Report Cards: Saints, LSU score high marks

LSU Tigers

Quarterbacks – Zach Mettenberger was crisp and seems to have a powerful arm. With seasoning and more pass protection, this kid could be a good one.

Grade: B

Halfbacks – I jokingly said to a friend of mine last season that Kenny Hilliard would rush for 30 touchdowns in 2012. Two down, 28 to go for the former Lumberjack who looks like an absolute monster. Alfred Blue isn’t half bad, either.

Grade: A+

Receivers – Jarvis Landry is going to be a superstar at LSU. The former five-star high school All-American wowed with eight catches, including two jaw-dropping grabs for big plays. He and Odell Beckham are quite a one-two punch.

Grade: B+

Offensive line – This group gets mixed reviews. The run blocking was superb and LSU backs were able to push for six-to-10 yards per pop at will. But pass protection was awful and Mettenberger ate far too many crushing licks.

Grade: C+

Defensive line – Sam Montgomery, Bennie Logan, Anthony Johnson and Barkevious Mingo. Checkmate. That’s the best defensive line in America, folks.

Grade: A+

Linebackers – In his first significant action, Lamin Barrow looked like a solid product at linebacker. He and Kevin Minter combined for 14 tackles for the Tigers’ defensive attack. Let’s also shout out former Patterson linebacker Lorenzo Phillips, who saw some special teams action in his first-ever collegiate game.

Grade: B+

Defensive backs – The good news is Jalen Mills looked like he is more than able to fill the coverage void left by Tyrann Mathieu’s dismissal. The bad news is safety Eric Reid sometimes looked lost in coverage and yielded a few big plays. I trust the All-American (who had an interception in the game) to right the ship.

Grade: B

Special teams – LSU had one punt return for a touchdown. That’s dominant. But they had another touchdown return negated by penalty, and they missed a short field goal and snapped a ball over the punter’s head. With a little housekeeping, this group should be fine. But they made far too many mistakes on Saturday.

Grade: C

Coaching staff – As a bloodthirsty LSU grad, I had mixed feelings about Saturday’s game. I expected the Tigers to win by more, but I understand why they didn’t. Offensively, LSU yielded from its dominant ground game and forced Mettenberger to get more reps through the air than he’ll probably get during the SEC slate. I guess the experience can’t hurt LSU in the long run.

Grade: B+

Overall – LSU could have been much better against North Texas, but I will give the team a pass. They didn’t have a full week of practice, and they combined mental mistakes with basic opening-game jitters. I saw a lot of talent and speed on the field, and with a little more ripening, I fully expect the Tigers to be one of the final teams standing when the bowl picture plays itself out in college football. If doubters remain, I can assure you that the Tigers will find out much more about their team next week when they play Washington, who looked solid in a win against San Diego State on Saturday.

Grade: B+

New Orleans Saints

*Because the Saints played very few starters in their preseason finale, we will instead do this report card based on the team’s play throughout the entire preseason.

Quarterbacks – After missing most of the offseason in a contract dispute, Drew Brees didn’t miss a beat and showed he’s ready to play, completing 32-of-47 passes for three touchdowns. But arguably the most pleasant surprise of all was backup Chase Daniel, who completed 72 percent of his passes and threw for four touchdowns in the exhibition slate.

Grade: A

Halfbacks – Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory and now Travaris Cadet? I’m shocked the Saints kept the Appalachian State rookie on its final roster. The bruising back did have a solid preseason to earn the love, though.

Grade: B+

Receivers – The Saints really protected their receivers in the preseason, and none of the starters saw significant action. But when on the field, the Black and Gold offense looked just as explosive as ever.

Grade: A-

Offensive line – I was not overly impressed with the Saints’ offensive line this preseason – they just didn’t do much for me. No halfback with more than 10 carries in the exhibition slate had more than a 3.7-yard per carry average. That has to change if the team wants to make another deep push.

Grade: C

Defensive line – Where the offensive line looked weaker than normal, the defensive line seemed improved. I don’t know where he fits in the playing rotation, but Akiem Hicks doesn’t seem like a bad bet for the team’s top rookie in 2012-13.

Grade: B+

Linebackers – Injuries have really ravished the team’s linebackers, forcing the team to trade for Barrett Ruud in the middle of camp. No offense to Ruud, but he hasn’t been relevant in a few years. That he was called upon to lend a hand shows the desperation that has hit the group.

Grade: C+

Defensive backs – The Saints’ defensive backs really limped through the preseason, getting torched by Matt Schaub and Blaine Gabbert. That’s not good when one considers this was the Achilles’ heel of the team last season, too.

Grade: C

Special teams – It appears that Garrett Hartley has regained his position as the Saints’ kicker after the team released John Kasay in its final round of roster cuts. This decision has me nervous because the kicker didn’t make a kick of 40 yards or more the entire preseason. In fact, he missed his only try of that length. That’s a no-no for Saints’ fans.

Grade: B

Coaching staff – It’s so hard to judge coaches during the preseason, because they manage situations so differently in exhibition games than they do in the regular season. But I think Joe Vitt and Co. are doing an admirable job filling in for Sean Payton.

Grade: A-

Overall – The Saints appear to have a roster capable of posting a strong season. Whether or not the team can overcome its coaching shortcomings and suspensions is another question. But player-for-player, I see no reason to believe the Saints shouldn’t be flirting with 11-12 wins.

Grade: A