Saints quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton said their team needs to get back on track and get back to the point where every time they touch the ball they have the confidence level that they're going to go down the field and score.

The Saints will try and stop the NFL's No. 1 offense on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. at Denver's Investo Field at Mile High. The Broncos (2-0) lead the league with 463.5 yards per game, thanks in part to quarterback Jake Cutler's strong start. The third-year quarterback out of Vanderbilt completed 36 of 50 passes last week in a 39-38 victory over San Diego for a career-best 350 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He leads the NFL with 650 passing yards and is tied for first with 6 TDs.

The Saints (1-1) are accustomed to that kind of offense, having ranked first and fourth in total offense in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The Saints, however, fell to 10th in the league this season after being held to 250 yards in a 29-24 road loss at Washington last Sunday. Despite their struggles to move the ball. they took a nine-point lead in the final quarter before giving up two touchdowns in the final six minutes.

Brees was 22-of-33 for 216 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and didn't get much help on the ground. The Saints had 55 yards on 19 carries. Deuce McAllister could be called on for carries against the Broncos to provide the Saints with a better inside punch and the skills to block a blitzing defender.

Brees is confident the team can bounce back as it did last year, when it went 7-5 after a 0-4 start.

"We're still trying to find ourselves a bit," said the quarterback. "It's a new season. We just need to get back on track where every time we touch the ball we have confidence that we're going to go right down and score."

Payton said the team needs to be able to close a game when it is head in the final quarter.

Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., has an enrollment of just more than 12,000 students, and among its alumni are three NFL head coaches. Denver coach Mike Shanahan played quarterback at Eastern Illinois in the early 1970s and Payton played the same position there about a decade later. Minnesota's Brad Childress was an EIU Panther as well.

Sunday will be the first time Payton and Shanahan have faced each other as head coaches, though through their collegiate connection, they have know each other far longer.

"I knew him because he broke a lot of the passing records at Eastern Illinois," said Shanahan.. "I pretty much keep up with any quarterback who plays well at Eastern Illinois."

That includes Dallas quarterback Tony Romo. Shanahan tried to sign Romo as a free agent in 2003. Payton, then in his first year as the Cowboys quarterback coach, did the same.

"We;re pretty prideful about our tradition there," said the Saints coach. :When you see a guy like Romo having success and the success Mike has had, those are good things coming from a little school down in Charleston, Ill."

With 927 total yards, the Broncos have the most productive offense in the NFL. The Broncos are averaging 40 points per game, double their average from 2007.\, and have scored eight touchdowns and one field goal in 10 trips inside the red zone.

This is the first meeting between the Saints and the Broncos since Denver's 34-13 win in 2004. Shanahan is 2-1 all-time against the Saints.

Prediction: The Saints and the 3 points over the Broncos.

No. 6 LSU can forget about scoring a lot of points when the tackle No. 10 Auburn on Saturday night at Auburn. The average score of the winning team in he game the pat four years is 14.5 points. During that span, all games have been decided by less than a touchdown.

The Tigers will limit quarterback Andrew Hatch's responsibility by showing a strong dedication to the ground game. Tailback Charles Scott is a powerful runner with a second gear when he see daylight, and although his big-play ability has been the Tigers' story through two games, his physical running style could be he difference against a fast, but comparatively undersized Auburn defensive line.

The War Eagles use their quickness to shoot through gaps/ Auburn's lack of size has not been a factor in games against Louisiana-Monroe, USM and Mississippi State. but that could change against LSU's offensive line that averages 316/4 pounds per starter. The more carries Scott, Keiland Williams and Richard Murphy get, the better, particularly behind the huge left guard-left tackle tandem, of Herman Johnson (6-7, 375) and Ciron Black (6-5. 325).

Prediction: LSU -3 over Auburn.

"Everybody on our schedule is capable of beating us. but on the other hand I think we're capable of beating anybody on our schedule," said Tulane coach Bob Toledo. Toledo's Tulane team hosts Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday night in the Superdome. "We'll find out if we are maturing and buying into it by playing better and hopefully winning this week."

Toledo has watched his team squander opportunities that have proved the difference between a 2-0 record and the Wave's current 0-2 start.

"Let me say that it was another disappointing loss," said the Tulane coach referring to his team's 26-24 loss to East Carolina. "It's very difficult when you play that hard and then lose a game like that. We played toe-to-toe with them. It was like a 15-round heavyweight fight and we played hard and we went 14 rounds. Unfortunately, with a ranked team like East Carolina, you've got to go 15 rounds and we didn't do it."

Tulane's first two games were against the Nos. 13 (Alabama) and 14  (East Carolina) teams in he nation. Tulane lost its two games by an average of nine points.

Louisiana-Monroe rolls into the Superdome this week also reeling from a tough schedule to start the season. The Warhawks are 1-2, but its two losses were against Auburn and in a last-second standoff against Arkansas.

Toledo has reminded his team at the Warhawks had a 21-14 win over Alabama last season.

Prediction: Louisiana-Monroe +7 over Tulane.

MAILBAG: FAVRE GETS A VOTE. From John of Houston:"Not that I have a Brett Favre shrine in my house, but don't you think the Packers would have 70-plus points if Favre was still their quarterback? Going into a new system. receivers getting acquainted with No. 4, and every lineman in the NFL after him for bragging rights, he might find it difficult with the Jets in the beginning. Are the Jets a better team with Favre? The fans will soon forget him in Green Bay if they keep winning. Favre will always be the quarterback that sets the bar for so many things: toughness, excitement, durability, hardheadedness and yes, interceptions. Be kind to old No. 4."

The only thing Favre couldn't do in football was play cornerback at USM. He wasn't fast enough to cover the receivers and the coaches moved him back to quarterback. If Favre was still quarterbacking the Packers, they would have scored at least 70 points in two games. They are a playoff team. The Jets were 4-14 last season, but are going to have a better season with Favre as their quarterback. He's still  learning their playbook. I need to say no more. You said it all.

SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: This weekend's selections: NFL--Atlanta - 5 1/2 over Kansas City, Oakland + 9 1/2 over Buffalo, Houston +5 over Tennessee, NY Giants -13 over Cincinnati,  Washington -3 over Arizona, New England -13 (best bet) over Miami, Chicago -3 over Tampa Bay, Minnesota (good play) - 3 1/2 over Carolina, Jacksonville +7 over Indianapolis, Seattle (best play) -9 1/2 over St. Louis, Cleveland +3 over Baltimore, Philadelphia - 3 1/2 over Pittsburgh,, Green Bay -3 over Dallas.  Note: Denver is 6-16 against the spread in its last 22 games. Colleges: Georgia Tech -7 over Mississippi State, Alabama -10 over Arkansas, Georgia -7 over Arizona State, Vandy (best bet) +7 over Ole Miss. Florida -7 over Tennessee, Fla, State -4 over Wake Forest. Bottom 10: 1, Syracuse. 2, San Diego State. 3, State of Washington. 4, Florida International. 5, State of Arizona. 6, Utah State. 7, North Texas. 8, UAB. 9, Virginia. 10, Idaho. Waiting List: Auburn's offense, Memphis, Michigan's offense, Miss. State's offense, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Rutgers.

You can look for LSU freshman quarterback Jefferson Jordan to get more snaps against Auburn. Coach Les Miles wants him ready to play this season...Auburn has a message for its students for its game against LSU: Don't boo your football team. An e-mail message went out to  grumbling students following the Tigers 3-2 win over Miss. State. The fans didn't like the team's new no-huddle, spread offense...From Chris Fowler, host of ESPN's Game Day: "Each year, when the wounds heal from the LSU-Auburn game have stopped bleeding, it's time for guys from both sides to spend a few days in the ice bath. Coach Tommy Tuberville always told me it takes few days or even longer to bounce back from one of those street fights. That's the brutal part of the SEC."...Drew Brees joins state treasurer John Kennedy and Visa at the Superdome on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to announce the statewide roll out of "Financial Football," an NFL-themed, interactive money management video game that will be distributed to every Louisiana high school. Developed in cooperation with the NFL and Players, Inc., "Financial Football" is designed to help students tackle their financial futures in a fun and engaging manner. In addition to coaching students from O. Perry Walker and Edna Karr high schools, Brees will share his personal experiences on the importance of wise money management.Brees, by the way, has 58 touchdown passes in 34 games for the Saint but zero scoring throws in his past four starts against the Broncos, all with the Chargers...

New Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey looked rusty against the Redskins, catching only two passes, losing a key fumble and  letting a rookie safety jam and disrupt his routes. With the loss of Marques Colston, Shockey will have to step up in order for the Saints offense to get where it wants to go. Shockey, who came to the Saints  in a trade, told ESPN the Magazine in a recent cover piece, "They did what was best for both sides. I would have just being a distraction (after complaining about his role). The Giants got a great deal, but the Saints got a better one." Gil Brandt, former Cowboys scouting director and now a senior writer for NFL.com.likes the Shockey move. "Last year their tight end (Eric Johnson) caught 48 passes," said Brandt. "If that guy can do that, Shockey should be a very good addition." During football season in the North, drinks are served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda. In the South, drinks are served in a plastic cup with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half with sode to ensure there's enough room for bourbon...My time is up. Ed Staton can be reached at edcoachstaton@yahoo.com 



 

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