New Orleans Saints Defensive Storylines vs. the Houston Texans: Preseason Week 2

In last week's game vs. the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints defense performed at a high level and gave Saints fans a promising preview of what's on the horizon for the 2011 season. 

Tonight, the Houston Texans will present a much stiffer challenge for the Saints defense.

This game will provide a more indicative barometer of where the Saints defense stands going into the season. 

Below are a few key defensive storylines for Saints fans to follow in tonight's game, nationally televised on the NFL Network (7 p.m. CDT). 

Defensive Line

While the defensive line has previously underwhelmed in several years under Payton, this area of the team has undergone an extensive renovation over the offseason.

Now equipped with talent, depth, experience, and an infusion of youth, the Saints' defensive line ranks as one of the team's major areas of strength. 

Tonight, I'll be watching for several things along the D-line:

* How dominant will the interior rotation of Shaun Rogers, Aubrayo Franklin, and Sedrick Ellis be? What combination of these three players will prove most effective?

* Can Will Smith continue to build towards a rebound season after a lukewarm 2010? Smith arrived to camp lighter and quicker and looks intent on re-asserting himself in 2011.

* Who among the non-starters will impress? Last week, backup defensive tackle Mitch King impressed with high energy and intensity. Will he build on last week's performance and claim a roster spot? 

Rookies

The Saints added several key rookies to their defense in the offseason, namely Cam Jordan, Martez Wilson, Johnny Patrick, and Nate Bussey.

Patrick has made a quick transition and played at a high level last week vs. the 49ers. Unfortunately, he injured his knee and is likely out for the remainder of the preseason.

Nate Bussey also made his presence felt last week with an interception vs. the 49ers, and he continues to battle for a roster spot at the crowded LB position. I'll be especially watching to see if Bussey makes a key play on special teams vs. the Texans, which would go a long way in his quest to make the team instead of the practice squad.

Cam Jordan and Martez Wilson saw limited action last week, and both have been slow to digest the complexities of Gregg Williams' scheme.

After another week of practice and study, will Jordan and Wilson show noticeable development?

I'll be watching to see where Jordan lines up along the line and if he looks more effective as a run-stuffer or as a pass-rusher. I'm also interested to see if Jordan appears ready to handle DE duties in the event of Will Smith's serving his four-game suspension in the StarCaps case.

As for Wilson, I'm hopeful that he'll have the opportunity to blitz the QB off the edge and utilize his speed and athleticism.

In his No. 95 jersey, Wilson reminds me of a young Greg Lloyd, and I'm eager to see if he can develop into the impact LB that Lloyd once was. 

Rising Stars

Tonight, I'll be monitoring the continued growth of both Jonathan Casillas and Malcolm Jenkins.

Casillas has continued to impress when healthy, and his combination of instincts, speed, and ferocity makes him ideal at weak-side LB, where he can wreak havoc sideline-to-sideline.

In last week's game vs. the 49ers, Casillas played exceptionally, pressuring the QB and making tackles all over the field.

Tonight's game vs. the high-powered Texans offense will present an ideal opportunity for Casillas to prove his worth as the Saints' starting WLB.

Malcolm Jenkins is slated to play tonight after being limited this past week with a minor knee ailment.

Jenkins is poised to establish himself as an elite NFL free safety, and if he wants to do so, it will require making big plays against top offenses.

Last season, Jenkins matured into a second-team All-Pro and exhibited elite playmaking ability in several games.

Tonight, Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and the rest of the Texans offense will forcefully test the Saints secondary; I'm eager to see if Jenkins will flash the abilities and smarts that have placed him on the cusp of stardom.