Woo-hoo!! The offense and defense were in fine form last night...dominating the first half in a MAJOR way, and allowing the team to cruise to an easy victory. 22-1 (two more preseason wins, then a perfect regular season followed by 3-0 in the playoffs to complete the 2Dat), here we come!!!
Here's your one-stop shop for all the news, words, photos, videos, smells, and sounds from the Saints-Texans preseason game last night. Usamamama probably has a lot to say since he didn't play in the game. Make the jump to lightspeed and find out.
TWITTER:
Pierre_Thomas Just relaxing now getting myself ready for the texans tonight...dome field advantage baby! Let's get it
bobbymccray Headed to the DOME..its about that time again..@alexbrown96 you ready for the greatest fans in the world?
GHartley5 Just pulling up to the dome.. About time to finally return home !!.. Let's get rowdy WhoDats!!!
T_Porter22 Gametime...
alexbrown96 So this is the loudest place in the NFL? Sept 9th!!!!! I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it
MikeMcKenzie34w Great game Who Dat Nation
T_Porter22 Just finished up the game vs the Texans..we got the W..I coulda had a pick but @jacoby_jones12 tripped me..#hater...showout to my homie tho
T_Porter22 I want Waffle House so bad right now
GHartley5 Finally back at the house tonight. The guys played well and the fans were great as always! Time to relax and enjoy some time off.Night ?Dats
HeathEvans #1 fans in the league you guys were great once again! It was great being back on the field in the "DOME!" Man I missed you guys!!
JonVilma51 i hope...wait wait wait...i KNOW you guys enjoyed the show tonight,, that's saints football right there!! scary...
ChaseDaniel Great to see all the fans come out and support the "Who Dat" nation tonight! Great win, but have a lot of mistakes to fix for next week!
jeffduncantp Saints completely dominated the first half. They outgained Houston 275-138 in total offense, ran a staggering 47 plays to Houston's 17.
jeffduncantp Saints owned a 21:25-8:35 advantage over Houston in time of possession.
FletcherMackel I envision saints special teams coach Greg McMahon chewing more butts this week after more failures in the return game.
Official_Saints Paid attendance for Saints-Texans game: 70,025
wwltvsports And that wonderful preseason tradition has started: The wave is going around the Dome & I don't mean the Tulane style
FletcherMackel Tim Brando and Lynn Rollins have been talking LSU football for 15 Minutes. Enough! Its a Saints Game. Back to Saints coverage PLEASE.
wwltvsports Chris Ivory continues to impress. Moves legs, piles. Looks like a 3rd-down back right now.
DougTatum I am impressed with #Saints reserve running back Chris Ivory, has good combination of power and acceleration
wwltvsports In other news, watching Charles Brown at left tackle looks like watching a future starter for the #Saints
jeffduncantp Working on my column for tomorrow's Times-Pic. It's on -- surprise! -- Chase Daniel, the unquestioned star of the night.
jeffduncantp Oops! I just hexed Daniel. That was a pretty bad pass, resulting in the INT. Payton needs to get him out or it's going to ruin my column.
jeffduncantp Column idea intact! Daniel to Arrington for 18 yards and a TD. ...I can keep writing...
wwltvsports Patrick Robinson shows up. Nice pass breakup to begin fourth quarter
wwltvsports P.J. Hill is down after a nice run to his left. Trainers are looking at his right shoulder or arm.
jeffduncantp Saints coverage teams are in midseason form. They continue to be terrible.
Official_Saints Note of the Night: The 38 points scored by the#Saints are their most ever in a preseason game in the Superdome.
GAME REPORTS AND RECAPS:
NFL.com Game Center: Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints NFL Game Center- videos, stats, photos.
New Orleans Saints run over Houston Texans 38-20 | NOLA.com
Running game powers victory. Jeff Duncan's quarter-by-quarter recap.
First Take: New Orleans Saints Offense Runs Over Houston Texans With Ground Game
Les East - NewOrleans.Com
GAME BLOG: New Orleans Saints vs Houston Texans
NewOrleans.Com - B-A-W's pressbox updates.
Daniel leads Saints to victory over Texans in preseason | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
New Orleans followed up a sloppy preseason opener with a solid performance to improve to 1-1 in preseason. Chase Daniel threw for three touchdowns and guided another scoring possession to lead the Saints to a 38-20 victory over Houston.
New Orleans Saints vs Houston Texans Photo Gallery
NewOrleans.Com
New Orleans Saints RBs P.J. Hill, Chris Ivory get extended time | NOLA.com
Hill left game with left leg injury but appeared OK
Takeaways long overdue for New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
Two turnover recoveries lead to two first-half touchdowns
New Orleans Saints 38, Houston Texans 20: scoring summary | NOLA.com
Key plays in the scoring drives
Trindon Holliday hurts chances of sticking with Houston Texans | NOLA.com
Former LSU special teams ace has trouble with a punt and a kickoff
Houston Texans' Jacoby Jones has solid showing against New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
New Orleans native catches two passes for 29 yards
Saints nab two takeaways in 38-20 win over Houston | wwltv.com | WWL Sports
The Saints made a reputation of coming up with turnovers during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2009, finishing with 39. But in New Orleans’ preseason opener, the Saints had no takeaways on either defense or special teams.
Saints offense too much for Texans in 38-20 loss | wwltv.com | WWL Sports
Playing in the Superdome for the first time since the NFC championship game last season, New Orleans' high-powered offense picked up where it left off, rolling over the Houston Texans 38-20 Saturday night.
Chase Daniel impresses in extended duty in Saints 38-20 win over Houston | wwltv.com | WWL Sports
For much of the offseason, it was assumed the Saints would be shopping around for a backup quarterback. After Saturday night, in a 38-20 win over Houston in preseason, it appears they didn’t have to look far.
Offensive line comes back strong to key Saints victory | wwltv.com | WWL Sports
Jon Stinchcomb talked this past week about how the offensive line just needed to get into rhythm. Saturday night in New Orleans’ 38-20 win over the Texans, that’s exactly what happened.
Saints Dominate Texans 38-20
New Orleans Saints official website
Saints-Texans Game Notes
New Orleans Saints official website
BACK ON TRACK: Saints hit on all cylinders in win over Texans - SunHerald.com
Drew Brees didn't have to throw that often, because the New Orleans Saints were moving the ball on the ground.
Texans can't escape early hole against Saints
Houston Texans official website
Saints offense too much for Texans in 38-20 loss | ajc.com
Playing in the Superdome for the first time since the NFC championship game last season, New Orleans' high-powered offense picked up where it left off, rolling over the Houston Texans 38-20 Saturday night.
Texans' defense rolled in 38-20 preseason loss to Saints | Houston Chronicle
Deke: Saints QB Chase Daniel Ups His Play In Saints 38-20 Win Over Texans - WWL
New Orleans Saints set a scoring record against Houston | NOLA.com
Quick notes from the game
New Orleans Saints show steady improvement vs. Houston Texans | NOLA.com
Penalties, special teams show they're not regular-season ready
Chase Daniel's Drew Brees-like showing proves most impressive for New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
He shows moxie in audition for No. 2 QB spot
The emphasis on New Orleans Saints defensive improvement proved beneficial | NOLA.com
The Saints caused two turnvoers
CHAMPIONS SQUARE AND PRE-GAME HOOPLA:
New Orleans Saints Fans Christen Champions Square | NOLA.com
'It's all cool,' one fan says of new 60,000-square-foot, $13.5 million tailgating hotspot.
New Orleans Saints Fans Catch Black-and-Gold Fever for Preseason Home Opener | NOLA.com
Game against Texans was not 'only preseason' for them. Take that, naysayers!
VIDEO:
| Champions Square Kickoff - nola.com |
wwltv.com - Saints Tailgaters
| New Orleans Saints quarterback Chase Daniel on his performance |
| The highs and lows from the Saints-Texans exhibition: New Orleans Saints video |
| Saints running back PJ Hill on his performance against Houston |
| Coach Sean Payton on Saints QB Chase Daniel |
| Champion Squire Kickoff |
| Breaking down the New Orleans Saints offense: video |
| Breaking down the New Orleans Saints defense: video |
AUDIO:
Watch this at WWL - Drew Brees Post-Game Interview
Watch this at WWL - Hokie Gajan Post-Game Commentary
TRANSCRIPTS:
Sean Payton
"It was good to get a win. There's still a lot of things we've got to work on. We had almost 100 yards in penalties, nine or ten penalties. We're struggling covering kicks and punts. There were a lot of things that were sloppy that we've got to clean up. Fortunately, we still have more time left and more preseason games to evaluate these guys."
(On what he was happiest about) "I thought we had some good tempo early on and I was pleased that we were able to score early. I thought we did a good job on third downs in the first half and I thought that was important. We had pretty good balance, when you look at runs and passes and yardage I think we were pretty close to fifty-fifty."
(on
week when Drew (Brees) comes out. I think it's harder when you continue to split them and at some point I wanted to see how he would do with the first offense, and then how he would handle it with the second offense. There were some good things. His job is to move the football and score and to his credit we did that. And yet his job is not to throw interceptions and his job is not to let the play clock run out so there's a lot for him to work on, but the repetitions, you really can't simulate especially for a quarterback when they are live and so I wanted him to get a lot of snaps and play. There will be a lot of good tape for him. That will be a good experience for him."
(on Chris Ivory and P.J. Hill) "I thought they did pretty good. We'll look at the tape. There are a couple of times they got off their landmarks and we took a minus play, but they ran hard. I thought there was some hidden yardage there and I thought they did some good things. We'll see on the video."
(on Adrian Arrington) "He plays in the base, he plays in the nickel, and he comes inside with that second group.
He knows the packages well, he knows what to do, but we'll look at the tape. I think the big play versus cover-2
down the middle of the defense sparked us. He's been pretty steady in this camp which is a positive."
(on Reggie Bush's TD between the tackles) "A lot of it is similar things we've done before so from a play type it was
nothing new. You can't just run him outside; you have to have balance with the holes he hits. I thought he did a
good job."
(on the offensive line) "I thought we got off the ball pretty good. I thought we protected pretty well. We had a good
mix of run and pass and I think it's a pretty good defense we played just having practiced with them a couple days so
I was pleased how those guys played. Once we watch the tape we'll have a chance to grade it out, but I thought we
had pretty good balance and those guys handled the protections well."
(on seeing improvement in fundamentals) "I did think we tackled better. The penalties just stick in your gut the
wrong way. One series we've got them third down, we're off the field and personal foul, the next play there is 12
guys on the field, the next play we're in the neutral zone and single handedly allowed them to move the ball
down the field. The kicking game fouls also, those are the things that tell you that you have a lot of work to do."
#27 S MALCOLM JENKINS
(On creating the turnovers) "We always want to get turnovers especially since we know our offense is going to put
up points. The more times that we can get them possessions will help the defense out a lot."
(On shoring up the tackling tonight) "We had a few missed tackles here and there, but it was much improved from
last week. The key is to just keep getting better every week."
#32 RB P.J. HILL
(On if he was pleased with his performance) "I was. I feel like I need to do a good job on special teams as well to
make this team. I felt like I did that today. I will check out the film on Monday and see the results."
(On the offense clicking tonight) "It did. Chase (Daniel) came in and did a good job. You have to give a lot of credit
to the guys out front. We wouldn't be able to move the ball without them. I felt like we did a good job. Of course we
made some mistakes, but we will tweak them after looking at the film on Monday."
#77 G CARL NICKS
(On establishing the running game) We try to be physical with everybody we play. I think we set a good tempo early
on by getting four or five yards a carry. We used our physicality.
(On the offense bouncing back from last week) "Last week we were frustrated we had some three and outs. We
played consistent tonight with some long drives and it was a lot better than last week."
#9 QB DREW BREES
(On the swagger being back this week) "The first preseason game we were working out the kinks. Young guys are
getting their first opportunities in real game action. You just try to fine your rhythm. I thought this week of practice was
a lot better than last week's. The tempo at practice was a lot faster and a lot more upbeat. This week we practice
against the Texans, so that can be an attribute to it as well. This is what the pre-season is for working out the kinks
and identifying the young players."
(On Chase Daniel's play) "I was r proud of Chase. He has worked extremely hard. He has done that throughout the
whole offseason by the time he has committed not only physically, but mentally studying the offense. He's had
success despite the odds throughout his entire career dating back to high school. He makes plays and wins game.
There as to be something to be said for that despite his size. I've been down that road before, so I know where he is.
He just has to keep humble, go out there and do it again.
#10 QB CHASE DANIEL
(On his touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington) "We had run that earlier in the game, but the coverage wasn't there.
I had to throw it away. We were able to come back to it again and it was perfect coverage. He is a tall guy and I took
advantage of him against the safety. I made the throw to where he could up and get it and he did the rest."
(On playing tonight) "It was awesome. I was able to go to there and do the best I could. I didn't really to look over my
shoulder as much as I have in the past. It was fun to go out there and play and have some fun."
HOUSTON TEXANS
Head Coach Gary Kubiak
What are your thoughts about your team's performance today? Not very good. I don't know if we really stopped
them other then when Danny (Clark) had the pick. We had a couple of turnovers and were struggling to stop them,
so it makes it even worse. We are obviously disappointed as a football team. We ran three plays offensively and
were down 14-0 because of a turnover and a long drive. Against a good football team like that, you have a hard time
making that stuff up. I am disappointed, very disappointed.
What about Trindon Holliday? We are trying to find out if he can play with his thumb. We put him back there, and he
practiced all week, but obviously it is a problem. If he can't hang on to the ball, we need to find somebody else to
do it. He is obviously struggling with the thumb in fairness to him.
What are your thoughts on your return game otherwise? I was real impressed with Steve Slaton going back there.
I was real impressed with (Sherrick) McManis, I thought he looked good. Jeremiah (Johnson) goes back at the end.
I think we have some options there. Those guys are going to get more opportunities now. They gave us some good
field position, especially in the second half.
How do you think the defense played today? Well, it kind of looked like the first three games last year. They ran
for 198 yards on us. They controlled the football game by running the ball. They were excellent on third downs.
Until the end of the game, they were eight for 13 or 14. They were controlling the game. They had the ball 40
minutes, and we had the ball 20 minutes. In this league, that is called getting after somebody. They got after us.
Give them credit; they did a hell of a job.
What are your thoughts on your ground game? I am looking at Arian's (Foster) numbers. You are averaging over
4.6 (4.7) yards a carry, and that's good. We just didn't carry the ball. I think we ran 39 (43) offensive plays and I think
we had 26 (29) passes and maybe like 14 runs. Something like that. There was no balance there. I thought Arian
had a couple of nice runs, but he has to hang on to the football.
What injuries did the Texans incur today? Danny Clark looks like the biggest one. He has some type of knee strain.
Are you concerned about your injury situation? Yeah, it's a problem. We were basically down a wide receiver
going in to the game. We didn't play any three wide receivers in the second half. Linebacker is a big problem right
now with our football team. We brought in a young man, but in fairness to him, we didn't want to play him in this
game. He had only been with us for a day. It was tough getting through. Hopefully, we can heal up a little bit before
we move on.
Do you know the severity of Danny's injury? No, I don't. I know he is the most significant of anybody that came out
of the game. How bad, I don't know.
What are your thoughts on how Dan Orlovsky played? I think he continues to do some good things. I am hard on
quarterbacks. I think you need to do good things all the time, not some of the time. He has got good numbers coming
out of the game and everything, but I know there are two or three plays that he has got to make for this team to win.
I will get on him to make those plays. I want him to be great. He continues to progress.
DE #90 MARIO WILLIAMS
"We just didn't come out tonight with a sense of urgency; I really don't know what happened. We had a lot of intensity
while we were here all week in practice against the Saints. But for some reason it never translated onto the field.
"We did have a lot of opportunities out there, especially early, to capitalize on their mistakes but we never did finish.
For example we had them a few times in third-and-long situations and then the next thing you know they converted
the play and got a first down."We all have to take responsibility for what happened out there tonight. Even though
it's preseason we have no excuse for all of the points they put up early. We have to figure out a way to make stops
when we have the opportunity to do it."
RB #20 STEVE SLATON
"It is really hard to explain what happened out there tonight. I thought we started off well offensively but it never
ended up in a lot of points. And playing against their offense, you have to keep up. And that just didn't happen."
"As coach said, we had a great week of practice getting ready for the game. But we now have to regroup and play
better these last few pre-season games as the regular season is right around the corner."
QB #8 MATT SCHAUB
"I know you'll never tell from the scoreboard, but I felt we moved the ball really well. I was glad to get a lot of reps
tonight as we were in there for most of the first half. But the Saints did put a lot of pressure on me and I had to
release the ball earlier than I thought. And you saw that one sack."
"I don't think we have to panic. We still have two more preseason games to go and I feel we will be ready for the
beginning of the season. I know a lot of us here in the locker room feel we could have had more intensity, but I'm not
worried. We had a great week of practice. Now all we have to do is make sure we are ready once the real game
begins."