Key Matchups

Saints Defense vs. Raiders Running Backs

The bad news is that the Raiders have three good running backs in Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. The good news is that Fargas and McFadden are both coming back from injuries and the Saints defense is coming off of a spectacular performance against much feared Adrian Peterson. We know this unit is up to the challenge and can be succesful. The performance of Jonathan Vilma and our defensive tackles will play a crucial role in stopping the run. Forcing JaMarcus Russell to go to the air a lot and win the game with his arm will increase the Saints chances of walking away with a victory.

Saints Special Teams vs. Raiders Special Teams

To punt or not to punt. The Raiders actually do a good job on special teams coverage and exhibited that skill against Devin Hester last year. Chances are they aren't as afraid of Reggie as other teams might be. Look for them to punt to Reggie. If they do, Bush will have very little room to work with. Some big blocks like the ones he got from Stecker and Dunbar will be necessary.

Saints Secondary vs. Raiders Passing Game

If the defense can actually force the Raiders to rely on the pass then it will be incumbent on the secondary to do their job in the backfield. Obviously some pressure from the line will help immensely but the corners cannot allow Russell to beat them deep with that cannon arm of his.

What The Saints Need To Do

Establish the Run

The Raiders do not have the same great run stuffing defense that the Vikings do so there is no reason why the Saints shouldn't at least attempt to pound the ball up the middle with D. Mac. Making the Raiders respect the run game will open everything up for the rest of the offense.

Stop Turning it Over

The Saints have now gone 22 straight games with at least one turnover. Ridiculous. That must come to an end. Turnovers are the easiest way to lose a game.

No Penalties

I hate having to even mention this. The Saints have given up 225 yards in penalties the last two games. That's more than the Lions can gain in one game! This is a mental and discipline issue. Clean it up!

60 Minutes of Football

The Saints have had trouble closing games. Whether it's missing field goals, coming up short on third down or giving up big passing plays late in the game, the Saints need to play a complete game for the entire length of the game. If this game is closer than we all hope in the fourth quarter, the ability to finish will be important.

Players to Watch

Taylor Mehlhaff

The kids first real game. He's gonna be nervous as hell so let's all pray that he doesn't get put into a must make situation. Weatherford has been taking the kickoffs as of late so look for Mehlhaff to take over duties there as well.

Jeremy Shockey/Marques Colston

Will they be back? It's questionable.

Deuce McAllister

Don't let him leave your sights.

Cooley dragged half our team. (Reuters Pictures)

Saints Defense First Drive (4 plays, 8 yards, 2:07, Field Goal)

This might have been the best drive of the game for the Saints defense. They make two nice run stops and on the second down play, Tracy Porter makes a nice quick hit on Chris Cooley for a gain of only 6 yards. Campbell had all day to make the pass. The unit is able to get off the field quickly. 

Saints Offense First Drive (3 plays, 4 yards, 2:05, Punt)

This drive was just pure crap. Bush has no where to run. Stinchcomb gets beat and allows Jason Taylor to sack Brees. 

It's funny because whenever I re-watch some of Reggie's runs I find myself noticing this: When he attempts a run between the tackles, it often appears that he has opportunities to quickly bounce it outside and find a lot of open space but doesn't ever notice and runs right into the pile.  Similarly, the situations when he is contained and has nowhere to go are when he tries to dance and change direction. Reggie is an amazing athlete with the ability to do anything as a running back but it seems when his mind is made up that he is going to run between the tackles, he shuts down the creative aspect of his talent. Reggie needs to do a better job as a decision maker and should get a little more loose and improvisational with his inside runs. This offensive line is not going to do him any favors, so he is going to have to make something happen. A good running back would do that.

Saints Offense Second Drive (6 plays, 26 yards, 2:45, Touchdown)

After a fumble on the punt return by Randle El, the Saints take over on Washington's 27. 

Brees and Patten have a miscomunnication issue as the Saints try and go for the touchdown right off the bat. It looked like the same play they connected on for the touchdown last week. Brees does connect with Shockey over the middle for a first down.

On a 1st and 10 play the handoff is to Reggie for a run up the middle. Kedric Golston gets through the offensive line untouched and is standing there just waiting for Reggie to make his move. It's ridiculous. Poor Reggie. Pierre Thomas takes over from here and makes a nice catch and dive for a first down. Thomas later takes it into the endzone after two goal line attempts. 

Saints Defense Second Drive (8 plays, 33 yards, 3:17, Missed FG)

More of what we saw earlier from this defense. Bending and giving up some decent plays including a completion in quadruple (I am only slightly exaggerating) coverage to Santana Moss for 14 yards and a Clinton Portis run up the middle for 11 yards but then tightening up deep in their zone.

Sedrick Ellis takes a roughing the passer penalty for 10 yards. 

After fumbling the punt on the last possession and missing two field goals, the Redskins are just begging us to run away with this game. Of course we don't. It is this fact alone that makes me wary of future opponents. Good teams will not give you those opportunities.

Saints Offense Third Drive (3 plays, 8 yards, 1:59, Punt)

On first down Reggie runs between the tackles with Mike Karney in front of him. He strictly follows Karney which gets Bush into trouble as the hole closes up in front of him. Again, it looks like there is an opportunity for him to bounce it right and into space but he just plows forward. I wouldn't expect any average NFL back to see these opportunities and make those cuts and decisions but this is Reggie Bush we are talking about. It seems that if any player could do it, Reggie would be the man. This is the same player who, on the very next play, hurdles over Shawn Springs. Regardless, this offensive line could be creating much better opportunities for Bush to succeed. Additionally, I have to ask again why not run this play with Pierre?

This drive is just plain ugly. Saints punt.

Saints Defense Third Drive (8 plays, 50 yards, 2:14, Field Goal)

I'm gonna start this whole thing by admitting that I just don't get this defense. I don't. Someone please explain it to me. No comprende. They look awful the first five or six plays but finally get their act together to force yet another Redskins field goal attempt. I am laughing right now but it is that kind of laughing where you're actually angry and a little confused. So angry and a little confused that its actually funny and you just can't help but laugh at how angry and confused you are. You know what I am talking about? Allow me to explain why I am laughing like this.

After giving up a six yard run and two eight yard passes over the middle all in a row, Campbell completes a pass to Chris Cooley over the middle in between the coverage. It gets even better with, are you sitting down, four missed tackles! Including Vilma! Cooley gets an extra eight yards after the catch. This play makes me want to bang my head against a cement wall repeatedly. Then all of a sudden they tighten up. Dunbar makes a nice pass break up, they do a great job of containing Portis on an outside run and the secondary's coverage forces Campbell to throw one away. 

Saints Offense Fourth Drive (7 plays, 59 yards, 1:04, Field Goal)

This was a great drive that allowed the Saints to grab the lead before the half. 59 yards in a little over a minute is exactly what we should expect from this team's offense. 

Reggie had two nice runs up the middle, both for nine yards. Nice blocking created some holes. Amazing how that works. A 22 yard completion to trusty old David Patten and a short pass over the middle to Reggie who gets out of bounds puts Gramatica in position to make the field goal. Ummm...where was that all half?

End of the Half: Saints 10 - Redskins 9

It's amazing that the Saints are actually in the lead at this point in the game. The good news is that they haven't really played well and they are still winning the game. All they will need to do in the second half is play the better brand of football they know they can play and this game will be over. 

Up until the middle of the fourth quarter I thought I would be writing a very upbeat, optimistic recap of this game today. Instead I am angry and crushed. Mostly angry. It's not time to start panicking just yet but this loss certainly wasn't pretty. We've got lots to talk about, a lot of bad, so let's get into this, bulleted style. I haven't had a chance to watch the game for a second time yet, so these are my intitial thoughts. 

• Apparently it was incredibly hot during the game and the Saints had to wear black. Don't know how much of a factor the weather was. 
• Payton decided to defer the opening kickoff which is fairly out of the ordinary for him. It was a good one from Gramatica that went for a touchback. Who needs Mehlhaff? The first quarter was some pretty awful football offensively. The Reskins defense came out aggressive and greatly outplayed the Saints offense. You can't start a game much worse than this. 

Those are just offensive numbers. The defense actually looked pretty decent in the first half bending but never breaking, and because of that the Saints actually held the Redskins to only 3 field goals and a missed one as well. If the Saints were playing another team, they could have easily gotten themselve in a huge hole very early.

• Jo-Lonn Dunbar got the start. He looked pretty good out there on a few plays, particularly in passing situations like the pass breakup before the half. At other times he still looked like a rookie. There is a lot of promise in Dunbar though and I think Saints fans should be optimistic with regards to his development.
• On the first drive the Saints defense looked eerily like last years defense. It wasn't pretty. They missed two chances to get off the field on third down. 
• Shockey got involved a little earlier in the game this week. Unfortunately, he got a little too involved as he fumbled the ball on his first catch of the game. There were no Saints even remotely in the area to jump on the ball. Shockey appeared to be being held down. We didn't see much of Shockey after that. 
• Deuce made his regular season debut in the second half of the game. He looked pretty good and ran the ball twice for five yards each. This may be the slow phasing in of Deuce into the lineup or it may just be an appeasal to Deuce and to fans. 
• Also making his career debut was Robert Meachem with only one catch. Of course it was a 19-yard touchdown catch. Not sure what we can all make from this. It certainly bodes well but I don't think we can start ringing in the Meachem era just yet. 
• Turnovers were very important in this game and the Saints lost this battle with three to the Redskins one. 
• The run game is non-existent and needs to have a serious look taken at it. This is another area where the Saints continue to experience the same problems as last year. Not sure what the solution is. It also depends on what plans the team has for Deuce. Personally, I would love to see the Saints consistently give Pierre Thomas the ball with Karney as the lead blocker for one game. Just try it for one game, please. I am also starting to wish the Saints had drafted Matt Forte. He had another good game for Chicago yesterday. That kid is good. 
  
• Reggie's play was bittersweet. He may have only had 28 yards on the ground and 63 yards in the air but he also had the touchdown punt return. The return game was the area Reggie vowed to make a difference. So far so good. This was one of the bright spots of the game I felt. Reggie continues to be a threat everywhere on the field and in any type of situation. That is a great player to have. The running game is lacking though and he is still reverting to his old dancing ways every so often. He just needs to realize when its a good time to bounce around and when he needs to put his head down and turn it upfield. We he makes the right decision it is beautiful.
• Another positive note was the Saints drive to end the first half. That was a smart, well put together drive that let them go into the locker room with the lead. 
• The Redskins Chris Horton had an awesome game. Two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He will haunt my nightmares all week.
• Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham looked pretty solid on kickoffs. Not so much on field goals. 
• The Saints offensive line could have done a better job protecting Brees who was taken down twice. 
• Mike McKenzie did not play so the Saints seemed to go with a rotation of Aaron Glenn, Jason Craft and Tracy Porter. Usama Young saw some time as well and looked pretty solid. Tracy Porter got picked on a lot late in the game. The Redskins smelled weakness and exploited it. He was the culprit on the long Moss touchdown. To be fair, there was absolutely no help over the top from safeties and he was left on an island all alone out there. Needless to say, the play of the secondary looked much like last year. Porter and Glenn both got banged up during the game, continuing the theme for our much beleagured secondary. I hope these guys heal up fast because I hate seeing Jason Craft out there. 
• The run defense is pittiful. Right now the Saints defense is ranked second to last in the league for rush yards per play behind only Detroit. This is a serious problem that needs to be fixed quickly.
• Speaking of serious problems that need to be fixed quickly...how about tackling! It is getting painful to even watch. Shanle and Bullocks come to mind first. The Saints defensemen are flailing and flopping all over the field out there. Time to get back to the basics. 
• Jonathan Vilma had a solid game. He was all over the field as usual and led the defense in tackles.  
• Brian Billick is my new favorite football announcer. I think he has a lot of smart things to say and I like the way he says it. 

Here is what the division is looking like now. We are in the basement and it doesn't feel very good. 

I will look for the silver lining on this cloud and end this all on a positive note. It's still early and by getting that first win last week, we are already ahead of last season's performance. Our team is missing some key players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The team didn't play well yesterday and through all of that we still had a chance to win. That should say a lot. Besides, by losing a game early it eliminates all that undefeated talk in the media when we go on a tear starting next week against the Broncos. 

Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say. How are you feeling on this miserable Monday morning?

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. 

The Saints announced their final roster cuts this afternoon, per their official website.

The New Orleans Saints made 14 roster moves today to reach the NFL-mandated active roster limit of 53, it was announced by Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.

The club has placed CB Greg Fassitt (knee) on Reserve/Injured. The Saints have waived G Andy Alleman, G Tim Duckworth, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, WR Skyler Green, RB Lynell Hamilton, DT Orien Harris, LB William Kershaw, K Taylor Mehlhaff, TE Buck Ortega, QB Tyler Palko, DE Josh Savage, FB Olaniyi Sobomehein and WR Joe West.

Beginning Sunday, the Saints and all 32 NFL teams may establish a practice squad of up to eight players. The Saints will open the regular season Sunday, September 7 when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 12:00 pm CT.

There ya go guys! What do you think? I see a few surprised on there for me. I really thought Dunbar and Harris might have had a shot. With Mehlhaff now gone, it is safe to say we wasted a draft pick. What do you guys think?

I know pre-season games are usually sloppy and sometimes boring, particularly the final one, but man, this was awful. 99 total yards of offense?!?! Obviously this wasn't our real team, but c'mon! That said, the good news is that the defense still seemed to look pretty good and last weeks performance against Cincinnati may not have been a fluke. Heck, even Jason David played well. All of the attention and work the Saints have put into that side of the ball seem to be paying off. If that's the case and this continues, then we should definitely expect big things this season. I am officially excited again!

Continue reading this post »

It's time for the second half of our breakdown of the breakdown. I am glad you guys enjoyed this post yesterday and I will try to do it every week. That being said, let's put these guys under the microscope.

Saints Defense First Drive

• Texans start at their own 32. First play of the half is a quick pass to the right that Aaron Glenn jumps in front of and bats away. One of the best plays of the night for the secondary. Might have been able to pick it off.
  
• On the second play, Bobby McCray puts a move on his guy and blows past him into the backfield, so quickly that he overshoots the runner and misses the tackle. A little more control and that is probably a tackle for a loss. As it is Marvin Mitchell takes him down for a gain of a couple.
  
• 3rd and 8 after two nice defensive plays. Another decent display of pressure as Josh Savage gets to Rosenfels just a half second too late. The pass is over the middle completed for 13 yards. It's Tracy Porter's man. The drive stays alive as the second half continues in the same manner as the first.
  
• After a Slaton run for 12 yards in which huge holes were created by the Texans offensive line, it's a Rosenfels pass for 20 yards down the left sideline to Jacoby Jones. Tracy Porter is, oh, 5 yards behind him. I am praying hoping assuming that the defensive strategy here for Porter is too keep everything in front of him. More likely, Jones made a nice play by immediately button hooking, leaving Porter still streaking down the sideline.
  
• Chris Reis makes an awesomely hard hit to stop a run.
  
• In the redzone now and the Texans run a couple of times for medium yardage. The defensive line is getting pushed around a bit.
  
• Jo-Lonn Dunbar makes a quick stop for two yards on a shirt pass to the right sideline.
  
• Two more nice runs from Taylor puts the Texans in the lead.

Review: This drive started off promising for the Saints defense then quickly turned sour after giving up yet another 3rd and 8. Knowing Jason David isn't out there anymore and assuming they might meet a little more resistance in the secondary, the Texans decide to keep it on the ground, and instead, make a mockery of the Saints run defense. Taylor had his choice of holes to run through for the last half of the drive. Add that to the poor cornerback play toward the beginning of the drive and you've got the makings of an awful defensive showing.

I'm starting to like this guy. (Getty Images)

Saints Offense First Drive

• Stecker has two decent runs for 5 and 8 yards. He's actually got some decent sized holes to run through as the offensive line gets some good pushes.
  
• Brunell throws to the right side and finds Billy Miller wide open. Miller, sadly, drops a pass that any of us could have caught. I say that with a decent amount of confidence.
  

Review: This drive is only three plays but still revealing. I feel about Stecker the way I feel about Pierre. The guy has done nothing but prove himself worthy yet he stays under utilized. The only other explanation would be that our second team offensive line is more dominant then Houston's second team defensive line which would be pretty good news itself. All of that happiness is quickly lost when Billy Miller blows a sure thing and the thought of the Saints leading the league in dropped passes again causes me to throw up a bit in my mouth. Watching the game the first time, I didn't notice the myriad of dropped passes.

Saints Defense Second Drive

• Texans start on their 39 with a run up the middle but Kendrick Clancy is having none of that. He gets a great jump off the line and manhandles his lineman, getting into the backfield and making the tackle for a loss of 1. Very nice play by Clancy.
  
• Second play and McCray blows by his man on the outside. Dude has got a motor. So fast in fact, he yet again overshoots and tries to catch Rosenfels from behind. Rosenfels does his best Favre impression and overhand shovel  passes it to Slaton for a couple of yards. Jo-Lonn Dunbar is all over it and stop him immediately.
• Rosenfels drops back to pass and its more great pressure from McCray and Josh Savage. Both overshoot (McCray overshoots, Savage might have been blocked away). McCray almost gets his hand on the ball as the pass is released. The pass is into almost triple coverage by the Saints and Craft leaps in front of it as the interception goes off his hands and eludes him. He probably should have actually come up with it. Texans punt.
  

Review: Best defensive series of the night. In fact, this was the first time the Texans punted. McCray and Savage look pretty good. McCray needs to control himself a little more. Hope is out there.

Moore is like a vacuum. (Getty Images)

Saints Offense Second Drive

• Saints start from their 18. The first play is a Brunell pass for 13 yards to Lance Moore. The announcer says the same thing I always do, "...Lance Moore who simply catches everything thrown his way..."
• On the next play, Lance Moore doesn't make the catch. However, its thrown behind him and a defender is all over him and gets a hand on the ball. Brunell mouths, "My bad Lance" and taps himself on the chest.
• Stecker gains 5 yards through some decent holes. This is so backwards. The first team should be opening holes like this.
  
• Andy Alleman: false start.
• Brunell throws a nice pass to the right for Terrance Copper and a gain of 17. I remember this pass during the game. Brunell put some mustard on this one and I remember thinking the old guy still has some left in the tank.
  
• More Stecker. This time 7 yards after cutting back to the right and finding a hole. That is followed by a 2 yard run up the middle.
• Alleman: false start.
• Brunell and Moore connect for 42 yards on what seems to be the same play Brees and Patten connected on earlier. The results are identical. Moore streaks down the left side line, totally beating his man, getting separation and makes an over the shoulder grab that is perfectly placed by Brunell. Is this guy our backup? Saints on the 6.
  
• Two plays later (one a defensive penalty) and Brunell connects on a bootleg left with FB Kevin Dudley.

Review: Lance Moore might make a good replacement for Devery Henderson. Pretty darn good drive for the second team offense. Alleman surely got a mouthful from Payton on the sideline.

Don't know how they got this picture. He didn't have too much to celebrate. (Getty Images)

Saints Defense Third Drive

• Texans immediately get to work carving up our secondary some more as Rosenfels hits David Anderson for 43 yards to the Saints 34 yard line. It was Tracy Porter's man but Porter slips and allows the receiver to get 5 yards of separation. David Roach comes in to help but does an very poor job of tackling and its Porter who has to hustle to catch Anderson and take him down.
• Slaton between the tackles. Orien Harris with the tackle
• Aaron Glenn gets beat when Rosenfels rolls out and completes an out route just before the sideline. This play killed us all night. I hope they work on it this week.
• After a nice run stop, the Saints defensive line gets pushed around and Slaton makes it look easy up the right side through a huge hole. 

Review: Just more crap from the defense. Not much to say about this drive. I think Porter's injury is definitely hampering his play. I am trying to be optimistic here guys! By the way, because of his performance in this game Slaton earned the right to start Houston's next game against the Cowboys.

Saints Offense Third Drive

• Meachem makes his first catch of the night for 11 yards.
• Jermon Bushrod: false start.
• Pierre Thomas gets a nice chunk of 9 yards.
• After a bad, uncatchable throw that was over Robert Meachem's head on the previous play, Brunell gets tripped up and taken down from behind. It was Zach Strief who slips in the backfield and allows his man to get past him and make the sack. Saints must punt and its a nice one from Waylon Prather for 60 yards. It's downed on the 3.
  

Review: Nothing special on this drive, but they've been doing a pretty good job so I'll cut them some slack.

Saints Defense Fourth Drive

• From deep in their own zone the Texans start. Alex Brink comes in to quarterback. Completes a 4 yarder after scrambling. Orien Harris with the tackle.
  
• Brink continues to throw all over us like his two predecessors this evening by completing a 8 yard pass on 3rd and 6 and converting yet another third down. Craft was on the coverage.
  
• Slaton runs up the right side and the Saints look weak in trying to take him down.
  
• Slaton right side for only 1 yard. Orien Harris with the tackle.
• Brink sneaks it for the first. Then, on first down, Slaton left side for 1 yard. Orien Harris with the tackle. You getting the point?
• Brink botches the hand off and the Texans lose 11 yards.
• 3rd and 20 as Slaton gets another 11 yards through a giant hole. Texans must punt.

Review: Orien Harris shows up on the stat sheet with six tackles for the night and the team leader for the second time in a row. Some of those tackles were nothing special and just being at the right place at the right time, though that does take some skill. Not sure what kind of chance this kid has of making the team but he sure does take his shots in the limited amount of time he's gotten in these first two games. The defensive line continues to get pushed around. Please tell me that Houston's O-line is just that good.

Saints Offense Fourth Drive

• Saints start off from their own 16 yard line. Palko now in for the black and gold. He starts of with a pass to Moore for 10 yards.
• Palko does a nice Michael Vick impression and dances along the sideline but a Bushrod holding penalty brings it back.
• Six yards for Pierre Thomas on a catch and run.
• Zach Strief: false start.
• Tyler throws wide out of bounds intended for Copper. After the play he points to his head and mimes to the sideline that he didn't hear the play call. I'll give him that one.
• Meachem is open over the middle and jumps as high as he can. Unfortunately, its not high enough as Palko's throw sails way high.
  
• Saints decide to go for it on fourth down. After the announcers remark how Payton probably wants something positive for Palko to end the game on, he throws a short dump pass off his back foot to a wide open Billy Miller. It hits the ground in front of Millers outstretched hands. Poor throw.
  

Review: Well this wasn't a good drive at all. Penalties killed this drive as they did earlier in the game. Stupid penalties are commonplace during pre-season football but that doesn't make them alright. Strief, Bushrod and Alleman all had two each. That's a quick way to piss off a coach and make him think long and hard about cutting you. Palko looked like crap but I am willing to chalk it up to the fact that he just came off the bench and had no time to get into a rhythm. His mechanics looked bad and to be honest, I'm not really sure where this Payton pet project is going. The scramble and the run down the sideline looks good, though didn't count, and he didn't bobble any snaps, so good news there.

The Texans ran three run plays just to run out the clock so we don't need to discuss that. Of course your thoughts and opinions are welcomed and encouraged.

Those of you who know me (in the internet sense of the word) know that I talk "business" sometimes. I wanted to give you guys all a shout out because participation has definitely been on the rise. Glad to see a lot of lurkers or shy people out there getting involved in the conversation. That's what this thing is all about. For those of you out there who are still "just browsing" you don't have to worry. We won't bite. Hard. (sorry, had to) In all seriousness, if you think you don't know what you're talking about or you're scared someone might make fun of you, you should be. And then you should remember that it's the internet and nobody has any idea who you are. This whole thing is about the sharing of information and the uniting of people with a common interest love obsession. Make your contribution and put your stamp on this website. The more the merrier. As I said earlier, things are coming along great and the community is ever growing, but it can always be better. If you've read CSC/The Chronic for a while, you may get the impression that I am pretty much never satisfied, and you'd be right, so get off your butt and say something. I promise you will be welcomed warmly. The season is almost here and it's going to be a good one with lots to talk about. The only thing missing is you!

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

Defense

Special Teams

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.

I would like to start off today by talking a little business. This is the part where I get all serious. Sorry for those of you who have been here a while, please be patient. With the Shockey trade and the start of training camp, CSC has seen quite an increase in traffic. In fact, double. Being a fairly new community in comparison to other SB Nation sites, I am making a concerted effort to grow this community and increase participation. That is really what this is all about. Though this is considered a blog, SB Nation has provided us with something that is much more than that. Though I provide you with probably every single tidbit that is ever written about the Saints in any given day, literally, this is not just a place to come to find links. Its also not a place for you to come to just listen what I write. If people came here to read what I wrote...well, they just wouldn't come. CSC is for all of you to come share your feelings, questions, experiences and knowledge about the Saints and get more of that in return. I will be the first to admit I have not been as engaging as I know I can be and I am going to try and make a better effort with that. But this website also gets infinitely better when you guys get involved.

When we first started, I wrote sort of a tour of this site and you can now find that tour here, or on the left sidebar under sections. Though some of the things may have changed around, that will give you a general idea of some of the features here on CSC. The most important thing for you guys to know are the FanPosts and the FanShots. The FanPost section is basically like a message board. Actually, its cooler. You guys can use them to start topics that YOU want to discuss. Want to know whats up with Roman Harper and his neck? Put it up in a FanPost. Incredibly pissed off at at the fact that two players were injured on one play yesterday? FanPost that s***! And the rest of you put in your two cents. If you particularly like a FanPost, Recommend it. When a FanPost gets 4 Recs. it goes toward the top. Thats how this thing works. The best thing about the FanPosts and all comment threads on CSC for that matter...they are auto-refreshing. That means you don't need to hit your refresh button. Comments just magically appear on your screen when someone else makes one. Oh, and by the way, if I like what you write in a FanPost, I can choose to put it right up on the front page in all its glory for everyone to see. The same goes for the FanShot section, only the FanShots are just for quick pictures, videos, audios, links, quotes, whatever! So if you've got some time on your hands, volunteer yourself and put up some of those training camp pictures I keep giving you the link for. We can never have too much Shockey. Finally, the other great thing about CSC are the game day open threads. Anytime the Saints have a game, there will be what is called an "open thread." When the game starts, stop by CSC and chat with other Who Dats about the game. Live! And again, with auto-refreshing comments, it's reads just like a chat room!

Of course this only works if we all stop lurking, do our part and make this fun. There is power in numbers. It's cool that I update this site fairly often and give you guys fresh stuff to read, but its even cooler if there are also new pictures and videos posted and a new topic to discuss in the FanPosts. that some of you guys add. The more the merrier and everyone's opinion is valid...unless you like Aaron Brooks.

I also ask that if you like what you are seeing here, help us grow and spread the word. Tell all your friends and share this site as much as possible.

Also, in case any of you missed this, you can still register to win a spot to play in CSC's Fanhouse fantasy football league against other Saints fans and take a shot at beating me! You won't, but you can at least try. It's free so you have got nothing to lose!  Register here! Winners will be notified by email at the end of the month, so hurry up and register. Check out my original post here. Some of you have gotten personal emails to join the league and not signed up yet. If you think this might be you, check your SB Nation email and make sure to check Spam/Bulk Folder.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

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Welcome to another episode of "As the Knee Turns." In this episode, our main character, Deuce, suffers a minor setback and must miss morning practice to have an MRI taken. As bad luck would have it, at that very moment, the Oakland Raiders were cutting ties with running back Lamont Jordan, leaving everyone, including the Saints front office to wonder if Jordan was really what this team needed and whether Deuce would be forced to make an early exit. Luck was on our hero's side however, as his MRI results were negative and Jordan declined an offer, and he was able to make a triumphant return to the practice fields that very afternoon, never knowing how close he had come to being replaced. Don't miss the next episode of "As the Knee Turns," when cornerback Mike McKenzie's recovery takes longer than expected and Jason David sleeps with his wife.

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