Saints Sideline Blog

HELLO HOUSTON

Friday, August 19th, 2011      Email Print

DATELINE: HOUSTON, TX (Sorry Who Dats---its really hot here too!)

The preseason is flying by, moving faster than Kim Kardashian's wedding planner. Here we are-- three weeks strong with preseason game number two upon us. Its the first time this team has collectively left the state of Louisiana but the first road trip isn't the storyline. With a roster still sporting nearly 90 Saints--Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis have some serious evaluating tomorrow. Here is what to look for on CST on Saturday night when the black and gold do the Texans two step.

WILL THE OFFENSE BOUNCE BACK?----Drew Brees and his fellow 1st teamers hardly came out guns-a-blazin versus the Niners at home last week. Their batting average was 0-for-9 which equated to three---3 and out's. Sure its the preseason but Brees who threw for  6 yards even admitted after Thursday's practice that this unit needs to build some confidence. "Obviously we want to look better than we did in our first preseason game. We want to get everybody a lot of touches and get everyone involved and feeling like they had some opportunities to make plays." Payton says the starters should play from 20-25 snaps----let's see if that includes a few scoring drives.

CAN THE DEFENSE STAY STEADY?---Let's see if Gregg Williams remains blitz happy here in Texas---ok we know the answer to that. Hard to find anything wrong with the D versus San Fran--6 sacks from 6 different Saints was a balanced effort where all phases were sharp against the Niners. Matt Schaub and the Texans present more problems and should challenge the Saints D more---let's see if they can continue to dominate.

JONNY BE GOOD---AGAIN?---While many of the marquee additions on defense are getting bigger headlines, linebacker Jonathan Casillas continues to get it done in the preseason. He led the Saints in tackles versus the Niners and in practice this week ran with the 1st team surpassing incumbent Scott Shanle. Casillas tells me after suffering a foot injury to end his season before it even started last year he has become a better student of the game and its showing so far.

MORE MARK MAGIC?: What can you say rookie Mark Ingram has been everything the Saints have hoped for so far. He is humble, hardworking and a tough back who hasn't backed down from anybody in this camp. He delivered his first TD last week---it will be interesting to see what Mardi Mark delivers in Texas.

CAM'S LEARNING CURVE?---You gotta feel for the rookies as they are learning somewhat on the fly in this camp. With Will Smith's suspension looking more and more like a four game reality---its important for 1st rounder Cam Jordan to get comfortable in a hurry. He admits to being a little bit lost so far and that's normal but he will see more snaps versus Houston, it will be beneficial for a player the Saints would love to contribute early.

CAN MARTEZ MATURE?--Rookie Martez Wilson is a lot of things in this camp, but one thing is for sure---he's a good sport. Nobody has been yelled at more than this linebacker but he has taken the criticism in stride. You know if they aren't yelling at you, they often don"t care about you. The coaches know the kind of potential this third round pick has let's see how he adapts to the learning curve.

WILL ARRINGTON ARRIVE?---We know Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and likely Devery Henderson are on this team---meaning only room for one more receiver. Courtney Roby is making his case so the margin is thin for WR Adrian Arrington who's had more chances than Lindsay Lohan. He seems to be healthy so we will see what he can do to make it happen on Saturday---the time for AA is now.

STRIEF'S TIME? For the first time since Sean Payton has been in New Orleans---the Saints will take the field without RT Jon Stinchcomb on the roster. Zach Strief has been more than a capable backup wherever this team has needed him all across the line---we'll see how he likes being a starter versus Houston. This may be a question, but you get the feeling we already know the answer---he should be more than ready.

PATRICK'S PROGRESS?: If the Saints opened against the Packers this weekend, Tracy Porter could take the field but for now smartly will take his time getting back. We have seen the value of quality depth in the secondary---that makes the maturation of second year CB Patrick Robinson all the more invaluable. He's had a great camp and has exited Gregg WIlliams dog house. Let's see how he does against a much better offense in Houston?

WHO IS YOUR WILDCARD?: With not many chances to crack the starting lineup or even to make this team as a rookie, much less a free agent, who will step up and surprise us on Saturday? Can Joe Morgan create more magic? Will Jarred Fayson or John Chiles open some eyes or how about the improved play of 7th round pick LB Nate Bussey? Special teams are huge for these guys but special play is paramount---let's see if Payton can polish off more diamonds in the rough---see Thomas,Pierre and Moore, Lance and most recently Ivory, Chris?!

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT: I talked to many Saints and have covered every practice this camp. It seems despite the crazy offseason and the irregular non two-a-day nature of camp, these Saints look like they haven't been effected as much as you might have thought heading in Sure unlike past years, the Saints are still installing many areas they would have done by now but not having two practices a day has made every practice and meeting  a little more focused. Jabari Greer told me they seem to be putting two practices into one every day and several of his teammates agree. The coaches feel the urgency to get it done in a shorter amount of time and that feeling has seemed to rub off on the players.

UNTIL NEXT BLOG,
Mike Nabors
CST

By: Mike Nabors

An Emmy award winning sports reporter who covers a wide variety of events for CST. Primarily, Mike serves as the network's reporter for Saints coverage.

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