Football is back, and that means The BoiLa is back! We’ve dusted off the notepad and are refreshed and ready to get back to business, analyzing and writing up every Saints game for the 2016 season. Although we’ll save our usual full grades, snap counts and analysis for the regular season, we couldn’t resist in jotting down a few of our (subjective) observations regarding the Saints opening showing in Foxborough on Thursday night.

As with last preseason, we’ll begin each of our written breakdowns with an offensive or defensive Stock Watch Table, which somewhat crudely depicts the six Saints who we believe improved their stock the most in that particular game, along with the six who we think did themselves little to no favors (obviously bearing in mind that there’s only so much you can read into Week 1 of preseason).



So, without further ado, you can see our Stock Watch Table for the Saints offense following the Patriots game below:

If you like a little more depth to your analysis though, then please do read on to find out exactly why we’ve arrived at the above conclusions.

Quarterbacks

We’ll get Drew Brees‘ three snaps out the way first. His first play from scrimmage was a beautifully lofted touch pass down the right sideline to Brandin Cooks for 37-yards. Two handoffs later, and the Saints had fumbled possession away and thus Brees’ day was done. Still, #9 moves into preseason Week 2 with a 100% completion rate on the year – you can’t argue with that.

Second-year QB Garrett Grayson got the nod from Sean Payton to be the next man under center. After a shaky 2015 pre-season which saw Grayson just about fend off Ryan Griffin for the QB3 spot, the former Colorado State standout is no doubt keen to show off some tangible improvements to his game this time round. One play later however, and Grayson was ruefully trotting back to the sideline after his opening passing attempt was picked off. Looking back on the tape, it was most certainly an ill-advised throw, with #18 targeting a double-covered Brandon Coleman. The pass flew on Grayson, was tipped by a stretching Coleman and ended up landing in the hands of Patriots LB Jamie Collins who ran it back 43 yards for a TD. A very tough start.

However, to Grayson’s credit he rallied well, determined not to let that early pick-6 define his performance. His best moments came during the second quarter, where he led the Saints on an 8-play, 80-yard TD drive. There were two plays that particularly impressed us most during this series. The first was a seemingly innocuous 16-yard checkdown to Tim Hightower in the flats. However, the most pleasing aspect of this play was you could see Grayson actively going through his progressions, taking time in the pocket and then making the right choice with his primary and secondary options covered. The second play of note was a well-thrown 25-yarder down the right sideline to Michael Thomas, with Grayson standing his ground in the pocket and making the correct read despite Jabaal Sheard rapidly bearing down on him. Last pre-season, Grayson was criticized for his anxiousness in the pocket, but both of these plays highlight a small glimpse of the aforementioned tangible improvements we’d like to see from the second-year QB. Grayson led the Saints offense on 6 drives, totaling 35 snaps while throwing for 133 yards on 10-16 passing.

With Brees and Grayson back on the sideline, incumbent QB2, Luke McCown, was given the second half to himself. For the vast majority of his 50 snaps, the 12-year pro look like the assured back-up we’ve been used to seeing since 2013. However, there were also two uncharacteristic (and costly) mistakes from McCown which have left us speculatively pondering whether #7 may be starting to near his NFL expiry-date. The first of those mistakes occurred at the Patriots’ 5-yard line, with McCown looking to lead the Saints to the endzone on his opening drive, but instead forcing a back-shoulder throw to RJ Harris that Patriots CB Cre’von LeBlanc was easily able to intercept. Six points missed by McCown on that occasion, while in the fourth-quarter the veteran gifted six points the other way. Lining up in his own half, McCown coughed up the football when sacked by Trey Flowers who then returned it himself for the score. Two slack plays from the 35-year old, who otherwise put up 143 passing yards while going 18-27 on the day.

All in all, the fact it’s the first week of pre-season has to be taken into account, and QBs exhibiting a certain amount of ring-rust is all but guaranteed. As such, making any kind of positive affirmations on the QB depth chart at this point would be foolish, but one thing we can deduce from the opening game of preseason is that the battle for Brees’ backup spot is a live one for now.

Offensive Line

Overall, the Saints used five different offensive line groupings during their 14 drives:

Drives 1 to 4: Peat (LT) – Lelito (LG) – Unger (C) – Kelemete (RG) – Strief (RT)

Drives 5 to 7: Hills (LT) – Lelito (LG) – Allen (C) – Kelemete (RG) – Peat (RT)

Drives 8 to 10: Hills (LT) – Lemon (LG) – Allen (C) – Turner (RG) – Thompson (RT)

Drives 11 & 12: Hills (LT) – Lemon (LG) – Henry (C) – Turner (RG) – Thompson (RT)

Drives 13 & 14: Cheek (LT) – Lemon (LG) – Henry (C) – Turner (RG) – Fullington (RT)

Performance-wise, there was probably more bad than good on the day. Most notably, Andrus Peat had a torrid time lining up at both left and right tackle over his 38 snaps. At LT, Peat was beaten by Collins on a Hightower rush stopped behind the line, and was also forced to commit a holding penalty when Sheard split a Peat/Lelito double-team with an inside stunt. Peat switched sides in the second quarter but continued to struggle, giving up two further QB hurries (including Chris Long emphatically overpowering him on a bull-rush). To round off the day, Peat was flagged for a holding call on Long after the DE again breezed past him with an inside swim move. It was a very tough examination for Peat at tackle, albeit going up against quality opposition in Collins, Sheard and Long. Realistically, it seems the versatile Peat may find his only chance of gaining a starting spot in 2016 is at a guard position which no longer has the right side locked down by Jahri Evans. With Armstead slated to be returning to the lineup on Saturday, It’ll be interesting to see where the majority of Peat’s snaps come in Houston.

There wasn’t too much to note among the rest of the O-Line “starters”. Zach Strief and Max Unger were given an easy night, playing only 15 snaps a piece. Senio Kelemete played 38 snaps at right guard and didn’t do much wrong. Being hyper-critical you could penalize Kelemete for generating little push in the run game, but he was solid in pass protection and did a serviceable job overall. Comparatively, Tim Lelito (LG) exhibited great strength and vision at times when run blocking (working at the second level Ingram 8-yarder 1Q, pulling back across formation to lay a block on Ingram TD, 1Q), but was less steady in pass protection, giving up two QB hurries (Sheard 1Q inside stunt, Flowers 2Q spin move).

Lelito has consistently picked up strong grades on The BoiLa as a run blocker over the past two seasons, but seems to often grade less favorably in pass protection. As mentioned earlier, with Jahri Evans now departed, Lelito appears well-set to remain a starter for the Saints in 2016. With this in mind, we’ll be keeping a keen eye out for any improved displays in pass protection for the remainder of pre-season as the regular season looms large.

Moving onto the second/third stringers, both Tony Hills and Tyrus Thompson saw significant playing time at left and right tackle respectively – but neither set the world alight. Hills was marginally more impressive for us, and actually ended up leading the Saints in playing time on Thursday, seeing the field for 69 of 88 offensive snaps. The veteran entered the game during the Saints fifth possession but seemed to tire as the game wore on. He was beaten for a QB hurry in the 3rd quarter and gave up a sack after getting beaten in the 4th. Thompson played 46 second half snaps at right tackle. He showed early promise with a solid opening series that saw the Saints drive into the redzone, but struggled beyond that, getting flagged for a hold on Pats lineman Joe Vellano, committing a false start penalty and also being twice beaten by Trey Flowers for QB hurries.

Out of the interior back-ups, the player we were most looking forward to seeing in action was UDFA pick-up, Jack Allen. After reading a number of glowing reports regarding Allen’s performances at the Greenbrier, we were keen to see the rookie center in action. Unfortunately, watching back the tape, it was pretty underwhelming stuff. Initially, the former Spartan struggled to contain Pats NT Terrance Knighton, giving up ground to the veteran regularly and racking up a holding penalty in the process. In fairness, you can probably give Allen a pass for being out-muscled by a monster like Knighton during his first ever NFL action, but what was slightly more concerning was seeing undrafted rookie D-Lineman Woodrow Wilson also beat Allen on back-to-back Murphy runs stopped short during the third quarter. To round off a somewhat inauspicious debut, Allen was also flagged for an illegal block in the back during a screen play.

In observing the above though, it’s worth noting that the fact Allen entered the game so early on, and stayed in at center for 53 snaps shows that Payton and Co must see some potential in what the rookie’s been doing on the practice field. Here’s hoping more of that promise shows up during gametime this weekend in Houston, although Allen may find his snap count reduced somewhat on Saturday if the Saints choose to take a longer look at other potential backup centers, such as guard-center hybrid Kelemete, and also fellow UDFA rookie Marcus Henry.

Out of the rest of the O-Line, we were quietly impressed by rookie guard Landon Turner. There were no show-stopping blocks from the former Tar Heel, but Turner looked stout and the point of attack and was rarely beaten during his 50 snaps at right guard. In a similar vein, the previously mentioned Marcus Henry was solid, looking composed during his 20 snap cameo anchoring the offensive line, and also making a good block at the second level on Pats LB Elandon Roberts during a Lasco 6-yarder. Cyril Lemon started strongly at LG, but was eventually beaten badly twice on passing downs, including by Trey Flowers on the Luke McCown Sack/Fumble/Touchdown play.

Joseph Cheek and John Fullington played a handful of snaps to close out the game and will no doubt be looking for more playing time going forwards if they want to contend for a roster spot. Even further back on the OL depth chart, Jordan Walsh, Kaleb Eulls and Avery Young received no playing time at all. Walsh has subsequently been cut to make way for veteran cornerback Cortland Finnegan, but it’ll be interesting to see if either Eulls (who made the Saints 53 as a D-Lineman last year) or Young, receive any playing time in Houston on Saturday.

Tight Ends

It was a fairly quiet night all round for tight-ends on Thursday. Coby Fleener made his Saints debut and flashed a couple of times during his 16 snap run out. Receiving-wise he moved the chains on a 3rd & 7 with a nice 11-yard grab on an out-route against man coverage, and in the blocking game he made the key block to set the edge during Tommylee Lewis’ successful jet sweep two-point conversion. A very small sample size, but we liked what we saw from Fleener. Michael Hoomanawanui also saw the field for the Saints in the first half, and much like may of his appearances last season, featured most heavily as a run blocker, garnering no targets on the day. Josh Hill had the worst day of the three established options the Saints have at tight end. Offering little push in the run game, Hill fumbled after his only reception of the day and can thank the alertness of Michael Thomas for it not costing New Orleans another turnover. With Ben Watson now in Baltimore, Hill will no doubt be hoping to stake his claim for some of the targets the veteran TE has left behind. Unfortunately, he did nothing to further his case for those in New England.

RaShaun Allen and Chris Manhertz served as the Saints tight ends for the entire second half, totalling 31 snaps apiece. Both put in serviceable performances, and appeared adequate without springing anything big while run blocking. We were slightly more impressed with ex-Basketball player Manhertz’s ball-skills though, especially when he was able to hold on to a pass out into the flats whilst being lit up by a linebacker in the 4th quarter (the play was subsequently brought back for a flag at the line of scrimmage). As it stands, it appears a long shot for any of Manhertz, Allen (or Garrett Griffin who was inactive) to make the final 53 – but no doubt all three will try their best to out-do their counterparts further up the depth chart for as long as they’re on the field this pre-season.

Running Backs

The Saints averaged a disappointing 2.6 yards per carry on Thursday night, so as far as the general running game goes, it was a stuttering performance at best. Saying that though, there were at least some bright spots. After a somewhat-worrying early fumble, Mark Ingram ran with the relentlessness we’ve become accustomed to, finding the endzone twice in short-yardage “goal to go” situations. Of the other “prototypical” halfbacks, Tim Hightower seemed to be lacking that intensity he showed at the back end of the 2015 season, running into his blockers on two occasions as he totalled only 4 yards on 2 carries during a sub-par display. The intensity of Daniel Lasco couldn’t be called into question however, with the California rookie exhibiting a willingness to make plays as a runner, receiver, pass blocker and on special teams. The Saints seventh rounder was constantly around the action, racking up five carries and five targets in just 22 snaps.

Of the Saints more finesse options, Marcus Murphy was the most active, looking fleet of foot with ball in hand as he lead the Saints on carries (7) and rushing yards (22). There was a hairy moment for Murphy early on though, with the scat-back on the field as a returner he muffed an easy catch before making amends by scooping it off the floor and returning it for 48 yards. Murphy’s prospects of making the roster may well depend on his special teams abilities, so how that particular play has affected his chances is most definitely open for debate. Travaris Cadet saw action in a similar vein to Murphy as a running back (10 snaps) and also as a return man. The two-time Saint was unable to break off anything big though, but did at least safely corral his three punt returns.

Our final note on half backs regards the enigma that is CJ Spiller, who put in a performance reminiscent of may of his 2015 outings. Spiller garnered just six snaps and two carries on the day, seeing the least playing time out of all five half backs on show. There was a fleeting glimpse of Spiller’s turn of pace as he sped off on a 17-yard gain that was unfortunately brought back for a harsh chop-block penalty called on Allen/Kelemete. However, after an almost invisible year in 2015, this fleeting six snap salvo has done little to banish any of the question marks currently hanging over the veteran running back. Simply put, we need to see more, and soon. Not to ignore the fullback situation, John Kuhn made his Saints debut on Thursday night, splitting time at fullback with UDFA rookie Sione Houma. There wasn’t much to split each fullback’s performance, with both catching almost identical misdirection play-action passes to the right flat during the game. With incumbent Austin Johnson sidelined by injury though, you’d have to imagine that recent aquisition Kuhn is all but penciled in to be the Saints starter come Week 1 unless Johnson recovers in time to mount a serious challenge.

Wide Receivers

Last, but by no means least, it’s time to breakdown the performances of the Saints WRs in Foxborough on Thursday. Both of the Black and Gold’s leading receivers last year made short-but-sweet cameos in this one, leaving their mark with 20+ yard receptions on their only targets of the day. Brandin Cooks‘ came on the first play from scrimmage, burning his man down the right sideline before snagging a Brees touch pass for a 37-yard gain. In contrast, the majority of Willie Snead‘s 22-yard reception came after the catch, as Grayson found him sitting in a zone 10-yards down field – before Snead spun away to the outside and left two Patriots in his wake. While Snead and Cooks made their mark by capitalizing on solitary targets, the other returning 2015 WR, Brandon Coleman, wasn’t quite so lucky. #16’s only target of the day was a high ball from Grayson that Coleman unwittingly tipped into the hands of New England’s Jamie Collins who returned it for a TD. Coleman did play 24 subsequent snaps on the day following this, but the ball never again travelled in his direction. Although the pick wasn’t strictly his fault, it was still a slow showing for the sizeable wideout.

With Cooks/Snead/Coleman not taking up too many targets however, it gave some of the Saints newer options at wideout a chance to shine. And for 2016 second-rounder Michael Thomas at least, he grabbed that chance (along with seemingly anything thrown his way) with both hands. Thomas led all Saints wideouts with four catches for 67 yards (six targets). The former Ohio State Buckeye had already made a name for himself during training camp for his circus catches, and he didn’t disappoint during his first real-time action. #13 notably hauled in a jump ball down the sideline for 25-yards where he miraculously managed to get both feet in bounds, and then later burned EJ Biggers on a streak (even after the CB had been flagged for DPI) before diving forwards to reel in a Grayson deep ball 28-yards downfield. It was certainly an exciting start in the Black and Gold for the Saints’ newest offensive weapon – and with a number of targets unaccounted for in the Saints playbook following the departure of Marques Colston, Thomas is making a strong claim for a number of those thus far.

The award for “Best of the Rest” goes to the diminutive Tommylee Lewis. At just 5-foot-7, 168 lb you would be forgiven for questioning whether the former Northern Illinois standout has the size to play in the NFL, but on Thursday’s evidence, Lewis certainly isn’t giving up on his dream. He managed to find his way onto the field for 46 offensive snaps in New England, caught all three of his targets for 37 yards (including one stretched out in front of a linebacker across the middle), ran in a 2PC on a jet sweep and also returned a punt for 19-yards. You can tell Payton is extremely interested by the mismatches that someone of Lewis‘ size and sped can create, and we’re really looking forward to seeing other ways in which he is utilized throughout pre-season. On first impression, it seems the hype is genuine, and Lewis most certainly has a shot at making the Saints 53 man roster if he continues to put in similar all-action performances.

Of the other wideouts fighting for those fourth and fifth reciever spots, RJ Harris was active in the second half but his hands let him down, as McCown looked his way six times but Harris could only come down with two grabs. Second-year WR Reggie Bell was able to find the endzone though, sitting down in a soft-spot against the Patriots zone defense for a 4-yard TD from McCown. Beyond that, Jared Dangerfield (15 snaps, 1 target, 1 catch for 4 yards) and Jordan Williams-Lambert (6 snaps, 1 target, 0 catches) played a handful of snaps during the Saints final few series.

Regardless of whether the Saints decide to carry four or five WRs on their 53-man roster this year, the battle for those latter spots at wideout looks set to be a competitive one. Unless something drastic happens, Cooks, Snead and Thomas are locks. Beyond that however, the oft-underwhelming Coleman may just be starting to feel the heat, with Lewis, and potentially Bell and/or Harris ready to wrestle a place on the Saints final roster away from the 6-foot-6 receiver. We’ll certainly keep a close eye on this one in Houston.

That’s all for our offensive summary of the game in New England, but do check back on The BoiLa over the next couple of days for our defensive stock watch, analysis and fallout following preseason Week 1.

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