August 25, 2016
THE FLOOD
Our thoughts and prayers are extended to all who have been adversely affected by The Flood.
DENHAM SPRINGS FOOTBALL
The Jackets are now scheduled to play a 9 game season. The East Ascension game on 9/2 has been cancelled
First game is slated for Friday, September 9, at home vs Tara
7pm kickoff
6pm on The Score, 1210AM, Baton Rouge.
SPORTSCENTRAL
Central’s weekly show was cancelled tonight and will be off the air TFN.
SULPHUR HS FOOTBALL: Tonight’s Sulphur HS Jamboree’s first night aired on SportsRadio-1310-KEZM-Lake Charles and on the Net at KEZMOnLine.com. Part 2—on Friday night—will also be on the air.
JACKETS HALL OF FAME
The Denham Springs HS Athletic Association Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony/Banquet, scheduled for September 22, at Forrest Grove, has been postponed. As soon as Jim Spring gives us the word as to the new date, we’ll pass it on to you… as well as this year’s class.
HEY REF ON HIATUS
Dennis Dearie’s column, Hey Ref, is taking some time off. We eagerly anticipate its return to this newsletter in the near future.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MEDIA GUIDES
Over 1,200 sports publications are on sale at our EBay store, ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides.
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High
Allow me to start off by saying, I hope anyone reading this article and your family is doing well and on the way to recovery.
The Saints are less than two weeks away from cutting down to their final roster, and the biggest concern I have is not that there are many weaknesses. It is that the few weaknesses on the roster are extreme.
But, let’s start with areas that Saints fans should not worry about. Quarterback is obviously set, and Luke McCown even showed last year that he is one of the stronger backups in the league.
The Saints aren’t extremely deep at wide receiver, but they are in very good shape. Cooks, Snead, and Thomas are going to be very effective. I would even include Fleener in that crew even though he is a tight end. Brandon Coleman is showing us why the Saints drafted Michael Thomas in the second round instead of picking up another defensive lineman. Still, he will be a decent 4th or 5th wide receiver.
Coleman might be the 5th wide receiver because I think Tommy Lee Lewis is that strong. He brings a running dimension to the offense from receiver that Cooks was supposed to bring, but has not. Furthermore, Lewis can return kicks.
Unfortunately, I do not feel the same way about Marcus Murphy. Murphy does not bring a unique dimension to the offense and has been unreliable as a return man. Murphy is similar to Trindon Holliday except that Holliday was an exceptional return man who balanced his fumbles with touchdowns.
The Saints are not great at running back, but they are as good as they need to be in order to be effective on offense. Ingram is a decent all around back. Spiller looks healthy and ready to fill the Bush/Sproles role. Kuhn was a great pick up at fullback.
I am a fan of Cadet. He is now a veteran who has played in New England, and that experience has made him a better player in my view. Cadet is versatile as a receiver, runner, and kick returner.
That leaves Lasco, and Hightower for one or two spots. Lasco has made plays covering kicks on special teams, and looks to be versatile as well. Hightower would be reliable, but his effectiveness last year was due to being fresh when everyone else is tired at the end of the year. I think this is an area where the Saints could end up with a running back on the final roster that went through camp with another team.
Moving to defense, I think the Saints are as solid at linebacker as they have been in a while. I think all of the free agent signings look athletic and able to make plays in space. The fact that Ellerbe is healthy makes a huge difference too.
Safety may be a position of strength as well. Roman Harper will be able to play a role to where he can play to his strength which is to stay close to the line of scrimmage. Erik Harris looks to be another great signing from the CFL, and will make an impact on special teams if not at safety. Vonn Bell won’t be forced into starting, which is nice. Finally, we may be able to see an effective Byrd/Vaccarro combination.
I think there is a good amount of talent at corner, but I don’t feel secure with so much inexperience. PJ Williams is basically a rookie. Swann was injured so much last year that he does not have much experience. Most observers are predicting that Crawley and Harris (two undrafted rookie free agents) will make the team. Delvin Breaux has one year of experience. Consequently, none of the corners expected to make the roster were in the NFL 2 years ago. I just can’t see the Saints starting the year with such little experience. The Saints signed Finnegan for a reason, and I think he will be on the roster when the season begins.
So am I the most upbeat Saints fan around or what? Well no. Defensive tackle is an issue again. Davison and Fairley look to be solid, but with Rankins out, there is no depth.
At defensive end, Jordan and Edabali are solid, but again, there is little depth. Though, I do like Bobby Richardson.
Which brings me back to where I started this whole run down, and that is how the weaknesses are extreme. The lack of experience at corner is extreme. The lack of depth in the defensive front is scary. Compared to last year’s defense, though, the Saints are light years better.
By now, you realize I have left out one position. It looks like this year’s version of cornerback from the last two years, defensive tackle, or linebacker from two years ago is the offensive line. Everyone agrees that you cannot evaluate the line in training camp anymore because they rarely go live. That means the only evaluation can be the preseason games themselves and the Saints have not been able to generate more than two yards a carry this preseason.
Zack Strief looks very old. Andrus Peat looks confused and overwhelmed. Tim Lelito should be glad Peat was a first round pick and has looked so bad keeping people from noticing how poorly Lelito has played. I had some hope that the Saints had some undrafted free agent magic in Landon Turner or Jack Allen, but they look to be developmental players.
Let me be clear about something. The Saints are going to score a lot of points and throw for a ton of yards even with a bad offensive line. But to win games, they need to win time of possession and field position. The defense is better, but not good enough to overcome bad situations that the offense has put them in like in the first two preseason games.
Is there hope with two weeks left in preseason? Of course there is hope, but the margin for error is razor thin. Terron Armstead has to stay healthy and play like the best left tackle in the league. Sean Payton’s theory regarding Andrus Peat’s struggles being a result of switching positions from both sides of the line has to be correct. Strief and Unger are veterans that can be okay if the players around them are solid and the line develops as a unit.
Even if all that works out, I don’t see how the Saints don’t have a glaring weakness at the other guard position. On August 23, 2006, the Saints acquired Scott Shanle via trade with the Cowboys. Shanle was a solid starter for the next 6 seasons, including the Super Bowl season. The Saints need another late camp acquisition like that along the offensive line.
I know most of the experts are expecting another 7-9 year from the Saints, and I can easily see that happening. But, I also see a glimmer of hope because I think the Saints have had two good off seasons of signings and drafts in a row.