Sports Thread #1/The Live Thread For 9/9/10: NFL Kickoff 2010- Vikings vs Saints
For the Vikings, the key lost will be no Cedric Griffin at corner, along with Sidney Rice already sidelined, as Lito Shepperd or Asher Allen will get the nod, while the Saints are without defense MVP Darren Sharper.
Minnesota Vikings: RB Toby Gerhart: AD will be in there on third downs. QB Joe Webb: Third QB Also inactive: DB Chris Cook, G Chris DeGeare, DE Everson Griffen, CB Cedric Griffin, DT Jimmy Kennedy, TE Mickey Shuler
New Orleans Saints: Also inactive: LB Stanley Arnoux, WR Adrian Arrington, LB Danny Clark, DE Junior Galette, TE Jimmy Graham, RB Chris Ivory, FS Chris Reis, T Zach Strief
Keys to this opener are just as similar as last Season's NFC Championship game.
For the Saints, continuing the formula of fine protection for Drew Brees and mixing in both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush is the objective. On the defensive side for the champs, playmaking turnovers will still be their desire, but no Sharper means a key performance in the opener from Malcom Jenkins is required.
For the Vikings, with no Rice, Brett Favre will have to be on page with Bernard Berrian from the get go, as Percy Harvin's effectiveness from his rough training camp is yet to be determined. Pressure on Brees is paramount in this game, and the Williams duo in the middle along with Ray Edwards must give Jared Allen a hand against the pass. No question that mammoth combination can stop the run just as well as any defensive tackle combination can in the league.
The timing of Favre with his offense, especially with the absence of Rice, means that a big effort from Adrian Peterson is the only way I see a Vikings victory in a raucous Superdome.
Take the Saints for the victory and the spread.
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