Saints position Breakdown: Linebackers
Linebackers on the Saints roster:
Stanley Arnoux
K.C. Asiodu
Jonathan Casillas
Harry Coleman
Jo-Lonn Dunbar
Clint Ingram
Marvin Mitchell
Scott Shanle
Jonathan Vilma
Anthony Waters
While the Saints don’t have any superstars in their linebacker corps outside of perennial Pro Bowler Jonathan Vilma, their linebacking corps make up the second-deepest unit on the team, only behind their group at defensive end.
Even though Vilma and Casillas are both nursing injuries, they are expected to begin the season as starters alongside the vastly underrated Scott Shanle at linebacker. These three make up a talented starting group, but their reserves are all in a battle for the final spots on the roster, which are important, since Gregg Williams defenses have players constantly coming in and out of the game at linebacker.
Mitchell, Dunbar, and Arnoux are probably locks for the roster because of their contributions to special teams, while the other players may be playing for a spot on the practice squad. The biggest disappointment of the group has got to be Ingram, who was signed in the offseason to help fill the void that Scott Fujita left when he signed with the Cleveland Browns. Ingram has yet to get off the PUP list, and is probably a long-shot to make the final roster because of his lack of healthy contributions during camp.
Saints sign defensive tackle Clancy
A familiar face is returning to the Saints headquarters in Metarie, Louisiana one week before the start of the regular season.
Defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, who was on the Saints roster in 2009 and had his season ended early with an injury, was resigned by the team on Sunday.
His presence is expected to beef up the competition at the defensive tackle position. Even though the Saints run defense has been performing well in the preseason (see previous post), the team obviously wanted to bolster their interior run defense. Clancy is an older player for his position, but he was effective last year before his injury and passed the team’s physical.
This signing could also signal the team’s unhappiness with rookie defensive tackle Al Woods, who was the team’s fourth-round draft pick. Woods has not performed well in training camp or the preseason games, and Clancy’s signing could mean that Woods may be playing for a spot on the Saints practice squad.
Saints run defense looks much-improved
During the 2009 season, the only kinks in the Saints armor were their special teams and run defense, which were both porous, as best, last season.
And while the Saints have still struggled on special teams in the preseason, their run defense has looked stouter in the Saints first three regular season tune-ups. Even though it is only the preseason and the results should be taken with a grain of salt, there is no denying the results of their run defense during the first three preseason games.
The Chargers, behind highly touted rookie Ryan Matthews, only averaged 3.4 yards per carry against the Saints on Friday night. The Texans were also held to a meager 3.4 yards per carry against the Saints in their previous preseason game. The Patriots running backs fared the best so far in the preseason against the Saints run defense, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns.
However good these statistics look, it is still only the preseason, and everyone will be able to tell how improved their run defense is on Thursday, September 9, when Adrian Peterson and the Vikings take the field in the Superdome.
Saints backup QB competition going down to the wire
When quarterback Chase Daniel played seven series in the Saints preseason game against the Texans, it was assumed that Patrick Ramsey, the other quarterback vying for the backup spot behind Drew Brees would get the opportunity to show what he had against the Chargers.
But after extended playing time for both players in the preseason, the Saints backup job will probably come down to how the players perform in the Saints preseason finale against the Titans next week.
Daniel dazzled in his opportunity against the Texans, throwing for 182 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception, while accruing a passer rating of 117.5. And while Ramsey played well against the Chargers, he wasn’t able to duplicate the performance that Daniel put on. Ramsey delivered some good passes against San Diego, but looked shaky on other. He ended up passing for 191 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but the majority of his yards came on the screen pass that Chris Ivory turned into a Sportscenter Top 10 Play.
Even though Ramsey entered camp as the favorite to back up Brees, Daniel may have a slight lead on him going into the final preseason game. Since Brees isn’t expected to play at all against the Titans, Sean Payton will be able to get a good look at both quarterbacks, and determine which player will spend the 2010 season backing up the Saints starter.
Saints defeat Chargers 36-21
Marques Colston in the Saints preseason game against the San Diego Chargers
In the most extended amount of playing time that the Saints starters will get in the preseason, the regular season regulars didn’t disappoint in their two and a half quarters of work on Friday night against the Chargers.
Drew Brees completed 18 of 27 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, as the rest of the starters played well and built on their strong performance against the Texans in their previous preseason game. Most of the Saints starters played well, but one of the biggest issues in the game was the number of penalties the Saints committed. On the final stats sheet, they committed 11 penalties for 90 yards, while most of these penalties were dumb mistakes that a team of this caliber shouldn’t be making in any game, preseason or regular season.
However good the starters looked, an undrafted free agent stole the show later in the game once the starters were done for the night. Running back Chris Ivory, once considered a long-shot to make the team, all but locked up a roster spot with his performance on Friday. He rushed 11 times for 45 yards, but made the ESPN highlight reel with his screen pass reception that he turned into a 76-yard touchdown that he scored by running over defenders, stiff-arming cornerbacks, and outrunning the Chargers’ secondary.
Although there is still room for improvement before the beginning of the regular season, the team definitely took a step in the right direction with their performance on Friday night in the Superdome.
