The Saints’ offense will look to rebound from a subpar performance against the Jaguars,
Aaron Kromer will make his head coaching debut Saturday night against Houston.
as they will face a strong Houston Texan defense in their third preseason game. Teams often use the third game of the preseason schedule as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Fine tuning and attention to detail will be a main priority for the coaching staff, as newly crowned interim-interim Head Coach Aaron Kromer will get his first taste of running the ship. Communication with the offense, particularly with QB Drew Brees, will be key if the Saints want to get off to a fast start in 2012.
PASS OFFENSE
This game should feature Brees more prominently than in weeks past. QB to coach communication needs to be a true point of emphasis between Brees and Kromer. As much as the two have probably worked on this facet in practice, there is no real simulation of a game setting. Expect Brees to play at least a full quarter. Just having him on the field will make the transition for Kromer that much easier, allowing him to actually gauge how things will work when the regular season opens on September 9.
RB Darren Sproles will again be inactive for this game, and might be out for the entirety of the preseason. Kept out as a precautionary measure, Sproles is nursing knee soreness. His continued absence keeps rookie sensation Travaris Cadet in the full roster conversation. In his limited time, Cadet has done a decent Sproles imitation by catching passes out of the backfield and contributing on special teams.
Injuries also plague the receiving corps for New Orleans. WR Nick Toon, who wowed everyone with an impressive OTA showing shortly after the draft, has been sidelined for pretty much all of training camp with a foot injury, missing every preseason game thus far. He is still listed as questionable for Houston. Adrian Arrington, who has been out with a knee problem, will sit for the rest of the preseason, and might even be doubtful for the first few weeks of the regular season as well.
The presence of the injury bug on Airline Drive has allowed for other members of the Saints offense to step up. WRs Joe Morgan, Courtney Roby, and Andy Tanner have all had good showings this preseason. Roby is pretty much a lock to make the team (his special teams awareness pushes him over the hump), while Morgan and Tanner still are on the bubble.
With Tanner’s status still a bit up in the air (he left last week’s game against Jacksonville with an ankle injury), look for Morgan and Roby to get plenty of looks at receiver. Newly acquired WR Greg Camarillo will probably not see much playing time; he’s only been in camp for a few days now, and probably only has a real base understanding of the offensive scheme.
RUN OFFENSE
More of the same from New Orleans is expected regarding the running attack – plenty of running game by committee, situational substitutions, and contributions from younger players will be implemented into this week’s gameplan. With the aforementioned Sproles sitting out for a second straight week, outside rushing production will be needed from other sources. Cadet has shined as a pass catcher, but has yet to make a significant impact running the football. Chris Ivory has come along nicely during the last week, extinguishing any remaining questions about his job security. Joe Banyard has no shot of making the team, and will be cut.
I don’t expect any of the front line rotation backs (Ingram, Thomas, and Ivory) to see significant carries in this one; there is too much risk for injury, and the Saints are already somewhat shallow at the position. Instead, look for Cadet and Banyard to be featured as the primary ball-carriers, hoping to make a final impression on Saints coaches.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WR Joe Morgan
A great performance last week (3 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown) coupled with another strong showing this week will all but cement a roster spot for Morgan, which might ultimately push out Arrington on the depth chart. Morgan has emerged as a deep threat for the Saints, filling in the Robert Meachem role that is so desperately needed by this offense. Consistency issues will always be questioned with Morgan, but those might evaporate with more playing time; he looked very crisp last week as a main target.
Offensive Line in Pass Protection
In his post-game press conference last week, Interim HC Joe Vitt stated that he wanted to see better play from his offensive line, particularly when in pass protection. This statement surely carried some validity, as Jacksonville defenders were able to get to the quarterback with ease for much of the evening. Creating a pocket seemed to be a problem for the line; Brees hardly had time to throw during the first few series, and Daniel continued to run outside of the tackles in order to get off passes. Added awareness to the outside of the line is a good start, especially since the Saints are facing a talented young DE this week in J.J. Watt. Chip blocking from TEs and RBs also needs to be improved upon; this will help exponentially in keeping the quarterback upright.
