Sports Gab Network Editor Matt Loede previews the NFL Week one matchup between the Vikings and Saints at the Superdome.

Clark, who played his college ball at Illinois, was drafted in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has since played for the Oakland Raiders, the Houston Texans, and the New York Giants.

Because Clark has experience as a starting strongside linebacker, it’s my guess that the Saints want to put pressure on Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who has, at this point, been rumored to be the new starter at that position. From what I know of the 6′2, 245-pound Clark, he is a very physical and versatile player who can also contribute on special teams–an attribute the Saints love.  His experience in the league should also bode well for him in this system.

This move really comes as no surprise because there are definitely some issues at the position that need to be addressed.  With the season opener against the Vikings just three days away, I hope the Saints are close to getting something figured out.

Other notes:  The Saints have also released QB Sean Canfield and TE Dustin Mitchell from the practice squad  and signed tailback, Brandon Minor and guard/tackle, Roger Allen NOLAsports reports.

For starters, they will have at least three new defensive starters in the lineup. Malcolm Jenkins replaces Darren Sharper at the free safety spot; Alex Brown is a new defensive end, and some reports speculate that Jo-Lonn Dunbar will be playing at the strongside linebacker position.  And because the status of ProBowl linebacker, Jonathan Vilma is still uncertain, it’s kind of up in the air at this point just who will be playing at middle linebacker.  However, Vilma did have this to say,

“Unfortunately, we did lose some guys, but I think we have a good group coming back,” Vilma said. “It’s three new starters, but if you look at it the other way, we have eight old starters. On top of that, we have guys that have played. Malcolm Jenkins played a lot for us last year. Jo-Lonn Dunbar played a lot. Alex Brown? Come on, a ninth-year wily old vet? He knows what to do. I think the chemistry is not going to be as much an issue as execution from everybody, not just the new guys.”

Can we deduce from his statement that he will in fact be on the field Thursday?  It sure sounds that way.  I hope I’m not reading too much into it, or perhaps even wishfully thinking.  All I know is that the defense needs its general on the field come game time.  His leadership is irreplaceable when it comes to getting players lined up just where they need to be, particularly the less-experienced ones.

I, for one, am anxious to see how well Malcolm Jenkins is going to perform against the Vikings’ high-powered offense.  While I feel that he is quite capable of holding it down, I’d be willing to bet the farm that old Brett is going to test the waters more than once.    Jenkins is a very smart player who is still in the growing phase.  Hopefully, his speed and on-the-field instincts will be enough to keep him from becoming Viking food out there.

But Coach Sean Payton isn’t the least bit worried about his new corner-turned-safety.  This is what he said about Jenkins,

“Number one, he has good athleticism. We feel like he has a real good football I.Q. He has good awareness. You see his range, he’s a good tackler and he has good ball skills. Those would certainly be the things that we’ve seen in him after one year.”

As the Saints continue their preparations this week, they will no doubt stick to the fundamentals of the game, extracting those that will be most beneficial to their success as a team.  Sure, this game is already more hyped than probably any other season opener in recent years, mostlybecause of controversy still swirling about the NFC Championship Game.  But one thing we know for sure is that the Saints know how to tackle adversity and come out on top.  If they can stay focused on the task at hand, I think they will do just fine, despite being bitten by the injury bug early on.  They have world-class coaches, elite players, and some of the greatest fans in all of football.  That’s a perfect recipe for success.

WR Montez Billings

G Brandon Carter

LB Harry Coleman

DT DeMario Pressley

CB Reggie Jones

QB Sean Canfield

FB Matt Clapp

More information on the complete list is forthcoming.

QB (2) Drew Brees, Chase Daniel

HB (4) Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Chris Ivory, DeShawn Wynn

FB (1) Heath Evans

WR (6) Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Lance Moore, Adrian Arrington, Courtney Roby

TE (4) Jeremy Shockey, David Thomas, Tory Humphrey, Jimmy Graham

T (4) Jermon Bushrod, Jon Stinchcomb, Zach Strief, Charles Brown

G (2) Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks

C (2) Jonathan Goodwin, Matt Tennant

E (5) Will Smith, Alex Brown, Jimmy Wilkerson, Jeff Charleston, Junior Galette

DT (3) Sedrick Ellis, Remi Ayodele, Anthony Hargrove

OLB (5) Scott Shanle, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Stanley Arnoux, Anthony Waters, K.C. Asiodu

MLB (2) Jonathan Vilma, Marvin Mitchell

CB (5) Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer, Randall Gay, Patrick Robinson, Leigh Torrence

S (5) Malcolm Jenkins, Roman Harper, Pierson Prioleau, Usama Young, Chris Reis

K (1) Garrett Hartley

P (1) Thomas Morstead

LS (1) Jason Kyle

The final cuts list is as follows:  RB Ladell Betts, DT Kendrick Clancy, C Nick Leckey, G Terrence Metcalf, DE Bobby McCray, FB Jason McKie, QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Montez Billings, G Brandon Carter, G Na’Shan Goodard, T Jermey Parnell, LB Harry Coleman, CB Reggie Jones, FB Zak Keasey, TE Tyler Lorenzen, DT DeMario Pressley, DT Jay Ross, DT Al Woods, S Chip Vaughn.

Special Notes:  Darren Sharper and Clint Ingram will begin the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning they will not be able to play for the first six games.  Also, we’ve lost LB Jonathan Casillas for the season to injury.  He has been placed on IR.  We wish him the best in his recovery.

Looking back, my predictions were not that far off.  I guess I didn’t do too terrible.

According to NOLA.com, the following bubble players have been confirmed thus far:

DE Junior Galette
RB Chris Ivory
WR Adrian Arrington
QB Chase Daniel
RB DeShawn Wynn
S Usama Young

While the Saints have not officially confirmed any roster moves, players have apparently already been informed of their fate. According to NOLA.com, Galette found out he’d made the roster in a meeting Friday afternoon. There have also been reports circulating that rookie DT Al Woods did just enough in the game against the Titans to make the team, but to this point nothing has been confirmed.

Today is slated to be very busy due to the fact that the rest of the cuts are to be announced later. As I get the reports, I will pass them on to you. Congratulations to the players who have survived the cuts so far. To those who didn’t make it, we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

DE Bobby McCray #93

According to reports via Twitter, the Saints have released DE Bobby McCray, C Nick Leckey, QB Patrick Ramsey, RB Ladell Betts, and DT Kendrick Clancy.

With the announcement of this first wave of cuts, I can tell you that my 53-man roster prediction has already been blown out of the water.

I really expected McCray to remain on the team if for no other reasons than his speed and toughness. But even more shocking for me was the release of Patrick Ramsey. I thought the Saints would opt for his experience over the sensational preseason play of Daniel (who by the way is now Brees’ backup). I thought Betts would stick around as a fourth back and Clancy might be there to help stop the run. As for Leckey, I figured he was out because the Saints have been impressed with Matt Tennant. Reports have also come in that RB Deshawn Wynn has made the team. We can just about speculate that rookie DE Junior Galette has also made the team. All this just goes to show you that you just never know with these things.

Just as another note, S Darren Sharper has been put on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning he can’t play for the first six weeks of the regular season.

• The Saints special teams recorded two blocked punts in this game.  The first was a spectacular play by rookie DE Junior Galette who blocked a punt by Titan’s punter, Brett Kern.  The ball was subsequently recovered  at the Titan one-yard line by rookie LB Harry Coleman who then pushed it into the endzone, giving the Saints a 10-7 edge in the 2nd quarter.
• The second blocked punt was made when rookie TE Jimmy Graham shadowed a 4th quarter kick that was recovered by LB Anthony Waters.  That play set up another Saints field goal.
• QB Patrick Ramsey played the first half, completing 11 of 16 passes for 98 yards.  It was the most playing time he has seen this preseason.
• QB Chase Daniel and WR Adrian Arrington continued to shine.  Daniel, who played the second half, completed 10 of 18 passes for 137 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception he threw  with six seconds remaining in the game.  Arrington led all Saints receivers with three catches for 78 yards, including a beautiful 35-yard touchdown reception in the 4th quarter.  Robert Meachem had five receptions for 49 yards.
• DE Jeff Charleston recorded his second sack of the preseason.
• The Saints suffered two more critical injuries.  RB Chris Ivory, who has been so impressive in the preseason, suffered a knee injury and Jonathan Casillas, who recently won himself a starting job at the weak-side linebacker spot,  injured his foot.  Coach Payton promises to give more information on the injuries later today.
• The Saints run defense gave up a whopping 222 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
• Special teams gave up a 38-yard kick return that was almost run back for a touchdown.

Here is my take on all of this:

• Junior Galette might have secured his roster spot tonight.  He had already been quite  impressive, but with the field being so crowded I thought he would probably end up on the practice squad at best.  Now, I’m not so sure.  His overall performance certainly can’t be ignored.  I think he sneaks in and ekes out a vet.
• I would say that the Saints are okay at the backup quarterback position, whichever way they decide.  Both Ramsey and Daniel have shown moments of brilliance, though I like the play of Daniel better.  But I still think the Saints will go with the veteran, Ramsey as the No. 2 to Brees.  Don’t be surprised though if there are three quarterbacks on the roster when all is said and done.
• The run defense better improve and quick.  It will face off against Adrian Peterson in less than a week.  While it’s virtually impossible to stop that guy, they’d better find a way to at least slow him down or it’s going to be a very long night for a lot of people.
• Let’s all hope and pray that the injuries to Ivory and Casillas are not serious enough to keep either one of them out of play.  The running game is that much better with Ivory in it.  And let’s face it, the defense seriously can’t afford to lose any of its key players.

With preseason over, the Saints can now begin to focus on the Minnesota Vikings who come to town next Thursday night to kickoff the 2010 regular season.  The countdown has officially begun to the start of what we Saints fans hope will be another very exciting season.

The players’ rankings were based on a combination of the number of platforms they’re on such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., their audience size, and the amount and type of engagement they have on those channels. The complete list can be viewed live on the “NFL” tab of Sports Illustrated’s Facebook page and includes links to the athletes’ pages.

Congratulations to two really great guys!

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