Let me preface this entire post by saying I am happy to even be having this argument. This is a good problem for a football team to have.

 

One of the huge question marks going into this season (it's so close now!) is the Saints running game, more specifically, which players should play, how much they should play and in what manner should they be used.

 

There are a lot of people out there in Who Dat Nation who think PT Bruiser should become the teams new feature back. These people often point to his week 17 performance last season against Chicago. Or his impressive pre-season performances last year and now this year. These people find themselves asking what more does Pierre have to do. How can he prove himself anymore? The other side of the argument presents the fact that he's never played in a meaningful game and that all of his stats may be somewhat "inflated."  Like the famed comedian Rodney Dangerfield, poor Pierre Thomas just can't get any respect.

 

Right here in one of very own CSC FanPosts, we have two readers (hi guys) playing out your incredibly stereotypical PT argument that Saints fans around the globe have every single day. Their names have been changed to protect their identities.

 

Jim: That’s an average of 8.2 yards per carry against the Chiefs

Bob: The Chefs’ (sic) defense is much worse than the Saints’. Bad. Nothing to brag about here, let’s move on.

Jim: He followed that up by gaining a solid 4.8 yards per carry for 2007

Bob: He had 52 carries. FOR THE WHOLE YEAR!

Jim: including 5.25 yards per carry, for 105 yards, in his only start.

Bob: … and the Saints STILL LOST THE GAME. Weren’t those a lot of junk yards he got, after the game was essentially decided and the Bears put the second string in, to save their starters for the playoffs? Which brings us to…

Jim: This year, he hit 9.2 against Cincinnati. He’s proven, every time he’s been given a chance, that he is a legit, starter-quality NFL rusher.

Bob: The Bengals’ D sucks!!! It’s a preseason game!!! It means nothing!!! I once saw a back named Brown (I think) who really tore it up for the Chiefs in a preaseason game, and I mean he ran over and around everybody. I thought Man, this kid is good. He was 4th string or something and they’ve since cut him. Preseason!! Means nothing!!!

 

For the record, I agree with Jim, but both sides bring up totally valid points and I can see where they each are coming from. At this point we are stuck in some metaphysical football world where not enough evidence yet exists to either prove or disprove the theory. Like the existence of God.

We're looking at this the wrong way. I propose we take a step back, look at it from another angle and re-approach the issue. Because all of Pierre's performances have all come in games with questionable meaning, his fairly impressive accomplishments to date are all suspect. Instead of using those stats and asking what more does Pierre have to do the real question we need to be asking is this: What has Pierre Thomas done to not deserve more touches?

Tell me what you have seen in Pierre Thomas' game that makes you think he can't play at a high level in the NFL. I am putting the onus on you. Thomas is innocent until proven guilty. It's up to you to give me a reason why he shouldn't be out on the field. Prove to me beyond a reasonable doubt that Pierre Thomas is not ready for this league. Those fans who are in favor of Pierre Thomas at least have stats on their side. Opponents have nothing but naysay. The only argument made against Thomas is that his amazing numbers thus far maybe aren't really that amazing. They're an illusion and they're not a valid measure. That's not an argument, that's just merely saying my argument is wrong. Just consider his impressive pre-season and week 17 stats as an extra bonus.

So what is his game lacking? Lay some numbers on me. Does he have a fumbling problem? Nope. His fumble against Cincinnati last week was, guess what, his first one in the league. See for yourself.  Not a good blocker? Pierre Thomas single handedly kept first round draft pick Keith Rivers off Mark Brunell in last weeks game. He hasn't had a good game every time out? Nobody is perfect. He's young and inexperienced? There is no better way to accelerate the learning curve then by putting him out there in real game situations. Let's go back to those "inflated" stats he's put up in pre-season and week 17. If those numbers don't qualify as impressive to you, then what would? Should he have run and caught for over 200 yards each instead of only 100+ against Chicago? Would 20 yards per carry instead of 9.2 against Cincinnati last week be enough for you to change your mind? You might feel that Pierre should just ride the bench and soak up everything he can learn until he's needed. I don't agree with that. We're only getting older my friend. A football players career is a ticking clock with a limited shelf life, particularly a running backs. Even if seeing minimum action early in his career means he will be able to prolong it, Pierre is still wearing down his body at least slightly, even if its not in games. Every year he is under utilized equals less production the Saints will get out of him when they actually want it.

The reality of the situation is he won't start. He is behind two well qualified, big name players in Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush who, and here is the important part, make a lot more money than Pierre. Had Pierre been a first or second round pick and played the way he has been, he most certainly would be given more regular season playing time. Though I don't consider Thomas a replacement for Reggie as much as I do for Deuce, we paid Bush millions of dollars before he ever stepped a foot on the football field. Because of that, here we are waiting to see if Reggie will step up his game while Pierre Thomas is actually doing it. It's like being stranded in the desert trying to get water from a rock when there's an Oasis right over the next dune. I get that and I have accepted it. We all should. It may not be completely fair but that's the way it is. If Deuce's health turns out to be a much larger concern or if he just doesn't have that spark anymore, and of course I would never wish that upon him, I truly hope that Sean Payton has the gumption to know when to throw in the towel and usher in the next generation of Saints football. From all the trades, acquisitions and sound bites we have seen and heard from this team and its front office so far this offseason and pre-season, it appears they are making one big push, taking a serious stab at getting to Tampa in February, and doing whatever it takes to make it happen. Vilma. Shockey. Ellis. Gay. All are examples of a franchise ready to make a move. The running game should be treated no differently. There is one more guy waiting to add his name to that list. Thomas.

Today we continue with the second half of our in-depth analysis of last weeks pre-season game against the Bengals. Here we go.

Saints Defense First Drive

• After Mehlhaff finally boots one into the endzone for a touchback the Bengals start from their own 20 yard line. Their first play is a run to the right side. Randall Gay makes a nice tackle coming in for support as the play only gains 3 yards.
• Another run up the right side and Chris Perry hits a big hole and gains 13 yards for the first.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, now the quarterback, tries the left side but Harper and Porter are all over it. Nice coverage. Very un-Jason David like.
  
• The Bengals then try a run up the middle but Fujita does a great job stuffing it at the line.
  
• On third down Fitzpatrick completes one to Chatman who is in the gap between the line of scrimmage and the secondary. Vilma brings him down from behind just shy of the first down. Bengals punt.

Review: Glad to see the defense still looks good after the half. The run defense wasn't so hot but, and I can't believe I am going to say this, the pass defense came through for us. I think Vilma has been looking pretty good but he just does a lot of things that don't usually get noticed. I'm a fan. I think it would be safe to buy his jersey.

 

 

Saints Offense First Drive

• Saints take over at their own 28. Sit back and relax, because the Pierre Thomas extravaganza is about to begin. It starts with Thomas to the right side for 5 yards. The O-line (Nicks, Bushrod, Lehr, Strief) does an awesome job of making room and they actually force their will on the Bengals plowing them all to the right side. Had Reggie been out there, he might have actually cut it back to the left side and been gone, as there is no one there. I am starting to wonder if maybe the problem with the run game lies completely with the first team offensive line. 
• Brunell throws a quick one to the right to Meachem for 4 yards.
• Third down and two tight ends. Pierre tries the right side, gains the first down, sheds a tackle and spins away from a second before being taken down for a gain of 14.
• Play action. Brunell completes one over the middle to Terrance Copper. Pierre Thomas does a great job blocking in the backfield and keeping Keith Rivers away from Brunell. The kid does it all.
  
• They give it to Thomas again up the middle and he gains 9 yards after avoiding one tackle. To be fair, the tackling looks weak.
• Brunell is forced to roll left and overthrows Copper in the endzone on what seemed like an improvised play.
• Third and 1 as Pierre cuts it back to his right and up the middle for 4 yards and the first.
• Brunell hurrys a throw to Pierre Thomas who is covered. Pass incomplete.
• On second down Thomas takes it up the right side. He eludes one tackler, barely keeps his knee from hitting the ground, then fumbles the ball as he spins and falls down. Bengals recover.

Review: Ugh. Not that I think the fumble will really cause Payton any distrust, but everything was looking so good. Had that fumble not occurred, I think all Saints fans, myself included, would be up in arms about letting Pierre start and referencing this very drive to make our point. If Pierre is always going to fight to stay on his feet, then he needs to remember to hold on to the ball tight. Regardless, the drive looked good. Pierre looked better. By the way, I love it when Pierre uses his hand and puts it on top of a defenders head to push him out of the way as he passes him.

 

Saints Defense Second Drive

• Cincinnati gets the ball deep in their own zone. Perry tries the right side. Lance Schulters comes in and makes the nice stop for only 3 yards. Then proceeds to take a stupid 15 yards Uneccesary Roughness (classic movie) penalty.
• First and ten now from the Bengals 23 yard line. Chris Perry tries the left edge and guess who comes in with the nice tackle and the stop for no gain. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It's Jason David!
• Fitzpatrick completes short over the middle for 4 yards. Troy Evans makes the quick tackle.
  
• Third down and Fitzpatrick throws a short  incompletion to Kenny Watson. Chris Reis was all over him with great coverage. Bengals...you know. Skyler Green gets nowhere on the return.

Review: This was actually a good showing for the defense, minus the penalty, particularly the secondary. They showed great run support on two plays and tight coverage on another. After going through this game in depth, I think this defense looked even better than everyone is giving them credit for. It was solid all around. Even Jason David. I am very impressed.

 

 

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Palko checks into the game now and starts from the Saints 33. The first play is a short dump off to Pierre Thomas over the middle for 5 yards. No hesitation going back to Thomas after the fumble.
  
• Palko checks down to Thomas on a flare to the left. With plenty of room to work with and nice blocks from Matt Lehr and Tim Duckworth, Pierre turns it into 25 yards up the sideline. He does that hand on helmet thing to another would be tackler. Watch for it, its funny! It's almost like he uses them for more speed as he pushes off of them.
  
• Meachem shows off his running ability on a reverse. He gains a respectable 13 yards.
• Palko takes too much time in the pocket and is sacked by Keith Rivers.
• 2nd and 18 as Palko completes a short one over the middle to Thomas for 3 yards.
• Palko tries Thomas again on a short dump off. Not much doing.
• Mehlhaff nails a 45 yarder. He then kicks a blooper to only the Bengals 16 yard line. He is visibly upset as he walks off.

Review: More awesomeness from The Flying Frenchman. The drive just stalled at the end as Palko couldn't find anything downfield. This offensive line deserves some credit for working hard and looking pretty solid out there. None of Thomas' success would exist without some good play from those guys. Mehlhaff shows some inconsistency. I don't think it is looking as good for Mehlhaff as it once was.

 

 

Saints Defense Third Drive

• After a false start, the Bengals have 1st and 15 from own 30 yard line. Jeff Rowe now takes over for the Bengals and tosses one quickly to the right. Aaron Glenn, looking great in run support, wraps him up quickly for a gain of only two.
  
• The Saints line flush Rowe out of the pocket and forces him to scramble right and throw it away.
• Rowe tries over the middle on a crossing route but Glenn is on top of him and breaks it up which is good because the Saints sent eight guys in to rush and didn't have much help in the secondary. There had to be someone else open downfield that Rowe just didn't see. Bengals punt and Skyler Green lets it bounce before fielding it and losing 4 yards. Not pretty.

Review: Gotta love three and out. More straight up solid play from the defense. This drive was all Aaron Glenn. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Glenn makes this team. He looks better and better every week. I don't think he will start but its great to know he's there. Honestly, seems like you take away Jason David, and this secondary doesn't look half bad. We should probably give it a little more time and observation though.

 

 

Saints Offense Third Drive

• Saints start from their 12 yard line and Palko throws a quick pass to Meachem to the right. He gets six yards as the defender drags him down by his pants, ala the Coppertone girl, as Meachem refuses to go down.
  
• Next is a hard run up the left side by Lynell Hamilton for six yards.
• Palko completes a pass to Lance Moore for 14 yards.
• 1st and ten now, as Palko throws a bad pass nowhere near Terrance Copper that almost gets picked off.
• Lynell Hamilton takes it up the middle for 7 yards. He looks very powerful. End of third quarter.
• On third down with 3 to go Hamilton takes it again, this time to the left side for 4 yards, picking up the first.
• Palko throws an interception on a deep pass intended for Terrance Copper. The throw was into double coverage.

Review: It would have been nice to see this drive continue. Hamilton was looking pretty impressive. As bad as I feel for Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker, I will feel even worse for Lynell Hamilton who will most likely not see any playing time with this team though he looks pretty good. I can't find anything in Palko to get excited about.

 

 

Saints Defense Fourth Drive

• We have to pick up this drive from 3rd and 7 since the broadcast team favored doing some piece on how Fujita would make the best Olympian over showing us the first two plays of the drive. And what a wonderful place to pick up from, as we're just in time to see the dynamic duo of Jason David and Josh Bullocks get beat on a 9 yard pass that keeps the drive alive. They were both right there and still couldn't make a play! How much longer must we suffer? Even on a night when everyone else is looking great, these two manage to suck. Who are we going to make fun of after Payton hopefully cuts these two?
• First down now and a short completion to the right side for three yards.
• Another Rowe pass to the right for 10 yards as Craft is no where near his receiver.
  
• After a Kenny Watson run for only two yards, Rowe dumps it off over the middle for 9 yards and a first down.
• On first down now and Bobby McCray shoots through the gap and gets the sack for -8 yards. I can't say enough about how fast he is.
  
• Rowe completes a short dump off to Kenny Watson but the Saints react quickly and McCray and Harris stop it for -1 yards.
• More pressure from the line again as McCray, who is forced to take the long route behind the quarterback, doesn't give up and eventually beats his man deep in the backfield and gets to Rowe to disrupt the pass. Bengals punt.
  

Review: I think this drive is very telling. This was the Bengals longest drive of the night play-wise. Bullocks, Craft and David, who all saw a lot of time in the Saints secondary last year were all out there against the third team and still having trouble. What does that say? Bobby McCray saves their butt however as he was a monster on the last three plays. Can't wait to see what he brings this season.

 

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Saints start at their six. Hamilton runs for two yards.
• Palko looks good as he avoids a safety and shows some nifty moves eluding would be tacklers and running for 9 yards. A personal foul call takes the Saints to their 32 yard line.
• After a botched snap, Palko fires a bullet to the right side for Buck "Naked" Ortega for 17 yards.
• Hamilton then makes a short three yard catch on the left sideline.
• Palko goes to the left side again and finds Meachem for 7 yards and a first down.
• The Bengals' Angelo Craig notches a sack for -4 yards. Duckworth failed to pick up LB Corey Mayes who broke through the line, caused disruption and barely missed the sack himself.
  
• A draw to Hamilton up the middle for six yards.
• Palko, looking solid on this drive, fires another rocket, this time to Todd Blythe, over the middle for a gain of 15.
• After scrambling left Palko throws a short 6 yarder to Hamilton. Holding on Bushrod.
  
• 1st and 20 now as Palko throws another dump off to Hamilton who has room to turn it into 16 yards.
• Palko throws two straight into tight coverage. The first one should probably have been picked off.
• Saints go for it on fourth down but Palko is forced to scramble to the left and throw it away.

Review: After a nice start to this drive by Palko, the Bushrod penalty and some poor passing decisions kill it. Tyler is just too inconsistent for my taste. A couple of nice hard passes mixed in with poor decisions and botched snaps. That's just not gonna cut it. Bushrod has been the culprit on quite a few penalties this pre-season and really needs to fix that.

 

Saints Defense Fifth Drive

• Carson Palmer's younger brother Jordan comes in to lead the charge. First play is a run up the middle for a gain of two.
• Palmer completes a short one to the right but Chris Reis is right there to bring him down quickly.
  
• Scrambling left, Palmer gets the needed 2 yards for the first down.
  
• He follows that play up with an interception to Lance Schulters to end the Bengals night. Jason David, whose receiver it was, was behind the play, but Lance, probably figuring David wasn't going to do anything, decided to jump the route and pick it off.
  

Review: Good sign from Schulters. Maybe he is the help this team needs over the top. He was very aggressive on the interception as Jason David stood there and watched. Literally!

 

 

Saints Offense Sixth Drive

Nothing important to report about the final drive. Lynell Hamilton runs for 2, 3 and 3 yards to run out the clock.

That does it. I was very happy with the teams performance after watching the game the first time. Having taken a closer look I have to say I am ever happier. There were a lot of good signs and we can only hope that this is a better representation of what we can expect from the defense and the team in general this season.

 

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.

Name	# of Posts
Saintsational	140
Steve the fan	58
stujo4	31
FrenchFreak	21
TonyChachere	16
BayouRebel	14
nosaints8700	12
satchmo26	9
MobileSaint	6
asaint	6
DeuceisLoose926	4
slilley	3
Bobbay1224	2
tlsk1066	2

Poll

Did last night's game change your feelings about this season?

• Yeah. I'm a little more at ease now.
• No, I was always positive.
• No, we are still not making the playoffs.
• I feel about the same.

  77 votes | Results

It's time to get down and dirty and analyze this game a little better. I watched the game on my Tivo and tried to pick up on things I missed while actually at the game. Here is what I saw in the first half.

Saints Offense First Drive

• Pierre Thomas makes a decent kick return for 33 yards to the 33 yard line.
• On the first play from scrimmage, Deuce takes it up the middle for 4 yards. Typical Deuce. That's the last we see of him for a while.
• Reggie gets a pitch to the left side and gains a yard. He might have been able to bounce it a little further outside but gets taken down by Will Demps. Campbell gets beat quickly by Mario Williams on the right side, but it doesn't matter because he's so far away from the play.
• Weatherford punts it away to New Orleans native Jacoby Jones who bobbles the punt. Usama Young is right in front of his face but slips feet first into Jones. The ball pops out of a scrum and Troy Evans comes up with it.
  
• First down now from the 10 yard line. Bush gets a hand off and tries the left side. Mario Williams is already in the backfield after getting past Jammal Brown. Brown seems to go straight for a linebacker and ignores Williams. Reggie tries to cut it back to the inside but by now, Will Demps has arrived to put an end to that idea as Bush falls forward.
• Three receiver's stacked on the left side (Colston, Henderson, Patten). Brees throws a quick out to Colston on the left side. Patten and Devery are the two blockers. Houston reads the play quickly and the secondary immediately comes in to help. Patten and Henderson can't handle it and Colston is stopped after only 2 yards.
• Brees drops back to pass and has plenty of time. It's unfortunate our o-line can't run block as great as it pass blocks. Not sure if it has to be a trade off or not, but its probably best that they are better pass blockers and protect Brees. He hits Mark Campbell right in the numbers but DeMeco Ryans is blanketing Campbell and has one of his hands in Campbells back pocket. Probably pass interference but no call.

Review: Slow start for the offense. It all looked sloppy and the team didn't seem ready to play. This drive was pretty much 2 three and outs. Nice to see special teams recover the fumble. Payton always stresses turnover ratio and it always helps to be on the winning side of that stat.

 

Saints Defense First Drive

• The Texans start on their own 20. Schaub short pass in the soft spot over the middle to Kevin Walter. Shanle takes him down.
  
• Schaub drops back to pass. The line actually gets good pressure and Will Smith is right in Schaub's face. Sedrick Ellis also bursts in late and pressures Schaub. He is forced to throw it away. This is the only significant pressure the first teamers will get all game.
  
•  Chris Taylor gets a pitch to the left side. It takes about four Saints to get him down, including Jason David. Texans pick up the first down.
• On 3rd and eight, Schaub passes to the left side to Andre Davis who runs out of bounds. David was soft on the coverage and got beat to the sideline by Davis. 14 yards. The fans boo. Payton is standing right there on the sidelines in front of the action. Very frustrating play on third down.
  
• Two plays later and its David getting beat...again. This time its Kevin Walter. David, perhaps a little overeager after the earlier play, dives to make a play on the ball, but it fails. Walter turns it around and upfield for 17 yards total. David looks weak on trying to make the tackle from behind. More booing.
  
• Taylor runs up the right side. Sedrick Ellis beats his man and gets good penetration. With one arm free he attempts to grab Taylor but a nice spin move causes Ellis to miss.
• On the very next play, Schaub goes over the middle to Walter on the goal line. Jason David is out of position yet again with too much separation and he can't bring down Walter before the end zone. David is the deepest defender and no safeties are around for help. Even louder booing as this drive is reminiscent of the Colts game last season.

Review: The Texans seemed to deliberately pick on Jason David's side, not forgetting last years mid-season match-up. In fairness, Matt Schaub looked pretty sharp on the drive.

 

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Second play of the drive and Reggie runs it to the outside for 6 yards. He runs out of bounds.
• On the next play Brees hits Patten deep for 39 yards. Brees is so amazing as he gently puts it right over Patten's shoulders and into his waiting arms. The timing between quarterback and receiver, when done properly, can be an amazing and wonderful thing of beauty. Patten makes a great catch and always seems to look so smooth and confident. He has great technique. This game made me realize how good Patten actually is.
• A few plays later and its a quick in to Devery Henderson on the left side. Guess what Devery does with it. Drops it.
• Next play is a short pass to Bush on the right side. Goes right through his hands and bounces off his helmet. Ugh.
  
• Yet another drop on the next play as Campbell gets hit immediately at the goal line. The hit obviously jarred him, but he really should have held onto the ball.

Review: This is why I think this play by play recap is great, because I didn't even notice this at the game. Three straight passes and three straight drops that should have been catches. I don't even know what to say. I just can't believe we are still dealing with the same stupid problems as last year. After this game, I'm not even really sure we have made any improvements at all.

 

Saints Defense Second Drive

• On the first play, Schaub passes over the middle as the ball goes right through a leaping Shanle's hands. Should have come up with the interception.
• On the very next play, 3rd and eight, its Schaub, yet again, to Jason David's side and into the hands of Andre Davis for 12 yards. It was the same exact play called and run as the 3rd and eight play in the Texans first drive. Exact route, exact blown coverage, and exact crappy result. I am Saintsational's silent rage. More booing.
• Next play and its Schaub on a bootleg to the right. He finds TE Owen Daniels over the middle on a crossing route. Again, a dink and dunk in the soft spot behind the linebackers. A nice 16 yards.
• After a penalty, the Saints blitz and Owen Daniels make another catch over the middle. Vilma and Harper are quickly on him.
  
• Next play, the first of the second quarter, its Kevin Walter on a crossing route in the flat. Tracy Porter can only chase him.
  
• Three straight play action, short dink and dunk passes later and the Texans are up by 8. It was just too easy. The good news is that it didn't seem to be the secondary's fault.

Review: Saints were 0/3 on third down while the Texans were 4/4 in the first quarter. Quite a contrast. The inability of the Saints to get off the field on third and longs is crucial. Twice on 3rd and 8 the Texans completed identical out routes against Jason David on the left side, keeping both drives, which inevitably lead to scores, alive. Replace him with a corner with better coverage skills who can make those plays and that is twice the Saints defense gets off the field quickly and keeps the Texans scoreless. Change those two plays and this entire game looks completely different. Schaub pretty much did whatever he wanted. Last week I was worried about the quick, short passes in between coverage and this week was more of the same. Yes, the secondary needs serious help, but I think it is drawing attention away from the dink and dunk stuff that is also killing us.  I didn't realize Tracy Porter saw some time with the first team. He wasn't impressive.

 

Saints Offense Third Drive

After two Reggie runs to the outside for 6 and 7 yards respectively, Brees hits Campbell over the middle and gains some extra yardage after the catch. A little redemption for Campbell after his earlier drop and better still, no back injury.

This drive ends with the Reggie Bush catching a screen pass and using Jacques Reeves has a hurdle. Not only am I on board the Reggie train, but I'm driving the damn thing.

Review: This is exactly how Reggie needs to be used. The play prior to his touchdown was a failed run attempt up the middle for a measly 2 yards. Forget that stuff for Reggie. Reggie can hurdle over guys and land cat like on his feet. Deuce, Pierre and even Stecker cannot. Deuce, Pierre and even Stecker can run it up the gut and carry a couple of people with them, somehow turning what looks like 2 yards into 6. Reggie cannot. Just play to their strengths. That goes for the entire team. Will someone please tell me I'm wrong?

 

 

 

 

Saints Defense Third Drive

• First play of the drive and guess where guess who finds guess who, yet again for 20 yards. Over the middle, Matt Schaub, Kevin Walter. Now here is the crazy part. It's a play action, and Vilma is watching and on his way in. The second he realizes its a pass, he turns right around and starts heading toward the backfield. He got there so quickly, practically outrunning the ball, that he actually makes a play to tip the ball and reaches Kevin Walter at the same time that Porter does! It was Porters man! I swear on my mother (who is probably reading this right now...seriously). If you've got a recording of the game, check it out. The play starts with 9:33 on the clock in the 2nd quarter. I want someone to prove my story.
  
• A little later, Owen Daniels catches a screen pass and takes it for 21 yards. Scott Shanle had a chance to wrap up his feet but whiffed.
• The drive stalls when Jason Craft wraps up his guy after a short catch. Craft is starting to look better and better at this point. Texans settle for a field goal.
  

Review: It's all about that Vilma play. Though the end result sucks, I think that says a lot about his talent. This was his first game back, so maybe after getting the rust off, those plays will have happier endings.

 

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Deuce comes back. This drive was very promising with regards to Mr. McAllister. He has runs of 3, 5 and 4 yards along with two receptions of 4 and 6 yards. On the five yard run, Deuce stops and cuts to change direction and looks fine doing it. Choir sings "Hallelujah" Immediately after the run is the two-minute warning. On his walk back to the sideline, he is all smiles as Brees and Karney congratulate him. Remember it, because I think that was the play. He and everyone else knows it. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a running back!
  
• Here is some good news: Devery gets his arms underneath and makes a nice sliding catch on an under thrown ball that almost hits the ground.
  
• Colston uncharacteristically drops a short pass. Then comes the other big play of the night. Brees lofts it up in the end zone and Colston reaches out, pulls it down and tucks it in. His other hand touched the ball for all of about a quarter of a second. Colston's left arm isn't really even necessary, its just a nice luxury. Do you think if Colston lost an arm in some weird accident that he could still play wide receiver? Colston could be the spokesman for Elmer's Glue. Did you guys know that I love Colston?

Review: Good stuff. I liked this drive. Because of the whole Deuce thing, this drive could very well have determined the fate of this teams running game.

I think we all feel the same way about the game, so I won't beat a dead horse (where the hell did that saying come from). We should all be upset with the defense after this showing, but I don't think it necessarily means the season is already in the trash. We should keep in mind that McKenzie still isn't back and that can make a huge difference. Also, both Randall Gay and Usama Young left the game early with injuries.

What do you guys think? What do you gather from all of this knowledge I am dropping on you? What are your feelings about this post?

Poll

Do you guys like this post?

• Yes
• No

  47 votes | Results

The Saints first home game of 2008, albeit a pre-season game, is in the books. In what will become a tradition here on CSC for all Saints home games, I present to you my personal notes from being at the game and observing all that surrounded me. I have chosen not to look at other websites, read any newspapers or watch any TV yet. What follows is my unfiltered, unbiased opinion of the game. I plan on watching the game a couple of times on Tivo and getting more in depth later. Please note, some of these observations may be completely wrong upon further review, so keep that in mind. It is hard to see everything when watching from my seats. Here are all the notes I wrote (read: typed) into my iTouch during the game.

• The boys were wearing the usual home whites with their gold pants. Pretty standard. I am always a fan of something different, like all black, but whatever.
• The Dome seemed pretty crowded, though not completely a sell out. The atmosphere is always more relaxed for these games and nobody seems to take it as serious as the regular season. And they shouldn't
• The first big play of the night came on a Brees pass to Patten. I know some of you think Meachem is deserving of that second spot, but Patten is a pro. The guy played for the Patriots and he's been around the league for years. He knows what he's doing, and I think it shows. I really don't think anyone is knocking him out of that second spot. I really like him. He's kind of like Colston; doesn't have a big mouth and gets it done on the field. Honestly, he may be one of the more overrated players on this team. I know he's not the biggest guy out there, but he's all professional, all the time and he's got some hands.
• One of the other big plays on the day was the Texans fumbled punt return. Usama Young was all over the returner (don't know who it was without looking it up) but I don't think he actually touched anyone. Plays like that will be important during the regular season.
• Dare I talk about Jason David? I guess we have to. Guys, this was really the most disappointing part of the evening. I can't tell you how helpless and frustrated I (and pretty much everyone in the Dome) felt watching the Texans do pretty much exactly what we watched them do last season.  I believe it was the second Texans drive in which they picked on Jason David three times for big plays in one series, the last time being for a touchdown. Really, this was the definition of deja vu. He was getting booed loudly. I honestly don't really agree with booing your own team, but it is almost getting to the point where it is all the fans can do to let Payton and the rest of the staff know that this just isn't working. We need help here and Jason David isn't the answer. He is clearly the weak link, as I explained to Erin (thats my fiance) who was feeling sympathetic for David. The guy who has the tickets next to me was very irate. I plan to check out the Houston's passing stats, because I really don't think they ever went to Randall Gay's side (their right side). I don't think we could even evaluate him because every play was run at Jason David. Seriously.
  
• Deuce is the other big story of the night I suppose. It was weird. He ran the first play from scrimmage, gaining just a few yards, then immediately ran off the field. At first I thought maybe that was going to be it for Deuce. One play then done. Maybe injury? But he wound up coming back in the second quarter. Certainly there was nothing spectacular about his play today, but it must be good that he was out there and it certainly wasn't bad. Just mediocre. In all honesty, I don't think he was getting too much help from the line.
• Mehlhaff's kickoff's looked fine. Actually, he seems to get a lot of height and hang time on his kickoffs.I don't think any went into the end zone but all of them seemed to be within the five yard line. Gramatica nailed his field goals. I really don' feel like we have learned anything from this match up.
• Our starting defensive line, from where I was sitting, didn't seem to be as aggressive as last week. Only one play comes to mind where we actually pressured their quarterback to throw it away.
  
• Mark Campbell had a chance for a touchdown but dropped the ball that was passed his way. Looked like he took an unexpected hard hit and couldn't hold onto the ball. Probably really should have held onto it.
• Our running game looked like crap. Still nothing to write home about there. I still think they need to start Pierre and let him get into a rhythm.
• Jonathan Vilma was out there, but I really can't remember him doing anything out of the ordinary or special.
• Winn Dixie always plays an ad during the game where they sing their theme song I am assuming is titled, "Getting Better All The Time." It, in fact, is NOT getting better all the time.
• One of the positives tonight was Reggie. Did you guys see that touchdown? It was sick! Yet another Reggie Bush highlight. He hurdled right over a diving tackler and actually landed on his feet like a cat.. He could seriously be on the U.S. Track and Field team for hurdles. They replayed it about 5 times after it happened and it was very reminiscent of his USC and 2006 highlights. It's always scary when he makes those plays because one day he is going to blow out a knee. I believe it was Gayle Sayers who told Reggie a similar thing. Reggie definitely looked hungry and improved, but again, he's not a replacement or answer for a back like Deuce. He is a great weapon to have, but he needs to be used in a special way. The Saints are still in need of an up the middle runner.
  
• Colston had a rare drop on a sure catch, but then made an amazing one handed catch in the end zone right in front of me. Marques pretty much snatched it out of the air. I almost had an action shot of him leaping and making the grab, but alas, it eluded me. His catch and Reggie's leap tied for play of the game. We've got some pretty talented guys on this team.
  
• Aaron Glenn has a nice pass breakup and I actually thought he was going to jump the route and make the interception.
• Brunell actually looked good. He looked like he had a bit left in the tank and some of those balls had a good bit of velocity on them. Not sure whether we would still be able to make the playoffs if Brunell had to lead us, but it certainly wouldn't be awful. We would at least have a chance. I really like him.
• We all got the wave going in the third quarter. The upper deck was a little behind the lower level.
• Lance Moore put an end to the wave when he caught that long pass. It was a good throw by Brunell but a better catch by Lance. The defender was all over him and he still came up with it. Lance Moore...catches...everything. I can't stress that enough. He has great hands. I know the knock on him is that he never does anything with the ball after the catch, and that is certainly fair, but at least you know he is going to come up with it. I think he may make this team.
  
• Kevin Dudley finished off that 82 yard drive, pretty nice for the second team.
• Tracy Porter looked like he still needs some work. He was the culprit on a couple of passing plays. After one play it did look like he still had a bit of a limp. I don't think he is 100%

I have to say I walked away from this game pissed off and disappointed. Bittersweet really. The offense looked pretty good but the defense is just garbage. I am seriously afraid that this season will wind up turning out just like last year. I know we have made lots of changes to the defense, but none of it seems to be making a huge difference. I think we all need to realize that there is no such thing as a quick fix in the NFL. I thought maybe I would regret being so pessimistic in my "inspirational" post a couple of days ago, but I have to say, after this game, I may have been more correct that I ever wanted to be. The hope has certainly been taken out of this season for me and at this point, I definitely enter week one with a mindset of mediocrity.

Here are the pictures I took from the game. I hope you enjoy.

 

Check out the tat! You don't need to see the whole thing to know what that bad boy says! However, I think it should be a ? and a ! It's a question yet you yell it at the same time.

 

Walking in the concourse to my seat. This was about 20 seconds before I completely ate it by slipping on some wet tile. This camera barely made it! Believe it or not, I did NOT drink at the game.  Pure carelessness.

 

MY seats. They are all mine, all year!! One thing I never understood is why they allowed Richard Simmons to upholster the Superdome seating. I mean, since they are spending so much money on fixing up the Dome, why not make the seats black and gold. Or even cooler, make it so that the chairs are colored in such a way as to form the fleur de lis logo in the upper deck. Anything is better than the random seat patterns consisting of incredibly curious color choices. No wonder they won't have a Super Bowl here.

 

The view from my seats.

 

More viewage from my seatage.

 

Get some perspective! God I love football!

 

For the guys.

 

More for the guys. Honestly, Erin and I both agreed, the Saintsations seemed a little chunkier this year on the whole. It is NOT because they have decided to place more importance on dancing ability.

 

For the ladies out there, let me say this: For some reason, jewelry and diamonds sparkle much more under the Dome lighting. Seriously. This picture is pretty pointless because you can't see the sparkle, but if you are recently engaged, or trying to impress a girl with jewelry, take her to the Dome. Can't lose. I don't know what hell it is, but something about the lighting in there is perfect for jewelry.

 

 

The defense. Probably about to get toasted.

 

 

Patten. Literally right before he made his big grab.

 

Brees congratulating Patten.

 

  Reggie and Drew sharing a special moment right after Bush's acrobatic TD.

 

A dejected Jason David after getting beat...for the third time...in that series!

 

Colston after his amazing catch. He is so damn awesome! That catch was unbelievable!

 

Mark Campbell after his big catch and run. Look Stujo, he's okay!

 

Here is the roll call from the open game thread. Thanks to everyone who participated. You guys might not understand, but it really is a treat to come home from the game and see you guys have all convened here, at CSC, to come talk about the game. I am so proud.

Name	# of Posts
satchmo26	18
Steve the fan	17
jjwest11	14
Saintsational	1
Hollywoo!	1
Hustl504	1
MDC	1
stujo4	1
TexasOutlaw	1

 

I read over the comments from the open game thread. Thanks to everyone for participating. Next week I will join you all again. To Jjwest11: Great to have you on board and actively participating. I wish you had checked CSC earlier, because the seat went empty. I happened to stumble upon a free ticket late yesterday afternoon and, to my surprise, no friends or family were interested. If you are local, you very much could have been enjoying the game with my fiance and I.

Please leave your own comments/observations/game reviews from yesterday. Since this is my first post-game report from a home game I am definitely interested in hearing your feedback. What do you like? what do you want to see more of? What is your favorite part. Please speak up!

Poll

What do you guys think about my immediate post game review?

• Awesome
• Sucks
• More info.
• More pictures

  42 votes | Results

    It's time to put last weeks performance behind us and move on to our next challenge, the Houston Texans. Last years matchup against Houston still makes my blood boil when I think about it. If, for some reason, you ever get nostalgic and start missing Eric Johnson on our team, just watch that game and I promise you, sympathy is not one of the emotions you will feel. The picture becomes clearer with each game and with the return of Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and the one and only Deuce McAllister combined with Tracy Porter's first appearance, more answers will be revealed as we get ever closer to the season. 

    Below is what to keep your eye on during this weeks game and what the Saints need to do to improve on last weeks performance.

Running Backs Deuce is loose baby!! Coach Payton said himself that he expects D Mac to strap it up this weekend for the first time since that fated MNF game (you've never heard 70,000 people get so quiet so fast). How scary cool will it be to finally see Deuce take a hand off in an actual game situation. There is a good chance we will see a deluge of articles from the media this week about Deuce's return, so prepare yourself. Personally, I say they ought to put Deuce and Pierre out there with the first team just to see what would happen. Put Reggie out in the second half with all of the third stringers and let him go nuts. Now that would be interesting. It might actually look like his USC highlight footage. C'mon, it's pre-season, lets mix it up a bit. In all seriousness though, this is our first chance to get a glimpse of Deuce and maybe get a feel for what we can expect out of him this season. This team really needs to step up its running game this year or we are doomed to mediocrity and a dose of Deuce, healthy of course, would do wonders. Hopefully we see some big runs. Pierre will probably yet again over achieve, have a great game and still get no love in regards to first team reps.

Reggie Bush Why didn't I just include him in the running back paragraph above? One word: revenge. I don't care what Reggie says, he wants to show everyone that the Texans made a mistake by passing him up and that he is the real number one draft pick from 2006, even if it is just pre-season. He might only play a quarter or so, but he will no doubt be looking to show off his moves and prevent further articles, like this one, to be written. Nothing would make Saints fans happier then to see Reggie run right over Mario Williams and into the end zone.

Cornerbacks We didn't see much in game one from anyone and I think more questions were raised then were actually answered. Certainly nobody stepped up and wowed us. I'm not okay with the "Our defense just needs to be mediocre because our offense is so good" philosophy some people have. We need to be a little bit better than average. I certainly don't think average defenses win Super Bowls. It sure would be nice to see these guys not only break up passes but make big plays and force turnovers. Again, this is where I will be paying close attention. Tracy Porter will be making his debut after missing last week. He certainly has some ground to make up and nothing would help his cause more than a big game on Saturday night. Randall Gay needs to atone for getting caught in soft coverage last week. Usama Young keeps getting some good press but still hasn't seemed to take that next step. He's got a good chance to start but at some point he needs to come up big in an actual game and say, "I'm here, and I'm not going away. You will notice me."

Receivers Of course, everyone will be looking to see if Meachem can repeat last weeks performance and prove he ain't no flash in the pan. Unfortunately, that will be pretty tough. As long as he looks decent, I will be satisfied. This should continue to be the most interesting battle of the pre-season. There are a lot of players on the bubble and they will all be hungry. Devery Henderson will be good to go and he's got a lot of ground to make up. Terrance Copper, Lance Moore and Skyler Green all want to have big games. This position took a hit this week however when Adrian Arrington was diagnosed with turf toe. Just when it was getting good! One of the local news stations here reported that it was more serious then originally reported and the IR list might very well be in AA's near future. Saints fans should talk solace, however, in the fact that beloved Marques Colston will be participating in this weekends showdown.

Offensive Line Some better blocking than what we saw last week would be nice. Early reports from this weeks practices with the Texans seem to allude to the fact that Houston's D-line was looking much better than the Saints O-line and thats not surprising. Houston has a pretty darn good front four so I would say anything better than average from our linemen should be pretty promising. We all know an improved running game is pertinent for the Saints chances of success this season and would make a great complement to our awesome aerial attack and it all starts with the big guys up front. If the Saints get into a goal line situation like last week, make sure to watch for better results and a bigger push this time around.

The Return Game It would be sweet to see Jason David back returning a punt just out of pure curiosity. I will be the first to admit I'm a bit skeptical. It's entirely possibly this is a last ditch effort for the coaching staff to find a reason to keep JD on this roster and that his pass coverage just ain't cuttin' it. We should be seeing some Skyler Green back there as well. These punt returns are actually very important to the players trying to make this team and they will be very hungry so it will be exciting to watch.

Defensive Line Pressure!! Last week looked good so let's keep it up. Sedrick Ellis should build more confidence with each game so lets hope to see better play from him. Again, its all about seeing improvement from week to week and with a decent showing in the first game, the pressure is on. Pun intended. A sack or two would certainly be nice.

Quarterback Tyler Palko better not even think about bobbling a snap!

No Injuries Please.

This is probably everything everyone will be discussing in the media leading up to the game. Feel free to add your own thoughts and observations.

Today we will continue what we started last week with CSC's first ever game predictions. Before we get to your predictions, we have some leftover business to take care of. Let's take a trip down memory lane and see what everyone said last week and find out who was closest and who was way off. Join me, wont you?

 

Member Name	Prediction	Analysis
Stujo4	Jason David has a pick and nice play on a deep pass which causes a cornerback controversy and much discussion amongst us all	Wishful thinking.
Grumps	Bush bobbles a punt return attempt…Mark Campbell catches a TD and impresses with his blocking…Meachem doesnt score but has 100 plus yards…	Pretty close on the last one. Half Credit.
Satchmo26	Both Meachem and Arrington will score a TD. One from Brunell and one from Palko. Ellis will get two sacks. Pierre will break off a run of 30+ yards and will also score a TD. Usama gets a pick.	Hmmm...Half credit  too.
Jjwest11	Something like this will most assuredly happen, minus the screw up at the end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35zXbiEPnKk. And something like this probably happens every huddle with the boys in black and gold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoLSdXTod9s	No, but definitely funny!
Bobbay1224	1)Bush attempts to run up the middle but is once again shut down. 2)Ellis gets doubled and only gets a pass deflection. 3)Jo-Lonn Dunbar stuffs up the middle. 4)Skyler Green looks good on returning kicks and catches enough passes.	I guess Bush did get shut down at least once up the middle. Where ya't Bobbay1224? Speak up more often!
Super Dud	arrington and meachem will shine…but arrington will outshine meachem. skylar shows us all why he deserves a roster spot over devery. gay and usama each get a pick. pierre continues to impress (running the ball) while stecker continues down the path of mediocrity and finally, ellis sacks Warner causing him to have hip-replacement surgery. Warner then returns to his local supermarket and gets his old job back.	Dud has spoken. The first one was soooo close!
Real Saint	On the first drive bush brakes loose for a TD. Meachem has a real nice game with 100 yards and a TD in the second quarter. Brunnel remains his old self and sucks…so we trade to get brett farve as a back up…yes And Ellis shows us he is every thing we dreamed he would be with 2 sacks.	Very close on the Meachem prediction!
Kfunck1	After falling woefully behind, Saints pull improbably comeback with 3rd stringers and practice squad, blocking 2 Cardinal field goals and returning them for touchdowns. Wisenhunt channels his inner Denny Green and gives another press conference for the ages. (Like Bears, Saints then go on to win NFC, but beat their opponent in the Superbowl.)	Nope.
Admirals4	Adrian Arrington will score once and Pierre Thomas will score twice.	Nice try. Would love to hear more from you.
Walter FTW	1. On the opening play...(read original post for rest. It's worth it.)	Way off, but hilarious! Keep them coming.
tisk1066	I’ve got McCray and Smith witha couple of sacks Big Sed and Grant (when they play hime inside) will look real good side by side with Ellis getting a sack I’ve got Young and Gay with a couple interception thanks to the pressure applied by the front 4 KK will sure up his spot as one of the starting safety Pierre Thomas will beast it out with 100+ yds and 2+ TDs Bush will shine with Mark Campell blocking and AA and Mecheam making the Cardinal D honor our deep pass. Skyler Green will earn his spot on the roster by returning 2 punts for TDs. (This will ake the national media sit up… this kid has skills in the open field.)	Almost.
xen-cuts	neither meachem not arrington step up.	No way!!
B-n-G	1) Randall Gay has changed his last name...(see original post for rest. Also genius.)	Another hilarious prediction, but of course, not even close.

 

Winner: Nobody was dead on this week but I give credit to anyone who said something positive about Meachem and/or Arrington. I think Real Saint was probably the closest however, and so I crown him this weeks winner!

Loser: Xen-Cuts. Meet CSC's resident Debbie Downer. Glad to see he was way off on his prediction for the sake of the team. Maybe we can expect a brighter prediction from Xen today!

Funniest: B-n-G with Walter FTW in a close second.

It's time for round two! Leave your shiny new predictions in the comment section. Last week had a great response, so let's see if we can keep it up or even better, get more!! Kudos to those members who made their CSC debuts with their predictions last week. I encourage you guys to join in the conversation more often. We all want to know what you have to say about the team.

Have fun!!

Poll

You guys like this segment?

• Yes.
• No.

  36 votes | Results

The team has off today as they make their way back to Metry. Having gotten a clearer picture of just what this team looks like, I thought what better time to throw out another attempt at predicting just who will make this team of 53 and who wont. This, of course, is meant to spark conversation and your input is welcomed and awaited. Where did I go wrong and where did I go oh...so...right? Let us all know what you think about who makes what will inevitably be the greatest Saints team of all-time.

Offense

Pos.	Player	Player	Player	Player	Player	Player
QB	Drew Brees	Mark Brunell	Tyler Palko
RB	Deuce McAllister	Reggie Bush	Pierre Thomas	Aaron Stecker
FB	Mike Karney
TE	Jeremy Shockey	Mark Campbell	Billy Miller
WR	Marques Colston	David Patten	Robert Meachem	Adrian Arrington	Lance Moore	Terrance Copper
C	Jonathan Goodwin	Matt Lehr
G	Jahri Evans	Carl Nicks	Jamar Nesbit	Andy Alleman
T	Jammal Brown	Jon Stinhcomb	Jermon Bushrod	Zach Strief

 

Defense

Pos.	Player	Player	Player	Player	Player	Player
DE	Will Smith	Charles Grant	Bobby McCray	Josh Savage
DT	Sedrick Ellis	Hollis Thomas	Brian Young	Kendrick Clancy
LB	Jonathan Vilma	Scott Fujita	Mark Simoneau	Scott Shanle	Jo-Lonn Dunbar	Marvin Mitchell
CB	Mike McKenzie	Randall Gay	Usama Young	Tracy Porter	Jason David
S	Roman Harper	Kevin Keasviharn	Josh Bullocks	Chris Reis

 

Special Teams

Pos.	Player
K	Taylor Mehlhaff
P	Steve Weatherford
LS	Kevin Houser

 

Here is my thinking on some of this:

• Brian Young's health concerns me. If it continues to be spotty, the staff may say to hell with it and go with one of the other talented options in Antwan Lake and Orien Harris.
• I went with Reis over Roach at safety.
• Yeah, I went with six receivers. Copper and Moore both contribute on special teams. Skyler Green was so close I practically flipped a coin for this one.
• I only went with one fullback. We should expect better blocking from our tight ends. Maybe keep another fullback on the practice squad in case Karney is injured.
• Jason David is still around. I just don't think the coaches are going to give up on him. I don't really feel we have seen enough from Tracy Porter, but I gave him a shot anyway.

For a good laugh, compare it to my roster prediction back in May. Also check out  how much nicer looking my tables have become. We've come so far.

The floor is now open. Take it away.

 

Poll

How will you be experiencing the game this Saturday?

• Local TV.
• I will be in attendance.
• Satellite TV.
• CSC open game thread is all I need!
• The internet.
• Have to go to a bar with satellite.
• I'm not.
• I'm not but I can't wait to live vicariously through you're recap.

  65 votes | Results

What I Hope to See One thing I noticed in Thursday nights game was that Reggie started the game as the lone running back, pretty much picking up where he left off before his injury late last season. Though I think he looked pretty solid and improved enough to possibly carry the load by himself, I hope this is not the teams backup plan should Deuce have a setback. I think this offense really needs to return to the whole "Thunder and Lightning" dynamic; the combination of a between the tackles power back and a versatile back with speed and pass catching ability. We know Payton likes to get creative and having that dynamic opens up a lot of possibilities and keeps defenses on their toes. We can only assume that when Deuce finally returns they will both be out on the field at the same time and used creatively as they were in 2006, not sharing one spot and alternating carries. So while Deuce is out, why does the team change the offense and revert to Reggie being the single back when they have a fairly capable substitute for Deuce in Pierre Thomas? Even if he's not capable, isn't he worth a look after everything he's done? Pierre looked amazing against Chicago last year, and he is actually quite versatile himself. So why not put Pierre and Reggie out there together? Aren't Payton and the boys even remotely curious what could develop? What blunt object do we need to hit this teams coaching staff over the head with? This is pre-season so why not screw around with personnel combinations! What do we have to lose? I thought Payton was a creative guy. Pierre and Reggie, or Peggie if you will, could be the most wonderfully magical and deadly running combination in the league, sitting right in front of our face, and we would never even know because they never even tried. If we learned anything last season, isn't it the fact that we actually have fairly capable backup RB's and that Reggie needs to be used more creatively and not between the tackles?  The main point is this: Whether its Deuce, Pierre, or a combination of the two, I really think the team needs to stick with this two running back philosophy and I hope we see something like this in the upcoming pre-season games.

Adrian Arrington Bad news for AA, but how bad is it? Arrington is suffering from a grade two turf toe that Payton said was "significant" and would need at least a week of rehab. This is a crucial time during training camp for a player in Arrington's position and missing significant reps could hurt  his progress. Hopefully this really is only a one week rehab. If it is more significant than that, the IR list might be in Arrington's future. Though only a seventh round pick, he has shown too much talent and proven more valuable than his draft position would have you believe. Putting him on IR, though ending his season, would keep him in the fold and protect him from getting picked up by any other teams. When all is said and done, it might not be such an awful situation. He could still practice with the team, work on the weaker aspects of his game and become a better all around player, ready to go for 2009. Certainly wouldn't be surprising given the depth at the receiver position and the fact that some of the other receivers on the bubble are key special teams players. It's still a little early for this type of speculation and it all depends on how much time he misses and the how much time the team is willing to give him, but just thought I should throw it out there.

Jason David Returning Punts? I can't believe it myself, but if you were paying close attention to Sean Payton's press conference, you would have picked up on this little nugget...

There are three or four guys that we’re going to look at as punt returners: Reggie Bush, Lance Moore, Skyler Green, and then we’re going to look at Tracy Porter and Jason David.

Really? Jason David? I didn't know he was even being considered for that position. Maybe this is a last ditch effort for David to make this team or the teams last ditch effort not to cut him. I don't care who returns punts as long as they get the job done, so if Jason David needs to make the roster that way, so be it! This team definitely could use a threat in that department.

Mehlhaff Needs to Kick it up Rookie kicker Taylor Mehlhaff had a bad day at practice yesterday and continues to be inconsistent. He shanked a kickoff and missed a 53-yarder. This follows a shanked kickoff during Thursday nights game that was not done on purpose. After hearing his confidence early in training camp, are Mehlhaff's nerves finally getting to him? The scales seem to now be tipping slightly in Automatica's favor. I still think the team will only choose one of them to keep on the roster, but here is what Payton said about it.

That’s something that down the road will become one of the tough decisions we will have to make. Right now, it is a competition that is very close that you potentially weigh in. The challenge isn’t keeping two on the 53 (man roster). The challenge is keeping two active when you go from 53 to 46. That’s the trick, because now when you get to that 46, if you’re taking two kickers, which we’ve done before, now you’re taking one less tight end or one less cornerback. That’s the trick.

Not sure it makes too much sense to keep them both on the 53 man roster if you are only planning on activating one for each game. What would determine which kicker suits up on Sunday? The weather? I also think having two kickers wouldn't allow either of them to get into a rhythm. Seems to me you just pick one and stick with him.

Shockey has Arrived I was driving down Prytania Street this morning and saw my first person wearing a Shockey jersey. That was quick.

Brett the Jet I was watching one of my all time favorite shows Big Brother 10 last night. Hey, don't knock it until you've watched it! For those of you who don't know anything about the reality show, they lock a dozen or so people in a house with no contact with the outside world, voting out one person each week. It's basically like Survivor except instead of a remote island its a pimped out luxury compound. One of the competitions last night was called "In the News" where each player was given a recent news story and they had to determine whether it was a real news story or a phony one. Of course the first story was about the whole Brett Favre saga and the contestant fielding the question thought for sure this wasn't true, going so far as to say Favre would never play for any other team other then the Packers. The look of shock on all of the housemates faces when they found out it was actually true was priceless.

 

This will be the only practice of the day since Coach Payton has canceled this afternoon's practice.

Must Reads

Fox 40's offensive notes form the morning practice.

Fox 40's defensive notes from the morning practice.

New Orleans Saints official website report from the morning practice.

Times-Pic's notes from the morning practice.

Larry Holder's notes from his blog.

Here is the transcript of Coach Payton's press conference today, per the New Orleans Saints official website.

Opening Statement: The afternoon practice today is cancelled. We’ll go two tomorrow. We livened it up a little bit this morning and got some full contact work, which was good. Andy Alleman has a hip contusion; he didn’t go and I think he should be ready tomorrow. Adrian Arrington is still working with the turf toe – it’s pretty serious. Bobby McCray should be ready tomorrow – he didn’t practice. Jeremy Shockey – the same way, did not practice. Brian Young – the same. We signed long snapper Ryan Senser who we had at the beginning of camp and James Reed was placed on reserve/injured with the Achilles injury he had yesterday. Our numbers are still at 80.

Q: Is Adrian Arrington still at camp?

A: Yes. He was in the training room because of the nature of his injury. It’s pretty significant; it’s going to be a little bit here for him. It will be at least a week. We’ll see where we’re at then.

Q: What exactly is Arrington’s injury?

A: It’s a grade two turf toe, which is the ligament below the big toe. He hurt in the game the other night and he’ll have to rehab that.

Q: Terrance Copper had his leg wrapped in practice. Is he alright?

A: He’s fine.

Q: Did Reed tear his Achilles?

A: He tore his Achilles yesterday.

Q: There was a lot of emphasis on the run today in practice. Is that more for the defense?

A: It was for the offense as well. We went in with the idea that we’d back off this afternoon and we wanted to have a physical practice in the running game. You get accustomed to this “full-go up” and then when you go live, it changes things. I wanted to see the backs finish and people on the back end with their run fits, and I think we got good work. Guys stayed healthy and played hard on both sides.

Q: How has Jason David looked? Has he improved since last year?

A: He’s doing well. I think so.

Q: Will there be meetings this afternoon or are the players completely off?

A: There will be a normal meeting schedule this afternoon and evening; that’s the same. They’re just going to be off their feet and we’ll have two practices tomorrow.

Q: Do you think you need to be better in short yardage than you were last year?

A: Our short yardage numbers last year were pretty good. There were goal line situations that concerned me a little bit more that come to mind. One was against Philadelphia at the end of the season where we got stopped on three plays, and it’s definitely an emphasis. It’s hard in training camp to get all the work, but the preseason games give you an opportunity to see where you’re at. But both goal line and short yardage need to be areas that we operate efficiently in; especially the goal line. If you look at last year’s numbers, that’s an area that I think we can do better in – our goal line running game.

Q: In short yardage defense, how much of it depends on the defensive tackles getting push at the point of attack?

A: It’s a push both ways. You’re pushing offensively and defensively you’re having to fit your gap and get penetration. Part of it is the scheme you choose to do with your running game, but part of it is that 1-2 and being physical. It was good to get some of that today. Some of it came up in the script where it just happened to be third-and-one as we moved the ball. Again, getting off the field on third-and-one defensively is critical and being able to convert those downs offensively as well. Knowing that there is a good chance that you’re going to run the football and the defenses know that and still being able to get the yard-and-a-half that you need is important.

Q: Did we see Thursday night just how valuable Mark Campbell can be?

A: He’s coming off of a year without playing, so I was encouraged in that first preseason game to see him make some tough catches, take some hits and get up. I thought he did pretty well for the first preseason game. He’s done a good job.

Q: Was that your high school coach out there today?

A: No, he was here this week and left yesterday. Bill Mallory – who used to be the head coach at Indiana University came in yesterday and will be here for a few days. I think that’s who you saw out there today. Bill’s son is with us as the assistant special teams coach, Mike Mallory. He knows a few of the guys on this staff and he’s come to visit with us, which has been good.

Q: Who has been consistently getting good performance reviews in the offensive line/defensive line areas?

A: I thought Jonathan Goodwin had a good game the other night. Jon Stinchcomb has been solid. Those guys up front have been pretty solid. There are some things that we needed to clean up with the second group. Jammal Brown has had a good camp and he’s healthy. This time last year he had that injury and that kind of set him back a few weeks to the start of the season. He’s healthy now and he’s had his best offseason since we’ve been here and I think that’s carried over to how he’s playing. Defensively, we have some guys that are nicked up in Brian Young and Bobby McCray, but both ends – Will Smith and Charles Grant – are healthy. Sedrick Ellis is getting a lot of work and a lot of reps and Kendrick Clancy is doing a good job. He’s in there battling with Hollis Thomas and he’s been consistent. We have a lot of time still and a lot of practices left. We’ll have two tomorrow and then break camp and the focus then goes to Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices with the Texans as we prepare to play them then on Saturday night.

Q: Do you see Carl Nicks as competing for a starting role?

A: