It’s a new football season, and that can only mean one thing: time to break down a bunch of football games for the Cajuns, Saints, and Tigers!
Let’s get into the return of #4Downs where I break down how each of the three teams we cover here at the station beyond just the scoreboard. Preseason games are always fun to break down because of the fact that you’re actively looking at players to see if they’ll be making the 53-man roster.
Without further delay, let’s get into it!
1st Down: Alvin Kamara is the Future
When the Saints drafted Alvin Kamara during the second day of the 2017 NFL Draft, it seemed like a weird move for a team that had signed Adrian Peterson to a two-year contract. It all made sense after what he showed on the field as the feature back on Thursday night.
.@a_kamara shakes the tackle and nabs the first down! pic.twitter.com/zTfj61GsCy
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 11, 2017
The rookie out of Tennessee’s performance showed that he can be used as a running back more frequently this season if Peterson goes down with injury as the season progresses. Kamara is going to be a lot like what Darren Sproles was in his prime with the Saints and hopefully he will be part of the team for quite some time.
2nd Down: Stephone Anthony Returns to Form
The defense for the Saints looked serviceable for the most part, but the player that pleased me the most was Stephone Anthony. After a big slump in 2016, it was quite refreshing to see him get back into the groove of things with three tackles and a sack.
Last year saw Anthony in a slightly different role than he is used to, but the player that showed up on Thursday looked to be the same guy who looked like a bonafide stud in 2015. It was against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason, but he should continue to improve as the Saints get closer to the regular season.
3rd Down: Ted Ginn Underwhelms
Two targets, zero receptions for the former Carolina Panther was not quite what we expected heading into Thursday’s matchup. The worst missed opportunity for Ted Ginn was the dropped pass in the endzone.
If he wants to stay on this team long-term, that will need to be fixed quickly because it can be a short pass in the endzone he drops in the preseason and before you know it he’s dropping no-doubt touchdown grabs with nothing but green in front of him.
4th Down: Tommylee Lewis Continues to Excel
Meanwhile, Tommylee Lewis continued to show off for another preseason game. The second-year wideout nabbed 10 catches, including an impressive catch late in the game.
.@gbg_18 finds @lewistommylee at the 3 yd line on a 32 yd pass! #SaintsGameDay pic.twitter.com/IjCgrd0gS1
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 11, 2017
If he can keep it up like this, a lot of things are possible for the diminutive wide receiver because of what he did on Thursday night. The footsteps of Lewis could be creeping up on Ginn after his less than ideal start in the black and gold.
-Clint Domingue