The New Orleans Saints soundly defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game, outscoring the opposition 17-10. With the game officially in the rearview, let’s look at how each unit fared.
PASS OFFENSE: B
Brees and the first unit were absolutely crisp, looking like they haven’t lost a step from last year. Brees (4 of 5 for 41 yards) obviously isn’t “rusty” as some had feared. His screen pass of 20 yards to Pierre Thomas was absolutely textbook, leading to an early score later in the drive.
Chase Daniel’s performance was very good, completing 15 of 20 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown, but he did have an interception. Daniel also forced some passes, took sacks on third down (I counted three), ran around waaaaaaay too much (he was the team’s second leading rusher with 17 yards), and missed a screen pass in the first quarter that could have gone for big yards. Overall, it was a fair performance from the backup, but there is always room for improvement.
Sean Canfield was, well, Sean Canfield. He completed 7 of 13 passes, good for 66 yards. Not bad, but not really memorable. I doubt that the Saints will keep three quarterbacks on the roster; Canfield seems like a practice squad/scout team candidate.
RUN OFFENSE: C+
The first offensive drive for the Saints was one of a power running game. Mark Ingram shouldered the majority of the load, amassing 14 yards on 4 carries. His run to set up the first touchdown was particularly impressive, making defenders miss and showing a burst that was lacking at times last season.
After the first unit of backs retired for the evening, the Saints’ running game skidded to somewhat of a halt. Chris Ivory never really got going, and rookie Travaris Cadet (who had a great game catching the ball) ended up with negative rushing yardage.
PASS DEFENSE: A
The most impressive takeaway from Sunday’s game was the presence of a pass rush from the Saints’ defense. Sedrick Ellis, Martez Wilson, Turk McBride, and others along the defensive line did a great job of getting to the opposing quarterback.
That pressure led to two interceptions, one of which basically iced the game for New Orleans. If the Saints can get that same pressure consistently throughout the season, the turnovers will come for the defense, and the team will be very competitive late into the year.
RUSH DEFENSE: C-
As good as the Saints looked against the pass, there were a lot of head scratching moments when watching the defense trying to stop the run. Cardinals RBs LaRod Stephens-Howling and Alfonso Smith led a rushing attack that netted 112 yards on 28 carries, good for an average of 4 yards per attempt. In order for the Saints to remain defensively sound, defending the running game must become a larger priority.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Thomas Morstead continues to be amazingly consistent, netting an average of 46 yards per punt, and providing an automatic touchback whenever the Saints kickoff. His ability to change and maintain field position makes him one of the more underrated players on the squad.
The kicker battle between John Kasay and Garrett Hartley will probably go down to the final cut day, but one did not help their case on Sunday. Kasay missed one of his two field goal attempts. The miss probably has a minimal impact on the depth chart pecking order, but it is worth mentioning.
The return game for the Saints was a bit of a mixed bag. Joe Morgan and the aforementioned Cadet looked good in the kickoff return game, fielding returns of 29 and 28 yards, respectively. Both players also had solid outings with punt returns.
Laron Scott had a bit of an adventure in both arenas, muffing one punt return, and returning a kickoff for an impressive 67 yards.
COACHING: B+
The first game officially coached Joe Vitt went pretty much as expected. Both starting units looked impressive, and the subsequent units need more work; such is to be expected after the first preseason game of the year. Vitt seems like a pretty straightforward, no nonsense kind of figure, which is what exactly this veteran team needs.
