WhoDat

Well, I finally got to watch the GB game. I've got to say, Billy, I completely agree (no, this isn't the twilight zone). I see absolutely NO reason for worry based on what our starters did in that game. I'm surprised at all the hub-bub.

Here's my take.

Deuce - could he look any better? Serious, this guy is FANTASTIC. Call it bias, but if he stays healthy and the Saints are in any kind of contention, I really think he will be a legitimate League MVP candidate. He looks just great.

Brooks - I cannot say a single negative thing about his play. He stood in, he delivered the ball well, he made smart decisions. I really think he could be a pro bowler this year. I wish that deep pass on the first serious had been thrown to the inside and not the outside (b/c if it is its a TD assuming Joe Horn can catch anything), but I think that's just a little preseason rust and the fact that AB isn't the greatest deep ball guy.

Horn - He got open A LOT. He HAS to, repeat, HAS TO, catch the ball. Otherwise, he looked fine.

Stallworth - than man could be pretty fierce this year.

Pathon - no doubt the #3 right now. I've given him a lot of crap this offseason, but he looks real good right now.

TEs - Boo and Conwell both looked great. Ernie is gonna give Boo a run for the money, I'll tell you that right now. Those two look like they're going to contribute A LOT.

O-line - again did a pretty good job on running downs. The pass protection left something to be desired. Of course, both starting tackles were out and the Packers blitzed pretty much EVERY down. I think the O-line played well. I just hope we don't get blitzed like that all year.

Defense:

Run D - The major concern right? Not a concern after that game. We handled the run great, I thought. MUCH better than last season. Take away one big run, which a) a guy like Ahman Green is gonna get in a game no matter how good your defense is, and b) was a run designed to go right at Ambrose (who f-ed up on the play - surprise), and the run D played very well against a good running team.

In general I thought the defense swarmed. They're really fast. We lack power, but we are FAST. Surprisingly, our LBs played well too. Watson looked impressive again, especially for a rookie. James Allen made me raise my eyebrows a few times. Maybe the Hodge suspension is a blessing in disguise.

Our secondary actually played decent. They still look to be the weak link, and they will cause problems. Actually, let me rephrase, our CORNERS are a problem. Tebucky and Bellamy played pretty darn well. Now, Ambrose is flat bad. Retire Ashley, you're done. I seriously hope he NEVER has to see the field. He is the WEAKEST link on either side of the ball right now if you ask me. (oh yeah - I like Will Smith!)

Special Teams - took a step back in the GB game. Return game was so-so, and the punt coverage has been really suspect. I hope they work that out soon.

Overall, I have to side with Billy. I really see no reason for concern. The offense needs to make catches and convert yards into points (keep drives alive, etc), but it's preseason. I don't see them trying real hard.

The D looked better than I expected after everything I heard on this board. I'm happy. GB is a better team than the Jets and they seemed to want to prove something. Even with that, I don't feel that GB was very successful against our 1st teams. If that was a real game, we would have been right in it. I'm feeling more confident about 10-6 or better right now.