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Trahan's Take
by Joe Trahan
FOX8 WVUE TV, New Orleans
September 2, 2002 print
me!
neworleansprofootball.com
Yes, NOPF fans, I do actually exist in your cyberspace.
Thanks for being patient, and waiting for my debut. My “day job” has
been keeping me quite busy over the past few months. So without
any further delay, here’s my take of Saints pre-season 2002.
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| Deuce McAllister |
Deuce is Loose
Did anyone think Deuce McAllister could really make fans forget about
Ricky in the pre-season? That’s exactly what he’s done with his ability
to break through the line of scrimmage and run past defensive backs
in the secondary. He’s shown he can be a double-threat running and catching,
and now its up to Deuce to show he can be the primary target once the
bullets start flying for real. The speed of the game increases greatly
from pre to regular season, and McAllister will have to show he can
take the quantum leap as well. But nothing, not injury or anything else,
would lead you to believe he won’t. McAllister has also taken his newfound
pro success with a healthy dose of humility. He says he’s familiar with
the here today gone tomorrow nature of the business, and that’s why
he won’t allow himself to get too high or too low, based on his play.
Sounds like this sophomore budding star has been hanging around the
seniors.
Has Aaron Grown Up?
While you might think his 2-day holdout would lead you to believer otherwise,
Saints starter Aaron Brooks has come into this season with a more poised
and polished persona. His struggles on and off the field near the end
of last season have been well documented. It got so bad late in the
year, he’d just sit on the floor of his home, unable to function. But
Brooks says he learned a valuable lesson about how to manage his affairs
in the pros, and the team should be much better because of it. Quarterback
is the hardest position in pro sports to develop (see Peyton Manning’s
brief struggles in the middle of his second year) and Brooks needs time.
But as long as he gets time in the pocket, and can do a better job reading
blitzes at the line of scrimmage, he could be poised for a breakout
season. The Saints have taken their time getting a new deal done; and
while its apparent its wearing on Brooks, don’t expect his play to show
it.
No “Stall” in this Ferrari
Saints top draft choice Donte’ Stallworth looked like he was cruising
when he jetted past a Colts reserve defensive back to score his first
touchdown in the black and gold. The play showed that Stallworth not
only has pure speed, but “game” speed as well. So many speed guys in
the league have to fight to reach their top gear on the long ball, but
Stallworth hit top speed with relative ease. If he can get his timing
down with the Saints number one pitcher Aaron Brooks, look for this
tandem to team up for the home run ball come the regular season. More
importantly, Stallworth opened up full bore, and walked away without
pulling anything.
Rough around the edges?
Is it just me or have teams been exploiting the Saints defense on the
perimeter? I started noticing the troubling trend through the first
three pre-season games. And then when I saw a couple of Colt no-name
running backs gouge the first unit, my radar went up. Yeah, I know,
Norman Hand and Sammy Knight, a couple of key run stoppers, took the
night off. But the first team was in tact against
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| Mickey Loomis |
the Texans and Bengals who managed to make the Saints
pay on the ends, as well. Its could be a matter of Darren Howard, Willie
Whitehead, and rookie Charles Grant getting comfortable with their responsibilities.
But its one of the few really troubling things we’ve seen this pre-season.
The other positive spin on this situation is the Saints have yet to
game plan. And if I can see the problem, no doubt Jim Haslett and defensive
coordinator Rick Venturi are more than familiar with it and can scheme
to correct it.
Loomis Hits His First Homerun
The signing of Jim Haslett is the first real feather in the new General
Manager’s hat. If not only creates instant stability, but credibility
as well. For too long the Saints were the butt of jokes around the league.
Jim Haslett and Randy Mueller changed all that in short order, and it’s
a credit to the organization that they stepped up and kept at least
half of that winning team. It also quells all the whispers swirling
about that Haslett wasn’t happy without his main man Mueller. Congrats
Mickey.
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