The Saints played a great game on defense last Thursday Night against the Dolphins.  Linebacker Jason Craft led the way for the Saints with 10 tackles against the Dolphins.  Fellow linebackers Marvin Mitchell (9 tackles, sack) and Jo-Lonn Dunbar (9 tackles) also had solid games against the Fins.  The Dolphins finished up this game with 102 yards rushing on 36 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 26 passes for 167 yards.  The Saints held the Dolphins to 269 yards of offense despite the fact that the Fins had possession of the football for 35:10.

Mark Brunell was o.k. in this game as he completed 6 of 9 passes for 31 yards with a 2-yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore.  Tyler Palko finished up this game and he was pathetic completing only 4 of 14 passes for 36 yards and he lost a fumble.  Deuce McAllister was the leading rusher for the Saints in this game with 30 yards on 11 carries (2.7 ypc).  Lynell Hamilton pitched in with 27 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.5 ypc).  The Saints finished up this game with 74 yards rushing on 26 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 23 passes for 25 yards.   The Saints finished the preseason with a 2-2 record but they looked good for the most part.

The Saints really played a good game last Saturday against the Bengals but they should have won by more points…but hey, that’s nitpicking.  Drew Brees was very sharp again as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 199 yards with 1 TD pass.  Mark Brunell followed him with a very brief appearance completing 2 of 4 passes for 19 yards.  Tyler Palko finished up the game completing 11 of 16 passes for 113 yards with 1 interception.  Pierre Thomas was very busy in this game for the Saints as he carried the ball 5 times for 46 yards (9.2 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 35 yards (8.8 avg).  All was not good with Thomas as he did lose a fumble in this game.  Lynell Hamilton also had a decent game with 33 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  Aaron Stecker pitched in with 29 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.8 ypc).  Lance Moore led the Saints in receiving yards with 79 on 4 grabs (19.8 avg).  Robert Meachem also had a solid game with 4 receptions for 71 yards (17.8 avg).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 13 yards.  The Saints finished up with 145 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.0 ypc) in this game and they also completed 27 of 42 passes for 313 yards.

The Saints’ defense was dominating in this game against the Bengals as they really beat them up….breaking Carson Palmer’s nose.  Safety Kevin Kaesviharn led the way for the Saints with 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks in this game.  DE Bobby McCray was also very effective with 3 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  The Bengals finished up with only 38 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 32 passes for 127 yards.

The Saints have signed 33-year old safety Lance Schulters.  Schulters is a box safety who brings the wood in the running game.  He played in 7 games for the Dolphins last season and he finished up with 37 tackles and he defensed 2 passes.  This was a good depth signing for the Saints as Schulters brings experience and a willingness to deliver a big hit against the running game.  Schulters has now played in 121 games in his NFL career and he has made 554 tackles, has defensed 51 passes, has 7.5 sacks, has forced 4 fumbles and he also has 19 interceptions including one that he returned for a TD.

UPDATE:  The Saints have released safety Lance Schulters despite the fact that he played well for them in his limited preseason action.  Schulters made 6 tackles and had 1 interception this preseason for the Saints despite starting late for them.

The Saints’ offense was clicking on all cylinders in the game against the Texans but the defense let them down.  The Saints rolled up 331 yards on offense despite only having possession of the ball for 24:36!  Drew Brees was outstanding again completing 12 of 17 passes for 147 yards with 2 TD passes (Colston and Bush).  Mark Brunell was also very effective again for the Saints as he completed 5 of 8 passes for 84 yards including a 1-yard TD pass to fullback Kevin Dudley.  Tyler Palko finished up the game completing 2 of 5 passes for 16 yards.  Aaron Stecker led the Saints in rushing on Saturday Night with 29 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.8 ypc).  Reggie Bush also was busy with 7 carries for 24 yards (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 12 yards from Drew Brees and it was good for a TD.  Deuce McAllister pitched in with 16 yards rushing on 4 carries (4.0 ypc) in this game.  WR Lance Moore led the Saints in receiving in this game with 65 yards receiving on 3 grabs (21.7 avg).  Marques Colston was also busy with 4 catches for 22 yards (5.5 avg) with a 5-yard TD reception from Drew Brees.  The Saints finished up with 87 yards rushing in this game on 19 carries (4.6 ypc).  They also completed 19 of 30 passes for 244 yards.

DT Orien Harris and CB Tracy Porter led the Saints’ defense with 5 tackles apiece.  The Texans finished up with 116 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.2 ypc) in this game.  They also completed an amazing 21 of 25 passes for 289 yards.  The Saints hope the defense turns in a better effort next week.

I really think that the Saints have a very good shot to win the division this season as the only real competition for the Saints appears to be the Panthers on paper.  I know, the Bucs won the division last season but that was more because of the injuries that the Saints and Panthers had last season than anything the Buccaneers did.  The Saints suffered a ton of injuries last season using 4 different running backs as starters during the season.  With the off-season additions the Saints have made it’s up to head coach Sean Payton to motivate the troops to rebound from a disappointing 7-9 season in 2007.  Payton has been the head coach for two years in New Orleans and he has compiled a 17-15 record (53.1%) during the regular season and he is 1-1 in the post season.  This Saints team is just one year removed from being in the NFC Championship game so I expect that they will rebound in a big way in 2008 and make Payton look like a genius in the process.