SmashMouth

Sean Payton stated the obvious when he walked to the podium for his post-game press conference.

"The first thing that stands out in a game like that is the four turnovers," the Saints head coach said after the Saints' 34-22 loss to the New England Patriots in the exhibition opener for both teams. "That's disappointing."

The Saints committed turnovers on two of their first four plays. Not how you want to start a game or the preseason.

Twenty-two of the Patriots' 34 points came as the result of Saints turnovers. Two of the Patriots' takeaways were returned for touchdowns.

In all, the Saints threw two interceptions and lost two of their four fumbles. Second-year quarterback Garrett Grayson threw a pick-6 to Jamie Collins on his first pass attempt.



I guarantee you the four turnovers will be the first item on Payton's agenda when he addresses his team after film study on Friday.

It's going to be an interesting week of work at training camp in West Virginia.

Other observations from the Saints' preseason opener against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium:

--Payton was clearly perturbed after the game but I think this will be a case where the loss wasn't as bad as the final score might indicate. I actually thought the Saints' regulars outplayed the Patriots, especially in the first quarter. They at least held their own. Something tells me Payton is going to feel better about his team's overall performance upon second look.

-- The turnovers weren't the only problems for the Saints. After going penalty-free in the first quarter, they hemorrhaged yellow flags in the final three quarters. They finished with nine infractions for 93 yards. Many of the miscues nullified big gains and first-down conversions.

-- Mike Thomas is the real deal. The Saints are clearly trying to temper the hype around the second-round draft pick out of Ohio State. By design, he almost sounds robotic in his answers to reporter's questions. Regardless, Thomas looks like a burgeoning star. His play on the field speaks for itself.

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