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Five quick observations from Preseason game 3

    • 297 posts
    November 20, 2018 3:38 AM EET

    The showing in Los Angeles this week was much cleaner than the sloppy game the Saints played last week. Drew Brees did throw one interception on a pass intended for Ted Ginn http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/benjamin-watson-jersey ;, but that was the only turnover, which is encouraging. Marcus Davenport made his debut and did not disappoint. Taysom Hill had a better outing and the wide receiver depth chart may be the hardest one to finalize. Hill’s RedemptionTaysom Hillhad 4 turnovers last week when he was given the start over Tom Savage. He needed to bounce back tonight and he did that in a big way. He once again had a nice completion percentage going 7 of 8 for 66 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 35 rushing yards and one touchdown. His rushing touchdown came in the redzone when he scrambled out of the pocket. He did a good job at going through his progression before deciding to take off. This is the kind of thing coaches like to see and could possibly keep Hill in the back up conversation, although Tom Savage looked good in his time on the field. Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsDavenport and the D-LineThe controversial first round pick finally made his NFL debut and did not disappoint. He made a nice tackle on an end around where he used his long arms to tackle the wide receiver and displayed his pass rush skills. He used a rip move and showed flexibility to bend the edge and run the arc around the left tackle. Davenport got pressure throughout his snaps and combined for a sack with Onyemata. Trey Hendrickson continues to show his progress and his ability to key off the ball and explode off the line of scrimmage as the ball is snapped. He should get a large amount of playing time while Okafor is out and could possibly start even when he does return.Offensive Rookies continue to impressTre’quan Smith continues his stellar preseason hauling in 4 receptions for 39 yards and showing his football IQ by finding a soft spot in the zone coverage where Hill threw a laser to him in the endzone. Smith also caught a pass for a successful 4th down conversion. Boston Scott got some extra snaps this game and made the most of them. He showed off his elusiveness an ability to break tackles and the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. He could add some fun wrinkles to this already loaded offense. Kickoff CoverageThe kickoff coverage was pleasantly adequate this game, keeping the Chargers from reaching the 25 yard line two out of the three returnable kicks. This was a point of emphasis during the offseason and draft. Mike Westhoff was also retained this offseason for his special teams acumen. Its encouraging to see the team adapting well to the new kickoff rules.Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsWide Receiver DepthSean Payton is going to have a tough time deciding how many and which receivers to keep. Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Cam Meredith, And Tre’quan Smith are all locks. The fifth and possible sixth spot are still up for grabs. Austin Carr had a nice game, playing primarily in the slot, he was able to snag 3 receptions for 38 yards http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/marcus-williams-jersey ;, including one long catch for 29 yards. Tommy Lee Lewis is the guy who won’t go away. He led the team in receiving with 36 yards. His best play came on a deep pass from Tom Savage where he was able to beat the corner back and make an impressive over the shoulder catch. Brandon Tate looks to be the punt returner which gives him a spot on this roster. Based on the snaps in this game, it look like the sixth spot is coming down to a battle between Carr and Lewis.3 Ups and 1 Down from yesterday’s win over the Cleveland Browns A win is a win, right? It wasn’t the prettiest of victories, but it still counts the same in the standings.In what was another roller-coaster of a game with plenty of ups and downs along the way, here are a couple that stood out.Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesUp: Alvin KamaraKamara failed to score a touchdown this week and noticeably struggled running between the tackles, but he still had himself a decent game with 97 total yards of offense and a successful two point conversion (more on that decision later).Hopefully the eventual return of Mark Ingram will help open things up even more for Kamara, but he continues to show how elusive and slippery he can be in the open field.The Daily Advertiser-USA TODAY NUp: Marcus WilliamsIt’s good to see Marcus have a strong showing with a key interception after the Minnesota Miracle haunted him all offseason.He didn’t play great the entire game, but when the team desperately needed a turnover, it was Williams who came up with a big play that swung momentum for the Saints.As the game went on leading up to the interception Womens Sheldon Rankins Jersey , you could see Marcus’s confidence growing, and his level of play increasing with each snap. Hopefully he can build on this and have the All Pro season we all know he’s capable of.Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsUp: Taysom HillTaysom continues to show how he can help an NFL team win games. It might not be at the quarterback position, but if you can get the ball into his hands, special things can happen.After unceremoniously fielding two kickoffs as touchbacks, Taysom decided to run one out of the middle of the Saints endzone. He made his way to the Saints 40-yard line, sparking a Saints offense thad had struggled to that point. Then let’s talk about what he can do when he’s in the huddle.On a 3rd and goal in the 4th quarter, Taysom and Drew Brees were both on the field, with Taysom lining up in the shotgun and Drew Brees out wide. His mere presence in the backfield forced the Cleveland Browns to burn a costly timeout that later proved crucial in the game. When Taysom Hill is playing, you’ve got to pay attention to him.Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsDown: Well Womens Mark Ingram Jersey , kind of, the rest of the entire game, right?There were problems basically everywhere else in the game.You hate piling on the sad franchise, but the Cleveland Browns kicking situation was so bad, it should make this list for the Saints. It was absolutely brutal.Drew Brees struggled with ball placement on a handful of passes. He put a little too much air on what would have been an easy touchdown to Ben Watson early in the game. He underthrew Ted Ginn Jr in the second quarter in what could easily have been an interception. Later in the game, when Ginn had his man beat, Brees had his deep ball sail off out of bounds. It’s hard to know if this was a one-off fluke, or a sign of things to come.Michael Thomas had another monster stat line, but had a costly fumble and drop www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com ;, both again for the second week in a row. As great as the play-calling was by Sean Payton to force the Browns to burn a timeout on the Taysom Hill-gimmick play and the decision to go for the two point conversion, he almost gave the game back to the Browns with a couple of questionable passes on second and third down with under a minute to go.This team has yet to fully click on all cylinders, but when it does, watch out.