There were a lot of impressive performances to note in the Saints preseason opener, at least in the most important part of the preseason.
The full Derek Carr offense only got one drive, but it was as impressive a drive as you could've asked for. Just a 12-play, 80-yard masterpiece that ended with 7 points and a whole lot of positive momentum.
With that in mind, all three of my "up" players will be on the offensive side. It's not particularly fair, considering the defense had a really solid day, too. But I make the rules, so here we go.
THREE UP
━━
TE Juwan Johnson
The expectations were already pretty high for Juwan, but I just love what I'm seeing from him right now. He's so confident, and if you didn't know any better you'd think he's been playing with Carr his whole career. Opening drive, 3rd and 8, and there's no question where the QB was looking. Juwan caught the ball and turned upfield, and the offense was in business. He was a weapon last year, but even that only included 42 receptions. I think that's just scratching the surface.
━━
WR A.T. Perry
There's a lot of pulling punches this time of year and no one wants to say the word "struggle," but it's been easy to see for anyone watching training camp that there's a bit of a rookie hurdle that's been tough to clear for A.T. Perry. He's dropped too many balls, his routes haven't always been crisp, he's been out-physicaled. But some guys are just gamers, and I've been hoping that once the lights got brighter we'd see him lock in, and I think that was the case today. He led the Saints with 70 yards on 6 catches and hauled in an impressive high-point ball for a touchdown from Jameis Winston in the first quarter. There's still a long way to go for the rookie out of Wake Forest, but there's no question this is a huge confidence-builder for A.T.
━━
K Blake Grupe/RB Ellis Merriweather
I couldn't decide between these two players, because both took prime advantage of their opportunities as they climb uphill for a chance at the roster. Ellis Merriweather took over after Kendre Miller went down with a knee sprain and didn't disappoint. He runs hard behind his pads ... always. He's just not a guy anyone wants to tackle. And when the Saints needed a touchdown in the red zone to set up a go-ahead 2-point conversion, the play was drawn up for him and he delivered.
On the other hand, there was one point in the second half I told a person next to me that the biggest bummer was for Blake Grupe, who could be seen warming up the entire second half for a kick that looked like it might never come. The offense was completely stale and hardly even sniffed Chiefs territory. He wasn't even given a shot at the game-tying PAT (and I agree with it wholeheartedly, because playing for OT in the preseason should be a fineable offense). It'd have been easy for him to lose his edge, but after a stunning Kyle Phillips interception that I still don't fully understand, he was put in position to hit a game-winner, albeit a short one, and he delivered. It wasn't the most difficult kick in the world, but showing he can handle the pressure is an important element in making it as a pro. He got his chance, just like Ellis, and he delivered.
━━
HONORABLE MENTION
WR Keith Kirkwood
Speaking of another confident player, I often find myself wondering whether Keith Kirkwood's constant involvement in the Derek Carr offense is a mirage. It's starting to become clear that it is not. When the play broke down in the red zone, it was Kirkwood that found space and went up for Carr's pass and the QB's first TD in the Superdome. I still don't know if he makes the roster, but it's starting to feel like the kind of connection Brees had with some of his top receivers over the years, and guys who were far more valuable in New Orleans than anywhere else because of it. It's also very easy to root for Keith, so I'm happy to see him finding a home.
Related
━━
THREE DOWN
P Blake Gillikin
This is probably a bit harsh, but man, shanks stand out, and there have just been too many of them in recent memory. Blake Gillikin said that he knows the consistency late in games was an issue last year, and a 23-yard punt is such a massive momentum shift. In this case it set up the Chiefs at the 50 and they cashed in for a touchdown four plays later after failing to mount any offense to that point. He's in a battle with Lou Hedley, and I think Blake still wins it, but dude ... the shanks have to stop.
━━
CB Troy Pride
The competition at cornerback is probably the toughest on the team and there's really not a ton of room for error. Troy found himself on the wrong side of that equation a few too many times in this one, particularly when it came to missed tackles in the open field that turned short to medium gains into much longer ones. Troy has showed well in camp and I expect him to bounce back, but for now he's fallen down the ladder a bit in the depth CB chase.
━━
S Smoke Monday
I don't think Smoke had a terrible game, he identifies as a big hitter and he certainly delivered that in this one. But there was one play that really pained me to see, and it came on a ball delivered to the left sideline to Nikko Remigio. Smoke had it tracked well enough that it looked like he could've made a play on the ball to, at the very least, knock it away. Instead he lowered his head and tried to deliver a hit with his shoulder that almost whiffed entirely. He made enough contact to throw the receiver off-balance and the damage was limited, but it was stunningly similar to the Marcus Williams play that we'd all rather forget. One play isn't going to be the reason he makes or misses this roster, but it's going to be a hard one to explain on tape. He might be a bit further down the safety ladder than we initially thought.
Related
━━
HONORABLE MENTION
QB Jake Haener
I actually don't think Jake Haener's stock is down after a rough preseason debut that was brought back with an impressive drive late in the game. I've been trying to reinforce the fact that rookies need to be given time to struggle, it's the only way they get better. That's what happened for Jake in this one. He took his lumps. He threw a bad interception. Then he steeled himself and delivered with the game on the line (even if it doesn't actually count). He's not the backup QB this year, and that's OK. The goals for him go well beyond this year. I want to see him work and improve throughout the preseason so that when you do get into a situation where he needs to take the field, he doesn't get a tub of icy water poured on him like we saw with Ian Book. There are bright days ahead for Jake, we've just got to be realistic with the expectations.