Only for Guild Members » Saints linebacker A.J. Klein gushed over

METAIRIE Harold Carmichael Jerseys 2019 , La. (AP) — the poise and postseason accomplishments of Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles.Philadelphia had better hope Klein is right, because the Superdome was home to Eagles starter Carson Wentz's worst game this season before he went out with a back injury.Bringing heavy pressure amid the deafening din of the Superdome, the Saints stifled Wentz in a 48-7 rout back in mid-November, holding him to season worsts of 57.6 percent passing for just 156 yards. Now comes a rematch in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, and the Saints must prepare to play one of the NFL's best known backups. Foles carried Philadelphia to its only Super Bowl triumph after Wentz was injured last season, and helped the recently resurgent Eagles survive this postseason's opening weekend with a razor-thin victory in Chicago."He's far from just a plug-in player," Klein said. "Don't forget he won a Super Bowl for them last year and he was the MVP of that game. So we're not taking him lightly. He's not just a person that is just a backup Black Randall Cunningham Jerseys , reserve type of guy. He goes out and when he plays, he wins."In some ways, the Eagles are a familiar foe, and not just because the two teams met on the same field just more than seven weeks ago. Two of the Eagles more prominent veterans — safety Malcolm Jenkins and running back Darren Sproles — both were part of multiple Saints playoff teams.But Saints coach Sean Payton cautioned against any presumption that the vast gulf separating the Saints and Eagles back on Nov. 18 still exists."They're a different team than we faced, obviously, earlier in the year. A different quarterback's playing right now. There is a confidence you see," Payton said. "Our league is game to game."Particularly in the do-or-die postseason Randall Cunningham Jerseys 2019 , when the pressure is turned up. Klein stressed that the Eagles' 4-0 record in their past four playoff games cannot be overlooked."They've been in this situation before and they know how to win, so obviously we're not expecting them to be the same team because they're not," Klein said. "They're playing really good football right now and we'll just be prepared to obviously get their best shot and obviously we're going to give them ours."Two of the biggest differences the Saints will have to contend with in the rematch are Foles and Sproles, neither of whom played in the previous meeting.Saints players and coaches left little doubt about their respect and admiration for Foles. His composure is a big reason why."There's a confidence level he has in operating in rhythm, spreading the ball around," Payton said. "He does a great job of beating pressure with the throw."In the Eagles' 16-15 victory on Sunday in Chicago, Payton noted Black Ron Jaworski Jerseys , "you saw him a handful of times with a free rusher coming in his face make some throws outside the numbers that were real impressive. … There's a calmness obviously when you watch him play that we all see."Added Klein, "You could see that he's poised and he has great control of the offense and great control of that team. … He handles pressure well."New Orleans also is wary of Sproles' ability to produce as a runner, a receiver out of the backfield and a punt returner. The Saints know from experience. Sproles' 2,696 all-purpose yards with New Orleans in 2011 remains a single-season NFL record.Now Sproles is 35 and plans to retire after this season, but Payton hardly sounded inclined to underestimate him."He's a very, very smart player. It's one of his great traits along with his ability," Payton said. "He's got very good elusiveness and quickness. He's done a good job with their draws and one-back run schemes. And obviously he's a dangerous punt returner Ron Jaworski Jerseys 2019 , but someone who's a special player."Meanwhile, the Saints haven't exactly looked like the juggernaut they resembled in midseason, when the Eagles were among a string of teams that lost to New Orleans by multiple touchdowns.During the last five weeks of the season, the Saints went 3-2, and the average margin of victory in their past three wins was 6.7 points.Klein said the Saints hope the opportunity to self-scout — and rest — during their first-round playoff bye will help New Orleans look its best in the postseason.The Saints used last week to "look at certain situations throughout the season where we've been not so good and figure out why and get those things shored up," Klein said."And obviously the time off and be able to rest and get some guys healed up who've been banged up the past few games has been very important." One must go all the way back to the 2015 NFL season to find an Eagles versus Cowboys game played at Lincoln Financial Field that actually mattered. Sunday night’s matchup between these two NFC East rivals is the most critical battle in this series that we’ve seen in quite some time. In order to get you ready for this one, John Stolnis and I got together to preview this very big game. Topics of discussion include:The significance of this gameRevisiting the Carson Wentz versus Dak Prescott “debate”Assessing the injury reportsWhat to make of the Darren Sproles situationBLG rants about the avoidable DeAndre Carter blunderKeys to beating DallasWhat if the Eagles just come out and slaughter this team?Favorite Eagles vs. Cowboys memoriesAnswering your mailbag questionsRing the bell: NFL picks against the spreadAnd much more!You can CLICK HERE to listen to this episode or use the embedded player below:Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS...Reminder: Since we were forced to create an entirely new podcast feed Black Jay Ajayi Jerseys , we could really use your support. We kindly ask that you SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and REVIEW! Doing so helps us accomplish cool things like becoming a top five podcast in the Apple Podcast store. And that helps us reach more Eagles fans out there in the world.Up next: We have another episode of The Kist & Solak Show coming your way in time for the weekend!Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Also please follow @BGN_Radio on Twitter.