Saints take care of business, beat Dolphins 20-0 in London

Coming off of an impressive victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints traveled abroad to London’s Wembley Stadium to take on the Miami Dolphins.

Last week, the Saints’ defense held the Carolina Panthers to 13 points. On Sunday, the Saints showed even more improvement, blanking the Dolphins 20-0.

Saints cornerback, Ken Crowley intercepted an anticipated touchdown pass from Dolphins quarterback, Jay Cutler in the 1st quarter. From that point, the Dolphins did not display anything threatening to the Saints defense.

Saints defenders managed to sack Jay Cutler four times.  Also, the defense forced two fumbles. The fumbles were recovered by the Dolphins, but as a unit they should not worry. The effort and intensity showed promise and should give them added confidence to carry throughout the season.

There are a few pointers we learned from this game.

Adrian Peterson

First, Adrian Peterson is not a great fit for this Saints offense. Peterson is a lead dog. Peterson demands most of the carriers out of the backfield. Peterson has traditionally controlled how opposing teams’ defenses play. That will not happen here as long as Drew Brees is playing under center. The Saints offense is a unit. Most times, each skilled position player or running back has high potential to be a threat.

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Looking back, when Drew Brees played with future Saints Hall of Famers Pierre Thomas, Thomas was more effective than the highly drafted Reggie Bush.

The Saints have not traditionally had an alpha-dog under the leadership of Sean Payton. To fix this problem as the Saints go into the bye week, Peterson could be placed on the trading block in exchange for a draft pick. Or for depth help on the offensive line or in the defensive backfield.

With injuries to Green Packers’ running back Ty Montgomery and a finial decision to Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliot, those are two teams that come to mind as potential buyers.

Alvin Kamara

Next, Alvin Kamara will be a star for this Saints’ offense. He reminds of Darren Sproles, just bigger in size. Payton adores this kid. If he remains healthy and doesn’t get in Payton’s dog house, he will be the future leader at running back. So far, he shows that he was worth the Saints moving up to draft him in the third round in last year’s draft.

Defense, defense, defense

Last, when the defense plays aggressive football, forces turnovers, stops plays on third down and keeps penalties to a minimum, there’s a great chance to win games. The way in which the Saints played on the defensive side of the ball reminds of what they displayed during the preseason.

Next: Is this the Saints team we've been waiting for?

As the Saints go into the bye week, they will have an opportunity to get healthy and analyze ways in which they can get better as they move onward through the season. Will they address potential trade offers for Adrian Peterson or maybe Kenny Vaccaro? Can Drew Brees and Willie Snead reconfirm the chemistry they had last season? Is left tackle Terron Armstead going to be ready after the bye?

It all remains to be seen Oct. 15 when the Detroit Lions travel to the Superdome to take on your beloved New Orleans Saints. The opportunity is there to break the .500 mark. Every member must trust each other to get it done.