SmashMouth

The Saints beat the St. Louis Rams 26-24 in a hard fought, back-and-forth game that saw the Rams miss a 59 yard field goal as time expired. There was plenty to be pleased with for members of the Who Dat Nation, not the least of which was the excellent depth displayed in the trenches on both sides of the line.

The Saints rushing woes were well documented last season, and while I would say that we should not read too much into just one pre-season game, that is no reason to completely dismiss the success that was had tonight. The offensive line had an excellent night as the team ran for 123 yards on 24 carries which is good for a 5.1 yards per carry average.

Also, the Saints did not allow a single sack against a team that was third in the NFL with 53.0 last year. This stellar showing from the big men up front is made even more impressive when you consider the fact that both Pro Bowl guards, Ben Grubbs and Jahri Evans, sat out forcing Senio Kelemete, Jared Weaver, and Marcel Jones into additional reps.

Without the benefit of recording the game and watching the film it is hard to say exactly who played the best, but the box score speaks of an offensive line that was dominant and did not miss a beat, no matter who was in the lineup. The Saints were excellent at the point of attack and there were multiple times tonight where the O-line was not just winning with stalemates but rather by driving the guy lined up across from them two or three yards back. This was but a mere taste… a teaser if you will… it definitely has me excited to see the rest of the show!

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