Offense
--Malcolm Mitchell really flashed. He seems to be the outside WR threat that was sorely missed last year with LaFell's injury/ineffectiveness. Hopefully the dislocated elbow does not stunt his growth too much but I really liked what I saw out of him.
--None of the other WRs that played last night did much of anything to stand out. If it wasn't for Mitchell's injury and questionable status for Week 1, I'd say Aaron Dobson should be very nervous about his place on the team.
--Joe Thuney looks to be a starter at LG. He was a bright spot on an otherwise very spotty OL performance.
--Nate Solder was very rusty after missing most of last season. He got bull rushed a couple times and got flat out beat in others. Luckily, he has a couple more weeks to shake off any rust he has and become that reliable blind side guy.
--When it was starters vs. starters, the OL did a bad job of run blocking and an average job in pass protection at best. There were times the Saints were sending guys through the interior unblocked. That goes to a lack of communication.
--I thought Jimmy G was pretty good overall. I was looking for quick decision making and command of the pocket and the offense. He had to rush throws and take some sacks due to constant pressure in the 1st quarter, but when he got time to throw he read the defense and made quick decisions. He still needs a lot of reps to fine-tune things and hopefully he gets to work with guys like Edelman, Amendola, and Gronk more before Week 1.
--Martellus Bennett is going to be a very nice weapon. He is leaner than I remembered him being and that should play well in this high-octane offense. He got a lot of attention from the defense last night but that will change when the rest of the first unit is in the game.
Defense
--Jamie Collins is a total beast. He was everywhere last night. One minute he's catching a tipped INT and returning it 40 plus yards and the next play he's getting a TFL 5 yards in the backfield.
--Hightower is in clear control of the unit. He looks great.
--Loved the DL. The ends all flashed and the depth of the DT position is evident. It looks like they have enough depth at end to survive the short time Ninkovich is out.
--Coleman and C. Jones flashed. They are feisty and physical corners who are extremely aggressive.
--Shea McLellin looked pretty good at both rush end and outside backer. Consistency is an issue with him so we'll see if he can bring it every week.
--Everything as expected was very vanilla in terms of schemes and coverages.
--Malcolm Mitchell really flashed. He seems to be the outside WR threat that was sorely missed last year with LaFell's injury/ineffectiveness. Hopefully the dislocated elbow does not stunt his growth too much but I really liked what I saw out of him.
--None of the other WRs that played last night did much of anything to stand out. If it wasn't for Mitchell's injury and questionable status for Week 1, I'd say Aaron Dobson should be very nervous about his place on the team.
--Joe Thuney looks to be a starter at LG. He was a bright spot on an otherwise very spotty OL performance.
--Nate Solder was very rusty after missing most of last season. He got bull rushed a couple times and got flat out beat in others. Luckily, he has a couple more weeks to shake off any rust he has and become that reliable blind side guy.
--When it was starters vs. starters, the OL did a bad job of run blocking and an average job in pass protection at best. There were times the Saints were sending guys through the interior unblocked. That goes to a lack of communication.
--I thought Jimmy G was pretty good overall. I was looking for quick decision making and command of the pocket and the offense. He had to rush throws and take some sacks due to constant pressure in the 1st quarter, but when he got time to throw he read the defense and made quick decisions. He still needs a lot of reps to fine-tune things and hopefully he gets to work with guys like Edelman, Amendola, and Gronk more before Week 1.
--Martellus Bennett is going to be a very nice weapon. He is leaner than I remembered him being and that should play well in this high-octane offense. He got a lot of attention from the defense last night but that will change when the rest of the first unit is in the game.
Defense
--Jamie Collins is a total beast. He was everywhere last night. One minute he's catching a tipped INT and returning it 40 plus yards and the next play he's getting a TFL 5 yards in the backfield.
--Hightower is in clear control of the unit. He looks great.
--Loved the DL. The ends all flashed and the depth of the DT position is evident. It looks like they have enough depth at end to survive the short time Ninkovich is out.
--Coleman and C. Jones flashed. They are feisty and physical corners who are extremely aggressive.
--Shea McLellin looked pretty good at both rush end and outside backer. Consistency is an issue with him so we'll see if he can bring it every week.
--Everything as expected was very vanilla in terms of schemes and coverages.
