Arizona vs. New Orleans

The NFL preseason begins with the Hall of Fame game, which was cancelled last year due to the strike. This game usually pits an AFC team vs. an NFC team, but this year we have a pair of NFC teams. The Saints will be playing the entire season without head coach Sean Peyton, and linebacker Jonathon Vilma. The duo was suspended over "Bountygate." Defensive end Will Smith will also miss four games. While Drew Brees has become the $100 million man, he will get limited work here. The bulk of the QB duties will be shared by Luke McCown, and Sean Canfield. The Saints lost three defensive players to free agency, so the defense will be looking quite a bit different. The QB situation for the Cardinals is very unsettled. That should serve positive here, as Jake Skelton, and Kevin Kolb will be battling for the starting job, so there is more quality here and more at stake. This is the Saints fifth Hall of Fame Game appearance, and the last resulted in a 20-7 loss in 2007, and they are just 1-3. Offense won’t the problem here - it is defense, so expect special emphasis to be made on that side of the ball. These games tend to be lower scoring, and with the Saints not needing much tuning-up on offense, look for the defense to be a priority. Arizona has an advantage with a QB battle, so they should have the edge here as a dog. Play Arizona on the moneyline. Also, nearly two-thirds of the betting public is lining up on the OVER here. I'm going the other way, so take the UNDER too.