corey Webster (quad) were all listed as questionable. For the Saints, tight end Ernie Conwell (jaw) and receiver Az-Zahir Hakim (hamstring) are listed as questionable.
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