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.

The Saints have lost starting DT Hollis Thomas for at least the next two months due to a torn triceps muscle.  Thomas played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he made 50 tackles and had 3 sacks.  Thomas’ main job was to keep blockers off of the linebackers to make plays and he was pretty good at his job.  But, this opens up a starting spot for first round pick Sedrick Ellis who has a huge upside.  It’s unfortunate that Thomas got injured but the Saints could be better on defense because of it.

After watching Olindo Mare last season anyone would likely be an improvement for the Saints.  32-year old Martin Gramatica will battle rookie Taylor Mehlhaff for the starting kicker job on the Saints.  Gramatica played in 3 games for the Saints last season and he made all 5 of his field goal attempts and all 8 of his extra points.  It will be interesting to see if Gramatica can hold off the kid or not.  Gramatica has now played in 104 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 149 of 193 field goals (77.2%).  He also has made 212 of 214 extra points (99.1%) in his career to this point.

Rookie 22-year old Taylor Mehlhaff has a big left leg.  He played in 13 games at Wisconsin last season and he connected on 21 of 25 (84%) field goals.  He also made 42 of 43 extra points (98%) last year.  Mehlhaff can hit the long field goal but he has had some issues kicking on the road as fan noise sometimes rattles him.  He finished his career playing in 51 games at Wisconsin in which he was 50 for 65 (76.9%) on field goals.  He also has converted 145 of 148 extra points (98%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Saints should be even more dangerous in the passing game this season with Jeremy Shockey on board for the 2008 season.  Shockey played in 14 games for the Giants last season and he caught 57 passes for 619 yards (10.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for those numbers to be much better in 2008 with Drew Brees throwing to Shockey instead of Eli Manning.  Shockey has now played in 83 games in his NFL career and he has caught 371 passes for 4,228 yards (11.4 avg) with 27 TD grabs.

31-year old Billy Miller will be the #2 TE for the Saints and he’s also a decent receiver.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 27 passes for 328 yards (12.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Miller to catch about the same amount of passes this season unless Shockey gets injured.  Miller has now played in 99 games in his NFL career and he has caught 155 passes for 1,669 yards (10.8 avg) with 9 TD grabs.

32-year old Mark Campbell will be the #3 TE for the Saints and he’s a solid blocker in the running game.  He did not play last season due to injury.  Campbell has now played in 102 games in his NFL career and he caught 134 passes for 1,235 yards (9.2 avg) with 10 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

The Saints are in really good shape at WR heading into the 2008 season.  They have a lot of depth and Drew Brees loves to move the football around like Tom Brady does in New England.  6’4″, 231 pound Marques Colston is one of the best receivers in the entire NFL.  He has great hands, wins jump balls and has enough speed to get downfield.  Colston played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards (12.3 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Look for Colston to get less double coverage this season due to improvement in the WR corps as well as the addition of Jeremy Shockey.  That could mean that Colston could have a career year in 2008 for the Saints.  Colston has now played in 30 games in his NFL career and he has caught 168 passes for 2,240 yards (13.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.

33-year old veteran David Patten is back for 2008 and he’s a fine secondary WR.  He played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 54 passes for 792 yards (14.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Patten’s numbers could start to downturn a little bit if the Saints’ younger receivers step up but he’s still a good football player.  Patten has now played in 142 games in his NFL career and he has caught 313 passes for 4,553 yards (14.5 avg) with 23 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 13 times for 106 yards (8.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.

26-year old Devery Henderson is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL but his hands sometimes are faulty especially when venturing over the middle of the football field.  Henderson played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 20 passes for 409 yards (20.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 2 times for 20 yards (10.0 ypc) last season.  Look for the Saints to use Henderson on deep plays but not much else in 2008 so his numbers should stay about the same.  Henderson has now played in 43 games in his NFL career and he has caught 74 passes for 1,497 yards (20.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 43 yards (8.6 avg) with a TD run.

6’0″, 215 pound receiver Robert Meachem was a complete bust as a first round pick last season as he didn’t even step on the football field as a rookie.  He looked really good in last night’s exhibition opener for the Saints so they still have hope for him.  Look for Meachem to dig up some pride and show up this season.  He could eventually work his way up to the #3 WR job this season as long as he works hard in practice.  The Saints still like him despite last year.

26-year old Terrance Copper is a solid spare part to have around for the Saints.  Even though he’s buried on the depth chart, he makes plays when given the chance.  Copper played in 15 games for the Saints last season and he caught 15 passes for 126 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for him to have better numbers than that in 2008.  Copper has now played in 56 games in his NFL career and he has caught 46 passes for 600 yards (13.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

5’9″, 190 pound Lance Moore had a decent year in 2007 for the Saints and they are expecting him to be even better in 2008.  Moore played in all 16 games for the Saints last season and he caught 32 passes for 302 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc) with a TD run.  Although Moore is the smallest of the Saints’ receivers he has a big heart so he should get his share of playing time in 2007.  Moore has now played in 20 games in his NFL career and he has caught 33 passes for 312 yards (9.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

22-year old Adrian Arrington is a big target at 6’3″, 203 pounds but he’s not the fastest receiver around.  Still, he could be effective in the Saints’ offense if he can just get off the line of scrimmage.  Arrington played in 13 games (all starts) last season at Michigan and he caught 67 passes for 882 yards (13.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Arrington will likely have to play a lot on special teams to make it as a rookie on the Saints.  He finished his career at Michigan having played in 34 games (18 starts) in which he caught 109 passes for 1,438 yards (13.2 avg) with 16 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The Saints really looked pretty sharp last night on both sides of the football.  Drew Brees was very sharp in limited action completing 6 of 7 passes for 40 yards with 1 TD pass (a 7-yarder to David Patten) and 0 interceptions.  Mark Brunell followed Brees in the game and he was also razor sharp completing 10 of 12 passes for 119 yards.  Tyler Palko finished up the game strong for the Saints completing 6 of 11 passes for 144 yards with a TD pass and 0 interceptions.  Aaron Stecker led the Saints in rushing with 39 yards on 7 carries (5.6 ypc) with a TD run.  Reggie Bush was also active with 7 carries for 22 yards (3.1 ypc) in Arizona.  2nd year WR Robert Meachem did not catch a pass last season but he was awesome last night as he caught 4 passes for 129 yards (32.3 avg) with a 60-yard TD reception from Tyler Palko where he did most of the work.  David Patten pitched in with 4 catches for 18 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  The Saints finished up with 98 yards rushing on 35 carries (2.8 ypc) last night.  They also completed 22 of 30 passes for 285 yards last night.  The offense looked like a well oiled machine last night as they held onto the football for 34:11 which really helped keep the defense fresh.

The Saints defense looked pretty strong last night in Arizona.  CB Usama Young led the Saints last night with 6 tackles as he tries to get himself back in the good graces of Sean Payton.  DT Orien Harris also caught some eyes with 5 tackles and a sack.  The Cardinals finished with 63 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.2 ypc) last night.  The Cardinals also completed 21 of 32 passes for 165 yards.  This was a solid effort on both sides of the field for the Saints last night.