New Orleans Saints Friday Injury Report

Out

DT Sedrick Ellis (knee)

CB Aaron Glenn (ankle)

DT Antwan Lake (groin)

Doubtful

S Kevin Kaesviharn (back)

WR David Patten (groin)

TE Jeremy Shockey (hernia)

Questionable

WR Marques Colston (thumb)

Probable

C Jonathan Goodwin (hamstring)

CB Mike McKenzie (knee)

S Chris Reis (hamstring)

T Jon Stinchcomb (back)

Opening Statement:

"Much of what we talked about last night applies in this game. I thought defensively we played with great energy and with great effort. I thought we did a great job. There were a couple of plays in there, but overall I was real encouraged with our fits, our effort and how we tackled. It was probably one of our best games to date, if not our best game to date, defensively. On the other hand, the disappointing thing was the turnovers and the penalties, which I alluded to a little bit yesterday. They ended up hurting us in this game. We had opportunities to go ahead. We had opportunities a number of different times. Those cost you positions, and in a game where you're really looking at anything from 10-to-14 possessions, those are drive-killers and they were for us last night. It was a tough loss. We have to move forward and get ready to play Oakland on a short week. Most of our day will be spent in preparation for Oakland. We'll move the schedule back for our players tomorrow where they'll be coming in at one o'clock and meeting as team and we'll get right into the Oakland gameplan so tomorrow's schedule will be a little bit altered. That one o'clock meeting will be much like an eight o'clock meeting on a normal Wednesday."

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Check out the official injury report for Sunday's matchup. This was taken from the San Francisco 49ers official website. This information was no where to be found on the Saints official website. Surprise.

San Francisco 49ers

New Orleans Saints

The following transcripts can be found here and here from the New Orleans Saints official website

Sean Payton

Opening Statement:

“From an injury standpoint, Marques Colston did not practice and he’ll be out. Aaron Glenn (ankle) did not practice and he’ll be out for this game. Randall Gay (hamstring) was limited today; Mike Karney (ankle) did not practice; Mark Campbell (hamstring) was limited today; David Patten (groin) did not practice; Jeremy Shockey (hernia) did not practice and he’ll be out. Those three players – Colston, Glenn and Shockey will be listed as out. Troy Evans (ankle) did not practice today; Jonathan Goodwin  (hamstring) did not practice – he wasn’t on the report yesterday, so that’s the one change. Aaron Stecker (hamstring) was limited; Jammal Brown (hip) was limited; Terrance Copper (hamstring) was limited; Antwan Lake (groin) was limited; Scott Fujita (knee) was limited.”

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Hopefully, Drew won't have to do too much running(Getty Images)

Sunday's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins should be an interesting one. The Redskins are coming off a frustrating loss to the Giants last week while the Saints will attempt to keep the ball rolling with another win. These two teams last met in 2006 and saw Washington defeat New Orleans who had just come off an incredible win over the Dallas Cowboys. Let's take a look at what we might expect when we settle in to watch this weekend.

Saints Offense  vs. Redskins Defense We should see much more Reggie Bush. He looked pretty impressive last week and I think Payton will ride the wave of that momentum. After last weeks performance, I am hopeful that Payton has figured out the right way to use Reggie and we see a lot of screen passes, pitches, quick slants etc. Like last week, I expect more reception yards than rushing yards for Reggie. The Redskins know how explosive Reggie can be and they have gone on record as saying they will be looking to contain him. Deuce is also listed as Probably so there may be a chance that fans will get to see him for the first time in the regular season.

 The Redskins have a very talented secondary with players including Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, Fred Smoot and LaRon Landry. These guys can all make big game changing plays particularly interceptions, if they can hold on to the ball. Last week they dropped a couple of sure interceptions that may have changed the entire outcome of their game and have been focusing on that all week. Drew Brees will have a tough challenge tomorrow for sure. Both he and the receivers need to make sure they are on the same page and not give this secondary any opportunities. The turnover ratio will be key in this game. Of course with Colston gone the door is wide open for the other receivers, particularly Robert Meachem who will be making his regular season debut this weekend. David Patten might be interested in making a statement to his old team this Sunday as well.

Newcomer Jason Taylor anchors the Skins defensive line but he has lost a step or two over the years and is admittedly not 100%. Andre Carter lines up at the other end and both will be looking to get after Drew Brees big time in an attempt to rattle and contain him. This also means the Saints offensive line needs to show that great pass blocking we have come to know the last couple of years. If Drew has a 300+ yard day and the Saints don't win, something went terribly wrong.

Starting linebacker Marcus Washington is questionable for the game but the talented London Fletcher will still be out there making his presence known. This group will have the wonderful responsibility of keeping tabs on the fiery Jeremy Shockey. Shockey will now have more responsibility with the absence of Colston and will be the Saints best bet to fill in for those tough over the middle throws. Skins linebacker Rocky McIntosh will be a big part of containing Shockey come Sunday. Keep an eye on that matchup.

If the Saints can grab an early lead and make the Redskins play catch-up, they will be forced to throw the ball and rely more on Jason Campbell. Campbell's play has always been shaky despite showing a lot of talent. It is most likely the result of having so many different coaches in such a short period of time and having to learn a new playbook nearly every year.

Saints Defense vs. Redskins Offense  Sad to say that its only week 2 and our roster is already starting to look beat up. Injuries abound at every area of this defense. At defensive tackle Hollis Thomas is out indefinitely and Antwan Lake will not play. The Saints looked pretty weak in run defense last week so the Redskins will look to exploit that with running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Portis looked pretty solid last week against the Giants gaining 84 yards on 23 carries. Portis averages 101.5 yards in FedEx Field home openers with three touchdowns.Betts can do some damage in his own right.

Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy will be responsible for getting a push up the middle and stopping a formidable ground attack from Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Newly acquired DT Alvin McKinley may or may not see some time. (On a side note, he rounds out the Saints all black, all Irish tandem of Deuce McAllister, Mike McKenzie, Bobby McCray and now Alvin McKinley. Seriously has any team ever come close to this many "Mc's" at one time before?) If the Saints can get good pressure and a solid performance from its highly paid ends, Jason Campbell could be in for a long day. Getting a good rush to throw quarterback Jason Campbell off his game will be crucial to help our secondary.

In the linebacking corp the team will be without Scott Fujita while Mark Simoneau is done for the season. Man this is getting ridiculous. Troy Evans should get the start now. Look for Vilma to continue to increase his level of play and be all over the field.

Of course the Saints secondary is what everyone is still focusing on and, like the rest of the team, is battling the injury bug. Roman Harper and Randall Gay are both listed as Out for the game. The good news is Mike McKenzie has been listed as Probable and he should be a go. That leaves MM and Porter as your starters, the best combination so far in my mind. The Redskins have two talented receivers in Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El. This will be a huge challenge for our two cornerbacks

The Redskins offense has struggled a good bit on first downs so it will be crucial to close out the drives and come up big on third downs and allow themselves to get off the field quickly and stay fresh. Third down percentage is always an important stat and tomorrow it will be more important than ever.

Redskins Player to Watch: Cllinton Portis

Saints Player to Watch: Reggie Bush

Saintsational's Sleeper: Lance Moore

Score Prediction: Saints 24 - Redskins 17

Random Prediction: The Saints defense will have at least 3 sacks.

I have to admit, I wasn't completely excited about this afternoon's game last night. My store still didn't have power and I was uncertain whether I would even be able to open it on Monday. On top of that, Hurricane Ike had New Orleans right in the middle of its five day cone. Things were still looking somewhat grim, at least for me, and it was ruining was should have been a feel good time. Fortunately, when I woke up this morning and turned on the Weather Channel, Ike's projected path has shifted further westward. Around that time Erin called me and told me we now had power at the store. Things were starting to look a little better. With some weight lifted off my shoulders just in time for the season's kick off, I was again ready to get my head into football. Saints football.

This one was close. A little closer than I wanted it to be. Than it should have been. Fortunately, and I am so happy to say this, the defense stepped it up and won this game. They came through when we needed them. It was our offense that struggled most. If we can fix some of our mistakes and get both units working at the same time than this figures to be the season we are all expecting. 

Below are my initial thoughts and observations from the game.

• While walking to the stadium, we were behind a guy wearing a Vilma Jets jersey. He got heckled a group of drunk guys saying, "You're at the wrong game! I think you got off at the wrong exit!"
• They announced the defense at the beginning of the game. I thought that was cool. Shows how proud we are of this defense. Randall Gay and Tracy Porter got the start. So did Kendrick Clancy. 
• The Imagination Movers sang the National Anthem. For those of you who might not know them, you can catch up here. 
• Saints receive the ball first. Deuce is out so Pierre gets the call for the start. I am very happy. The Saints put together a very good first drive, ending with a beautiful pass that is perfectly placed into David Patten's hands and just over the fingertips of a leaping defender. Sweetness. Unfortunately, that would be it for a while. 
• On the defense also looked great on their first drive. Charles Grant gets great pressure and in Garcia's face. He would later get a sack. Grant played a great game and its good to know all that money is not wasted. Will Smith still has a bit to prove. McCray also notched a sack for himself late in the game. 
• Drew throws an interception after releasing the ball as he's being hit. Buchanon picks it off and runs it back for six points. The pass blocking didn't look as sharp as it normally does. The run blocking, however, seemed quite improved. 
• The first quarter was marred with penalties by the Saints on the offensive side of the ball. They were just drive killers. The offense never got anything going the rest of the first half. The penalties definitely need to be cleaned up. It was a very sloppy day.
• The offense on the whole looked a little rusty. I won't even go into that botched snap that went off before Brees was ready. There appeared to be some communication issues with everyone. That should fix itself over time. Hopefully. 
• We all got our first glimpse of Shockey and the news is good. It took a while for them to go to him, but when the time came, he delivered. The crowd cheered extra hard after a Shockey reception. On his long catch of the day, the crowd got incredibly loud and Shock-ey, Shock-ey, Shock-ey chants started.
• Tracy Porter had a great game. I am really starting to like this kid. He made a big pass breakup in the end zone on third down (that probably should have been intercepted) and also had a nice pass breakup later in the game on a long pass attempt. He might be the answer we need. 
• Randall Gay looked pretty decent in the backfield also. He made a nice pass breakup on a deep try by the Bucs. He left the game early and was replaced by Aaron Glenn. 
  
• Holy crap Devery caught the ball!! And what a catch! The Saints caught the Bucs offsides and got a free play. No communication issues on this one as Devery BURNS his guy and Drew lobs it right into him. Oh man it was a thing of beauty. 
• I've said it before and I'll say it again. I really think this is Reggie's year. He still doesn't look perfect and still did some dancing but he's getting there. He's just so dangerous in open space and the Saints put him in some great situations. Did you see the juke on the touchdown run. They replayed it a few times on the big screen and the crowd was ooh-ing and ahh-ing. The whole run after the catch was looked a lot like USC Reggie. I am excited!
• Guess who else looked pretty good out there. PT Bruiser. With the absence of Deuce, Pierre got to see some time. He averaged a nice 5.2 yards per carry. Unfortunately, he left the game early due to injury. No word on that yet. 
• Another thing the team needs to clean up quickly is its weak tackling. They looked very sloppy out there as the Bucs were able to get a lot of extra yardage they shouldn't have. You have got to make tackles. 
• No Meachem today. Is he ever going to play in an actual game? Geez.
• Colston was a non-factor today. 
• Jo-Lonn Dunbar had a perfectly timed hit on a Tampa punt returner.
• Antwan Lake was down for a while with what looked like it might be a serious injury. We are getting really beat up at the DT position. 
• During a TV timeout they were showing people in the crowd dancing. The camera turned on two attractive young girls who then kissed eachother. This was NOT the kiss cam. The crowd loved it.
  
• Bob Breck and the weather team did their usual weather update during the game. Upon mentioning of Hurrican Ike, boo's rained down.
  

That's it from me for now. Plenty more to get into this week. I am interested in hearing what you guys have to say about it. This is it guys. We are 1-0. How good does it feel? Also, the falcons got a big win today. Are we going to have another worst to first year in the division? Feel free to continue the discussion below. Sorry no pictures. I have some but have no way of getting them onto my computer. Hopefully soon. 

We've got a lot to get to this morning so let's not waste any time. Below is the first half play by play analysis for your digestion.

I believe he dropped this one.(Getty Images)

Saints Offense First Drive

• After an average return to the 20 yard line by Skyler Green, the Saints take over. First play is from the I formation and its a play action fake. Nobody picks up the rusher from the right side at the line and Karney has too far to go to get to him in time. Drew makes a sweet sidestep to avoid getting rocked by Robert Geathers (yes, that is Jumpy Geathers nephew) then Brett Favre's it to Karney. Eight yards out of what should have been a costly sack.
  
• Brees to Colston's ridiculously long outstretched arms. First down.
• Brees has plenty o' time to hit Billy Miller over the middle. Protection is great.
• Bush tries between the tackles and it looks like he has a tiny hole to squeeze through but he gets tripped up while doing it.
• Another Brees to Colston hookup over the middle for 15 yards. He also had Deuce to check down to.
  
• Drew blows a sure touchdown to Patten when he overthrows him in the endzone. Looks like they were supposed to meet in the corner but Drew makes the bad throw.
  
• Brees and Colston connect yet again on a a quick curl but the defender is all over Marques, gets a hand on it and the ball falls out of his hands. No catch.
• On third and 10 the throw is to Colston...again. Drew threads the needle between two defenders and Colston catches then drops it after taking a shot. I believe this was the play in which Colston is injured.
  
• Saints settle for a Gramatica field goal.

Review: For the most part the offense looks sharp. This could have easily been 7 points instead of 3. Drew will certainly work out those kinks with his receivers by week one. Colston looks very uncharacteristic with two drops that are normally sure catches for him. It's going to be a long season if Colston starts imitating Devery and comes down with his very own case of the drops. Personally, I wish the Saints wouldn't put Colston in dangerous situations, like going over the middle, during meaningless pre-season games.

Saints Defense First Drive

• Evidence that this defense plans on turning things around are seen on their first play from scrimmage. Cincinnati starts on their own 31 and kicks things off with an end around to the left side as Tracy Porter breaks free of his blocker and gets a hand on the ball enough to jar it loose. The Bengals recover but its a great sign for the rookie and this unit.
• The Bengals try running up the middle but there's nothing there. Clancy and Grant on the tackle.
• After a false start penalty its third and 16. Palmer has good protection and decides to go deep. McKenzie makes a diving leap and appears to make the amazing interception but couldn't trap it as it winds up hitting the turf. It doesn't matter though because Who Dat Nation now knows that MM is here to stay and everything appears okay.
• Bengals punt away. They have no idea this will be their theme of the night.

Review: Hopefully, in the near future, we will all look back on this one drive and say, "That was the drive that turned it all around." The two positive aspects were the excellent play of rookie Tracy Porter and the healthy return of Mike McKenzie. This unit had not one but two chances to force a turnover. Thank you sir, may I have another.

His big catch.(Al Behrman, AP)

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Saints take over at their 35. Deuce tries the left side but only gains a yard.
• After Meachem is called for a false start, his number is called and Brees hits him deep on a 54 yard pass. Meachem needs to come back to the ball and makes the necessary adjustments.
  
• From the 15 yard line now and Deuce catches a screen pass for 7 yards.
• Only a yard for Deuce on the next play.
  
• On third and 1, two tight end set. They give the ball to Stecker who looks like he is shot out of a cannon, gets tripped up and tries to stumble over the goal line but he's a yard short. He does get the first down.
  
• Next play and there are three TE's out there, Campbell, Miller and Ghent. It's a play fake and a toss to the back of the endzone to an open Ghent.

Review: Saints are just making it look easy. This offense continues to be a well oiled machine. Meachem has the play of the drive with his 54 yard catch. This is a great sign that he is for real and that first pre-season game was not just random luck. Ghent probably won't even make the team so with the eventual addition of Shockey, this team should be even more potent in the red zone.

Saints Defense Second Drive

• Bengals begin at their 24 yard line and start with a run to the left side. Kendrick Clancy brings him down from behind.
• Bengals then try the middle and its, guess who, Clancy with the stop.
• Third down now and the Saints are in Nickel. Bengals have four WR's on the line. Shanle has to pick up the fourth receiver , Utecht, in the slot as Palmer makes a nice throw and finds the TE over the middle. Shanle immediately takes him down.
• First down now and its a quick swing pass in the flat. Fujita does a great job containing and the Bengals only get 3 yards.
• Clancy notches another tackle when the Bengals try to run up the middle.
• Third down and Palmer is working out of the shotgun. Saints bring the blitz, Shanle is the extra man and he shoots right through the middle of the line untouched. Carson barely gets a throw off to no one. More punting.

Review: Another pretty solid looking drive for the defense. Kendrick Clancy was all over the field on this one. He's made this team, no doubt, and he is also a huge help in stopping the run game. Some pretty good play from our linebackers as well. Fujita and Shanle both stepped it up. One of the more important things to note is who I am not talking about, and that is our secondary. Nobody getting burned or caught out of position and on the one complete pass this drive, Shanle was the man in coverage. Much of that improvement is due to good pressure by the front seven. It certainly helps the guys behind them.

Saints Offense Third Drive

• Reggie Bush returns Cincinnati's punt for 14 yards and appears to hurt himself on the play.
• From their 23 yard line on first down and Patten catches a seven yard pass on a crossing route.
• Reggie heads to the left side, cuts it back up the middle and finds only two yards.
  
• Stecker gets the call for the dirty work on 3rd and 1 and gains five as he shoots up the middle with lightning quick speed again.
• Deuce tries the middle on first down and only gets 2 yards.
• After Brees and Miller can't connect on a ball thrown slightly behind Miller, Brees tries the left side and finds Henderson for 11 yards and the first down. It would be Henderson's only catch. End of the first quarter.
• More of Deuce up the middle for only 2 yards. Stecker follows that with only a yard.
• The play stalls after a short pass to Patten fails to get the first down.

Review: This was where the offense started to look poor. Deuce, Reggie and Stecker both had little to work with as the O-line just can't seem to open up holes for them like other teams do. If this continues, it may not matter who the running back is as victory will have to come through the air. I hope Drew's arm can handle it one more year. Right now, Stecker is the most impressive back on the field and he looks so darn quick.

Saints Defense Third Drive

• Bengals start from their own 14 yard line. Palmer throws a quick swing pass to Antonio Chatman on the left side. Shanle isn't quick enough to contain him but Porter makes a nice tackle by releasing from his blocker and wrapping up Chatman's legs. 9 yards.
  
• Pretty much the same play as last only it's to Utecht and to the right side. Pretty much the same result too, as Shanle isn't fast enough to get to him (even farther this time) and McKenzie must leave his man to make the tackle. 11 yards.
  
•  Now it's a blitz from the Saints and Kaesviharn runs into the backfield untouched on the left side. Palmer tried to escape but KK catches him from behind. Sack.
• Palmer dumps it over the middle to Chris Perry for 6 yards.
• 3rd and 10 for the Bengals and the Saints bring more pressure. Vilma, the late man, breaks through the line and is right in Palmer's face as he barely gets the pass off. Perry is the intended receiver but Roman Harper, with great coverage, is all over. Guess who has to punt.

Review: Some good and some bad on this drive. Once again, the dink and dunk short stuff hurt us in the beginning and their fast receivers were able to take advantage of our not so fast linebackers. Those are the plays that are gaining significant yardage and doing the most damage. Hopefully, opposing coaches do not read this blog. I think it is safe to assume they don't. The defense picks it up however with some good pressure and the Bengals are stalled yet again. This defense is looking fairly impressive.

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Saints take over from their 30. A defensive holding call later and they start from their 36.
• It's a nice 38 yard pass to a wide open, sure handed Devery Henderson but Jammal Brown is called for holding and it's like the catch never happened.
• Saints try and start one more time on 1st and 20. Stecker takes the hand off and tries the right side. Still nothing for him to run through. In fairness, the Bengals linebackers did a great job reading the play and zeroing in. Keith Rivers looked very nice on this play taking down Stecker.
  
• Brees gets the pass off just in time as the pressure was on and he gets taken down. It's a great throw down the right sideline for Lance Moore. Moore is blanketed but still manages to make the grab. Love this guy. Credit is due both to Lance and Drew.
  
• Drew tries the right side again, this time to David Patten. More pressure as Drew has to hurry and Rivers nearly sacks him. Patten is well covered and the pass is not great.
• Only one yard gained by Stecker on a screen pass to the right side.
• Saints can't convert on third down as Brees tries for a well covered Billy Miller. It was Johnson, a linebacker, on Miller so the matchup was in the Saints favor but Miller can't come back to the ball in time. Saints punt.

Review: Another stalled drive for the Saints high powered offense. The Bengals stepped up their defensive play on this series and looked pretty good applying pressure. Saints fans got a good look at Keith Rivers who could have very well been the Saints first round draft pick this year and he looks pretty darn good.

Saints Defense Fourth Drive

• Bengals from their 12 yards line. Chris Perry has nowhere to go up the middle as Clancy makes yet another big stop for the run defense.
• Next it's Palmer trying the right sideline Holt but McKenzie is right there in great coverage and times his hit perfectly. Holt can't bring it in.
• Third down now and the line applies some good pressure as Palmer dumps it off over the middle to Perry in wide open space in the flat. Fortunately, Shanle does a great job closing in and the play only goes for 5 yards on what could have been much more. Punt.

Review:  Three and out. Can't beat that. Clancy looked good. McKenzie looked good. Shanle looked good. Period. Still really worried about the short yardage passing over the top and the YAC, but if our linebackers can close in like Shanle did, then we should be okay.

Saints Offense Fifth Drive

• Saints have it at their 40 and start off with a Brees pass to Lance Moore down the left sideline for 35 yards. Moore has to stretch and reach to make the grab. I honestly think Henderson doesn't make that catch. The announcer again agrees with me by saying, "He just catches everything it seems thrown his way."
  
• Deuce tries the right side but only gains one yard. No holes.
• Brees tries Patten but there is a communication error as Patten turns inside and Brees throws outside. The ball is almost intercepted.
• Third down now and Brees looks for Henderson right on the goal line. You know what happens. Granted the Bengals had some pretty good coverage, but when he has the ball in his arms and against his chest, he should come down with them.
• Payton decides to go for it on fourth down needing nine yards. Much like the very first play of the game from scrimmage, Drew shows some great footwork and eludes a untouched blitzer, making him miss, as he shovels it off to Moore for a yard. While it wasn't the needed nine yards, Brees' athleticism stopped it from becoming -9 yards.

Review: This is the third drive in a row that the Saints offense has not looked up to snuff. The running game is still non-existent, Henderson is doing his usual ball dropping and I don't know what was going on with Brees and Patten but they just couldn't seem to get on the same page. The only consistent person on these last couple of drives has been Lance Moore.

Saints Defense Fifth Drive

• Great pressure from the line on the Bengals first play from the 23 yard line as Antwan Lake gets himself a sack for -8 yards.
• More good pressure as Shanle comes in off the left side and almost reaches Palmer in time. Instead he gets the short dump pass off to Utecht as Vilma and Porter, who are right there, look very weak in tackling and can't grab him. The play goes for 10 yards.
• It's 3rd and 8 (it's always 3rd and 8!!!) and Chatman runs an out right on the right sideline. This is the same play we saw the Texans carve Jason David up with last week. This time it's Randall Gay doing a poor job in coverage and the Bengals gain 19 yards for the first down. Ugh! These are the most frustrating.
• Perry tries the middle and is met by a flying Roman Harper in the hole. Nice hit.
  
• Palmer tries deep down the field as Shanle, again, runs into the backfield untouched and almost gets to him. Porter is on the coverage, and unbelievably, draws the offensive pass interference call. Nice coverage.
  
• 2nd and 17 now and Palmer throws it underneath on another dump off to Chris Perry that gains eight yards.
• Palmer throws over the middle for Jerome Simpson but Aaron Glenn is right there for the immediate tackle and only 6 yards. Bengals...punt.

Review: Shanle looks hungry in this game. Twice this drive he was in the backfield quickly, forcing the quick pass and nearly coming away with sacks. Aaron Glenn also looked reliable again. I do hate to see those 3rd and longs get converted, especially when it's our secondary to blame, but they were very few and far between in this half so it's fair to say there is definite improvement. More short underneath passes that turn into significant yardage. Not the best series for the defense but they again manage to force the punt.

Stecker deserves more touches. (Getty Images)

Saints Offense Sixth Drive

• Saints are deep in their own zone on their eleven yard line. Brees' night is over as Brunell comes in with under two minutes remaining in the half. His first play he takes a sack for -6.
• Stecker runs twice in a row, both for 7 yards. Three and out.

Review: Well this drive wasn't great at all. Stecker, however, looks so darn good. Again, he is so quick and his feet are always churning. It does look like he has some larger holes to run through than Deuce and Reggie before him, but not by much. Stecker's talent and hard running style are probably equally the reason he is breaking off bigger chunks of yardage.

Saints Defense Sixth Drive

• Not much time left in the half as the Bengals take over from their 36 yard line. The first play is a short pass underneath to Utecht. Vilma is there but Utecht makes a quick cut inside to get past him. Vilma slaps his hands in frustration.
• After a spike by Palmer to stop the clock, the Saints bring the pressure on 2nd and 10. Kaesviharn, again untouched, shoots into the backfield from the right side. It is McCray coming in later who puts the finishing shot on Palmer. This was the hit that caused the infamous bloody nose.
  
• False start on the Bengals.
• On third down, Perry gets eight yards on the right side. Not enough for the first as the Saints call timeout and the Bengals are forced to punt one final time this half. The crowd boos as the Bengals walk off the field.

Review: If you have a tight end playing against the Saints this season in fantasy football, make sure he starts. Tight ends have looked pretty good against our defense these last two games. On the positive side, I don't know whether the Saints defensive players just played harder or Gibbs decided to get a little more exotic with the blitzing schemes, but the pressure tonight was vastly improved and it was from all angles.

That does it for the first half. All in all, as stated earlier, I think we have to be happy with this performance. There were some bad plays on both sides of the ball, but that is to be expected every single game. The larger picture is what's important and on Saturday night, the larger picture was a much improved defense. There was a little bending but absolutely no breaking.

Let's hear what you guys think!

Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt , Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Interception.

That's exactly how the Cincinnati Bengals drive chart read last night. Just wanted to lay it out like that because it looks so pretty that way. I don't know what the heck Payton said to these guys this last week or what he did to motivate them, but it worked. With all eyes on them, the Saints defensive showing was a huge improvement over last weeks. The return of McKenzie, better pressure from the line, a more cohesive linebacking corp, and better play from the safeties all contributed to a defense that actually looked like they knew what they were supposed to be doing out there. I understand there are always going to be those people who say that it's just pre-season and that many Bengal's starters were not active, and they are right. But for this teams defense, one that is oft criticized and rife with deficiencies, to hold any team at any time to no points, not even a field goal, is an incredibly noteworthy feat. Yesterday's battle against the Bengals should be considered a very important victory in the long war that is this season.

On a less positive note, the offense didn't look as smooth and efficient as we all know it can be. The Bengals are not a very good team defensively. This Saints team cannot expect its defense to come up big like this every week and 17 points of offense just won't cut it against stronger teams. One thing that will be ever important this season, and something that I feel plagued us last season, will be for both offense and defense to play well together. I already know that in next week's game against the Dolphins, the most important thing that I will be watching for will be consistent play from all and the ability of both offensive and defensive units to get on the same page and turn in equally impressive performances. It's a must. Otherwise, all of  our hope and expectations for this season will flutter up and down in rhythm with this teams inevitable performance as we will all ride along on the roller coaster ride that is a typical New Orleans Saints season.

In the meantime, hope has been restored in Who Dat Nation and all is peaceful. At least for now.

Here are my immediate observations from the game. They may not be completely accurate because they were made on the fly. More in depth analysis will take place this week.

The Secondary

• When it comes to the Saints secondary, there's Mike McKenzie and there's everyone else. Is this guy recovering from a torn ACL? Sure didn't look like it. MM looked solid out there, almost picking off a pass. We can all breathe a sigh of relief now knowing that with MM back, our secondary should never look as awful as it did last week against Houston.
• I don't think Tracy Porter is necessarily ready to start but it is awesome to see some improvement after last week. He made that great play in the first series knocking the ball loose after getting away from his blocker. He also drew an offensive pass interference call by getting great positioning on his wide receiver. However, he failed to do anything in the return game.
  
• Randall Gay looked just okay.  He was caught out of position at least once last night. Sad to say but I don't think he has totally locked up that second starting spot.
  
• Aaron Glenn is starting to look good. Decent anyway. Dare I say that he gives this unit a little depth? Can I use that word when I am talking about the cornerbacks? I think I just did. He seems pretty solid and consistent. A good "break glass in case of emergency" kinda guy.
  
• Great play from our starting safeties last night. Maybe it's because he was playing his old team but KK looked solid with 1.5 sacks. Roman Harper also looked sharp making some nice hits, including that hard one against the run when he flew in to fill the gap. Lance Schulters also got into the mix by nabbing an interception.

The Rest of the Defense

• The line as a whole looked much better than last week. To be fair, I don't think the Bengals offensive line was doing such a great job and didn't seem to pick up a couple of blitzes but definitely a noticeable improvement in the application of pressure. Still nothing from the most expensive bookends I have ever seen but Bobby McCray looked awesome! 93 Octane had 1.5 sacks on the night and decided to leave his mark in this game; all over Carson Palmer's face. For a big guy, he sure is fast. I don't mean to rip off McDonald's but, "I'm lovin' it."
• Good news on the defensive tackle front. Even though Hollis Thomas is out for a good while and Young will probably have an injury plagued year, Kendrick Clancy is really stepping it up, as well as Antwan Lake. Clancy came on strong right out of the box and led the team with 3 tackles and 2 assists. Lake added a sack. While Thomas and Young are out, I think Ellis and Clancy are your starters.
• I was very happy to see the linebacking play looking much better. I think this may actually have been a position group whose performance was underrated last night. Those short dump off passes in the flat by our opponents were killing us in the last two games and I am glad to see that get significantly reduced. These guys were covering a lot of ground, doing a great job of containing and on top of their receivers quickly.
  

The Running Game

• All I asked for was just to see continued improvement out of D Mac and I think it's fair to say we saw that. Of course he's not out there moving piles the way we know he can but give it time. For a second knee injury, he's looking pretty good and he's coming along nicely. Patient with this one you must be.
• Nothing unusual from Pierre Thomas. He only ran five times for 46 yards (by the way, thats a 9.2 average) and caught four passes for 35 more yards. The announcers even complimented him on this blocking. Okay, okay he had a fumble deep in the red zone when he was practically down. It doesn't matter though, don't worry about it. He will stay buried on the depth chart. If I write any more I will get angry and break my keyboard.
• It's unfortunate for Lynell Hamilton that we already have four other pretty talent backs ahead of him because he looked pretty impressive last night. The reality is, at this point, he's probably trying out for another team with these performances in the pre-season for the Saints. Maybe we could package him together with Devery in some sort of trade?
• Reggie was pretty much non-factor last night. Hopefully his injury is not too serious.

Receivers

• Both Lance Moore and Robert Meachem  are starting to prove themselves to be consistent. You can add both of their names to the list of Saints who are playing well but not seeming to get the respect they deserve. Honestly, at this point, they may both be ahead of Devery on the depth chart. 
• Oh, Devery. What to do with you...what to do? Technically on the stat sheet he only caught 50% of his passes tonight, but we will give him credit for the nice catch he had for about 20 yards that was inevitably called back, raising his percentage to a whopping 66%. Either way, he continues to be inconsistent leaving me to wonder why Payton continues to think so highly of him.
  
• Colston looked good in the one series he took part in. He and Drew are on autopilot. We did see a rare drop on the goal line from Colston while taking a tough hit.

Quarterback 

• If I'm being honest here, Drew looked just a little off. Just a tiny bit. He threw one a little behind Billy Miller but he was really off with receiver David Patten, overthrowing him and seeming to mix up routes. Minor, I know, but just thought I would mention it.
  
• Brunell was fine. Ol' reliable he is.
  
• Palko looked much better last night as well. No bobbled snaps. Had a nifty little run. My question is: How long is this Payton project going to continue?

Special Teams

• Mehlhaff finally kicked one in the endzone but then followed it up with a not so great kick. He did nail his 45 yard field goal however.
  
• Gramatica was also reliable as usual hitting his field goal attempt. I really have no idea what is going to happen with this position battle. It might come down to a coin flip.
  
• I think Skyler Green's career with the Saints may be coming to an end very soon. Punt returning is really the only way he is going to make this team and he didn't look impressive at all last night. Unfortunately, he hasn't gotten too many chances and because of that, he is forcing those chances which is only exacerbating the situation.
  

Of course, I will get into more detail about everything in the upcoming days. As always, the floor is open for your thoughts and opinions.

Here is the final roll call for both open threads combined. Props go to Steve the fan who proves he is worthy of the name he has given himself. Again, I am so happy to see such a good turnout for the open threads. I always enjoy them.

I've finally put last weeks pitiful performance behind me by drinking myself into an oblivion blocking it from my memory. It's time we all move on, hope the team has learned some lessons and pray we get a better showing against the Bungles. The Bengals, much like the Saints, have a suspect defense and a high power offense, making this a good team to play in pre-season and work out those defensive kinks.  Here's what I think we should all be watching as the game unfolds on Saturday night.

Shockey I figured everyone was expecting me to talk about JD and the secondary first but I decided to kick it off with a positive note. We're finally going to get to see Russell Crowe, er, I mean Jeremy Shockey. Expect Brees to look for Shockey in the redzone or on third and long. Payton, who has been pretty cautious with J. Shock up to this point said he only plans to play him the first quarter. Then again Reggie begged and pleaded his way onto the field last week after being listed as a no go, and with Shockey's verbose nature and intense competitive nature coming as no surprise, maybe he will make Payton play the entire half.

Mike McKenzie Isn't this exciting!? We have two players making their debut's this season, and I think its safe to say "Thank God!" I will never be happier to see MM take the field than I will be tomorrow night. The timing couldn't be better. Honestly, after suffering the same injury as Deuce only two months after him, I can't believe he is actually ready to go. I'm pretty nervous about this one. Just like Deuce last week, we will have to see if he can make the necessary movements and cuts. Cornerback is not one of those positions where you can hide a serious knee injury. If MM and JD both look bad then I think it might be time to start panicking. Hey, anyone know if the Eagles have a cornerback we might be able to use!?

Jason David Now it's time to talk about the Toast Master General himself (thanks BigTMill), Chasin' David. I'm being harsh and I don't hate JD. Yet. This is it. This is the last chance I am giving him. I have probably actually been more patient than most of you guys, but this is my final stand. He needs to step it up, Big time. I'm talking, like, a pick six. He better be within one foot of his receiver at all times.

Tracy Porter Thanks to JD's performance last week, Tracy Porter has gotten the call. Usama Young also probably won't go tomorrow night, so this is Porter's big chance and I have to think he realizes it. He didn't look much better than David against Houston so I am definitely focusing on #22 this week in the hopes that we see the makings of a legitimate candidate for starting cornerback.

The O-Line Can we please open up some holes. I am referring to the first team line here. Reggie Bush is a Heisman winner not Moses. I know Reggie has been knocked the last two years because of his hesitation, "dancing" and failure to run between the tackles but the dancing and hesitation both seem to have improved and any inability of him breaking off big runs up the middle so far this season I think has to be blamed purely on our line. The second string guys have looked great opening up lanes for Stecker.

The D-Line  Pressure. Pressure. Pressure!

Jonathan Vilma I would rate Vilma's play last week as just mediocre. He gets a pass however because of such high expectations and being away from the game for so long. With one game under his belt and little bit of the rust off, I am hoping to see Vilma make some "Oh no he didn't" type plays that amaze and excite us all. Simoneau is out so this is Vilma's chance to firmly entrench himself at the position and do what Brian Simmons couldn't last year; knock Simoneau out of his spot.

Devery Henderson  He's a first teamer. You heard it yourself from coach. Meachem, Moore, Copper and Arrington are all below him looking up. If the speculation by many Saints fans that Payton may be posturing and shopping Devery is true, then I would think he might give him a lot of looks and pray to the football gods that he actually catches the ball. Of course, if that were to actually happen, wouldn't we then want to keep him? This whole situation gives me a headache. I'm not going to pretend like I know what is going on inside Sean Payton's head.

Lance Moore This might actually be where the answer to the whole Devery situation lays. His play could greatly affect the future of Devery; cut, trade, whatever!

Deuce I don't expect the man to work miracles. Just a little improvement on top of last week or continued positive signs from D-Mac will be sufficient. He can wait until week one before he starts running people over. Limping off the field would be bad.

Skyler Green Skyler was MIA last week but Payton has said that he, as well as Moore and Porter, will see significant action in the return game. He's going to have to make his mark somewhere tomorrow night and it doesn't seem like he is really in the running for a WR spot. Otherwise, this could be the end of the road for our local boy.

Orien Harris This guy has set the bar pretty high for himself with his play the first two games of the season. Granted, with the starters playing the entire first half of the game this time around, he won't have as much time to make his impact, don't be surprised to see him right at the top of the tackles list.

All of the DT's With Hollis out, Young looking like someone has put some awful voodoo curse on him and his little dog too and Sedrick being held out for precautionary measures, the door is open for Clancy, Lake and the aforementioned Harris.

Taylor Mehlhaff Gramatica took all of the field goals last game so the next game should be Mehlhaff's turn. I love the hang time this kid gets on his kickoffs. This position battle is tough, I really don't know how Payton is going to decide.

Lance "in my pants" Schulters Poor Lance. His debut is being overshadowed by Shockey's. I honestly don't know much about this guy and I won't pretend that I do. I am just going to hope that he is better than Josh Bullocks. In reality, he's probably a long shot.

Keith Rivers Just for fun, we should all pay attention to him. He was a real possibility to be drafted by the Saints and was actually the guy I thought they would go with. Of course I didn't think they would actually be so aggressive as to move up in the draft. This will be a good chance to check out what we did or didn't miss out on, hopefully the later.

Yesterday we talked about the not so fine points of the Saints first pre-season game against the Arizona Cardinals. Today we discuss the more positive aspects of the game and what went right. Fortunately, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Receivers You knew I would have to start off with this after Meachem and Arrington led the team in receiving. This is getting really good. With the emergence of Meachington, this has turned into quite a deep squad. When this team added Shockey, the hot topic of conversation was how this would free up Colston from defensive double teams and spread out opposing defenses. I can't even imagine the possibilities now that Meachem is in the mix. Pepper in a little Arrington on top of that and you've got a defensive coordinators nightmare. Mark Campbell also looks like he might very well earn that second spot after missing almost all of last season. The coaching staff will certainly have some tough decisions to make when it comes time to decide who to keep and who to jettison. Fortunately, that is a decision most coaches would love to have to make. Who needs a running game when you've got all of this?

Oh yeaaaah!

Reggie Bush Maybe I've been drinking the Kool Aid here, but I really think this is going to be the year. Try some, its delicious! Anyone who doesn't think Reggie has talent is just plain blind. Sure, he's no human highlight reel like he was at USC, but the kid's got moves. As it stands, Reggie carried 7 times for 22 yards. Take away those two stupid penalties and it becomes 9 carries for 52 yards, one of which looked like a botched play that he turned to the outside for a 12 yard gain. Those are pretty respectable numbers for a first pre-season game. Add to that the poor run blocking by our line and I would say Reggie has shown noticeable improvement. He certainly looked more decisive and hungry. Still don't think he will ever be a back in the style of Deuce, but when he has the ball when he's out on the field, he is always a factor and always dangerous.

Defensive Line Just as touted, we look much improved. They were a lot quicker and more aggressive. To be honest, I don't remember ever seeing a consistent pass rush like last night in recent Saints history. Sedrick Ellis was a little shaky but certainly should be able to start week one. Orien Harris was a big surprise on the night and co-led the team in tackles on Thursday night. The defensive tackle position is similar to the receiver spot in that there seems to be quite a few players stepping up, adding depth and making the battle very interesting. Again, the coaches may have to make a tough decision when the time comes to cut the roster down to 53. 

We Are Holding Back One of the things I think is great about this last game was the fact that we didn't even dress incredibly key players on this team. Colston, Shockey, Deuce, McKenzie and Vilma were all missing. These guys are all arguably the best players on this team at their respective positions. Thursday nights showing was like a "worst case scenario" example of what our team would look like in week 15 after being ravaged an entire season by injury, and it wasn't that bad! We should all be very pleased with the depth on this team and take stock in the fact that, at our healthiest, we will be an even better team.