Seahawks Have Time To Plan for the Saints

Oct 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the huddle with teammates against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Well the Seahawks have finally made it to their bye week. It probably felt like it was never going to come but now that it has the Seahawks can finally take the time they need to get healthy and prepared for the final stretch of the 2013 regular season.

While the bye week will certainly provide ailing players the rest they need, it will also give the Seahawks coaching staff added time to scheme for what might be the biggest game of the season for Seattle. A prime time match up with the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 2.

Pete Carroll and company will have to contend with the pass attack of Drew Brees, an improved Rob Ryan lead defense, and the brilliant offensive mind that is Sean Payton. With everything they have going for them in New Orleans it’s hard to imagine how they even have two losses on the season. Two weeks of planning may be entirely necessary for the Seahawks.

There is a reason why NFL teams generally do better the week after a bye. One is the improved health of the players. And two, the bye week provides coaching staffs with plenty of time to review tape and come up with the best possible game plan. It’s definitely better than playing a Sunday afternoon game and then quickly preparing for a Thursday night game a few days later.

Speaking of Thursday night, the Saints will be facing the Falcons this week on Thursday Night Football. While it doesn’t appear the Falcons will provide much of a challenge to the Saints at this point, the scheduling of this game provides the Saints with a mini bye week of their own before heading to Seattle. The last thing the Seahawks need is to allow Sean Payton and his staff extra time to come up with an even better offensive game plan.

No one will know until game time if the Legion of Boom can shut down the Saints passing game but it seems more than likely that this game will feature a well orchestrated plan by both teams given the amount of time they have to prepare for this crucial regular season match up. Hopefully the added preparation time for both teams will help this game to be as memorable as the last time these two faced each other. In case you’ve forgotten, the earth shook in Seattle that night.