Mike Smith has said that facing the New Orleans Saints in the opening game of the season will be a "big challenge" for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons and Saints have won the NFC South in four of the last five seasons.

The Falcons' head coach told reporters: "It is going to be a big challenge for not only our young corners but for our entire defense. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, two consecutive years of throwing the ball for over 5,000 yards. He is about as good as there is in the NFL.

"It will be a challenge, but I know our guys are looking forward to matching up with them. We are going to have to go in there with our game plan and let our rules and block our rules against the fronts they are going to present.

"I have talked to them about how loud it is going to be in the Dome down there. That is probably the biggest concern we have, is being able to communicate on the offensive side of the ball. That is the big thing. We can't worry about the hostilities and that kind of stuff. It is a great rivalry and we just have to be able to communicate and handle the noise."

In their two meetings last season, the Falcons recorded one loss and one win against the Saints.