“Man, you don’t have to remind me,” Payton responded, on a conference call a few days ago, when asked about the upcoming game this Sunday, according to The Detroit News.
The loud stadium poses as a challenging environment to perform in, especially with the lions coming off a close loss at home last week.
Stafford, who is still playing through an injury, said “Last year our defense played extremely well, got three turnovers I think, and on offense, played good enough. We didn’t put the ball in the end zone enough times, but we moved the ball up and down the field well, so it’s a challenge,” claimed The Detroit News.
However great the challenge, Stafford’s confidence hints at his feelings regarding the Lions having the advantage, with their arsenal of weapons and past victories in new orleans to back him up.
Key members of the lion pack
The weapons you can expect to see used come Sunday afternoon include big names from both the offense and the defense. To start, we have Tate, Stafford's go-to man whose stepped up to the plate since their loss of Megatron.
Last year, Tate totaled 145 yards off his eight receptions for the game. The YouTube clip of him breaking free for a 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter pretty much sums it up.
Saint's head coach, Payton, shows signs that he's aware of the threat called Golden Tate and might be planning to avoid history repeating itself by adjusting the defense, accordingly.
A threat the Saints will also have to prepare for is Detroit's new running game. That's right. Ameer Abdullah poses a ground threat for the Saints defense as he averages near five yards a carry. To find out more about Detroit's running game, click here.
All-star defense
With a defensive end like Ziggy Ansah and cornerbacks like the veteran Darius Slay, it's obvious the Saints will have to utilize their offense in as creative a way as possible.
Without giving too much away, Payton claims his defense, which has admittedly been struggling, has some plans set in place for the explosive Lions offense, claimed The Detroit Press.
Star players for the Saints defense include a force of safeties to be reckoned with.
Free safeties Jairus Byrd and Kenny Vaccaro already have multiple interceptions for the 2017 season under their belt.
Look for Kenny Vaccaro to scout for Tate in the secondary on multiple drives.
On the other side, if Drew Brees and Mark Ingram don't show up at home, Ansah will have a field day and devour any potentially profitable field position. Ziggy Ansah has proved his worth on the D-line with his 6-foot 5-inch frame bringing in four sacks for the year, adding to his impressive career total of 36.
Being young, hungry and capable, it the Saints doesn't put a plan in place to stop Ansah's pressure, Brees will be in for a long and painful game.
Will history repeat itself
With the looming threat of a young and capable Lions team coming to their home turf to secure the win has the Saints team preparing eagerly in their extended off time.
Payton and Brees know just as well as Caldwell and Stafford what it takes to get the dub. But who will execute their strategy best come Sunday?
Only time will tell.
