Halo

I will say it again: It is preseason, folks.

That said, you have to be impressed with how the New Orleans Saints starters performed in the first half. It was a vast improvement over last week though the competition was not very good, frankly. Sacks and stops were a good thing to see for Rob Ryan's defense. Completions and scores for Drew Brees and company were a welcome sight. Here are my quick takes from the Saints 28-20 win over the Raiders.

**For the second consecutive game, Thomas Morstead boomed the opening kickoff through the end zone. Garrett Hartley handled most kickoff duties after that one.

**Roman Harper, who often struggles in coverage, had blanket coverage on David Augsberry but Matt Flynn still fit it into the tight end for a 28 yard gain on third down on the opening possession of the game.

**Middle linebackers Ramon Humber and David Hawthorne combined to stop Darren McFadden cold on fourth-and-one from the Saints' 43-yard line. Humber played very well. He was flying to the football, playing with his pants on fire.

**It was good to see Garrett Hartley nail a 53-yard field goal. Hartley is due a breakout season, if he remains healthy in 2013. The 53-yard field goal matched Hartley's career long field goal, though this one was not official.

**Travaris Cadet's stock dropped dramatically. While it may not have been a fatal performance, two fumbles are unacceptable. Fool me once, you won't fool me twice. Khiry Robinson trended up once again with a very solid performance.

**Deep threat? How about Nick Toon? Great deep ball by Drew Brees. You have to be encouraged by the arm strength Brees has displayed. He threw a perfect deep fade to Kenny Stills (dropped) against Kansas City and dropped the ball in the bucket to Toon. By the way, it was former Saint Tracy Porter on the coverage. The Saints offered Porter a chance to return to New Orleans in the offseason. He chose former Saints assistant Dennis Allen and the Raiders, instead. Which team do you think has a better chance to win?

**Porter left the game injured after making a tackle of Stills early in the second quarter with a groin injury. That has been the story of Porter's career. He is injury prone, very fragile. His monumental plays in Saints history will never be forgotten.

**Humber came unblocked to level Flynn on a sack before Cameron Jordan whipped left tackle Alex Barron for a sack.

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