Saints Post Good Grades Against the Raiders

By Spawn  |   Wednesday, September 02, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

New Orleans Saints
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On Saturday afternoon, I watched the New Orleans Saints play against the Oakland Raiders in their third game of the 2009 preseason. Here is my grade on the team’s performance as broken down section by section in their 45-7 victory over the Raiders.

Offense (A+) – The Saints were well balanced on all aspects of their offense. The first unit put up 21 points with little opposition. The team looked like a well-oiled machine despite the fact that they could have very easily put up sixty points. The Saints put up a franchise preseason game record in points which included 536 yards of total offense while holding on to the ball for nearly two thirds of the game.

Passing (A-) – Starter Drew Brees was business as usual in spreading the wealth by completing 14-17 passes for 179 yards including a pair of scores. Both tight end Jeremy Shockey and wideout Lance Moore had four catches apiece with 48 and 29 yards respectively. Twelve players had a reception in this game to further illustrate how well the wealth was distributed in this game. The Saints torched the Raiders’ secondary for 304 yards and three scores despite throwing a pair of interceptions.

Rushing (A+) – The Saints practically ran roughshod all over the Raiders for 232 yards on 46 carries which included three touchdowns without Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. Backups Lynell Hamilton and P.J. Hill both combined for 178 yards and a pair of scores (both by Hill) on 28 carries as they made the most of their opportunities in this game. The team did also show that it can actually punch it in on goal line situations. This was a huge area of concern for the Saints during the 2008 season.

New Orleans’ offensive line did a masterful job of paving the way along with excellent pass protection throughout the afternoon. Although they gave up only one sack during the game, the line still held their own while managing to move the offense at will.

Defense (A-) – The Saints defense has shown marked improvement throughout the course of the preseason. This unit held the Raiders to 289 yards of total offense (52 rushing, 237 passing) while forcing three turnovers. Oakland had only one more total offensive play (47) than New Orleans had rushing (46) for the game.

This ball-hawking defense has forced nine turnovers (five fumbles, four interceptions) throughout the course of the preseason.

Front Seven (A+) – The Saints came after the Raiders with a vengeance as they registered three sacks for a loss of 40 yards as they would hold them only nine first downs for the afternoon. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been playing at midseason form while picking up another fumble.

Secondary (B+) – The secondary has been rapidly improving throughout the course of the preseason while being involved in forcing two of the team’s three turnovers. Safety Roman Harper would force another turnover during the preseason. The Saints have started to clamp down on opposing receiving corps as of late. Despite giving up a late touchdown pass, this unit was on point throughout the afternoon.

In looking at this game, this question comes to mind, are the Saints really that good or the Raiders were really that bad? Could it be a combination of both?

One thing is clear, the Saints and their fans hope that their preseason success can finally translate into regular season success in 2009. A lot is riding on this one to say the least.
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