Welcome to the first of hopefully many editions of 4 Downs. With every game involving the Saints, Tigers, and Cajuns, I will break down four things that I noticed from the game concerning the respective teams. Without further ado, let’s open it up.
1st Down: Big Injuries on the Defensive Side
One of the most obvious problems is with injuries, especially on the defensive side. In the first quarter alone, Brandon Browner, Delvin Breaux, and Dannel Ellerbee all left the game with injuries that are currently unknown. Ramon Humber also left later on in the game, but it seems to be his hand according to early reports. All of these injuries combined with what I’ll call “The Curious Case of Jairus Byrd” this defense is getting thin with quality players early on in the preseason. Hopefully these injuries are minor and the Saints staff took precautionary measures to keep players from becoming seriously injured. We should find something out early next week concerning the severity of the injuries.
2nd Down: Too Many Penalties
Everyone knows how there’s a lot of penalties in preseason. But when you look at the box score, you see a stark difference between the penalties for the Saints and the Ravens. The Ravens had only six penalties for 65 yards, while the Saints had 16 penalties for a whopping 143 yards. This is especially pitiful considering a late offensive pass interference that set up the Ravens for a easy touchdown to come away with the victory. Hopefully, this can be fixed as the preseason goes on.
3rd Down: New Faces in New Orleans
It wasn’t all negativity for the Saints in their preseason opener. The Saints fans got a good look into the future of the Saints. Rookie linebackers Hau’oli Kikaha, Stephone Anthony, and defensive end Bobby Richardson were on the first-team defense in the preseason opener against the Ravens. All three had solid debuts in the black and gold, but the big story amongst the rookies was Andrus Peat. The first-round draft pick out of Stanford looked very solid in the number of positions they put him in on the offensive line. This combined with Max Unger, who was acquired by the Saints in the Jimmy Graham trade during the offseason, makes for a very formidable offensive line that could help protect Drew Brees in the pocket, one big problem the Saints had in 2014.
4th Down: R-E-L-A-X
One thing I noticed throughout the game on social media was that people were immediately writing off the Saints and saying, among other things, that Rob Ryan should be fired. Now let me fill you in on how much this game matters: ZERO. This is basically a televised practice. Now if the injuries to the aforementioned players are more serious, then there’s cause for concern. But since we know hardly anything at the moment about the injuries, the fans need to chill for a little bit before wanting the head of Rob Ryan. Also, a lot of the players we expect to see this season like CJ Spiller, Drew Brees, and Akiem Hicks did not play a single snap. And that’s nothing to be concerned about. More likely than not, these players sitting was to not have them out there and possibly risk injury, and based off tonight’s game, that was a smart idea. Heading into the game next Saturday against the Patriots, the focus should be on reducing penalties and fixing what didn’t work.
Thanks for reading the first edition of 4 Downs! Hope you enjoyed it and you all have a great weekend!
-Clint Domingue