Saints get good opening marks

NCAA ’13 gets good marks
August 7, 2012
New school year brings new challenges locally
August 7, 2012
NCAA ’13 gets good marks
August 7, 2012
New school year brings new challenges locally
August 7, 2012

Quarterbacks – So much for an offseason holdout producing rust in Drew Brees’ right arm, eh? The Pro Bowler was razor sharp in his only drive. Chase Daniel also wasn’t so bad in his time under center.


Grade: A-

Halfbacks – The total numbers are abysmal – 32 rushes for 82 yards. But Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram all looked sharp. That’s all that matters.


Grade: B+


Wide receivers – I have no clue who Travaris Cadet is – heck, he might not even make the roster. But eight catches for 80 yards with a touchdown earns my respect in a hurry.

Grade: A


Offensive line – The starting offensive line looked rough and rugged. They better stay healthy, though, because Chase Daniel was running for his life out there.


Grade: C+

Defensive line – The Saints’ starting line looked really good. If that holds up, it’d be a major improvement from previous season’s subpar group.


Grade: B+


Linebackers – In very limited action, Curtin Lofton did what he does – make plays. His three tackles in just a handful of snaps shows what I’ve said all along – these guys really don’t need Jonathan Vilma, who has been an overrated player for years.

Grade: B

Defensive backs – It’s hard to grade the starting unit when they faced Kevin Kolb, who might be one of the NFL’s worst starters. I mean, seriously, the dude threw a pass straight to Malcolm Jenkins.

Grade: Incomplete

Special teams – Laron Scott really caught my eye with a majestic kick return. But I really believe John Kasay might have run out of his fountain of youth.

Grade: B-

Coaching staff – How do you grade coaches in the preseason? Everyone plays, the game plans are vanilla and no one really takes any significant chances? Nothing stood out to me as awful – I guess that’s all that counts this time of the year.

Grade: A-

Overall – The most important thing in the preseason is that nothing is drastically wrong. Nothing appeared to be Sunday night, as the Saints’ offense and defense both looked fairly crisp for an opening exhibition game. With a short turnaround before tomorrow’s game, it’ll be interesting to see how much the starters get to play in the second game. For now, it was a pretty solid way to get started.

Grade: B+

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passes the ball under pressure from Arizona Cardinals’ Calais Campbell during the first quarter of the Hall of Fame NFL exhibition football game.

AP PHOTO | SCOTT GALVIN