The Saints got 2011 off to a successful and promising campaign as they embarrassed the 49ers 24-3 in the Superdome. Overall the special teams and defense were absolutely outstanding. The offense, not so much. That said, you can’t expect perfection from the first game of preseason especially when you can settle for a 24-3 win. Overall it was impressive. Overall the Saints looked aggressive and sharp, especially considering the distractions all offseason long.
Offensive Player of the Game: Mark Ingram
Defensive Player of the Game: Mitch King
Special Teams Player of the Game: Joseph Morgan
Here are my postgame bullets which you are hopefully all to used to by now. Remember, no player grades during preseason, those will start week 1 after the Packers game.
- I’ll say this first just to get it out of the way and move on to more positive things: the 49ers look horrible. Seriously, I’ll be surprised if they win 4 games. They looked that bad. I just can’t see that team doing anything good thing year. If it wasn’t for a rusty Drew Brees, they might have lost 150-3.
- The Saints offense was rusty, particularly their 1st team. Brees missed a couple throws, got hit a couple times, and had a long pass dropped by Robert Meachem. Not the way you want to start the year but plenty of time to prepare
- Chase Daniel played a large amount of the game and looked OK. At times he made terrific plays, at times he held on to the ball entirely too long and looked tentative out there. I thought his decision making needed work.
- JOSEPH MORGAN. Wow. What a punt return. 78 yards for a TD. If he didn’t make a case for a roster spot, I don’t know who did. He had some nifty catches too. He’s incredibly fast.
- Mark Ingram looked pretty solid out there. He ran the ball well, looked physical and was slippery on his 14 yard touchdown run. I was really encouraged and impressed by his pass blocking. He did drop a pass that hit him right in the hands that would have been a first down. I expected him to mess up at some point, but that was bad.
- Johnny Patrick looked excellent out there at cornerback, and then he injured his knee. It looks bad. I hope he’s ok.
- Joique Bell played a good amount in the 2nd half and he looks like the real deal. Expect him to make the team while Chris Ivory starts the year on the PUP. Chris Taylor was excellent too. See you on the practice squad, Chris.
- Jonathan Casillas was an absolute BEAST out there. He was crushing people, all over the field, and a tackling machine. Very impressive performance by the youngster. He may be regaining his starting spot soon. Jo-Lonn Dunbar was no slouch either.
- The pass rush was VERY encouraging. The Saints ended with 6 sacks. It was nice to see Will Smith healthy and getting in Alex Smith’s face consistently.
- Mitch King was my player of the game, over Casillas, Morgan and anyone else. The defensive tackle had a huge motor, constantly running, and got terrific penetration. He was a dominant player out there. I know he’s dealing his arrhythmia but if he can get his health right he belongs on this team.
- It was comforting to see Hartley drill a 47 yarder. It was shocking to see Akers drill a 59 yarder.
- Special teams was absolutely OUTSTANDING. The Saints picked up a lot of players this offseason for that purpose and so far that looks to be corrected. The coverage units in particular were just excellent. And of course the kicking game and return game was perfect as well.
That’s all I got. I hope you enjoyed the game! Next up is the Houston Texans in Houston next weekend.
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