Belichick, Patriots prepare for Super Bowl XLIII 1/2

ESPNBoston.com- Patriots coach Bill Belichick held his weekly Tuesday conference call with reporters, and here are two items of note:

1. Reggie Bush & Marshall Faulk: Belichick said that the Saints' offense looks, in some ways, like that of the 2001 St. Louis Rams. That Rams offense was known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." In making that link, Belichick said Saints running back Reggie Bush is similar to former Ram Marshall Faulk -- "a guy who could come out of the backfield and split out and be a receiver, but line up in the backfield and be a running back. Players like that are just rare, very hard to match up with, that give an offense a dimension that you just don't see during the course of the year."

2. Saints threatening Patriots' 2007 records: "We're really not thinking too much about that at all," Belichick said. "I'll tell you one thing, it wouldn't surprise me if the Saints set whatever records there are because I can't think of too many teams, I can't think of any really, that are any more explosive than this team is. I've talked about the Rams, I've talked about the Chargers in the early '80s, but these guys can run with anybody." Belichick added that the Saints are "as good a team as there is in the National Football League this year, so it will be a great test for us to kind of see where we're at."
This will undoubtedly be their toughest challenge of the year. Yes the Colts game was battle-tested and hard-fought. However, there's a sense of familiarity with the Colts. It's like fighting with a sibling, you're never really worried about the outcome until you end up with a black eye.

The Patriots haven't seen the new-look Saints. Yes the offense has been together for a few years, but it's the defense that has made them a bonafide contender. They rank number one in the NFL in interceptions with 20 interceptions, 7 by their ageless safety Darren Sharper. They also rank 5th in the league in passing TDs allowing only less than one per game. I have little doubts that a player of Brady's caliber won't be able to slice and dice through the Saints secondary, but it is a pause for concern. It will be imperative that RBs Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk get going early and often to gain balance on offense.

Defensively, the Patriot linebackers must pressure and hit Bush as often as possible to disrupt the timing of his routes, much like they did to contain Colts TE Dallas Clark to three receptions. I expect Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather to make their presence known to the Saints offense.

I ultimately expect the Patriots to pull out the narrow victory. It will be a high-scoring battle of the gunslingers. In the Superdome, the Patriots home-away-from-home, it will be the defense that makes that one key stop who will decide the game. I will always take a Belichick defense to make that one necessary stop, even after "4th&2". The Patriots leave New Orleans with a narrow win, 41-38.