The NFL preseason marks the beginning of a new chapter for every franchise in the NFL. It also brings new opportunities for rookies and veterans alike to take their chance at finding a spot on a team’s 53-man roster. On Monday, August 19th the New Orleans Saints had to turn the page as they made roster cuts to put the team closer to their final roster.
Veteran quarterback Seneca Wallace was one player released by the Saints on Monday, along with veteran wide receivers Steve Breaston and Patrick Crayton. The release of Wallace came as a surprise to some, but cleared the way for Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin to compete for the backup quarterback job.
The starting quarterback job hasn’t been a topic of discussion in New Orleans since Drew Brees took over in 2007. Over the last 6 seasons as a Saint, Brees has 2910 completions on 4340 attempts, a completion percentage of over 67 percent. However this offseason a concern for the Saints has been Brees’ main target, wide receiver Marques Colston.
Colston has missed over 12 training camp practices due to a lingering foot injury. The team is in no hurry to rush him back on the field this preseason, and offensive tackle Zack Strief reiterates the importance of not prematurely forcing a player back onto the field.
“It is important for him to be healthy,” said Strief. “You push an injury early in camp to be in camp and then it nags you another eight weeks and you might be on the field but you’re 75 percent.”
Colston’s consistency over his 7-year career has the Saints coaching staff and players extremely confident in his ability to prepare himself for the regular season.
Although consistency in the passing attack of the Saints hasn’t been much of a concern in recent years, head coach Sean Payton knows what he needs to see from the rushing game this weekend against Houston.
“Just consistency. Getting ahead of the downs,” said Payton. “There were some positives about last week’s performance in regards to the running game and yet when you look at the tape there is some yardage left out there that we just have to look to clean up and become more efficient with.”
Running back Mark Ingram looks to carry a heavier load this year in the backfield in an attempt to be the key to consistency for the Saints run game. Ingram, who entered this preseason healthy and in better shape than years past says he expects to receive more touches this year.
“I came in healthy. I came in in shape,” said Ingram following Monday’s practice. “I’m a lot more comfortable with the offense and I just want to keep improving ever single day and being productive. That’s the key being productive and I’m sure more touches will come with that.”
Ingram’s teammates have taken notice to his hard work this past offseason and they are seeing the results on the field.
“You can tell he’s a different player this year,” said offensive tackle Zack Strief. “He has a lot more explosion.”
“He runs hard and he has an element where he can get tricky on you to0,” said rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro. “So when a guy can run you over and trick you, they keep you on your toes.”
The Saints will look to keep their opponents on their toes this season with a more balanced offensive attack, and it starts this Sunday in Houston, as the Saints take on the Texans in each team’s third preseason game.
