Preseason Game Preview: Saints vs. Titans

I'm not sure how many locals still have power or cable, but if so, you can keep up with the action here at the CSC in the Game Open Thread in a few hours.

Of course with this being the last preseason game we will not see a lot, if any, of the starters on the field tomorrow night. This means we'll get to see how some of the roster battles play out on the field.

If you're in the local area and want to catch the game here's the broadcast information.

Other than that, following a recap of the last couple of days, you'll find some things to look for (or listen for, if you're catching it on wwl.com) tonight against the Titans.

Let's also use this thread for some pre-game chatter, or post-storm commiseration, if that's what moves you.

The Saints high-tailed it out of New Orleans on Monday night to avoid Hurricane Isaac and landed in Cincinnati. Cincinnati you say? Yes, Cincinnati. If you are wondering why Cincinnati, it was because of the lack of hotel rooms available in Tennessee. They were welcomed into Cincinnati and allowed to use the Bengals' facilities, including Paul Brown Stadium.

Our guys bused to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans tonight. I'm not sure if the extra traveling will affect the team, but they were able to squeeze in some practices (no joint session with the Bengals) and only fell behind on some weightlifting.

Here are some of the finer points you can watch for in the game:

Aaron Kromer Taking Control

Kromer will probably run the whole game to get a good feel for the entire job he's going to have. If you didn't know, he's going to fill the interim interim head coaching position for the first six games of the season, so he'll need the practice too!

Chase Daniel Looking Like a Starter

Chase Daniel has been having a solid training camp and preseason. Even some of the talking heads have admitted he's one of the best backup QBs in the league, so he should look pretty good out there. I don't see Drew Brees playing a whole lot of snaps, if he plays at all. If they let a few of the first string receivers on the field with Daniel I can see him looking like a starting QB. If he doesn't play well, then you never, ever saw this post! You will suffer from selective amnesia like my teenage sons. But I figure the Titans will be resting most of their starters, too, so Chase will be facing 2nd- and 3rd- string defenders until he hands the reigns to Sean Canfield.

Strong Showing from Travaris Cadet and/or Chris Ivory

At this point in the preseason, both of these running backs know they are playing for a job. Ivory seems to be the fan favorite because has been with the team for a couple of years, and he's got a cool nickname. Travaris Cadet has had an excellent preseason showing and fits the offensive scheme. The problem is, the Saints typically keep only four running backs on the final roster, and with Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and Mark Ingram all guaranteed a place at the table, there may not be enough room. Even more disconcerting than that is there are teams waiting for final cuts to fill their needs in the running back department. Unless the Saints' front office can work some of their magic, we will probably have to lose one or the other.

Nick Toon Getting Some Playing Time

We've been wanting to see what he can do and tonight we should get our chance. Rumor has it that Toon will finally see some preseason action. He's been out with a foot injury so he may still be limited in what he can do, but if the rumors are true we'll get a chance to see him in action. Just because he was drafted by the Saints, he's not guaranteed a roster spot. He's competing for the fourth receiver spot against Joe Morgan, Adrian Arrington, and Andy Tanner from what I can gather. Of course Tanner and Arrington are hurt so they may not be in the hunt anymore, but some fans are thinking Courtney Roby could be making a move for the same spot although he's mainly been a special teams player while on the Saints.

Lots of Linebacker Rotation

The linebacking corps has been riddled with injuries over the past couple of weeks so we'll see a lot of rotation at the middle linebacker position. Jonathan Casillas did pretty well last week considering he had less than a week to prepare and he was playing out of position. I'd expect him to start things off and be replaced with Barrett Ruud at some point. I'm not sure how much Ruud has absorbed because of the complexity of Spags' defensive schemes which seem to run through the middle linebacker. He's a veteran so I'm hoping he's learned how to study a playbook over the years. Plus he's had a week to communicate with the other guys on defense to help him out, but that's a lot to swallow in essentially a week and a half.

Backups Being Backups

Remember, guys and gals, this is the last preseason game, so there will be a lot of play from the backups and someone is going to blow some coverage or whiff on a tackle trying to make a big play. Don't have a heart attack when you see it, as they're just trying to earn a job!

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So that's my take on what to watch for in this game. If you think I've missed something let me know in the comments section. Thank you and good day! I said GOOD DAY, sir!