Off Topic » Saints pulverize, blank Rams in preseason finale

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints Hats New Orleans Saints closed out their 2018 preseason campaign hosting the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. Both sides of the ball looked fairly impressive on the evening, as the Saints pitched a shutout and won 28-0.Of course, it goes without saying that the recently acquired Teddy Bridgewater did not play on the evening. However, he was present on the sidelines and had plenty of pre-game attention on him from NFL Network cameras.The Saints won the toss and elected to receive, but weren’t able to do much with the ball. Both Andrus Peat and Cameron Meredith saw time on the opening drive. The first Saints defensive drive saw them get gashed on the ground, but they were able to recover and swing the momentum after Alex Anzalone made a great athletic play to intercept a Brandon Allen pass in the red zone.Taysom Hill would lead the Saints down the field on an 8-play, 91-yard drive to help get the game’s first score, after Boston Scott would take it in from 4 yards out. Jonathan Williams looked good on the drive carrying the ball, but the big 56-yard pass hookup between Hill and Cameron Meredith set the Saints up in the red zone. The offense would go for two, but the attempt failed to put things at 6-0 with 3:33 left in the first quarter.Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsAfter holding the Rams offense to a minimal drive, the Saints offense would once again find pay dirt after Hill helped lead the Saints on a 13-play New Orleans Saints Womens Hoodie , 77-yard drive. Hill scrambled several times on the drive to help extend the drive, including a 4th down conversion. The drive was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Meredith. The Saints went for two again, but couldn’t convert. It moved to 12-0 with 4:05 left in the second quarter.The ensuing Rams drive looked to be done relatively quickly, but an offsides penalty by Nathan Stupar on the punt put the Saints defense back on the field. Several plays later, Stupar would come on a well-timed blitz to sack Brandon Allen and force the punt. Hill would once again impress, leading the Saints on a 9-play, 57-yard drive in the two-minute offense that ended in a Wil Lutz 34-yard field goal to extend the New Orleans lead to 15-0 before halftime. The highlight of the drive came when Hill connected with Dan Arnold for a 29-yard pass play. He stood in the pocket and got drilled, and Arnold rewarded him by making a spectacular catch in traffic.For their first drive of the second half, the Saints looked impressive to start. It looked as though the team would turn in a touchdown off a strip-sack from Marcus Davenport, which Taylor Stallworth took into the end zone, but an illegal hands to the face call on Devaroe Lawrence wiped it out. Stupar would pick up another big sack on Allen Womens Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , and Lawrence would stuff the Rams rushing attempt on 3rd and long to setup a punt. Colton Jumper would block the punt attempt, which Jayrone Elliott scooped up and scored. It became 22-0 after the Wil Lutz extra point.J.T. Barrett entered the game midway through the third quarter, and it didn’t take him long to throw an interception on a pass intended for Dan Arnold. Even with the Rams threatening late in the quarter to score after the turnover, the Saints defense was able respond after rookie Kamrin Moore stripped Fred Brown after a pass hookup from Luis Perez that was recovered by Nathan Stupar.Stupar had himself a crazy night, Fast forward to the fourth quarter, as nothing much happened in between. The defense would add another turnover after Jayrone Elliott forced it and Alex Jenkins recovered it. It only took New Orleans four plays to get back into the end zone, as Jonathan Williams rushed it in from 3 yards out. The Saints went for two for a third time on the night, and it appeared to be a good try after Barrett hooked up with Williams. However, the ruling on the field was that he bobbled it, and the challenge saw the call stand. It was 28-0 Saints, regardless — and that’s how it’d end.Sean Payton and the Saints now have some big decisions to make in regards to their final 53-man roster www.saintsauthorizedshops.com , and will also look forward to Week 1’s season opener at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The Curious Case of Boston Scott The Saints shocked some fans when they released running back Jonathan Williams last week; favoring rookie Boston Scott as the back up to Alvin Kamara. Scott’s ability in special teams was most likely a contributor for Williams’s release, but he showed throughout the preseason that he was a capable runner. It’s the reason many of us were even more shocked by his release. Hopefully, his release was just temporary—possibly due to an injury to Andrus Peat—and he can land on the practice squad where we can see him eventually in Sean Payton’s offense. Scott has the vision, burst, and power needed to be capable of running the multiple blocking schemes the Saints use. Deuce Windham gives a great explanation of the different schemes here. We’ll look at some of the plays that showcased his abilities in the preseason. The first run play is a typical zone blocking scheme to the left. The offensive line will move in unison towards the sideline and attempt to open multiple creases. The running back must possess the vision to see where the open crease is, make a cut, and hit the hole. Scott shows all three here. As he receives the handoff his eyes are looking at the line of scrimmage. He sees the outside linebacker seal the edge and the defensive tackle getting off of the center’s block, so he plants his foot and “bangs” the run to the inside for positive yardage. Scott’s vision is on display here again with a DUO run called. This is a man blocking scheme that features two combo blocks. The center and guard will block the defensive tackle while the right tackle and tight end will block the defensive end. The play is designed to be an inside run through the right A-gap, but the defensive tackle is able to get to the outside of the center’s block and fill the running lane. Scott sees this, makes a jump cut and hits the D-gap. Not only does he have the vision to make the proper read, he shows off his strength by carrying two tacklers for an extra 2 yards.Standing at only 5’6” and 203 pounds New Orleans Saints Womens T-Shirt , some may consider Scott’s size to be a negative. For comparison, Kamara stands at 5’10” and 215 pounds. Those 4 extra inches only account for 12 more pounds, meaning Scott is not as small as he being made out to be. Not that Scott is on the same level, but Maurice Jones-Drew only weighed 207 pounds and stood at 5’7” coming out of college and went on to have a great NFL career. Due to his height and low center of gravity, he’s able to play lower to the ground than the defenders making it harder to be tackled. Scott will show his strength when the Saints call an ISO run. The fullback Edmunds will lead the way through the A-gap for Scott with man blocking upfront. The defensive tackle is able to get off of the left tackle’s block and clog the running lane. Scott is able to drop his shoulder and break the attempted tackle before accelerating to pick up yards after contact.While the rookie is not a finished product, and not as skilled as Kamara, he should be able to contribute to this team. His pass protection is still a question mark, as is his effectiveness receiving out of the backfield and out wide. His current skill set should allow him to have a meaningful role in this offense.