A lack of reps in the preseason was one possible red flag we highlighted before the New Orleans Saints' season opener with the Detroit Lions, and that seemed to be an issue when second-year quarterback Tyler Shough and his offense stumbled out of the gates. They were shut out in the first half while Shough went 10-of-23 for 85 yards and an interception. The run game couldn't get going, either, and experienced pros like Chris Olave had some ugly drops.
When ESPN's Katherine Terrell asked Saints coach Kellen Moore if he might reevaluate his approach to the preseason after such a slow start, Moore pushed back: "We can overanalyze every aspect of training camp and days, and preseason, our defense did the exact same thing (and) so they played some
really good football early."
Shough and the rest of the starting offense didn't take a single snap in three preseason games, but neither did the defense, which won the first half. Brandon Staley's unit held the Lions offense to seven points on seven drives in the first two quarters of play. Both of the touchdowns they allowed in the third quarter followed turnovers by the Saints offense.
It's a long season. You hope the Saints knocked off the rust through an explosive second half and overtime period, overcoming a 21-0 hole they dug for themselves to take it down to a two-point conversion for the win. Maybe some real reps against a live opponent in a game situation could have helped. Moore doesn't seem open to rethinking his strategy right now, but we'll see if that changes next summer.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints HC Kellen Moore stands behind cautious preseason approach
