Saints vs. Ravens: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints opened up their 2015 preseason on the road Thursday night, and the visitors dropped a close one to the Baltimore Ravens, 30-27.
Coach Sean Payton's squad got off to an ugly start in the contest, and it appeared as though Baltimore was headed for a lopsided victory in the early going.
Against the Saints' defensive starters, the Ravens marched down the field for lengthy touchdown drives on each of their first two possessions. New Orleans' starting offense, meanwhile, was slow out of the blocks in managing just 11 yards on its first two possessions.
The Saints, who trailed 17-0 at one point, weathered the early storm and mounted an impressive comeback with their second and third units on the field.
After trimming the Ravens' lead to six at the half, New Orleans eventually took the lead late in the fourth quarter on a three-yard touchdown scamper by rookie running back Marcus Murphy.
The Saints defense was unable to stand firm in the closing minutes, however, as Baltimore put together a game-winning scoring drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bryn Renner.
Penalties and injuries were the overriding themes of the night for New Orleans. Payton's squad collected an astounding 16 flags over the course of the evening, while multiple New Orleans defensive starters left the game with injuries.
Continue reading for a closer look at the Saints' first preseason contest of the year.
Position Grades for New Orleans
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | C+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | C- |
| LB | C |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | A- |
| Coaching | C |
Offense
Drew Brees didn’t make an appearance in this one, as the Saints opted to run with three quarterbacks.
Starter Luke McCown, like the rest of the No. 1 offense, got off to a slow start. In his defense, the Saints' offense is rhythm-based, and it's difficult for an offense to work into any sort of a rhythm when the opposition holds the ball for nine of the game's first 10 minutes.
In time, McCown began to make some things happen in the passing game, but it was the Saints' two younger signal-callers who stole the show.
Ryan Griffin (25) threw more than a couple of nice balls, and he finished with 112 passing yards and a touchdown. From the moment he stepped onto the field, his body language suggested a high degree of confidence, which is important for a player who's fighting for his job.
Rookie Garrett Grayson (24) was equally impressive in his first dose of NFL action. The third-round pick out of Colorado State demonstrated nice pocket awareness, as he escaped pressure and scrambled for positive yards on two separate occasions.
Khiry Robinson stole the show at the running back spot, gaining 72 offensive yards on just five touches. Tim Hightower also had a busy night, as he carried 12 times for 31 yards while handling the bulk of the heavy lifting in the second half.
Wideout Brandin Cooks only touched the ball once, but he made the most of it with an impressive 28-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass.
There's been a lot of camp buzz surrounding Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones, but the two second-year wide receivers had disappointing outings. Jones hauled in just one reception for five yards, while Coleman failed to catch a pass.
Some Saints wideouts did happen to impress, however, and Willie Snead tops the list. The former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player had two catches for 30 yards, including a fantastic fourth-quarter grab with a defender blatantly holding him.
Josh Hill turned in a respectable showing at the tight end spot, while Orson Charles had a lackluster performance that was punctuated with a dropped pass.
Up front, the offensive line provided the quarterbacks with solid protection for the most part, and the group opened up some running lanes as well.
The unit's most memorable moment of the night, however, was starting center Max Unger leading the charge 20 yards down the field on the Cooks' touchdown reception. Starters Terron Armstead (left tackle), Tim Lelito (left guard), Jahri Evans (right guard) and Zach Strief (right tackle) all had decent outings, although Evans drew a false-start penalty just prior to the Cooks touchdown.
First-round draft pick Andrus Peat hasn’t drawn raves reviews in camp, but he held his own against Baltimore's edge-rushers on several occasions. Peat, who operated at both right and left tackle, lost some battles, as well, and his development is still a work in progress.
Defense
On the other side of the ball, the Saints got off to an awful start, as the Ravens ate over 12 minutes off the clock on two first-quarter scoring marches.
If the New Orleans defensive line was graded solely on the performance of the starters, it would receive a failing grade. Fortunately for coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit, some linemen turned in noteworthy performances in the second, third and fourth quarters.
One of the standouts was undrafted rookie Kaleb Eulls. The defensive tackle out of Mississippi State rang up two tackles for losses and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Eight-year NFL veteran and former Dallas Cowboy Anthony Spencer was also highly active for much of his time in the game. He was far from perfect, but if Spencer continues to stand out, he should see a lot of playing time this season.
Bobby Richardson was another undrafted rookie who showed some promise, and he even started the game at the right defensive end spot. Tavaris Barnes, yet another undrafted free-agent defensive lineman, also played well, as he racked up four tackles.
Then there’s fifth-round pick Tyeler Davison. The rookie defensive tackle didn’t play exceptionally well, but he plays with a noticeable physicality that makes it difficult to watch other players when he’s on the field.
At linebacker, first-round pick Stephone Anthony got the starting nod over David Hawthorne, and the rookie racked up six stops during his short time on the field.
Sack artist Hau’oli Kikaha, another rookie linebacker, quickly revealed that pass coverage is not his strong suit, and he’ll look to continue to improve as the preseason rolls along.
Reserve linebacker Ramon Humber, a steady contributor in Ryan’s defense for the past two years, had a solid outing, and he led all New Orleans defenders with nine tackles before going down with an injury.
In the secondary, some individuals stepped up and made plays, although no one really delivered an all-around great performance.
Reserve safety Jamarca Sanford was active for much of his time on the field, and he played with a certain degree of aggressiveness that will make it hard for the Saints to release him if he keeps it up.
Rookie cornerback Damian Swann made a move in his bid for a roster spot with an interception of Ravens quarterback Matt Schaub. Terrence Frederick got in on the action with a pick of his own, albeit on a poorly thrown ball by Baltimore’s Bryn Renner.
Special Teams and Coaching
If there’s one area where the Saints demonstrated remarkable improvement from last season, it was on special teams.
Kickers Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker continued their tight training-camp battle, as both boomed multiple kickoffs through the end zone.
Hocker also knocked home two field goals, including a 50-yarder.
The real standout of the special teams unit, however, was rookie return man Marcus Murphy. The seventh-round pick out of Missouri returned five kickoffs, several of which he fielded deep in his own end zone, for 132 yards on the night.
As for the coaching, amassing 16 penalties doesn't speak too favorably on Payton and his staff, as the Saints appeared sloppy and undisciplined for much of the game.
Then there's the inexplicable all-out blitz sent by New Orleans with Baltimore facing 4th-and-20 with the game on the line. The Ravens were able to convert with a pass to a wide-open tight end on the play, thus keeping their fourth-quarter drive alive.
Saints Pile Up Penalties
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The scoreboard is hardly the most important aspect of a preseason contest. After all, most teams are still in the process of evaluating players for roster spots, and coaches are typically more concerned with effort and execution than they are with winning and statistics at this point.
That being said, it’s difficult to shrug off 16 penalties for 143 yards, especially when several of the miscues had a direct impact on the game. Accumulating that much penalty yardage is problematic, and the Saints will have to cut down on the mistakes in a big way over the next few weeks.
Injuries Stack Up for New Orleans
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Preseason injuries can inflict serious damage on a team's chances at success in the regular season. Most squads are elated to emerge from these exhibition contests with a low number of injuries, although a few scrapes are to be expected over the course of four games.
The injury bug was unkind to the Saints Thursday, as numerous key defensive players made trips to the locker room for examination.
Starting cornerback Brandon Browner, starting linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and nickel corner Delvin Breaux were all injured in the contest.
In fact, six Saints players went into the locker room, according to Raycom/Saints Network sideline reporter John DeShazier. In addition to the three starters, backup linebacker Ramon Humber, reserve defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil and backup guard Cyril Lemon were also injured in the contest.
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Quote: Sean Payton on Young Quarterbacks
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"I think the two younger quarterbacks handled themselves well. They got a lot of snaps. They moved the ball, and I felt they made good decisions. The first thing that happens with a young quarterback is it’s just happening quicker. The play clock is quicker, on and off, in and out, up and down. It has to pick up quicker. I thought both of those guys handled it pretty well. They got a lot of snaps between them, and that was the goal coming in.
"
Payton’s statement, as posted on NewOrleansSaints.com, rings especially true for Garrett Grayson, who had his first taste of professional football. The third-round pick didn’t appear to have any problems with the tempo or speed of the game, and his decision-making was sound for the most part.
As for Griffin, the third-year man out of Tulane looked as good, if not better, than he ever has in a Saints uniform.
With the recently drafted Grayson almost assured of a roster spot this season, Griffin is locked in a real battle with Luke McCown for the backup job, and it will likely last throughout the preseason. The 25-year-old Griffin definitely took a step in the right direction Thursday night with an impressive outing.
Quote: Keenan Lewis on the Saints Defensive Starters Giving Up 80-Yard Drive
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"We just have to go back to the drawing board and fix it. Make corrections. We’ll be alright. I don’t even remember last year. I’m the wrong guy to ask about last year, but we’re going to fix it. It’s training camp. Things happen in football. We’ve got time, and we’re going to go back to Greenbrier and fix it.
"
The Saints defense endured an awful season a year ago, and the group didn’t look any better on the opening drive of Thursday’s contest.
As cornerback Keenan Lewis stressed in the above quote from NewOrleansSaints.com, it’s far too early to hit the panic button on this group. This year’s Saints defense is peppered with young, talented players such as Stephone Anthony, Hau’oli Kikaha and Delvin Breaux, and these rookies will take a little time to develop in the Saints system.
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