I thought the New Orleans Saints loss to the Carolina Panthers was a glorified scrimmage when I watched it from the press box at Bank of America Stadium.

I'm even more certain of it after watching the replay of the game for today's film study. The Saints looked nothing like the squad that played the first 15 games of the season.

Instead of sticking to their basics, they used the game to experience with different alignments, personnel packages and formations.
This was a good idea for a couple of reasons. One, it gave the coaching staff a look at some new concepts in game conditions. Two, and perhaps more important, it gave their opponents more homework to study.
Some of the experiments were positive. Others failed.

For example, primary place-kicker Garrett Hartley handled kickoff duties in place of Thomas Morstead and didn't fare so well. His first two kickoffs landed at the 10- and 17-yard lines, respectively. Still, it was good work for Hartley in case something happens to Morstead in the playoffs.

On defense, the Saints held out regulars Sedrick Ellis, Jon Vilma and Darren Sharper as a precautionary measure and took extended looks at young linebackers Jon Casillas and Marvin Mitchell, seldom-used linemen DeMario Pressley, Jeff Charleston and Rodney Leisle.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams also showed several new fronts and alignments. The most interesting package was unveiled on the second play from scrimmage. The Saints employed their traditional four-man line but they subbed linebacker Troy Evans for cornerback Randall Gay on the second-and-9 play, giving them an unconventional back seven of four linebackers, two safeties and a cornerback. The eight-man front should have been the perfect package to combat the Panthers' basic zone run off left tackle out of a two-tight end set.

The Saints defense woefully overpursued the play, leaving no one at home for back-side containment. Weak-side linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who was lined up far left of the four-linebacker alignment, was so hell-bent on getting to the ball carrier he overran Evans who was aligned just inside to his right. Left defensive end Charles Grant also abandoned his back-side responsibility and was sealed off by tight end Gary Barnidge. With only a single safety (Chris Reis) deep, that left scads of open running room for Stewart on the cut-back. He broke into the opening and easily outraced Reis and Tracy Porter down the right sideline to the end zone.

When you hear coaches talk about maintaining run "fits" and staying disciplined with your assignment this is a case study in what NOT to do.
The Saints stayed very vanilla on offense. They ran more than half of their 61 plays out of a base two-receiver, one-tight end, one-back, one-fullback set. That's a personnel package they rarely run during normal games.

They held out Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas and got extended looks at running back Lynell Hamilton, fullback Kyle Eckel, tight ends Darnell Dinkins and Tory Humphrey and reserve linemen NIcke Leckey and Jamar Nesbit.

Saints coach Sean Payton spiced up things in the second half, unveiling his version of the "Wildcat" formation on a third-and-3. On the play, quarterback Mark Brunell lined up at wide receiver to the right and Lynell Hamilton took a direct snap from center and ran behind fullback Kyle Eckel for a 2-yard gain.
It marked the first time the Saints have showed the Wildcat this season. They ran the play out of a three-receiver set late in the fourth quarter to give opponents a different look. This time Hamilton gained 9 yards after taking the direct snap.

"We had a few different schemes in there (on Sunday)," Payton said Monday. "We snapped the ball to a running back and tinkered with a few things we'll look at in the postseason. I think more than anything else, we had a chance to see some young guys play a long time, not just five snaps. That's always good to evaluated and find out. For these players, any snap on film is part of their resume that is collected and the league is so good at evaluating everybody else's games. There's really no tape that goes unnoticed. I think it's important for those players as they continue in their careers."

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rookie punter Thomas Morstead had a spectacular day. He netted 42.3 yard on a season-high nine punts. Seven of his punts were downed inside the Panthers' 20-yard line. You won't see a better game from a punter.

PRESSURE REPORT: Meaningless game or not, Gregg Williams threw his usual array of blitzes at the Panthers. He blitzed 13 times in the second quarter alone, including eight of nine plays

He came after Matt Moore with blitzes on five consecutive plays in the Panthers' two-minute drill. Gay almost had a drive-killing sack but Moore was able to unload a pass before Gay could bring him down. It was very close to an intentional grounding call but officials ruled he had a receiver in the area. Moore's heady play avoided a 14-yard loss and kept the drive alive in decent down-and-distance situations. Four plays later, Moore hit Dwayne Jarrett for a 30-yard TD pass in single coverage against Prioleau.

SCOUTING REPORT: It's asking a lot for 39-year-old Mark Brunell to look efficient after not having started an NFL game in 2 ½ years. And he didn't. Brunell showed a decent arm and nice zip on his intermediate throws but really struggled to make play downfield. He misfired on a handful of "shot" plays to speedy receivers Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem, the kind of plays Drew Brees connects on routinely. The Saints called a lot of bootlegs and rollouts to make things easy for Brunell and keep rush ends Julius Peppers and Everette Brown at bay. For the most part, it worked. Brunell wasn't sacked in 29 pass attempts. But if this were an audition, I don't think he showed enough to Saints coaches and personnel execs to solidify the backup job next season. The Saints likely learned a lot from this performance.

DIDYA NOTICE?: The replay of Reggie Bush's punt return has some very telling video For those of you who have the game TiVo'd go back and watch it. Bush makes a nifty 11-yard return. On it, he makes one of those trademark Bush cuts to break the ankles of a Panthers defender and give himself an extra 5 or so yards. The key, though, is he makes the hard cut on his right or "good" knee. Notice how hard he cuts on the leg and the pressure he exerts on the joint. Then notice a few steps later when he cuts on his left knee, the one he's had so much trouble with in recent years. It's not nearly as hard or decisive and the defender easily wraps him up. It's still a decent cut but at the NFL level decent doesn't get it done. Bush was one of the most elusive runners of his generation in large part because of his ability to cut on a dime. I might be guilty of over-analysis, but it appears he's lost some of that cutting ability, at least on his surgically-repaired left knee. Not surprising news but very noticeable in this video.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

FIRST QUARTER:
Chris Reis earned his first start at safety in place of Darren Sharper. Marvin Mitchell and Jonathan Casillas made the second starts of their career at middle and weak-side linebacker, respectively, in place of Jon Vilma and Scott Shanle.

The Saints were caught off guard by Rhys Lloyd's short kickoff. Troy Evans muffed it and Darnell Dinkins alertly recovered the loose ball at the Saints' 36.
Everette Brown beat Jermon Bushrod with a speed rush off the edge to force an incompletion on Mark Brunell's second pass attempt but the veteran quarterback needs to climb in the pocket better to avoid the pressure. The Panthers only had a four-man rush on the play.
Thomas Morstead's first punt traveled exactly 62 yards in the air. It left his foot at the Saints' 29 and landed in Captain Munnerlyn's arms at the Panthers' 9. The kid has an impressive leg.

It looked like the Saints stopped Stewart short on a third-and-1 on the Panthers' second series but officials gave him a generous spot for the conversion. Defensive tackle Rodney Leisle made his debut on the play.
Brunell threw his first deep ball about 50 yards in the air but it was incomplete to Meachem. He had the benefit of a strong wind at his back, though.
New tight end Troy Humprhey made his debut in the regular offense on the fourth play of the second series.

Referee Alberto Riveron overturned a sack and fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown by Anthony Hargrove. It appeared Hargrove knocked the ball loose from quarterback Matt Moore while he was sliding to the ground but Riveron ruled Hargrove's legs hit Moore before before he dislodged the ball.

Reggie Bush made a terrific 20-yard punt return on his second attempt but it was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty against Roby.
Julius Peppers nearly sacked Brunell and Hamilton at the same time on a first-down pass rush on the Saints' final series. Just before the snap, Peppers moved inside and the late movement confused the Saints because no one picked him up. Hamilton tried to save his quarterback with a last-second block but got bowled over into Brunell by the powerful 6-foot-7 Peppers.

SECOND QUARTER:
Bush showed nice patience and vision as a runner in this game. He deftly weaved through defenders and blockers for a 16-yard gain on a run intended to go left on the third play of the quarter. Bush cut to the back side and found a nice seam while using his blockers to navigate lanes downfield. This was exactly the kind of run Bush has struggled to make for various reasons throughout his NFL career. But he showed the patience, decisiveness and vision all great NFL runners have. He turned nothing into something. And it wasn't lost on Bush, who enthusiastically spin the ball into the turf at the end of the play for emphasis.

Humphrey moved into David Thomas' H-back role on the opening drive and delivered a couple of nice blocks for Lynell Hamilton.
The Saints have struggled on third down of late and Payton won't like the failed third-and-2 in the red zone that led to a field goal. The Saints had two wide receivers stacked wide to each side, with Bush and Meachem trailing Henderson and Colston, respectively. First, Brunell threw to Meachem instead of Bush, who running skills seems perfectly suited for this play. Second, Colston did not execute his block on Richard Marshall. And third, Meachem didn't read Colston's attempted block and dive back inside for the first down. Instead, he ran directly into the cornerback and was tackled for no gain. Good play by Marshall. Bad play by the Saints.

Charles Grant appeared to suffer his season-ending torn triceps injury on a first down play on the Panthers' first series of the quarter. While rushing Moore, Grant leaped to try to bat down a pass by Matt Moore and was submarined by right tackle Geoff Schwartz. Grant likely suffered the injury as he tried to brace his fall to the ground with his outstretched arms after the low block.

Excellent recognition by safety Roman Harper and Casillas to thwart a third-down screen pass by Carolina on third-and-10 at the Saints' 33. Harper blitzed from the backside with slot man Randall Gay but quickly recognized the play and stayed at home to force an incompletion. Casillas was right there on Stewart, as well.

The Saints ran the exact same blitz on the ensuing fourth-and-10 and the Panther again failed to pick it up. Gay was credited with the sack.
Pierson Priloeau, Troy Evans and Jeff Charleston replaced veterans Roman Harper, Will Smith and Scott Fujita for good at safety, strong-side linebacker and right end on the Panthers' second series
Humphrey made his first catch as a Saint late in the quarter, a 7-yarder in the right flat. He became the 16th Saint to catch a pass this season.
Roby's fumble occurred after a helmet-to-helmet hit with Sherrod Martin, who had just shed a block by Prioleau. Roby didn't see Martin until the last instant and ran right into him. The hit left Roby woozy and he did not return. The fumble cost the Saints a field goal.

THIRD QUARTER:
A handful of offensive regulars took seats in the second half. Zach Strief, Jamar Nesbit and Nick Leckey replaced Stinchcomb, Jahri Evans and Jon Goodwin along the right side of the offensive line. Reggie Bush also did not return to action in the second half.

Brunell would love to have back his throw on the first play of the third quarter. Out of a two-tight end, "run" set, he had Meachem open deep after a double move beat Marshall in single coverage but Brunell woefully underthrew Meachem and Marshall was able to recover and make break up the pass. Brunell threw the ball about 53 yards in the air but it wasn't enough to lead the speedy Meachem. In Brunell's defense, he had to avoid Peppers' rush before unloading the pass, which was delivered a split-second late. Another "shot" play the Saints failed to hit.

Jarrett made an incredible one-handed catch to beat single coverage by Gay for a 21-yard gain along the Panthers sideline. Moore unloaded the ball early to beat yet another Saints blitz.

A tremendously athletic play by Carolina's Quinton Teel prevented a touchback on a punt by Jason Baker and allowed the Panthers to down the ball at the Saints' 4.

Not sure about the unsportsmanlike personal foul call against Munnerlyn on the incomplete deep pass to Meachem. It was undoubtedly a clothesline tackle but it wasn't intentional. Munnerlyn was just making a play on the ball. Meachem was shaken up on the play when he hit the ground awkwardly.
Hamilton showed how tough he is on the Saints' lone touchdown drive. He scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run one play after taking a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit on the goal line from safety Chris Harris. The hit appeared to knock Hamilton woozy then he took a blow to his right shoulder on the touchdown run. You could see Hamilton go to his knee in the end zone after scoring and Saints medial personnel tended to him on the sidelines after the play. Mike Bell had to take Hamilton's spot on kickoff coverage on the ensuing kickoff.

FOURTH QUARTER:
Hamilton returned to make a short run on third down out of a three-receiver set on the first series.

Casillas showed impressive effort and speed to drop Munnerlyn in his tracks with a big hit on punt coverage. That's the kind of play that could earn him a spot on the active roster in the postseason because Payton is looking for special teams standouts.
Eckel caught his first pass with the Saints on a short swing route to the left side. It gained 6 yards.

Peppers gets a lot of credit for being a "freak" athlete and rightfully so but he also showed great intelligence and instincts to read a screen play and make a terrific one-handed interception to thwart a late Saints' scoring drive.
PERSONNEL PACKAGES: The Saints were appropriately vanilla on offense. They ran 33 plays, including 25 of their 35 second-half snap, out of a basic two-receiver, one-tight end set with a traditional backfield of a running back and fullback. That is far and away the most times they've stayed in that personnel package and alignment this season. Consquently, a handful of Saints saw their most extensive action of the season. Tight end Darnell Dinkins had 53 reps. Fullback Kyle Eckel had 41 reps. Running back Lynell Hamilton had 28 reps.

Here's the breakdown of the reps at each skill position: WR -Henderson 53; Meachem 41; Colston 35; Roby. TE - Dinkins 53; T.Humphrey 13; Zach Strief 4. RB - L.Hamilton 28; M.Bell 24; R.Bush 10.
Here's a look at the Saints' personnel packages on their 61 offensive snaps:
2WR/1TE/1RB/1FB - 33 out of 61 plays
1WR/1TE/2RB/1FB - 8 out of 61
3WR/1TE/1RB - 7 out of 61
2WR/2TE/1RB - 7 out of 61
3WR/1RB/1FB - 3 out of 61
3WR/2RB - 2 out of 61
4WR/1RB - 1 out of 61