The final preseason game for the Saints serves as a final tune-up before the season opener at Green Bay on September 8. The defensive showing during the past four weeks can only be described as schizophrenic. Looking great against San Francisco, Gregg Williams’ unit failed to meet expectations against Houston and Oakland, especially in run defense. With Tennessee coming to town, what can we expect from the Saints D?
PASS DEFENSE
Titans starting QB Matt Hasselbeck will probably see very little action on Thursday. First round pick Jake Locker and backup Rusty Smith will see the majority of the playing time. WR Kenny Britt, who has been nursing a sore hamstring for the majority of the preseason, looks to be a go for Thursday.
For the Saints, the importance of pressuring the quarterback will be a main emphasis. With the departure of Alex Brown, rookie DE and first round pick Cameron Jordan looks to see significant time. Defensive ends Junior Galette, Jeff Charleston, and Turk McBride will also get opportunities to rotate in. The middle of the defensive line also needs to show improvement in getting a pass rush. Shaun Rogers looked good at times last week in Oakland, but needs to be more consistent.
The Saints’ linebackers will also play a significant role in defending the pass. With position battles at both outside linebacker spots, the entire unit will look to impress and vouch for regular season playing time. Getting after the passer has been a calling card of Gregg Williams, and the utilization of linebackers in the pass rush has been an integral component of that philosophy. Clint Ingram, Jonathan Casillas, Will Herring, and Scott Shanle all look to factor into the game plan against the Titans.
The secondary will look to contain Britt, arguably the Titans‘ best receiver. Last year’s first round pick, CB Patrick Robinson, will probably get significant playing time. Saints coaches need to see more from Robinson, and the opportunity to cover Britt provides an excellent and challenging matchup for the second year corner out of Florida State.
RUN DEFENSE
With the glaring absence of all-world running back Chris Johnson, the Titans running attack has certainly lost much of its bite. A running back by committee philosophy has been implemented with mostly positive results. Former Clemson standout Jamie Harper has impressed so far this preseason; the fourth round pick of the Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft currently ranks sixth overall in rushing yards this preseason. Stafon Johnson, the former running back from Southern Cal, has also been impressive statistically, posting a 5.1 yards per carry average in three preseason games.
The run defense, or lack of one, has been the weak link thus far this preseason. The absence of newly acquired defensive tackle and noted run stuffer Aubrayo Franklin certainly doesn’t help, but the issue of preventing huge rushing totals by the opposition stems much deeper.
The main problem seems to be consistency. In the first preseason game, the Saints defense played exceptionally, limiting the 49ers to 136 total rushing yards. The next two games, however, showed the Jekyll and Hyde personality that is the New Orleans Saints run defense. In the Texans game, Ben Tate ran for 95 yards on 9 carries, and Arian Foster contributed with 47 yards on 5 carries. Last Sunday, Raiders running back Taiwan Jones looked unstoppable at times, amassing 81 yards on 13 carries.
The entire defense needs to remain consistent throughout. Big plays seem to plague the Saints, and this problem will haunt them throughout the season if not corrected soon.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Titans RT David Stewart vs. Saints REs will be a very interesting matchup to watch. Stewart, a second team all-pro in 2008, will be a great test for a Saints defense desperate to get an edge rush opposite of Will Smith. DE Cameron Jordan should get more than enough snaps, and it will be fascinating to see how he deals with a very talented Titans offensive line.
