Undrafted rookie RB Chris Ivory is making a huge push towards making the Saints’ opening day roster.  With Lynell Hamilton out for the year the Saints are looking for someone to step up behind Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Chris Ivory has been that guy so far this pre-season.  In the Saints’ first 3 pre-season games, Ivory has carried the ball 37 times for 141 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 1 pass for 76 yards and it went for a TD.  Ivory played at tiny Tiffin College in Ohio so this would be a huge jump in competition for him but he’s looking like he might be able to handle the gig.

The Saints offense was outstanding in this game but the defense was not.  Drew Brees looked sharp as he completed 18 of 27 passes for 240 yards with 2 TD passes.  Patrick Ramsey finished up by completing 10 of 18 passes for 191 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Undrafted rookie RB Chris Ivory was the offensive star for the Saints in this game.  He carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass that he took to the house (a 76-year reception!).  Pierre Thomas (7 rec, 41 yards) and Reggie Bush (3 car, 16 yards and 7 rec, 70 yards) also had solid games for the Saints last night.  WRs Marques Colston (4 rec, 55 yards), Devery Henderson (1 rec, 46 yards, TD) and Robert Meachem (2 rec, 28 yards, TD) all had solid games for the Saints last night in the passing game.  The Saints finished up with 129 yards rushing (4.6 ypc) and 423 yards passing in this game.

LBs Jonathan Vilma (7 tackles) and Scott Shanle (6 tackles) led the way for the Saints’ D last night.  CB Leigh Torrence pitched in with 5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Torrence returned his pickoff 87 yards for a TD with only seven seconds left in the game to seal the victory for the Saints last night.  The Chargers finished up with 68 yards rushing (3.4 ypc) and 255 yards passing last night.  The Saints are now 2-1 on the season.

The Saints have released 32-year old linebacker Troy Evans and 28-year old WR Mark Bradley.  Evans was the special teams captain of the Saints so it’s a little bit of a surprise to see them let him go.  He played in both pre-season games for the Saints and he had 6 tackles.  Evans played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Saints last season and he had 29 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He played in 3 years for the Saints appearing in 47 games (2 starts) in which he had 59 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Mark Bradley didn’t catch any passes in the first two pre-season games for the Saints and he was buried on the depth chart.

The Saints have signed 26-year old RB DeShawn Wynn.  Wynn played in 4 games for the Packers last season in which he carried the ball 6 times for 19 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  Wynn has now played in 16 games (4 starts) in his three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 64 times for 332 yards (5.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 14 passes for 122 yards (8.7 avg) thus far in his career.  Wynn is a talented back when he’s healthy which hasn’t been too often in his NFL career.  Still taking a chance on a talented back like Wynn is not much of a gamble for the Saints.

The Saints have put 23-year old RB P.J. Hill on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a leg injury.  Hill played in both pre-season games for the Saints and he carried the ball 15 times for 62 yards (4.1 ypc).  He also caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg) for the Saints during the pre-season.  Hill was playing good enough to be considered for the opening roster for the Saints if he didn’t get hurt.  At worst, he would have been stuck on the practice squad.

The Saints pushed the Texans around last Saturday Night.  The Saints led this game 28-10 at the half as Chase Daniel completed a 1-yard TD pass to FB Zak Keasey as time ran out in the first half.  Drew Brees was so-so in this game as he completed 5 of 10 passes for 36 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for a 1-yard TD.  Chase Daniel was outstanding for the Saints in this game as he completed 15 of 21 passes for 182 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  Rookie RB Chris Ivory was a workhorse in this game for the Saints as he carried the ball 20 times for 66 yards (3.3 ypc).  Reggie Bush was also outstanding in this game with 49 yards rushing on 7 carries (7.0 ypc).  P.J. Hill pitched in with 6 carries for 32 yards (5.3 ypc).  Pierre Thomas had 24 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 38 yards (19.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Adrian Arrington (3 rec, 71 yards, TD) and Marques Colston (3 rec, 49 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Saints in this game.  The Saints finished up with 198 yards rushing (4.3 ypc) and 211 yards passing as they had possession of the football for 40:00 minutes.

LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (6 tackles) and safety Pierson Prioleau (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Saints’ D in this game.  The Texans finished up with 48 yards rushing (3.4 ypc) and 243 yards passing in this game.

The Saints have signed 30-year old RB Ladell Betts to a 1-year, $805,000 dollar deal.  Betts played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Redskins last season in which he carried the ball 56 times for 210 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 17 passes for 179 yards (10.5 avg).  Betts has now played in 103 games (13 starts) in his 8 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 776 times for 3,176 yards (4.1 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He has also caught 165 passes for 1,505 yards (9.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This was a great signing for the Saints as Betts gives them a solid #3 back behind Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

The Saints have released Larry Beavers who was one of the stars of the first pre-season game against the Patriots.  Beavers returned 2 punts for 2 yards (1.0 avg) but he also returned 2 kickoffs for 125 yards (62.5 avg) including one that was good for a 97-yard TD.  The thing that hurt Beavers in the Saints’ eyes is that the undrafted rookie was a return man only as he wasn’t good enough to help the team in the passing game.  So with that in mind the Saints decided to let the rookie WR go.

The Saints looked kind of ho-hum last night in Foxboro.  Drew Brees was sharp on the short stuff hitting 9 of 13 passes for 55 yards.  Patrick Ramsey was also pretty decent last night as he completed 7 of 11 passes for 111 yards.  Chase Daniel didn’t look so hot though despite completing 6 of 9 passes for 50 yards because he threw a pickoff.  P.J. Hill (9 carries, 30 yards, 3.3 ypc) and rookie Chris Ivory (6 carries, 30 yards, 5.0 ypc, TD run) led the way on the ground for the Saints last night.  Pierre Thomas was also busy with 8 carries for 27 yards (3.4 ypc) and 4 catches for 26 yards (6.5 avg).  Reggie Bush pitched in with 17 yards rushing on 5 carries (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  WR Adrian Arrington led the way for the Saints in the passing game last night with 4 grabs for 87 yards (21.8 avg).  The Saints finished up with 100 yards rushing (3.4 ypc) and 205 yards passing last night.

Defensively, the Saints didn’t look especially good last night.  But, 23-year old linebacker Jonathan Casillas was all over the football field.  He led the way for the Saints last night with 11 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit.  The Patriots finished up with 125 yards rushing (3.6 ypc) and 204 yards passing last night.

24-year old WR Larry Beavers had a big moment last night when he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD.  He finished up with 2 kickoffs returns for 125 yards (62.5 avg) in this game.

27-year old WR Courtney Roby has a outstanding year for the Saints in 2009 but not many people talked about him.  He often gave the Saints’ offense outstanding starting field position as the kickoff returner.  Roby played in 15 games for the Saints last season and he returned 42 kickoffs for 1,154 yards (27.5 avg) with 1 TD return.  He has now played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has returned 88 kickoffs for 2,222 yards (25.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  It seems as if Roby has found his niche in the NFL after somewhat failing as a WR.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SAINTS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  A