August is a lie for Saints

Written by Ed Daniels | Wednesday, 05 August 2009 08:19 | Saints News

In September, players on teams out of the pennant race and away from the pressure often have big months.

In the NFL, the biggest lie is August.

In the past few days, I have heard that Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson is having a bad camp. That the Saints secondary is much improved. And of course that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would fashion a quick turnaround of one of the leakiest defensive units in the league.

All the above may be true.

But I caution. Do not make a big deal about what you hear about at practices.

To make my point I went back and checked out some reports and quotes from previous camps?

In the summer of 2008, (now ex) Saints safety Kevin Kaesviharn said, "I think guys are a lot more confident in the scheme."

Really?

A story written by a Mississippi reporter in camp 2008 at Millsaps said, "the Saints defense is much improved at Millsaps. They limited the Arizona Cardinals to 228 total yards in the exhibition opener."

So what?

In the meantime, here's what I have seen in less than a week at camp: the Saints secondary is better. Cornerback Jabari Greer is not a great player, but he is solid, and solid is welcomed in the Saints porous pass defense.

I never thought I would say this, but: the Saints secondary might be the deepest area on defense.

If Pierre Thomas gets hurt, the Saints run game will suffer greatly. Reggie Bush is most effective when in space. Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton, and two rookie free agents Herb Donaldson, and P.J. Hill appear to have skills. But, if Thomas goes down, the dropoff is severe.

I have not been impressed with the work of backup quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Joey Harrington. The Saints have missed the boat by not spending a draft pick on a young quarterback they could develop.

You can judge for yourself when the pair get plenty of work in the preseason.

Here's what you should look for in preseason: one, a rookie who emerges. Remember Pierre Thomas? His excellent work in a preseason game at Kansas City jumpstarted his NFL career.

And two, no injuries. An injury to a key player can wreck a season.

As for the rest of what you hear or see in camp, keep it in perspective.

It's August.

Thankfully September is right around the corner.

Comments (5)

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written by Tom, August 07, 2009

I've been trying to say the same thing Ed. Every year its the same thing from the press covering the Saint's. Its the defense is vastly improved and Sean Payton will quit being so cute. I'm also tired of the same tired article that tries to convince fans that Reggie Bush will finally live up to the hype. Maybe you could go back and find the articles from the last few years that try to make bush look the our go to guy.

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written by JasonV, August 06, 2009

Adolpho,

He is saying to "keep it in perspective." It's only preseason, so don't drink too much of the Kool Aid. Make sense?

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written by LJ Smith, August 06, 2009

I think people have said that the secondary isn't spectacular, but they are solid and depth is something we all agree on. Devery hasn't had a good camp... it is a fact... I've been there and have seen you there seeing the same thing.

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written by Adolfo Rodriguez, August 06, 2009

So, you tell us not believe what we read from journalists covering camp, then proceed to tell us what you, a journalist, has seen at camp? Why should we pay any attention to your opinions either? Because they are more negative? Please explain this to me.

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written by Jordan Harry, August 06, 2009

Thank You Ed for saying what needed to be said

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