The Final Cut: Part I

45-7?! 9 pre-season turnovers?! Lets just hope the Saints can keep rolling like this right into the regular season. A lot of people say that the preseason means nothing, but Saints fans really can’t help but get excited when they see that the record breaking offense of last year remains (with what appears to be a stronger running game) and new defensive philosophy is in toe. A defensive philosophy that stresses getting pressure on the quarterback and forcing turnovers is just what the doctor ordered. In keeping with that excitement, lets look at the offensive side of the Saints roster before the Saturday cuts that will form the final 53 man roster.

Quarterback- This is the one position on the Saints roster where there are no question marks. With three veteran quarterbacks over the age of 30, we pretty much know what we have at this position. All three of these guys look to make the final cuts. The only real question here is how much longer will Drew Brees be able to perform at this record breaking level.

Running Back- There is a lot depth at this position this year and at least one of these guys will likely be cut by Tuesday and maybe two by Saturday. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are locks to make the roster. We haven’t seen too much from either one of these guys in camp and pre-season because of injuries and because the coaches focused their observations on the other four backs. The big story in the backfield during camp and pre-season has been Mike Bell. A former fullback who has played at up to 235 pounds, Bell showed up to camp at 219 pounds, displaying more quickness than what Saints fans became accustomed to a year ago. Bell has looked great in camp with the exception of two fumbles. Bell all but sealed his spot on the roster and a substantial amount of weekly carries with his week two pre-season performance against the Texans tallying 10 carries for 100 yards. The Saints will definitely keep at least one fullback on the active roster and that will be Heath Evans, the free agent acquisition from New England.

This is where it gets interesting in the back field. The Saints now have to decide between the three remaining tail backs and one fullback. The battle for the “big back”or short yardage back spot is between Lynell Hamilton listed at 6'0 235, 5'10 226 pound rookie Herb Donaldson, and 5'10 218 pound rookie PJ Hill. Hamilton, the elder statesman of the group appears to have the edge given that he is the most familiar with the system and is the biggest of the bunch. His numbers (31-143-0 through two games) are the best of the group. Hamilton’s only issues have been that he has failed to get into the endzone and he fumbled twice in the first game. Donaldson and Hill have both shown flashes of the talent that warranted the Saints taking a chance on them. Hill made a really solid showing in the 45-7 blow out against the Oakland Raiders putting up twelve carries for eighty three yards and two touchdowns. Donaldson had a nice fourteen yard touch down run on third down against the Texans.

There are a few possible scenarios in terms of how the Saints can handle the situation at running back. First , it is possible that all three of these backs do not make the roster. It is also possible that the Saints keep Hamilton on the 53 man active roster and keep either Hill or Donaldson for one of the 8 members of the practice squad. The last possible scenario is that the Saints keep only Hamilton and put him back on the practice squad where he remained the majority of last season. I think the likely scenario here is that the Saints keep Hamilton as the fourth back and Hill on the practice squad. At the back up fullback spot, Olaniyi Sobomehin will probably be placed back on the practice squad.

Wide Receiver- There is another intense battle going on for the Saints at the Wide Receiver position. The Saints are pretty much locked in on Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem making the roster. However, this leaves room for probably one, or at most, two more receivers on the 53 man active roster. Three players have made a case for the one or two spots that remain. Courtney Roby came along last year and showed that he can be a dangerous kick returner, but that begs the question, should the Saints use a roster spot solely on a kick returner. Adrian Arrington spent last year on the practice squad with coaches raving about his potential. However, he can’t return kicks and this would still leave the Saints with a hole at the kick returner spot. #13 Rod Harper is the third receiver that has made a case for this spot. Harper has come on strong proving his worth as a receiver and a special teams player. Harper returned a punt for a touchdown and also hauled in a touchdown catch. In my eyes you try to go with six here and keep Roby and Arrington and place Harper on the practice squad. Sklyer Green appears to be the odd man out here. He just is not a great wide receiver and does not appear to have the break away speed necessary to be a return specialist.

Tight End- At the Tight End position, Jeremy Shockey and Billy Miller are locks to make the roster. The problem at this position is that the loss of Dan Campbell for the season leaves us without a blocking Tight End. Buck Ortega, Darnell Dinkins and Martrez Milner are our remaining options. Dinkins is probably the best blocker of the group, but he has missed a great deal of camp due to injury. Milner was a long shot to begin with and has not done anything overly impressive to earn his keep. This means that Ortega will likely be the third Tight End for the Saints. We shall see what type of impact this has on the Saints running game.

Offensive Line- The Saints will start Jamaal Brown, Jahri Evans, Jonathan Goodwin, Carl Nicks, and Jon Stinchcomb on the Offensive Line. With the surgery to Jamaal Brown, Jermon Bushrod will start the season at Left Tackle, with Zach Strief possibly seeing some playing time. Former starting Guard Jamar Nesbit, along with back up Center Nick Leckey will round out this unit.

That’s its for the Saints Offense. Stay tuned for a breakdown of the Saints D...