While the city of New Orleans had been hyperventilating at the thought of the return of professional football, most of Friday night's preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers was about as anticlimactic as "Watch the Throne." Sloppy play by both offenses early on appeared to drive a significant portion of the Superdome crowd to the French Quarter before halftime.

There were, however, a few under-the-radar Saints whose play went a long way toward strengthening their claim on New Orleans’ final 53-man roster. With an abbreviated training camp and potentially the deepest roster in franchise history, preseason snaps are at an all-time premium for bubble players looking to make an impression.

The star and story of the night was Joe Morgan, an undrafted rookie receiver out of Walsh University, who brought back the first punt of the second quarter 78 yards for a touchdown. Though Morgan wasn’t particularly impressive on his five other punt return opportunities, his touchdown run showed excellent speed and vision.

"I really didn’t think I was going to score at first," Morgan said. "After I got out to the edge, the first thing I saw was the kicker, and they tell you if the kicker tackles you, don’t even go back to the bench."

For Morgan, it was a good thing 49ers kickoff man Andy Lee could have a second career as a matador. The first four spots on New Orleans' receiving depth chart are as solidified as any position on the team, with the names Marquis Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson written in at least thick black ink if not carved in stone. Adrian Arrington was probably the favorite for the fifth and likely final receiver roster spot, but the Michigan product does not play special teams and has missed significant time this training camp with a left ankle injury. With Reggie Bush in Miami, the Saints could use a potent punt return threat.

"I think from a return standpoint, he has demonstrated in the early part of practices, I think you guys may have had a chance to see his speed, he runs well,” coach Sean Payton said after the game. "Every year, and I mention this to the group of them, but every year a team has someone who returns a punt or a kick for a touchdown and opens eyes and he did that tonight. He has exceptional speed and balance. He has transitioned well in his first year without any of the off-season."

The other player to gain serious roster traction was defensive tackle Tom Johnson, who had spent the previous two seasons in Canada with the Calgary Stampeders. Johnson was all over the field early on, and despite registering only one solo tackle, was a frequent visitor to the San Francisco backfield, making life difficult for 49ers rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Johnson also saw a number of snaps with the Saints first defensive unit in third-down nickel packages.

“I felt real good out there, just knocking off the jitters for the first time, getting out there on the big stage,” Johnson said. “Once the first play was over with, I was feeling good about things.”

Though other defensive tackles like Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin made the off-season headlines, Johnson's ability to collapse the pocket was a major contributing factor to the New Orleans defense registering six sacks on the night. Sedrick Ellis, who has been a fixture on the Saints defensive front since being drafted in 2008, was impressed.

"Tom Johnson did really well. He has really good movement," Ellis said. "He comes in on our nickel and really helps us out. I’m excited to play with him. As an extra three-technique lineman, I think we compliment each other in that way. Hopefully everything goes alright with him.”

Unfortunately for Johnson, his night was cut a bit short by a stained calf just before halftime. Though the injury doesn’t appear serious, he probably would have benefited from more snaps against a porous San Francisco offensive line.

"I felt like I was just warming up," Johnson said. "The coaches have seen me in practice, hitting those guys, but in a game it's a totally different thing, having to deal with the pressure and everything. I think my day was shortened and I had a lot more to show."

Both Morgan and Johnson will get another chance to bolster their resume next week when the Saints head to Houston to take on the Texans.

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-- NICK PERUFFO
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By nearly any metric, the New Orleans Saints' interior defensive line was overwhelmingly average in 2010. Though incumbent defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis did lead the team with six sacks, against the run the Saints hovered around the league’s statistical average in terms of both rushing yards (112.3 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (13) allowed.

While these stats don’t necessarily jump out of a spreadsheet the same way the 2010 Saints’ dramatic drop-offs in turnovers and offensive rushing yards do, they don’t inspire confidence in a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. The lasting image of the season, unfortunately and unquestionably, is Marshawn Lynch’s 67-yard “beastmode” run that registered on Seattle’s ritcher scales and sent the Black and Gold home early.

This off-season, Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis appear to have made a concerted effort to bolster the Saints' rushing defense. Though defensive tackle Remi Ayodele is now a Minnesota Viking, New Orleans added two run-stopping specialists, Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers, via free agency to fill the void in the interior, both on one-year deals. By adding Franklin and Rogers to a unit that already includes former first round pick Ellis, the Saints are as now as talented against the run as at any time in recent memory.

Rogers, who signed with New Orleans before the lockout began, has made three Pro Bowls in his 10-year career. At 6-4 and 350 pounds, he is also significantly more imposing than the 6-2, 320-pound Ayodele. Having spent the entirety of his career on bad teams in Detroit and Cleveland, the Saints provide a welcome opportunity to compete for a championship.

"I'm just excited to be a part of a franchise with that kind of tradition, that kind of history, and those kinds of guys,” Rogers said. “I hopefully will be able to bring something to the table and contribute to a situation like that again.”

So far Payton likes what he sees in the veteran.

"He's strong, he's physical at the point of attack, he's a load when you watch him just get into stance," Payton said. "He has a big body. He's smart, that’s one thing I noticed when you listen to him talk and you listen to him talk about football. I also think he is hungry to be on a winning team and have a chance to do something. It’s something you take for granted after playing in the postseason and playing in the Super Bowl, but that comes with our game that so many players that never get that chance. I think that’s one thing that burns with him a little bit.”

With Rogers already on board, many were surprised when the Saints also managed to land Franklin, who was generally considered, along with Philadelphia’s Cullen Jenkins, to be the top interior lineman on the free agent market. Instead of seeking a longer contract, Franklin settled on a one-year deal to come to New Orleans.

"He's someone that we have a ton of respect for,” Payton said. “He’s been a real consistent player and extremely difficult against the run. Having gone against him last year and having spent a lot of time looking at tape on him and a lot of these defensive tackles, he was one that was a little bit of a surprise and a pleasant surprise.”

Like Rogers, winning was one of Franklin’s main motivations for coming to New Orleans.

“I was just trying to wait, to find out the best situation for me,” Franklin said. “I felt like when Coach Payton called, that I could get a spot in the rotation here with Sedrick (Ellis) and Shaun (Rogers). These guys have proven that they can win a Super Bowl, and I want to help contribute and see if we can win another one."

These additions have caused an unexpected but welcome problem at Saints camp. For the first time during his tenure in New Orleans, Payton has had to find snaps for all his quality linemen. In addition to Rogers, Franklin and Ellis, rookie defensive end Cameron Jordan appears to have the versatility to play inside, and former CFL All-Star Tom Johnson has been impressive during training camp. It is a problem Payton certainly loves to have.

“With any good front, you never see the tackles playing 60 snaps,” Payton said. “With Rogers, I see a guy who can play nose tackle and the three. Sedrick Ellis is a guy that can play the three and nose tackle. Aubrayo Franklin is a guy that plays nose tackle. I see those guys handling a ton of work inside. Those are plenty of snaps. Many would argue that you need a fourth, and we have some guys out here that we are looking at right now. I think they all understand that and their flexibility with it is paramount.” Though the Saints revamped interior line looks much better getting off the team bus, the real test will be to see if they can adjust to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ frenetic pace. Though both Rogers and Franklin are big, physical presences, Williams has always valued tenacity over sheer size and strength. If he can get his new additions to play with the same non-stop motor with which he coaches, expect New Orleans to fair much better against the run in 2011.

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-- NICK PERUFFO
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As soon as reports of the New Orleans Saints shipping Reggie Bush to the Miami Dolphins surfaced Thursday, much of the conversation in the national media revolved around the appropriate use of the "bust" label. The parameters of the discussion are well known. Since being selected with the second pick of the 2006 draft, the mercurial Bush provided an effective wrinkle in the Saints potent offense, but failed to compile statistics commensurate with the lofty expectations heaped upon him after his transcendent (if not eligible) college career at USC. For Saints fans, this argument is pure semantics. Nobody with a 504 area code seriously expected Bush to be back in Black and Gold this season. In terms of his performance on the field, the book was written on Bush a long time ago.

Looking back on the 2006 draft, it’s hard to say that the Saints made a mistake drafting Bush. Mario Williams was already off the board, and the top half of the first round was filled with quarterbacks and/or unqualified busts like Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Donte Whitner. Bush was also a key element during the Saints’s Super Bowl run, a fact that alone justifies the pick. The Saints recorded the sixth most rushing yards in the NFL in 2009, thanks in large part to the effect Bush had on opposing game plans. With Bush injured for much of 2010 (even when he returned to the field it was clear he was not at top speed) the Saints fell to 28th in rushing. He wasn't the superstar that many expected him to be, but he was a very important player on a very good team.

That said, he probably isn’t worth the reported $10 million per season that the Dolphins are reportedly going to pay him, especially with fellow speedsters like Darren Sproles on the market. It’s hard to get around the fact that he never rushed for 600 yards in a season. Nobody really expected Bush to be back at a discounted rate, because everyone knew that some team like Miami would fall in love with the highlight reel and overpay. This is just the way the NFL works. Thank you, have a nice life.

All of this, however, is overlooking Bush's true impact on the Saints and more importantly the city in general. It is easy to forget just how precarious a position Hurricane Katrina had left the city in. When Bush was drafted in 2006, the Saints were coming off a disastrous 3-13 campaign, having been forced to split their “home” games between Baton Rouge, San Antonio and the Meadowlands. There were serious doubts about whether New Orleans could continue to be a viable NFL city, especially considering the heavy damage to the Superdome. The franchise was in serious danger of being permanently relocated.

In many ways, the triumph of 2009 started in 2006. It was in that same offseason that the Saints hired former Cowboys assistant Sean Peyton as head coach, and signed former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees. Of these acquisitions, however, it was Bush that drew the most attention. Before he had even played a game, he was hailed as the savior of the city. The attention and excitement he drew to the organization, many argue, was a critical element in New Orleans’ surprise 10-6 season. Before 2009, the enduring image of New Orleans Saints football was the atmosphere against the Atlanta Falcons in the teams first home game back in the Superdome. The presence of Reggie Bush, like in so many subsequent goal-line situations, was no small factor.

Though his five years in New Orleans were inconsistent, they coincided with five of the best years in New Orleans Saints history. Even despite relative disappointing records in 2007 and 2008, the Saints were always dangerous and relevant, something they hadn’t been for a majority of their 40-year existence. No matter what you think about Bush’s mercurial on-field track record, there is no denying that he was one of the players that helped turn the franchise around from the ground floor up. Without Reggie Bush, the history (and future) of the NFL would probably be a much different story. Drew Brees may have taken Bush's presumptive title as the cities football savior, but Bush transformed himself into a loyal soldier. For someone as proud and competitive as Bush, this was no small feat. I wish him luck.

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-- NICK PERUFFO
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One of the most vocal counselors at this year’s Manning Passing Academy, held this past weekend in Thibodaux, La., was former NFL head coach and current Monday Night Football commentator Jon Gruden. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head man was not shy is his praise for his old division rival Saints, despite New Orleans' disappointing early exit from the 2010 playoffs.

"You don't put those kind of numbers together without a system and players," Gruden said. “It’s a combination of the two. Lets be honest: those guys are terrific players ...They have a pro bowl quarterback, a great system and they’ve been together for awhile. That's one of the reasons why you see 30 points a game.”

As for the Black and Gold’s disappointing flameout against Seattle, Gruden chalked it up simple and unavoidable bad luck of injuries.

“I think they had some injury issues,” Gruden said. “I think at the running back position certainly it hurt them. They won a lot of games last year ... I still think they are one of the top four or five teams in football without a doubt. But I do think they’ve got to come off the bye, make a couple of tough decisions with their roster and hit the ground running. If they do that they’ll be right back in contention.”

Gruden knows how inconsistency in the backfield can cripple a team. In 2009, his Buccaneers squad finished 31st in the league in rushing touchdowns, managing just five, en route to a 3-13 record. Gruden was fired after the season.

"I''m watching the film, and they’ve got Ladell Betts playing one game and [Chris] Ivory playing another game” Gruden said. “He’s from Tiffin College. I went to Dayton, I know where Tiffin College is. He's starting for the New Orleans Saints as a rookie, and he did a terrific job. Then he got hurt. Then I see Julius Jones playing. I didn’t see much of Reggie [Bush] or Pierre [Thomas] last year. That’s five backs that I’ve named, and this is a team that uses their backs: two at a time, multiple formations.”

While many pundits saw the selection of Alabama running back Mark Ingram as potentially spelling the end for Reggie Bush’s time in New Orleans, Gruden believes that the Saints could use a stable of four backs in in 2011.

“Pierre [Thomas] and Reggie [Bush] had a lot to do with the Super Bowl trophy, I think, and to get [Mark] Ingram, hopefully Pierre and Reggie back and then you add [Chris] Ivory, that’s a nucleolus of four backs that not a lot of people can match,” Gruden said.

With Thomas versatility as a pass catcher out of the backfield and Bush’s unique skill set continuing to confuse defensive coordinators, Gruden sees an opportunity for Ingram to flourish between the tackles.

“I love the pick,” Gruden said. “He’s my kind of back. He’s a finisher, a punishing back who can close out games. I think you need a guy that when you have the ball and the lead inside four minutes who can run the clock when that’s the only enemy. I think Ingram is that kind of guy.”

Gruden was also particularly effusive in his praise for the Saints second-year tight end Jimmy Graham, whose emergence last season likely precipitated the release of the veteran Jeremy Shockey.

“What’s not to like?” Gruden said of Graham. “That guy, in the red zone, is not only a weapon but I think he really established himself as a force, given what he can do in different alignments. I saw [Sean] Peyton line him up as a receiver, bring him out the backfield, and really create some difficult matchups. I think that had a lot to do with the Saints demise this year, when they got he and [safety Malcolm] Jenkins hurt against Seattle. Not having those two guys really hurt them in that playoff game.”

Despite these encouraging words, Gruden stopped short of predicting another Super Bowl run due in part to the uncertainty of the restrictions of a potential new collective bargaining agreement.

“Let’s see what happens," Gruden said. "We've got this lockout going and I don’t know what the heck the lockout means. I don’t know who their unrestricted free agents are, who they’re going to sign or haven’t signed or want to sign. It’s a mystery to me. I do know they signed Shawn Rodgers to bulk them up inside. I like what they’ve done with their secondary, they’ve added some good players back there. I think the young kid out of Florida State [Patrick Robinson] will be better as a second year player. So we will see, but you really have to take a look at what this lockout, not only has done to some of the teams that have been idle for four months, but what are we going to do with free agency? What are we going to do with our UFAs? What's our roster going to be like and how quickly are we going to be able to come together?"

He did, however, dismiss the notion that a so-called 'Super Bowl hangover' contributed to New Orleans’ disappointing loss. After winning Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002, Gruden’s Tampa Bay team posted 7-9 record the following season.

“It’s just hard to win the Super Bowl," he said. "There are a lot of teams in the league that have never even been to the Super Bowl. There are a lot of teams that have never won the Super Bowl. It’s hard to get there and it’s hard to win it. I think when you win it your natural inclination and though process is to say hey, we’re going to repeat, we’re going to three-peat, we’re going to win four in a row. You forget how hard it is.”

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-- NICK PERUFFO
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You'd think that a kid fresh out of college would be hard strapped for cash (even a soon-to-be millionaire). But at least two of the top draft picks came decked out with their finest bling Thursday night.

Marcell Dareus, the Alabama defensive tackle who went third overall to the Bills, clearly won the bling award among the prospects. He blinded the crowd with his bejeweled watch, bracelet and ring.

A close second in the bling competition was the Saints new running back Mark Ingram, the 28th pick overall. Ingram wore a watch that had more jewels than the Saints 2010 Super Bowl ring.

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-- MATTHEW WEISS
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