PFF: Saints vs Cardinals First Impressions

[JackDiesel]

Saints – Three Things of Note

1)* The Saints put the rest of the league on notice with their opening drive against the Cardinals’ starting defense. With or without Sean Payton on the sidelines, this offense will still be brutally efficient in its execution and the minor personnel changes on offense appeared to have very little effect. The passing game was extremely conservative so we’ll gloss over that, but the running game was as excellent as ever. At center, Brian De La Puente showed again the Saints won’t be short changed in the middle of the line, as he comfortably controlled Dan Williams. To his left, Ben Grubbs made an excellent first impression and provided the key block on Darren Sproles’ 11-yard carry as he pulled left to cut off the pursuit of Paris Lenon. This line should once again be one of the league’s best.

2)* The Saints highlighted their Jekyll and Hyde defense again in this game. Even with the customary vanilla preseason defense, they got into the face of the Cardinals’ offense but weren’t 100% consistent in finishing plays. The first defensive play of the game was a case in point, as the backside of the defense let down some fine work by the front-side. Broderick Bunkley and Will Smith controlled their blockers, Lyle Sendlein and Rob Housler, to disrupt the run by LaRod Stephens-Howling. However, some poor backside play by Cameron Jordan and Scott Shanle, who were pursuing far too aggressively, allowed Stephens-Howling to spin out of the back-side of the play for a 15-yard gain. Curtis Lofton later showed what he brings in terms of an upgrade over the suspended Jonathan Vilma as a run stopping linebacker. On the second drive, he diagnosed and tackled Stephens-Howling for a loss and adding another stop for no gain on the first play of the second quarter.

3)* The most concerning thing for new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be the ease with which the Cardinals moved the ball on the ground when they got their offensive linemen moving laterally. On consecutive plays when the Cardinals pulled linemen in the second quarter they picked up a total of 31 yards, as they split Curtis Lofton and Scott Shanle on each of the two runs. The drive culminated with a walk-in touchdown on a stretch play as the Saints pursuit was conclusively cut off by the Cardinals’ blockers. From a trips bunch formation Todd Heap and Andre Roberts cut off the pursuit of Scott Shanle and Isa Abdul-Quddus, while Rob Housler led the rush and kicked Johnny Patrick way out of the play. While two of those defenders may not be first stringers, the ease of the TD run should be somewhat alarming for Spagnuolo and his defensive staff.

First Impressions: Cardinals vs. Saints - Hall of Fame Game | ProFootballFocus.com