10 Little Things I noticed during the 2nd Preseason Game.. (1 Viewer)

rockthedox

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Overall, it's not the showing that we had hoped for but there were still some really positive things out there.

In no particular order:

1. We know Morstead is one of the best punters in the NFL and has worked out like a madman this offseason. He's listed at 6'4" and 225, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that he's actually in the 230s. Dude is a super accurate punter, but has been drilling upper body workouts this year. We've seen him lay some big hits on people and I think that trend continues. On one of his first punts I saw him almost get the tackle, but someone beat him to it and the guy was out of bounds. This was probably 30+ YARDS downfield from his punt. This guy has absolutely nothing to prove to anyone but I LOVE his hustle and the example that he sets for everyone else. God help you if the freakin' punter gets in there and tackles the guy before you do.

2. Devaroe Lawrence is making this team. I saw him get in the backfield for a pressure (or sack?) on one play and on the very next play (screen pass) he RAN DOWN the running back after he juked a cornerback and safety. This dude is 300 pounds and a DT. This is the kind of hustle that I'm seeing from guys on the team this year. They are HUNGRY.

3. Not sure about you guys, but I had to listen to the Cardinals announcers for the entire game. They had very little to say about the Saints at all and managed to even spin our awesome plays into positives for the Cards. BUT, at the end of the game they said something to this effect, "You know what? I'll give the Saints this. They really won it in the trenches tonight. They're offensive and defensive lines were dominant and that's something that I think our coach will readily admit and address with the team this week."

4. I'm used to seeing Justin Hardee make plays on Special Teams and always thought of him as a Corner in namesake only but he really showed up on the pass breakup today. That was a pro move and I think it surprised everyone. And he wasn't flailing and lucky. I think the culture has really shifted for our defensive backs and this is the expectation now.

5. TreQuan Smith is the real deal. To me, he looks like something between Colston and Michael Thomas. He is clutch without being overly flashy, has glue for hands, and makes something happen after the catch. I can't wait to see him with Drew. Meredith didn't really impress me today, but I remain optimistic. I think Thomas, Smith, and Ginn is a heck of a trio and have no doubt that Meredith will be in the mix there as well.

6. We haven't seen Watson yet, but we're seeing very little TE production. On the plus side, we may not really need it as much if our WR core really stands out with Kamara and Ingram. If Watson can come in and be average for us, I think we'll be in good shape. Dan Arnold has my attention too. I didn't really notice him on this game but on the 2 point conversion I initially thought that Barrett tossed it to Arnold...which is why I was surprised that he didn't come down with it. I was actually a little relieved to see that it was Griffin. I think Arnold would have pulled that one in and has a good shot to make the team.

7. Running Back Depth: Ingram, Kamara, Williams, Scott. West looks decent out there but Williams has more upside and looks better. It can't hurt to have Vereen around so that Scott (and maybe even Kamara) can learn from a vet scatback. Vereen was one of the best in the game for a while and, while he's getting outplayed by Kamara and Scott there are years that he definitely would have made this team. How long did we keep Cadet around? We're deep this year at RB.

8. I noticed Kikaha in there during the 3rd or 4th Quarter. I honestly think that they really like him and want to keep him around but I think he likely just misses the cut this year. Hendrickson is just too good in the backup DE role and I don't think he really stands out if he shifts to the OLB role either.

9. I didn't notice Leonard this game. And I think that's a good thing. On a few of the QB pressures I watched the replay and it seemed to be coming from the left guard spot mostly and I'm pretty sure Leonard was at Right Tackle. When it comes to judging Tackles, no news is good news. I'd probably still stash him on the practice squad, but he's not getting embarrassed out there. So that's a plus.

10. The backup QB situation isn't good, but it also seemed like there was a lot of other things going on. Coaches seemed to let Barrett play to his strengths, but it's as though Hill was told to NOT run and spent the time reminding himself of that in the pocket. Just let the dude do what he does. I don't think I saw a single option play where he kept the ball. And I was expecting one after we established a solid run game with Ingram. Keep them guessing. Speaking of which, we don't need a stellar back up QB and this team is built to have Brees here as long as he wants to be here. Our running game, Offensive Line, and Defense are all dominant. As long as the pocket stays clean, we just need someone to hand off the ball and occasionally throw it up for Thomas or Smith. The Defense will take care of the rest.


It's a good time to be a Saints fan. It wasn't very long ago that it was hard to pick anything solid on the team except for Brees, Jordan, and Morstead. Now I don't know if I'm more excited to see our offense or our defense play. Remember, we haven't had the key pieces of our offense (Brees) or defense (Jordan) even play yet during the preseason. Our offense leans towards Kamara these days and he didn't play tonight. It's really impressive to see how deep of a team we have this year and that some of our 2nd 3rd string guys could very easily be starters. Very much looking forward to this season.
 
I actually watched Leonard very closely and he seemed very solid in pass pro. He also pancaked his defender on Boston Scott's long run.

I thought leonard was ok. He's mobile enough but more of a leaner in the run game than a driver, and needs to learn to anchor better against the bull rush.

Watching that nice run by Boston, Leonard did ok. More impressed with Clapp on that play at RG - he hit the DE in the hip, helping Leonard get the pancake and then nicely worked up to the second level to seal off the LB, thereby creating the lane for Boston.

I like Clapp. I think he's doing very well and has excellent C/G versatility. It'll be interesting how the battle for that last OL spot develops. Tom is a C only. Ribeus is a G with C flexibility - though I think he's more comfortable at G. Clapp does both without a fuss. He's not spectacular but he's very solid. If they had to make cuts today I think they keep Bushrod and two out of Tom, Ribeus and Clapp.
 
Overall, it's not the showing that we had hoped for but there were still some really positive things out there.

In no particular order:

1. We know Morstead is one of the best punters in the NFL and has worked out like a madman this offseason. He's listed at 6'4" and 225, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that he's actually in the 230s. Dude is a super accurate punter, but has been drilling upper body workouts this year. We've seen him lay some big hits on people and I think that trend continues. On one of his first punts I saw him almost get the tackle, but someone beat him to it and the guy was out of bounds. This was probably 30+ YARDS downfield from his punt. This guy has absolutely nothing to prove to anyone but I LOVE his hustle and the example that he sets for everyone else. God help you if the freakin' punter gets in there and tackles the guy before you do.

2. Devaroe Lawrence is making this team. I saw him get in the backfield for a pressure (or sack?) on one play and on the very next play (screen pass) he RAN DOWN the running back after he juked a cornerback and safety. This dude is 300 pounds and a DT. This is the kind of hustle that I'm seeing from guys on the team this year. They are HUNGRY.

3. Not sure about you guys, but I had to listen to the Cardinals announcers for the entire game. They had very little to say about the Saints at all and managed to even spin our awesome plays into positives for the Cards. BUT, at the end of the game they said something to this effect, "You know what? I'll give the Saints this. They really won it in the trenches tonight. They're offensive and defensive lines were dominant and that's something that I think our coach will readily admit and address with the team this week."

4. I'm used to seeing Justin Hardee make plays on Special Teams and always thought of him as a Corner in namesake only but he really showed up on the pass breakup today. That was a pro move and I think it surprised everyone. And he wasn't flailing and lucky. I think the culture has really shifted for our defensive backs and this is the expectation now.

5. TreQuan Smith is the real deal. To me, he looks like something between Colston and Michael Thomas. He is clutch without being overly flashy, has glue for hands, and makes something happen after the catch. I can't wait to see him with Drew. Meredith didn't really impress me today, but I remain optimistic. I think Thomas, Smith, and Ginn is a heck of a trio and have no doubt that Meredith will be in the mix there as well.

6. We haven't seen Watson yet, but we're seeing very little TE production. On the plus side, we may not really need it as much if our WR core really stands out with Kamara and Ingram. If Watson can come in and be average for us, I think we'll be in good shape. Dan Arnold has my attention too. I didn't really notice him on this game but on the 2 point conversion I initially thought that Barrett tossed it to Arnold...which is why I was surprised that he didn't come down with it. I was actually a little relieved to see that it was Griffin. I think Arnold would have pulled that one in and has a good shot to make the team.

7. Running Back Depth: Ingram, Kamara, Williams, Scott. West looks decent out there but Williams has more upside and looks better. It can't hurt to have Vereen around so that Scott (and maybe even Kamara) can learn from a vet scatback. Vereen was one of the best in the game for a while and, while he's getting outplayed by Kamara and Scott there are years that he definitely would have made this team. How long did we keep Cadet around? We're deep this year at RB.

8. I noticed Kikaha in there during the 3rd or 4th Quarter. I honestly think that they really like him and want to keep him around but I think he likely just misses the cut this year. Hendrickson is just too good in the backup DE role and I don't think he really stands out if he shifts to the OLB role either.

9. I didn't notice Leonard this game. And I think that's a good thing. On a few of the QB pressures I watched the replay and it seemed to be coming from the left guard spot mostly and I'm pretty sure Leonard was at Right Tackle. When it comes to judging Tackles, no news is good news. I'd probably still stash him on the practice squad, but he's not getting embarrassed out there. So that's a plus.

10. The backup QB situation isn't good, but it also seemed like there was a lot of other things going on. Coaches seemed to let Barrett play to his strengths, but it's as though Hill was told to NOT run and spent the time reminding himself of that in the pocket. Just let the dude do what he does. I don't think I saw a single option play where he kept the ball. And I was expecting one after we established a solid run game with Ingram. Keep them guessing. Speaking of which, we don't need a stellar back up QB and this team is built to have Brees here as long as he wants to be here. Our running game, Offensive Line, and Defense are all dominant. As long as the pocket stays clean, we just need someone to hand off the ball and occasionally throw it up for Thomas or Smith. The Defense will take care of the rest.


It's a good time to be a Saints fan. It wasn't very long ago that it was hard to pick anything solid on the team except for Brees, Jordan, and Morstead. Now I don't know if I'm more excited to see our offense or our defense play. Remember, we haven't had the key pieces of our offense (Brees) or defense (Jordan) even play yet during the preseason. Our offense leans towards Kamara these days and he didn't play tonight. It's really impressive to see how deep of a team we have this year and that some of our 2nd 3rd string guys could very easily be starters. Very much looking forward to this season.
Great assessment. Thanks!
 
Overall, it's not the showing that we had hoped for but there were still some really positive things out there.

In no particular order:

1. We know Morstead is one of the best punters in the NFL and has worked out like a madman this offseason. He's listed at 6'4" and 225, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that he's actually in the 230s. Dude is a super accurate punter, but has been drilling upper body workouts this year. We've seen him lay some big hits on people and I think that trend continues. On one of his first punts I saw him almost get the tackle, but someone beat him to it and the guy was out of bounds. This was probably 30+ YARDS downfield from his punt. This guy has absolutely nothing to prove to anyone but I LOVE his hustle and the example that he sets for everyone else. God help you if the freakin' punter gets in there and tackles the guy before you do.

2. Devaroe Lawrence is making this team. I saw him get in the backfield for a pressure (or sack?) on one play and on the very next play (screen pass) he RAN DOWN the running back after he juked a cornerback and safety. This dude is 300 pounds and a DT. This is the kind of hustle that I'm seeing from guys on the team this year. They are HUNGRY.

3. Not sure about you guys, but I had to listen to the Cardinals announcers for the entire game. They had very little to say about the Saints at all and managed to even spin our awesome plays into positives for the Cards. BUT, at the end of the game they said something to this effect, "You know what? I'll give the Saints this. They really won it in the trenches tonight. They're offensive and defensive lines were dominant and that's something that I think our coach will readily admit and address with the team this week."

4. I'm used to seeing Justin Hardee make plays on Special Teams and always thought of him as a Corner in namesake only but he really showed up on the pass breakup today. That was a pro move and I think it surprised everyone. And he wasn't flailing and lucky. I think the culture has really shifted for our defensive backs and this is the expectation now.

5. TreQuan Smith is the real deal. To me, he looks like something between Colston and Michael Thomas. He is clutch without being overly flashy, has glue for hands, and makes something happen after the catch. I can't wait to see him with Drew. Meredith didn't really impress me today, but I remain optimistic. I think Thomas, Smith, and Ginn is a heck of a trio and have no doubt that Meredith will be in the mix there as well.

6. We haven't seen Watson yet, but we're seeing very little TE production. On the plus side, we may not really need it as much if our WR core really stands out with Kamara and Ingram. If Watson can come in and be average for us, I think we'll be in good shape. Dan Arnold has my attention too. I didn't really notice him on this game but on the 2 point conversion I initially thought that Barrett tossed it to Arnold...which is why I was surprised that he didn't come down with it. I was actually a little relieved to see that it was Griffin. I think Arnold would have pulled that one in and has a good shot to make the team.

7. Running Back Depth: Ingram, Kamara, Williams, Scott. West looks decent out there but Williams has more upside and looks better. It can't hurt to have Vereen around so that Scott (and maybe even Kamara) can learn from a vet scatback. Vereen was one of the best in the game for a while and, while he's getting outplayed by Kamara and Scott there are years that he definitely would have made this team. How long did we keep Cadet around? We're deep this year at RB.

8. I noticed Kikaha in there during the 3rd or 4th Quarter. I honestly think that they really like him and want to keep him around but I think he likely just misses the cut this year. Hendrickson is just too good in the backup DE role and I don't think he really stands out if he shifts to the OLB role either.

9. I didn't notice Leonard this game. And I think that's a good thing. On a few of the QB pressures I watched the replay and it seemed to be coming from the left guard spot mostly and I'm pretty sure Leonard was at Right Tackle. When it comes to judging Tackles, no news is good news. I'd probably still stash him on the practice squad, but he's not getting embarrassed out there. So that's a plus.

10. The backup QB situation isn't good, but it also seemed like there was a lot of other things going on. Coaches seemed to let Barrett play to his strengths, but it's as though Hill was told to NOT run and spent the time reminding himself of that in the pocket. Just let the dude do what he does. I don't think I saw a single option play where he kept the ball. And I was expecting one after we established a solid run game with Ingram. Keep them guessing. Speaking of which, we don't need a stellar back up QB and this team is built to have Brees here as long as he wants to be here. Our running game, Offensive Line, and Defense are all dominant. As long as the pocket stays clean, we just need someone to hand off the ball and occasionally throw it up for Thomas or Smith. The Defense will take care of the rest.


It's a good time to be a Saints fan. It wasn't very long ago that it was hard to pick anything solid on the team except for Brees, Jordan, and Morstead. Now I don't know if I'm more excited to see our offense or our defense play. Remember, we haven't had the key pieces of our offense (Brees) or defense (Jordan) even play yet during the preseason. Our offense leans towards Kamara these days and he didn't play tonight. It's really impressive to see how deep of a team we have this year and that some of our 2nd 3rd string guys could very easily be starters. Very much looking forward to this season.
Great assessment. Thanks!
 
One of the best writeups I've ever seen about a preseason game.

Lack of a pass rush on defense was really disappointing.

If Okafor can't come back in a reasonable amount of time, that may become an issue headed into the season.

I really don't see anyone else stepping up to fill that role.
 
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I hate having to listen to the opponents announcer but I did hear them say that about our lines winning in the trenches!
 
Lack of a pass rush on defense was really disappointing.

If Okafor can't come back in a reasonable amount of time, that may become an issue headed into the season.

No Okafor, no Jordan, and no Davenport. So the lack of a pass rush was expected. I was, however, impressed with Hendrickson. He constantly brought the pressure and played with a lot of energy and hustle.
 
OP i don't understand this thread

What does any of this have to do with Taysom's small hands or Savage being Cutler-light?

**
seriously allow note that Kikaha was also in on special teams - they're giving him every chance, just not sure if he's a scheme fit
 
Didn't see a lot of energy, Payton will get it up for next game.

Scott looks better each game, can be a legit Joker.

Clapp and Leonard are showing signs they can play some day.

If Smith was an inch or 2 taller, he would be a monster. Kirkwood is too good to not keep on the 53, but there's no room.

I can see why Carr is valuable. He will make someone a great, clutch possession receiver.

More energy please.
 
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