The New Orleans Saints haven't always been perfect this preseason, but they've done a lot of things right -- in between the flying yellow laundry, at least.
With most of the starters in street clothes, there were depth battles galore in the Saints' 22-17 victory over the Chargers out in L.A.
So who stood out and who fell flat? Let's break it down in today's three up, three down column.
━━
THREE UP
Jaylon Smith
I don't think the Saints want to heap too much responsibility on Jaylon Smith this season, but from what I saw on Sunday, he's bringing enough to the table that I think he sticks around and makes an impact. That'll be particularly true if Demario Davis' calf injury lingers into the regular season.
Smith ended with three tackles, but it was his range that impressed me most. I know he can come downhill and thump with the best of them (and we saw it in this game), but I question his ability to get there at times. I still want to avoid leaving him on an island in coverage as much as possible, but I feel a lot better about the linebacker depth than I did last week.
Kendre Miller
I'd probably have Kendre on here regardless of his performance and simply because of his workload after leaving early with a knee injury a week ago. He put on a knee brace (which he tells me he's still getting comfortable with), and he looked as sharp as ever on his 13 touches -- a team-high.
The former TCU standout's rushing total was nothing to write home about, but he did punch in the lone touchdown of the day after hauling in an impressive diving catch from Jameis Winston down the sideline. His all-around game is impressive. He looked good in pass pro on Sunday, but I still have questions in that part of the game. That's always going to be the case for a rookie back. I'm thrilled with what I've seen from him thus far.
Payton Turner
We've been waiting two full seasons for the flash we got out of Payton Turner on Sunday to arrive on a consistent basis. And I think we're seeing all the signs of that happening in Year 3. As a pass-rusher you can't win every time, but it only takes one big moment to turn momentum, and that's what we had on Sunday with Payton beating his man clean inside and cleaning out Easton Stick to force a fumble that was recovered by rookie Bryan Bresee.
Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan are the starters and I don't see that changing, but Payton has made it clear that keeping him off the field will be a mistake. If the pass rush can finally complement the secondary in the way we've been waiting for, this could be a really big season for the defense.
━━
HONORABLE MENTION
There always seems to be extra players that deserve a mention in this column. Shaq Davis showed off his hands multiple times and had a team-high 3 catches for 63 yards. I wonder about his route-running, but I'll settle for a contested catch magnet. ... . I also can't forget about Jontre Kirklin, who can tough the game in so many ways. He's so easy to root for, and if he doesn't stick in at least a practice squad role I'd be hugely disappointed. ... But the biggest star might've been Niko Lalos, who logged three sacks for 28 yards lost and just kept making play after play after play. He's a longshot to make the roster, but a game like this could make that discussion a lot longer.
Related
━━
THREE DOWN
Bryan Edwards
My stock on Bryan Edwards wasn't particularly high, but he had stacked a handful of positive days and was looking more confident. Then Sunday happened and ... ugh. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a player get called for offensive pass interference twice in four plays, and I've definitely never seen it take two touchdowns off the board, but that's what happened.
Part of it is an overzealous group of officials that threw a ton of flags, but a bigger part of is failing to avoid the calls. There's technique involved here, and Dennis Allen said it's something the team will be looking at as they go over tape and try to correct errors, but it's a tough look. Edwards also had a pass tip off his hands in the end zone on that same drive. Four targets, zero catches. It's easy to see that he's not trending in the right direction.
━━
Isaiah Foskey
As much as I hate to say it about a second-round pick, this is starting to feel something like a redshirt season for Foskey. The former Notre Dame standout just doesn't look confident, and I think that's manifesting in some lackluster effort plays. There was one point that he was unable to corral Chargers quarterback Easton Stick at the line, and Dennis Allen pulled him to the side for a conversation.
"That was a play that he should have been able to finish and make the play," Allen said. "I expressed to him that I expect him to be able to make that play."
Foskey is working hard and he'll keep improving. Development is the name of the game in the NFL, and giving up on a young player because the lightbulb doesn't come on immediately is foolish. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that my expectations for his rookie season have gone done dramatically over the past month.
Related
━━
The penalized
FOURTEEN PENALTIES. ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY ONE YARDS.
I mean, what? That's an absurd number of penalties, and if not for a 3-0 win in the turnover margin and several 4th down stops, those mistakes would've almost certainly swung the result. Even with the takeaways the Chargers were in position to win the game on their final drive until Lonnie Johnson intercepted Stick's final prayer.
So who was the culprit? Again, that's a tough question to answer. Thirteen different Saints players drew flags, though a handful of them were declined. Storm Norton, Lewis Kidd and Bryan Edwards were the repeat offenders.
Penalties in a preseason game aren't the end of the world, but it's gotta get cleaned up. That type of play will lose you games, so I'm dinging everyone who played a part in it. Here's the list:
- Storm Norton (2) — Holding; false start
- Lewis Kidd (2) — holding; false start
- Bryan Edwards (2) — Offensive pass interference
- Lonnie Johnson — face mask
- Smoke Monday — holding (return)
- Isaac Yiadom — defensive holding
- Troy Pride — defensive pass Interference
- Tommy Kraemer — Holding
- Alex Pihlstrom — Offensive holding
- Chuck Filiaga — False start
- Jack Heflin — Defensive holding
- (Declined) Paulson Adebo — Illegal use of hands
- (Declined) Max Garcia — Ineligible downfield
━━
ON THE FRINGE
I'm having a tough time grading Lucas Krull's day. On the one hand his athleticism can be a game-breaker. On the other hand he had multiple opportunities for impact plays that ended with the ball on the ground (the defense was a factor). Jimmy Graham's status is confusing at best after his seizure episode. Might there be a roster spot to be had at tight end? It's tough to say right now, but I need to see surer hands out of the second-year pro.
Related
