Saints Gab

Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was forced from Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins because of a sprained right knee, and he’ll undergo tests Monday. Ellis was hurt late in the second quarter and helped off the field.

“I’ve been putting pressure on it and trying to walk on it a little bit,” he said after the game. “We’ll have to see Monday.” The Saints are already without starting nose tackle Kendrick Clancy, who hasn’t played since the first game because of a right knee injury.

Fullback Heath Evans hurt his right leg late in the game.

Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins was a game of two halves. The first half was one that the Saints would have just soon forgot existed as first downs seemed as elusive as a desert mirage; as a result, New Orleans found themselves down by 21 early in the second half. Then they woke up. They would score 36 second half points as they rallied to defeat the pesky Dolphins 46-34 at Land Shark Stadium.

Things were bumpy initially for New Orleans as by their fifth offensive play, they had committed three penalties. Miami would capitalize as running back Williams scored twice in the opening period from 4 and 68 yards – sandwiching a 46-yard field goal by Saints kicker John Carney – giving the Dolphins a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter.

The scoring for Miami would continue as a 32-yard FG by kicker Dan Carpenter followed by an 8-yard TD run by Ronnie Brown would pad their lead to 24-3; Saints quarterback Drew Brees would punch it in from a yard out, narrowing their deficit to 24-10 with 2 ticks left in the first half.

The third quarter found both teams exchanging scores as New Orleans safety Darren Sharper grabbed a Chad Henne interception and scored from 42 yards, narrowing Miami’s lead to 24-17; Carpenter would kick a 33-yard FG 8 minutes later, giving the Dolphins a 27-17 edge. Brees would connect with wide receiver Marques Colston on a 10-yard scoring pass, reducing their deficit to 3 with 1:09 left in the period. But Williams would score another rushing TD from 4 yards out, extending Miami’s lead to 34-24 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Saints would explode.

They would score 22 unanswered points in the final period as RB Reggie Bush dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out (very acrobatic, I might add); Brees would run in for a score at the 8:35 mark of the game, giving New Orleans their first lead of the game. Carney would boot a 20-yard chip shot then defense would get involved as cornerback Tracy Porter took a Henne intereception 54 yards for a score, sealing the win for the Saints.

Brees, despite the win, had his worst game of the season, going 22-of-38 for 298 with a passing TD but 3 INTs but also rushing for 2 scores; Henne didn’t do any better as he went 18-of-36 for 211 yards and a pair of INTs. Mike Bell led all Saints rushers with 80 yards on just 12 carries while Williams led the Dolphins’ rushing attack with 80 yards and 3 TDs; Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey led all Saints receivers with 4 receptions for 105 yards while Colston caught 5 passes for 72 yards and a score; Devery Henderson caught 4 passes for 71 yards. Brian Hartline led the Miami receiving corps with 3 receptions for 94 yards while Greg Camarillo added 55 yards on 5 receptions. The Saints won the game with a price as defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a sprained right knee. New Orleans (6-0) looks to remain undefeated as they return home to host division rival Atlanta next Monday night while Miami (2-4) goes to New York next Sunday to face the Jets.

The Saints will be without DE Sedrick Ellis for 3-4 weeks, as he had arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his right knee Friday morning.  He was the overall 7th pick in the draft, and was a starter on the D-line for the teams first four games.  He felt a “click” in his knee during practice on Thursday, and had it checked out.  It was determined that he tore the medial meniscus in his knee during the teams win over the Niners last Sunday.  Ellis has started all four games this season for the Saints (2-2), and racked up 11 tackles and one sack.

The Saints got some bad news on the injury front today, as rookie DT Sedrick Ellis left practice today with a sore right knee.  Reports say that he will have the knee looked at.  If he can’t go vs the Vikings on Monday night, it would hurt that starting front line for the Saints, which will have to deal with running back Adrian Peterson.  He has started all four games at the DT spot for the Saints.  “He felt it kind of click on him, so we sent him in to have it looked at,” Saints coach Sean Payton said following practice. “Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.”

Sure, they’re battered and they’ve lost two in a row. The number one receiver, the number one tight end, and the starting fullback were all out. One of the mainstays on the offensive line was suspended this week and another had been hurt last week. No team had been able to throw for more than 200 yards on the 49ers this season. The two players responsible for four touchdowns last week were held to only 39 total yards. But none of that made any difference as New Orleans stayed perfect with their second win at home this season.

The Saints started the first quarter with the ball but were only able to get it to midfield. The 49ers then drove down to score three points on a 47-yard field goal, their first of three in the game. The second possession for New Orleans ended when Brees threw his fourth interception of the season. However, the defense held tough, not allowing San Francisco to make a first down.

Then the team seemed to get life from both the defense and the insertion of RB Deuce McAllister in the offense. Rookie DT Sedrick Ellis got his first sack of his career, the second of the day for the team. DE Will Smith’s sacked JT O’Sullivan again on the next play which forced a fumble that was recovered by LB Jonathan Vilma. In the first half, New Orleans kept San Francisco from converting their third downs as they went 0 for 5 and out of the end zone. The defense ended the day with six sacks, two by DE Charles Grant, and two interceptions.

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Defensive Tackle Hollis Thomas tore his right triceps on Wednesday during pass rushing drills and will miss up to two months. Thomas had an MRI that afternoon and underwent surgery Thursday morning. The Saints may end up putting Thomas on injured reserve but the Times-Picayune speculated that the injury could possibly be career-ending after 13 years in the league.

The loss of the 34 year-old leaves the Saints with veterans Kendrick Clancy, Antwan Lake, Brian Young, Orien Harris and rookie Sedrick Ellis at the position. The Saints website quotes fellow tackle Brian Young as saying “These things happen, though, and while it’s hard to see a teammate and someone as likable as Hollis get hurt, we know we have the talent to keep going. We have some really good depth at the position and a good mix of older players and younger players and I think we’ll be okay.”

Charles Grant, who normally lines up as a defensive end, lined up as a defensive tackle in Saints practice yesterday. A formation with Bobby McCray taking his spot at defensive end, rookie first round pick Sedrick Ellis lined up next to Grant at defensive tackle and Will Smith lined up as the other defensive end is the expected line up. The McCray, Grant, Ellis, Smith line up on the d-line would probably be used as a high impact speed rush on passing downs for the Saints.

Grant moving to tackle has been discussed in the media since McCray was acquired, but dance around up until now by the Saints coaching staff. Normally a defensive end weighs around 260 or 270 lbs, but Grant is a rare d-end that can rush the to the quarterback from the edge even at that heavier weight. Grant is one of the heavier ends in the league, weighing closer to 300 lbs.

The Saints and their first round draft pick, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, have come to terms on a five-year deal that reports say will include $19.5 million guaranteed.  Ellis will be in camp Wednesday and will right away go to work for a Saints team that moved up in the draft to get him.

Out of USC, Ellis is expected to be a force on the Siants D-line.  Last season in 13 games he had 58 tackles, 12.5 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks.  He even broke up seven passes.  He missed the first 12 training camp practices, and even coach Sean Payton was getting upset with the #1 pick on Monday when he spoke about him after pracitce.

“He’s missing opportunities to get better, and that can affect his play,” Payton said. “If you just look at the history of guys who have held out for longer than a period of four or five days, it hasn’t been real good.”  The Saints are hoping that Ellis will buck that trend, and come in and be a trend setter on the defensive line and make plays that can put the Saints back at the top of the NFC South.

Word is the Saints and first-round draft pick Sedrick Ellis may be on the verge of getting a deal done.  The Biloxi Sun Herald reported today that a deal could be struck within the next few days. “I think it’s getting closer,” coach Sean Payton said Saturday at camp.  One holdup could be the number 8 pick, Derrick Harvey, and what the Jags end up giving him.  At the 7 spot, Ellis does not want to undervalue what he is worth.  Eugene Parker is Ellis’ agent, and he may look to get the rookie locked up now that he had another big client – Bears KR Devin Hester, signed on Sunday with the Bears with a fresh four-year deal.  Right now Ellis is the highest draft pick unsigned.

Success in the NFL often starts up front, “in the trenches” as the old saying goes. The defensive end position for the Saints is in pretty good shape with two highly paid stars. But DT is going to be a battle.

2007 Summary:

Last year didn’t start off well. Hollis Thomas came into camp badly out of shape and Brian Young broke his foot before the season started. Thomas was obviously not ready for a full game at the start of the season and the team had to play Kendrick Clancy and Antwan Lake often. Then after Young came back, he hurt is knee and eventually succumbed later in the year to an illness that was so bad, some were worried he might not play football again. Needless to say, defensive tackle was not a strong point and the entire defense showed the affects of it. The 2007 Saints could be a poster child for that old saying.

2008 Offseason:

The Saints did not pick up any major DTs in free agency, but did draft two promising rookies. Sedrick Ellis figures to be a monster for the Saints as the 7th overall pick in the draft and DeMario Pressley has loads of talent, but fell to the 5th round because of a disappointing college career. Orien Harris was signed as a free agent journeyman for training camp.

Most importantly in the offseason, some changes have been made outside of personnel additions. First the “read and react” defense of last year seems to be gone. The Saints defensive coordinator, Gary Gibbs, was so determined not to give up as much in the run game, that he went from a gambling, aggressive defense to a more reactionary defense. The objective was to keep the running backs in front of the defense so long runs couldn’t gash them. While it did help the run, it seems to have been an overall failure and public comments from the players seem to indicate that will change in 2008.

Secondly, the defensive line guru, Ed Ogeron was hired after being fired from the head coaching job at Ole Miss. This could be a huge change for the Saints, as Ogeron is a high motor, high energy coach that has a reputation for getting the most out of the players he is given. This change should result in a very aggressive defensive line.

Competition summary:

Brian Young (66)
Hollis Thomas (99)
Antwan Lake (96)
Kendrick Clancy (71)
DeMario Pressley (90)
Sedrick Ellis (98)
Orien Harris (92)

The Saints will have seven players for most probably four spots at defensive tackle when training camp starts. It would be surprising if Young, Thomas and Ellis aren’t on the roster, so consider them locks to be there. And it is most likely that Orien Harris will end being just a camp body, unless the light goes off suddenly. That leaves Clancy, Lake and Pressley fighting for the available roster spot. First let’s walk through the three main players that it looks like will be in the starting rotation.

Hollis Thomas was an UDFA gem for the Philadelphia Eagles back in 1996. He was a solid contributor for nine years, holding the line steady there. The Saints traded for him before the 2006 season and he has been a staple on defense ever since. He is considered to be a space eater, who keeps multiple blockers occupied so others can get free. Despite that reputation, Thomas had at least 3 sacks in the last two seasons for the Saints. That’s quite impressive for a defensive tackle, especially being so out of shape in the beginning of last season, that he couldn’t stay out on the field the whole game. Thomas showed up to the OTAs this offseason in the best shape he has been in reportedly since early in his career. That’s great news for the Saints, but there is still one problem. Thomas is 34 and one would have to expect a decline in abilities to start to creep in.

Brian Young isn’t that much younger, just turning 31 on the 8th of July. After a rough season in 2007, battling injuries and a very serious illness, one has to wonder if he will be able to recuperate to full strength and stay healthy this year. That said, he probably will be one of the starting defensive tackles or at least be in the common rotation. Young is more of a backfield disrupter, than a space eater. That makes him a great compliment to Hollis Thomas.

Sedrick Ellis is getting a lot of buzz around Saints camp. After impressing even the starting offensive line of the Saints in the OTAs, many expect that he will be starting next to either Thomas or Young in September. Maybe rotating opposite them both at different times. Ellis has the athletic ability to knife through an offensive line and disrupt the backfield on either a run or a pass. In college, Ellis demanded a double team on almost every play or the offense paid the price. Expect him to not only make the roster, but probably start.

So that leaves us with the other four players vying for the final position. Unless something has really changed, expect Orien Harris to be cut in one of the early-to-mid rounds of cuts. And then there were three.

Kendrick Clancy has the most experience and playing time. The Saints picked up Clancy after he was cut by Arizona last year. Clancy has been a fairly good rotation DT in his career and Lake has been a rotation guy specifically for the Saints for the last two seasons, but both are 29 now and Clancy will be 30 as the season is starting. That may give Pressley an advantage, if he can perform as well as them both and show promise to improve even more. The age of Young and Thomas probably makes a younger player more desirable to the Saints coaching staff.

So the final spot is most likely riding on the performance of DeMario Pressley. If he performs well and breaks out of his reputation for underperforming to his abilities, look for him to take the final roster spot. If he doesn’t, Clancy and Lake will probably duke it out for that spot.

Overall, though, the defensive tackle position should show a marked improvement from 2007. As long as both Thomas and Young are generally healthy and Ellis is the stud everyone thinks he is.