Welcome everyone to another edition of #4Downs! This edition will break down the Saints and Packers matchup from Thursday night.
1st Down: Last Chance Opportunities Seized
With the cuts to finalize the 53-man roster coming up at 3 pm on Saturday, several players needed to step up in a big way to attempt to get on the final roster. Kyle Wilson (pictured above) and Davis Tull both come to mind. Tull, a 5th round rookie out of Tennessee-Chattanooga, really made a statement early in terms of special teams tipping a punt in the first quarter that gave the Saints great field position that led to a field goal to extend the Saints early lead. Wilson also made a strong case with five tackles and a pick on the night. Both could be valuable parts of the Saints, especially Wilson considering the lack of players in the defensive back position. Former Ragin Cajun Justin Anderson also had a solid outing to make a final case to possibly make the team. We’ll all find out on Saturday who stays and who goes.
2nd Down: McCown vs. Griffin Decided?
In a business that is very what have you done for me lately, veteran QB Luke McCown could be the backup QB behind Drew Brees. In the one drive McCown played he was a perfect 5-for-5 with 82 yards and a score to end his preseason. Griffin once again has a very ho-hum game with nothing particularly exciting happening. On Sunday, I wrote that McCown could be gone, now I’m thinking that Griffin might be seeing the door come Saturday at 3 pm.
3rd Down: Final Push to Solidify Roster Spot
One player that’s shown flashes of greatness during preseason outside of Brandin Cooks has been Willie Snead. Tonight’s game was nothing different, catching 3 passes for 31 yards. Snead is a player that will definitely be starting Week 1 against Arizona. Dustin Hopkins also tried to make a final push to become the kicker for the Saints in 2015, but he only made one of his two field goals. Hopkins has been consistent in practice but not so much in a game situation. It looks like Zach Hocker will be the kicker in 2015 with his consistency in both practice and in game.
4th Down: Going 0-4 in Preseason Cause for Concern?
Not necessarily. The Saints have some question marks, but the preseason is the time a team needs to figure out what’s working and what’s not. So for the rest of this subject I’ll break down the major problems heading into the regular season. The biggest of which is offensive line depth. When the Saints had the first string out there McCown looked strong, but when he or any other QB was under center, the line had major issues. A lot of pressure was on the quarterback and led to many mistakes being made throughout this preseason. If the Saints suffer a rash of injuries in that position much like last season, there will be major problems. Another problem is in the secondary. Now at this point, the Saints are using almost bare bones with the secondary. But this could change if Brandon Browner is ready to go week 1 against Arizona. But the Saints really need to work on getting the pass rush better. Having a solid pass rush could possibly make up for having a less-than-perfect secondary because they can and will put pressure on the QB. Overall, this team has a lot of issues heading into a rough opener against the Cardinals, but we won’t know what the real Saints look like until 3:05 pm on Sunday September 13th.
Thanks for reading this edition of #4Downs! By the way, the next editions of #4Downs will break down the UL-Kentucky and the LSU-McNeese matchup! Enjoy the three-day weekend!
-Clint Domingue