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jeanpierre

BY NICK UNDERHILL | NUNDERHILL@THEADVOCATE.COM AUG 21, 2018 - 12:03 PM

It is going to be difficult to know where to look when the Saints and Chargers break apart to conduct one-on-one drills this week.

The strengths of both teams seem to counteract one another, meaning there should be high-level battles taking place almost everywhere you look.

Los Angeles pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will be trying to take on New Orleans tackles Ryan Ramczyk and Terron Armstead. Michael Thomas will be facing Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Heyward, and Marshon Lattimore will be up against wide receiver Keenan Allen. And then we’ll see if safety Marcus Williams can bait quarterback Philip Rivers into making some bad throws, as he has all summer against Drew Brees.

By the end of this week, there shouldn’t be many questions remaining about several of the top players. The competition in many spots is about as good as it gets if you’re looking for a measuring stick ahead of the season.

There shouldn’t be many concerns about Armstead after a strong start to camp, but if he can keep Ingram, who had 75 pressures and 10 ½ sacks last season, mostly at bay, it might be time to believe that he’s entirely back after battling injuries the last few seasons. And as for Ramczyk, stopping Bosa, who is one of the better pass rushers in the league, would further illustrate the growth made since his rookie season. But Bosa, who has been nursing a foot injury, will need to be on the field for that to happen.

There is little need to see how Thomas is measuring up. He’s solidified his standing as one of the better wide receivers in the NFL, but watching him go against Heyward will be one of the highlights of the week. Heyward doesn’t receive the same hype as some of his cornerback counterparts, but he made the Pro Bowl last year after allowing a 58.6 passer rating against when targeted last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

And then there’s the matchup between Lattimore and Allen. Who knows how often those players will go against one another, but this is more about seeing Lattimore up against anyone who isn’t wearing a Saints jersey. The cornerback has had some of his best practices of the summer recently. It will be interesting to see if he raises his level for the Chargers since it will be a more competitive environment.

By the time this week is over, we should have a better gauge for many of the lingering questions. Here are a handful of other things to keep an eye on:

The return of Marcus Davenport: The fact that Marcus Davenport missing most of training camp has flown a little bit under the radar is a credit to how well the defensive line has played so far. But it’s time to shift the focus back onto the first-round pick.

Coach Sean Payton said he expects Davenport to get some playing time this week, if that holds true it will be important for Davenport to show that he can win some repetitions and apply whatever he’s been learning behind the scenes on the field.

Davenport doesn’t need to beat out Alex Okafor and Trey Hendrickson to start the season. He just needs to be good enough to earn some snaps and make an impact when he’s on the field. Proving he can do that starts this week.

Interior defensive line battle: Devaroe Lawrence has been one of the more surprising players this preseason. After putting two offensive linemen on skates with his bull rush against the Cardinals, he’s now firmly entrenched in the battle for roster spots behind Tyeler Davidson, Sheldon Rankins, and David Onyemata.

But Lawrence isn’t alone. Taylor Stallworth, Woodrow Hamilton and Jay Bromley have all done well at that position, making it one of the more interesting positions to watch.

Going up against some new competition will also give another look at these guys, even if Los Angeles’ offensive line has some things to prove, but that hasn’t been a problem for this group. All of them have carried their practice production into games. Sorting out the depth at this position has suddenly become one of the harder decisions to make.

Something new: It will be good to see Brees finally go up against another defense after seeing him try to complete passes against the same secondary for the last month. He’s thrown a few interceptions here and there, but it’s hard to know if that’s the result of the defense knowing the plays or something else. Payton has said the receivers have been overlooking some details.

So, with the Chargers on the field, we’ll now get a better look at how the offense is shaping up since the defense won’t have the intimate knowledge needed to cheat on some plays.

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

K Major

Coach Sean Payton said he expects Davenport to get some playing time this week, if that holds true it will be important for Davenport to show that he can win some repetitions and apply whatever he’s been learning behind the scenes on the field.

Nice.

ChrisXVI

Barry from MS

Lawrence has been a superstar this TC & preseason. Stallworth is behind him, but it will be interesting to see who we keep on the interior. As far as I'm concerned, Davison, Rankins, Onyemata & Lawrence are there...Bromley can make a case, and Stallworth can too.

Do we keep 6 interior D-Linemen and have we before? If so, these are the 6 I'd roll with to start the season. If not we can try & hide Stallworth on PS, but that is a huge risk as he's showed great potential so far.

Rugby Saint II

It's going to be a tough cut down day. We may not even pick up anybody else when cuts come down because we will be busy trying to stash our own players on PS.

jeanpierre