The Who Dats Are Back!

The New Orleans Saints looked more like the defending World Champions tonight as they handed the Texans a 38-20 beatdown--N'awlins style. Set up by a fiercely dominating rushing attack that amassed a total of 201 yards, the Saints' victorious performance was a lot more impressive than the loss against the Patriots last week.


There were some very bright spots in this game as some of the stars came out in rare form. Reggie Bush electrified the crowd when he scored a beautiful 9-yard TD run to put the black and gold on the scoreboard first. Showing his speed and some raw toughness, the back bulldozed his way into the endzone, looking more like the power runner everyone hoped he'd be, running up the middle and between the tackles. It was good to see him exhibit his tougness just as well as his speed. He finished the game with 7 carries for 49 yards.

Not surprising was the performance of Pierre Thomas. Following key blocks by Jonathan Goodwin and Carl Nicks, Thomas scored a 31-yd TD off a screen from QB Chase Daniel to put the Saints up 21-7 in the 2nd quarter. Nobody runs the screen better than Thomas in my opinion. Often very hard to bring down, his extra effort makes him a dangerous threat on offense. He reminded us tonight why he is so deserving of the contract he seeks. Let's hope he gets it.

The reserve runner would not be outdone either. The power running of Chris Ivory along with that of P.J. Hill was key in a 65-yard scoring drive where Daniel hit his favorite target, Adrian Arrington for an 18-yd touchdown in the 3rd quarter to put the Saints ahead 35-13. Hill went on to suffer a leg injury in the 4th quarter, but was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power. Ivory finished with 20 carries for 66 yards. Both backs were very impressive again as they try to claim a place on the Saints roster.

Chase Daniel also had a stellar performance. Other than an interception of an errant throw in the 3rd quarter, the young QB was virtually flawless, putting up some very impressive numbers. In addition to the strikes for six he'd thrown to Thomas and Arrington, he looked extremely sharp as he connected with Zak Keasey for a 1-yd TD in the final play of the first half. He went on to finish the game 15/21 for 182 yards and 3 TDs. His go-to guy, Arrington had 3 catches for 71 yards. I'd say that over the past two weeks, these two have really made a case for themselves as to why they should be members of the New Orleans Saints.

Even the defense looked like it got a much-needed shot in the arm over the course of the week. DE Will Smith forced a fumble when he popped the Texans' RB Foster, forcing him to cough up the ball. Sedrick Ellis fell on it for the Saints, giving the Who Dat defense its first takeaway of the preseason. It was refreshing to see that the tackling was better than it was last week. Even though they gave up a few of plays straight up the gut, they did show signs of marked improvement.
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I don't think any of us doubted that the Saints would win this game. It's just that there had been a growing concern about which team we'd see tonight. Would we see the team who dominated on both sides of the ball last year or would we see the lethargic, lackluster team who took the field last week? Well, we got our answer and pleasantly so. It looks like the Who Dats are back!

Other important notes: Drew Brees was 5/10 for 36 yards and 1 rushing TD; Marques Colston had 3 receptions for 24 yards; Garret Hartley kicked 5 PATs and 1 35-yard field goal.

Not dressed were: Darren Sharper, Cliff Ingram, Jon Stinchcomb, Jimmy Graham, and Stanley Arnoux.