New Orleans Saints Pre-Season Finale Gearing Up to be a Test for Backups
The defending champions, the New Orleans saints breezed through the preseason without incident. They won two of their three games (losing to New England) and would play their final pre-season game against the Tennessee Titans later today. So far so good but it’s still too early to say if a good pre-season run would translate into a good regular season.
Back to back titles are a rare thing and it’s an uphill struggle for the saints. They have to make the absolute most of the preseason but not at the expense of the regular season. Thats why the Saints starters would be sitting it out against the Titans. The countdown to September 9ths first of the saints regular season game has begun. Sean Payton wants his starter in pristine condition and won’t risk having any of them busted up for the sake of an exhibition match.
“In our case, the very first game being the following Thursday, there's not additional time if you get a player nicked,” Payton said. He said that the Saints would approach the issue cautiously and give priority to next week’s game.
Titan coach Jeff Fisher probably knew that Payton would keep his starters off the field. Fisher has been in Payton’s shoes. Last year it was the Titans who ended their preseason on a Thursday and then had to open the regular season a week later. Fisher however appeared to be unconcerned with Payton’s preparations for the regular season. “They're going to have 11 on the field, and that's what is important to us and we're getting ready to play hard,” Fisher said.
The game might be just an exhibition but the stakes are still high. It would be the final audition for the Saints Backups before Roster cuts begin to limit the teams to the 53 men. That would send 22 players packing this week.
Without giving away details, Coach Payton said that the Tennessee game would see more players from the second teams as they battle it out for spots. “They’re going to have a lot of playing time. Some guys are going to play close to a full game. Hopefully that gives us a better look at some of these players,” Payton said. The players too would be feeling the pressure of the looming roster cuts.
This would be the last chance for many to earn their spots on the team and the competition is going to be brutal. Payton said that the end of the preseason was his least favourite time of the year because of the hard decisions that have to be made. Having to cut players who have been with the team since April or since last year was toughest part of the job according to Payton. “That never gets easier or you never get used to that,” Payton said.
One of the most hotly contested spots up for grabs would be the primary if not the only backup to starting quarterback Drew Brees. It would be Patrick Ramsey playing the first half against Chase Daniels in the second half trying to outdo the other while Brees watches from the sidelines. It’s up to Payton to decide who stays and who goes.
While the risk of sustaining an injury is keeping some of the Saints on the sidelines, a whole bunch has already sustained and is recovering from minor injuries. Among them are Darren Sharper, Jonathan Vilma, and Tracy Porter. Porter and Vilma are likely to be in football shape before the 9th though some question Vilma’s recovery. Sharper though would probably miss the season opener. Sharper insists that his knee felt good. It better because if he is unable to get off the Physically Unable to Perform list, he would have to sit out 6 weeks.
Even though most of New Orleans starters won’t be playing, the Titan would use the game as an opportunity to closely examine their own starters. “We're going to play hard, we're going to play a lot of people, we're going to play the starters and we'll continue to play guys who are working to earn a spot on this roster,'' Fisher said.
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