49ers to face vastly different Saints team By Glenn Guilbeau gguilbeau@gannett METAIRIE — Just about year ago, San Francisco soared through New Orleans for a 31-21 win in the Mercedes- Benz Superdome and an 8-2-1record on their way to the Super Bowl in the same building. The Saints, meanwhile, limped off at 5-6 as quarterback Drew Brees threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns and was sacked five times in throwing for just 267 yards. The Saints rushed for a mere 59 yards on 21 carries, while their defense allowed 144 rushing yards rushing. Less than a year later and the Saints, including head coach Sean Payton off a suspension for the entire 2012 season, are atop the NFC South at 7-2 and second in the NFL in offense with 422 yards a game, and Brees is third in the league in passing with 340 yards a game. New Orleans, which hosts the 6-3 49ers at 3:25 p.m. Sunday on FOX, is even running the ball here and there with nearly 100 yards a game. “It is no question. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he has shown it year in and year out,” said San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis on a teleconference at the Saints facility. “Last year he put up some good numbers, but I know it wasn’t the kind of year he wanted to have.” Brees threw the second most interceptions of his career last season with 19. He has thrown just seven in nine games this season and just three in the last six, including two that were on target to his receivers only to be tipped to opponents. “With them getting their head coach back, they are clicking on offense right now,” Willis said. “They are a very tough offense to defend.” And the Saints defense is up from the worst in NFL history with 440.1 yards allowed a game to No. 7 in the league with 317 allowed a game. “Really good team that is gelling and playing really well on all sides of the ball,” said San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh, who lost to Baltimore and his brother, head coach John Harbaugh, in the Super Bowl last season, 34-31, in the Dome. “You can definitely see offensively they are machine- like and really have things going and oiled up,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve got it going for sure.” Harbaugh has been paying careful attention to the Saints’ vaunted screen pass, which produced a 28-yard touchdown from Brees to running back Darren Sproles in a 49-17 win over Dallas Sunday night. Running back Pierre Thomas remains the screen ace and is second on the team in receiving with 46 catches for 314 yards and three touchdowns. “It’s something that I was looking at last night, and it is very effective,” Harbaugh said. “And it is not just one back. They can throw to either back, any back, and they are very good at it.” Harbaugh will likely be staying up nights figuring the suddenly respected Saints defense of new coordinator Rob Ryan. “He has put them in a lot of different positions, and they understand what he is trying to get done as a coordinator of the defense,” he said. “That speaks volumes when you can teach that many people that well to play that many different spots and roles.” Injury report: Several Saints continue to battle injuries. Safety Kenny Vaccaro and tight end Ben Watson, who both suffered concussions Sunday night, have been held out of practice. ... Safety Malcolm Jenkins, who missed the last two games with a hamstring, has returned to full practices. ... Safety Roman Harper, who has missed the last seven games with a knee injury, has also practiced in full. ... Tight end Jimmy Graham (elbow, foot) and defensive end Cam Jordan (ankle) have been limited. Twitter: @LSUBeatTweet
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 16:21:45 +0000
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