Five Observations From Saints vs. Ravens Preseason Game
The Rookies
Aug 3, 2015; White Sulphur Springs, WV, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Stephone Anthony (50) answers questions from the media following a day of training camp at The Greenbrier. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
-Linebackers Stephone Anthony and Henry Coley stood out to me with Coley being the pleasant surprise.
Anthony, with six tackles, looked as advertised and appears to be a lock for the middle linebacker spot over David Hawthorne.
Coley showed off his “Hammer” nickname when he stopped a run play stone dead with a vicious hit and laid a nice hit on Ravens quarterback Bryn Renner as he released the ball.
-Andrus Peat may have slowed his critics a bit after a good game last night where he played at right tackle although he was warming up in pre-game as a left tackle.
Yes there were a few rough patches for Peat as far as leverage is concerned with blocking, but all in all the rookie did pretty well.
-Cornerback Damian Swann had a nice interception off a Matt Schuab pass where he read the route and broke right in front of the receiver.
Aug 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Damian Swann (38) intercepts Baltimore Ravens quarterback Matt Schaub (8) (not pictured) during the third quarter in a preseason NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Swann did get grabby which lead to two penalties but that’s the price you pay in press coverage.
-Hau’oli Kikaha didn’t impress me too much considering all the hype that has surrounded him during training camp.
He played a total of 24 snaps and graded out with a -0.7 overall by ProFootballFocus.com with a surprising chunk of that score(-0.5) coming from an area he was looked to excel at which is pass rush.
-Marcus Murphy was the primary kick returner with Jalen Saunders out and he proved he has the speed.
Murphy had some good returns that were unfortunately nullified by holding penalties but he had a respectable one for 32 yards.
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