From Foxborough, it's a game that would be great if it were regular season: Saints vs. Patriots. New champs vs. a dynasty trying to re-assert itself! Brees vs. Brady! Payton vs. Belichick! Randy Moss vs. Danny Gorrer! OK, not that last one so much. NFL Network has the New England call with Don Criqui, Randy Cross and Scott Z-O-L-A Zolak on the sideline. Freak that I am, I knew the Patriots preseason announcers without need for introductions.Saints start the game on offense after a Gostkowski touchback. Patriots, though, own the line of scrimmage at the start. Jerrod Mayo beats the fullback Heath Evans to swallow up Pierre Thomas on 1st down, Gerard Warren (?!) forces Drew Brees to rush a screen blank on 2nd down, and Marcus Murrell beats Jon Stinchcome like he was going up against Grant Williams for an easy sack of Brees on 3rd down. Not a championship showing there by the Saints o-line.
Yeah, a certain world champion doesn't look they came to play tonight. Julian Edelman takes the punt near midfield and really only has to slip one tackle to get down to about the Saints 15. Thomas Morstead, the Saints punter, manages to mangle himself while corralling Edelman out of bounds to save the TD. I think he got his hand stuck inside Edelman's shoulder pad and got his shoulder pulled out of sorts. Sadly, RamView's guidelines for preserving your punter in the preseason would not have saved him.
BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLIS is the Patriots starting RB? He gets a couple on first down, and Tom Brady gets his arm hit for a blank on 2nd down. 3rd-and-7, Brady tries to beat a Saints big blitz with a lob pass, but it's not really close to where Kevin Faulk is. Gostkowski chips the Pats on top. Patriots 3, Saints 0
By the way, if you want to use online rosters to follow along while watching these games, I heartily recommend Yahoo.com's. I use Google to search "New Orleans Saints roster", for example, and then click the Yahoo link. Unlike most team websites, you get there quick and the page comes up quick. And UNLIKE NFL.COM, Yahoo's rosters are accurate. And what's cool, they're organized by position, which really helps me locate players quickly.
Patriots get their second straight 3-and-out against one of the league's most powerful offenses. Thomas totals 6 on a couple of runs and Patrick Chung holds Lance Moore short of the sticks on 3rd down. Um, surely a world championship offense should have receivers who RUN ROUTES FAR ENOUGH TO GET THE FIRST DOWN, shouldn't it?
The kicker, Garrett Hartley, launches a 55-yard punt for the Saints, and after a hold, the Patriots have to start deep in their end. Per Criqui, Brady hits Randy Cross on the sideline at the 20 for a 1st. The similarly-named Randy Moss beats Tracy Porter for 23 a couple of plays later. Play-action from midfield, Brady hangs in forever but appears to waste one deep. After a SMOKE PASS to Edelman loses yards, Brady, throwing left for like the fifth straight time, hits Brandon Tate on the sideline for 20. Yeah, Torry Who? He's on this team, isn't he? COME ON, Saints, if you let smoke passes like this work, teams will never quit throwing them. Edelman smokes for 20 yards down to the 16 after Jabari Greer miserably blows the initial tackle. That pass was to the right. A couple of BJGE runs get them down to the 10. Don't like him as an outside runner. Like that he runs hard, but he's not getting much of anywhere. GAWD, Saints, if you don't stop 3rd-down draw plays, teams will never quit running them. Faulk down to the 5 with a draw for a first down. Jonathan Casillas stuffs BJGE on first-and-goal, but he busts right off Dan Connelly's pull block for a 6-yard TD. It's like Belichick already thinks I have either Brady, Moss or Laurence Maroney on my fantasy team. Patriots 10, Saints 0
I'm watching an NFL Network fantasy football crawl that ranks Steven Jackson the #9 running back, BEHIND RYAN MATHEWS. Isn't Mathews going to share carries with Darren Sproles? You have to rank Steven at least 5th or 6th; #1, he's a freaking stud, and #2, he's going to get almost every carry. IF he's healthy. But don't rank him behind somebody that you can't be sure won't be a platoon back half the season or more. (Tho my mind can certainly change as soon as I see a Chargers game or two.)
Fine blocking by rookie TE Rob Gronkowski on that last TD, too. Brees stays in to pilot the Who-Dats from their 14 after a kickoff penalty. I know if A.J. Feeley 3-and-outs twice Saturday night, and comes back in for a third try late in the first quarter, the St. Louis natives are going to be awful damn restless. Screen to Jeremy Shockey gets about 10 and Reggie Bush gets the first down up the middle. Moore and Marques Colston collect short passes for another 1st down near the 40. Shockey gets another at the Patriots 43. Noting here that New England has completely turned off any blitzing.
End of first quarter: Patriots 10, Saints 0.
After a screen to Thomas and another Bush middle run don't get much of anywhere, Devery Henderson drops a drag pass. He ran his route a yard short of the first down anyway. But the Saints hurry the 4th-down play and pick up a DPI on Donald Butler against Moore. Now Thomas churns left for 5 down to the 28. Tully Banta-Cain about goes right through Carl Nicks and forces a blank for Bush in the flat. After the CENTER false starts on 3rd-and-5, it's a DRAW to Bush, who zigs his way to a first down. Dammit, Patriots, if you don't STOP draw plays on 3rd-and-long, teams are never going to quit running them! 3rd-and-long draw plays have worked twice tonight, which is one time more than they do most preseasons in the whole league. Warren, again, hurries Brees into a bad pass on 1st down. A timeout gives me time to guess smoke route to Meacham on 3rd-and-7. And I'm.... wrong, Brees fires downfield to TE David Thomas at the 14. Thomas goes right for 5 on a play that should have been flagged after the LG flinched. Brees to Thomas in the flat sets up 1st-and-goal at the 4. 2nd-and-goal, Jermon Bushrod pretty well seals the corner, and Butler guesses wrong with an inside jump, giving Bush a fairly easy sweep left for the TD. Patriots 10, Saints 7
The game is now relegated to a small box in favor of a lame interview with lame winners of a Gillette contest. New Patriot QB is the short-looking Brian Hoyer, which I'm telling you before the broadcast did. Sam Aiken becomes the 4th, and BJGE the 5th, Patriots to catch passes tonight before Torry Holt has even gotten on the field for all I know. Is he hurt? Aaron Hernandez becomes #6 after taking a quick screen for 7 across midfield. Include blanks to Faulk and now to Sammie Morris, and eight Patriots have been targeted before Holt. Edelman's huge night continues with a nice slant pass from Hoyer. He shakes, bakes, breaks an ankle tackle and gains about 23 down to the 21. Face mask the next play sets the Patriots up at the 9. BJGE with a tough, pinballing run to the 5. Laurence Maroney next, touching the ball for the first time all night, cuts behind a fine drive block by Rich Ohrnberger for the TD and gives us his best John Cena impression. Actually, Laurence, we haven't seen you all night; maybe you should save the WWE gestures for when you're good enough to actually start a game ahead of BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLIS. Patriots 17, Saints 7
Replay shows that TD run was overpursued badly by, yep, Anthony Hargrove. 5:00 and 74 yards left for the Saints and Patrick Ramsey. 8 to Kelley Washington, then P.J. Hill breaks off 9 on his 2nd carry. The Pats blow up a screen pass, and Jonathan Wilhite blows up Courtney Roby on 3rd down, to force a punt.
According to NFL Network's crawl, 3 QBs and a WR should go in the first round of your fantasy football draft. And Steven Jackson isn't one of the 6 RBs. He ranks 13th. Anybody see that happening in your draft this year?
Hoyer beats a blitz, and Edelman wheels away from Pierson Prioleau's awful coverage, for 22 to the 42 at the 2:00 warning. If the Patriots win, I think we have our game MVP. Edelman is unstoppable tonight. Hoyer then goes three straight times to Hernandez. Saint pass rush foils the first two and the third is well short of the first. Maybe Torry Holt will come out and punt.
OK, I'll quit moaning about Holt now. Google News reveals that not only was he inactive for this game - there are inactives for preseason games? - he's in danger of not making the Patriot roster. Wow.
Saints have 1:30 to score from their 16, but only get to their 35 before having to punt. Hartley shanks a 35-yarder, understandable since he's the placekicker.
Patriots kneel out the half, giving us an opportunity to watch their very fine cheerleaders.
Halftime score: Patriots 17, Saints 7.
Devin McCourty takes advantage of a brutal, uncalled hold by Sergio Brown on the outside to return the second-half kickoff across midfield. Hoyer and Maroney in the backfield. On 2nd down, Hoyer hits Hernandez over the middle for 21 while being taken down. Casillas and Jo-Lonn Dunbar stuff Maroney for a loss but he breaks a tackle for 7 the next play. Hoyer beats rookie Patrick Robinson's offside blitz with a quick hitch to Edelman, who makes Prioleau miss him AGAIN while getting down to the 4. Prioleau another early candidate for Crappiest Player of the Preseason. Maroney's in from the 4 in three tries to make this game a burgeoning blowout. Patriots 24, Saints 7
But then, gosh, Wally, Larry Beavers returns the kickoff 97 yards for a TD, after coming to a dead stop at the 20 and cutting left-to-right back upfield. Awful lane discipline by the Patriots, who all got bottled up by the left sideline, and after Darnell Jenkins blew the initial tackle at the 20, no one had anywhere near enough speed to catch up with Beavers, though you could see guys run out of breath and snap hamstrings trying. Beavers only needed, and only got, one block, by #32, on #40, to spring him. (No sooner do I praise Yahoo for having up-to-date rosters than I find they're not up to date after all!) The Patriots wish Jenkins the best in his future endeavors. Patriots 24, Saints 14
There goeth that burgeoning blowout. We resume with Hoyer leading the Patriots from the 15 after a kickoff penalty. Maroney bounces off right tackle for 13. Hoyer can't hit Jenkins after his arm's hit, and he throws a bad smoke pass to Hernandez, targeting the rookie TE for about the millionth time tonight. Saints blitz Casillas on third down, and Hoyer doesn't recognize it, because nobody stayed back to block. Sack. Beavers returns Zoltan Mesko's punt, and my, what a difference good lane discipline makes, as he gets nowhere with a similar move as on the kickoff.
Saints at their 32, where Ramsey drills Adrian Arrington at midfield, and he runs down to the 16 after breaking James Sanders' crappy tackle. 51 yards. The same two guys connect again at the two-yard line, and Chris Ivory crowd-surfs it in from there without getting near as molested as Lady Gaga did last week. Suddenly, it's Patriots 24, Saints 21
As usual, the third quarter of a preseason game is crawling along so slowly, I'm going to have to suspend it for real life, aka the Rams game tonight.
Aaaaaand we're back. And there goes McCourty again, returning another kickoff across midfield. Tonight not shaping up as a special teams coverage clinic. Zac Robinson is the new Patriot QB. A - somebody drafted him? and B - it was Belichick? Shows what I know. He gets Bradforded by DeMario Pressley and fumbles, but a penalty on...... HARGROVE takes it back. Chris (not Fred) Taylor is in at RB. After a holding penalty, he gets about 10 on a draw, but the Saints blow up a third-down screen to force a punt.
Nice Mesko punt checks up inside the 10. Ramsey stays in the game, rolls right and hits Roby at the 25. They then try THREE runs and punt. Hill's 9-yard gain can't make up for Ivory getting stuffed twice by Tyrone McKenzie (and Rob Ninkovich). Pretty poor job using his blocks by Ivory.
Patriots start at their 25 and Chris Taylor gets them a first down in two carries.
End of third quarter: Patriots 24, Saints 21.
Taylor continues to find nice running room, gaining 6 around left end. But Pressley gets to Robinson before he can unload a short pass on 3rd-and-2 and gets the sack. Pressley just blasted Ted Larsen off the line to get room to roam.
Saints at their 12 after the punt, inside 13:00 left. Ramsey wants to go deep but dumps off to Hill under duress for 9. Ramsey's been a pleasant surprise tonight, a lot better than he usually looks. After Hill plows for the first down, Ramsey throws a pretty, deep play action pass that GOES THROUGH ARRINGTON'S HANDS. If Wilhite got a finger on it like Cross says, it was a fingernail. Should have been caught. The Patriot broadcast is ignoring the game now, and I'm ignoring their "interviews" that are actually blatantly disguised product placement. Saints RUN twice after the long blank and New England stuffs them on 3rd-and-4.
Patriots from their 29 with 10:30 left. Taylor spins out of a loss and gains 6. He's the best late-game RB of the Challenge thus far. After a false start, Robinson hangs in the pocket nicely but is nearly picked off at the sideline. On 3rd-and-9, Taylor doesn't know the screen is coming and it lands harmlessly on the ground.
Beavers muffs the punt and is damn lucky to come up with enough of it to win a tie for possession at the 30. Former Mizzou Tiger Chase Daniel takes over there for the Saints with 9:17 left. Still that much left? This game may have hit the wall twice. 17 to merry prankster Zak Keasey in the flat. He's hit on the next throw and is lucky Tory Humphrey could beat out two Patriots to knock down a flutterball. Ivory wiggles up the middle for 9, though. They fake a pitch left to him on 3rd-and-1 and Daniel hits Jimmy Graham in the flat for another first down. Wow, Payton is really turning Daniel loose. He looks deep on first-and-10 but settles for Arrington at the 25 with a pretty throw. After a short screen, it's Ivory banging up the middle for about 10 more. Daniel play-actions again and hits Roby down to the 5. They fake a pass right and Daniel hits fullback Marcus Mailei at the 1 for first-and-goal. This has been a sweet drive that has made Daniel look nothing but good. He calls a timeout with 4:20 to go. Somehow this feels like a perfect time to run a smoke route. Terrence Wheatley breaks up an end zone slant to Arrington. 2nd-and-goal, Ivory runs into a pile at the goal line and is lucky to avoid a turnover after losing the ball. 3rd-and-goal, they fake a plunge up the middle and bootleg Daniel left, which defenses almost never stop, but Wheatley and a couple of other Patriots are ALL OVER IT and Wheatley shuts Daniel down at the 5.
And then, curse you to HELL, Sean Payton, for going for the FG and TYING A PRESEASON GAME with 2:40 left. Somehow the NFL has to create a rule that makes teams go for it there.
Can Robinson and the Patriots spare us overtime from their 25 with 2:34 to go? Doesn't look good, as Robinson holds the ball forever and drills it into the ground after Junior Galette drills him on the throw. A new running back? Now? Thomas Clayton zips up the middle for 12, but Galette, who has a ton of tackles tonight I haven't documented, stuffs him for a loss at the 2:00 warning. Huge Saint rush gets a deflection on 2nd down.
GOD DAMMIT, SAINTS, IF YOU LET TEAMS GET AWAY WITH SMOKE PASSES ON THIRD AND LONG, NO ONE'S EVER GOING TO QUIT RUNNING THEM. They fake a quick opener right and Robinson wheels and throws a smoke route to Darnell Jenkins. He immediately gets a perfect cut block by rookie Taylor Price and has a veritable convoy of linemen to let him sprint down the sideline for a 51-yard gain. New England grinds out the rest of the Saints' timeouts, lets the clock run down to 0:57, and Gostkowski chips them ahead. Patriots 27, Saints 24
Daniel will have 48 seconds to get the Saints in FG range from their 26. He fires over the middle to Montez Billings at the 40, but Brandon McGowan drills him as the ball gets there and Eric Alexander alertly scoops the loose ball in midair to seal the win for New England. Unusual way to put a game away.
Final score: Patriots 27, Saints 24.
Player of the game: Good thing New England held on, because I've been prepared for like a day to make Julian Edelman the POTG. 5 catches for 78, a 41-yard punt return, and he looked near-unstoppable at wideout, though going up against Prioleau a lot couldn't have hurt. Little question to me he should be the Patriots' WR3, WR2 if Wes Welker can't go. Note: Torry Holt was IR'ed after this game due to a knee injury. I'd like to recommend he go ahead and retire Monday, making it possible (though not likely) for he, Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce to all hit the Hall of Fame the same year, 2015.
What did we learn: Even highly-regarded, well-coached teams like the Saints and Patriots can fall victim to third-and-long draw plays, screens, and smoke routes in preseason, EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER SHOULD. New England's very happy with their red zone performance: 3 TDs, 2 FGs, in an area where they struggled last year. The Saint QBs looked so good, I think they could even survive an injury to Brees, or trade a QB away to a team in dire need.
Up next: Game 4 shouldn't take too long, I've already seen it and written it up: Vikings at Rams.
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