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Posted by Benjamin Hochman, Staff Writer
August 30, 2007


Normally, he's not even the best Thomas on the Saints (though this camp, Pierre has often out-shined Hollis and Fred.) And on Thursday night, after the Saints final preseason game, a hoard of reporters surrounded the running back Pierre, so much that teammate Brandon Villarreal shouted "#@$% Pierre!"

Thomas, though, demanded the spotlight in his final test to make the Saints. He ran 16 times for 81 yards against Miami, including the only score in the 7-0 Saints victory. He also caught two passes for 47 yards, including a dazzling 38-yard scamper on a short pass.

"It feels great, I felt like I did a good job out there," Thomas said. "I want it badly, and I wanted to show everybody what type of skills I have."

Thomas is fighting for a roster spot - or at least the practice squad - and key competition has been Antonio Pittman, the rookie from Ohio State. Pittman finished the night with 77 yards on 21 carries, a 3.7 yard average compared to Thomas' 5.1.

It was an evening created for backups, fighting to catch one more eye from a coach, hoping to make the roster before next week's season opener. Safety Chris Reis, another practice squad candidate, led the team with six tackles and two interceptions. Willie Evans, a defensive end, made three sacks, and namesake linebacker Troy Evans made four tackles, as did linebacker Brian Simmons.

The game was, in a word, boring. The Saints scored on their first drive, and that was it. But their backup quarterback Jamie Martin was efficient, finishing the night 11-for-15 for 136 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions. Tyler Palko, fighting for the No. 3 job, was 6-for-11 for 27 yards and one awful interception.

Only two offensive starters started - receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson - and Colston had two grabs for 17 yards, Henderson didn't have one.

The preseason is now over. One week from today, the Saints open up at the Indianapolis Colts, the defending Super Bowl champions.

"It's time to take care of business, keeping things going forward," said Saint receiver Lance Moore, who had a great training camp and two catches tonight. "There's a good vibe right now. To finish out with a couple wins make you feel good. We're going into the season with a little momentum."

Game Wrap-up - New Orleans Saints Beat - Times-Picayune NFL - NOLA.com

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