First Take: New Orleans Saints offense runs over Houston Texans with ground game

SmashMouth · 08-22-2010, 01:02 PM

NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton obviously went into the preseason game against Houston on Saturday night wanting to run the ball effectively.

He accomplished exactly what he set out to do in a 38-20 win. And the way the Saints ran the ball (200-plus yards) was the most encouraging thing witnessed by the first crowd to see the Super Bowl champions play in the Superdome since last season’s the NFC Championship.

As long as Payton is head coach/offensive coordinator and Drew Brees is the quarterback, New Orleans is going to have an elite passing offense. But one of the most important factors in this team’s championship run last season was the offense’s unprecedented balance thanks to a much-improved running game.

The Saints took the opening kickoff Saturday and drove 72 yards in 11 plays to a touchdown. Eight of the 11 plays were runs, equally divided between Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, Bush carrying four times for 38 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown, and Thomas carrying four times for 16 yards.

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08-22-2010, 01:02 PM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,479 Blog Entries: 29	First Take: New Orleans Saints offense runs over Houston Texans with ground game NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton obviously went into the preseason game against Houston on Saturday night wanting to run the ball effectively. He accomplished exactly what he set out to do in a 38-20 win. And the way the Saints ran the ball (200-plus yards) was the most encouraging thing witnessed by the first crowd to see the Super Bowl champions play in the Superdome since last season’s the NFC Championship. As long as Payton is head coach/offensive coordinator and Drew Brees is the quarterback, New Orleans is going to have an elite passing offense. But one of the most important factors in this team’s championship run last season was the offense’s unprecedented balance thanks to a much-improved running game. The Saints took the opening kickoff Saturday and drove 72 yards in 11 plays to a touchdown. Eight of the 11 plays were runs, equally divided between Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, Bush carrying four times for 38 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown, and Thomas carrying four times for 16 yards. read the rest here Attached Thumbnails