Saints vs. Colts: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Saints versus Colts: sounds familiar? The regular season is getting closer, as well as the first round of cuts. The roster must be reduced to 75 players on August 26.
This is the most important game of the preseason when the starters will supposedly play for an entire half. We’ll have some key players like Drew Brees and Jairus Byrd on the field for the first time but now we will mainly focus on players who are fighting for a roster spot (not the case for Vaccaro of course but he couldn’t be left out!).
Who’s Hot
Kenny Vaccaro
4 solo tackles, 1 sack AND 1 forced fumble in one game? Kenny Vaccaro is definitely ready to kick some butts in his second year. Oh, and he hasn’t played with Jairus Byrd yet. Can’t wait to see those two in the hands of Rob Ryan.
Joe Morgan
Morgan played his first NFL game after the devastating knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2013 season. It didn’t take him long to remind everybody why the Saints wanted to keep him around even if he was injured: on 3 catches Morgan gained 108 yards. Talk about a field stretcher! Despite a great 2014 debut Morgan is under a 1-year contract and his spot on the 53-men roster isn’t guaranteed. If he shows enough improvement in his route running and blocking the coaches will keep him for sure.
Vinnie Sunseri
After a not-so-good performance in his first NFL appearance Sunseri really stepped up in the second game. He made his presence felt all over the field with 4 total tackles (3 solo) and one interception. He moved well and has a serious shot at the final roster, considering his excellent job on special teams too. He’s battling former CFL safety Marcus Ball for a job but it’s still too close to call.
Who’s Not
Rookie LBs Khairi Fortt and Ronald Powell
They both seems to have a hard time adapting to this defense. Fortt went out with an injury and wasn’t effective against the Rams either. This could be a matter of concern since the Saints does not have a ton of depth at that position, especially at ILB.
Senio Kelemete
The former Arizona Cardinals’ 5th-round pick was on the Saints’ practice squad last season and is now one of the candidates for a roster spot as a backup offensive lineman. He can play multiple positions as he took some snaps at center too and that’s definitely a plus but he didn’t perform well neither in the run game nor in the pass game against the Titans.