I may be just a fan but pre-season or regular season even I know finishing with a losing record don't cut the mustard. I guess thats why there is a big turnover rate for losing coaches and GM's.

There is no equivalence between the preseason and the regular season because no preseason game counts towards the record for getting to the playoffs. Every team starts 0-0 at the first game of the regular season.

Now it's possible to see some trends in the preseason. Some I've seen this preseason:

1. The defense that will hit the field in September is improved from the last two years. Better rush, better coverage, less penalties, better communication, less mental errors.

2. Most of the starting offensive skill players are showing promise.

3. The O-line needs work. There have been not so good plays from starters such as Peat, Strief, and Lelito. Also there have been some blitz pickup issues with Spiller.

4. The team has been sloppy with the ball from 1st team to 4th team. Too many turnovers. Period. This more than anything else is worrysome.

So what I'd really like to see is 3 and 4 cleaned up in the first half of the next game. If Brees comes out of the half clean and there are no turnovers, then things will be looking up in terms of the regular season.

SFIAH