Stones Of The Saints

60 Nick Leckey, C, 6-3, 291, 6th Yr., Kansas St. 64 Zach Streif, T, 6-7, 320 4th Yr., Northwestern 67 Jamar Nesbitt, G, 6-4, 328, 11th Yr., South Carolina 70 Jammal Brown, T, 6-6, 313, 5th Yr., Oklahoma 73 Jahri Evans, G, 6-4, 318, 4th Yr., Bloomsberg 74 Jermon Bushrod, T, 6-5, 315, 3rd Yr., Towson 76 Jonathan Goodwin, C, 6-3, 318, 8th Yr., Michigan 77 Carl Nicks, G/T, 6-5, 343, 2nd Yr., Nebraska 78 Jon Stinchcombe, T, 6-5, 315, 7th Yr. Georgia Aaron Kromer, Asst. Coach / Offensive Line, 18 Yrs, 2nd with Saints Dan Dalrymple & Adam Bailey, Asst. Coaches / Strength & Conditioning Members of the Saints offensive line have been the horses towing the cart for Sean Payton's scoring machine ever since he got here. Sunday, they allowed two sacks of Drew Brees, on both of which the QB had time to throw to his first reads. Brees was not harried and by the early third quarter a speedy, aggressive, Eagle defense, perceived among the NFL's best, had been wilted into submission on their home turf. It's no coincidence the QB's passer rating is currently a gaudy 132. Along the way, Bell and Bush rushed for over 100, each bee-lining for a six in the red zone that looked like partings of the Red Sea. Such a stellar effort by the offensive line was only the latest in a long line of them. I can only recall one recent game when they were noticeably outplayed, in a '07 prime time home loss against the Titans. Had Payton leaned on them and Deuce McAllister a little harder down the stretch up in Chicago following the '06 season, the Saints may have been the ones facing the Colts in the Super Bowl. The label "skill position" in pro football is a misnomer. Every week, before every snap, centers have to call last second blocking signals while scanning close to 2,000 lbs. of toe-lining, grunting, snorts hovering over them; the opposing front seven has fine tuned designer blitzes that assistant coaches have burned coffee over all night in implementing. There are "skills" in guards pulling and trapping effectively, and in tackles picking up myriad pass rushing stunts while on their heels by rushers as tall and swift as giraffes, particularly when it is they who can actually see the quarterback. The Saints unit has negligible weaknesses. The get a few annoying false starts like everybody else but are infrequently called for holding. It has sometimes been discernible the unit has lacked a little enthusiasm and confidence in run blocking for Reggie Bush, but getting in a groove with #25 can dissipate that, and he needs to make better split decisions, too. This is a sound, deep, and talented group. A stalwart, LT Jammal Brown has been injured and nobody even notices his absence. You don't hear them making any noises in the off-season; they speak softly but carry a big stick. GM Loomis' early bird priority for '10 should be juggling whatever contracts it takes to keep them intact. This is the area of the club where the talent evaluation, selection, and coaching have been outstanding. The Saints offensive line is as good as or better than any in the league. It is also the best in franchise history. Jim Mora's offensive lines allowed Dalton Hilliard and Reuben Mayes to both rush for lots of yards, impressive given coordinator Carl Smith's woefully predicable run-first offense. Willie Roaf was a great LT and Kyle Turley was a very good one, though his potential went fully unrealized here. But their groups don't stack up with this one. In an era when the defense's name of the game is to get after the quarterback, the Saints O Line stands tall. When New York's Jets and Giants visit here in October, it would be surprising if the Saints front did not more than hold it's own against those formidable pass rushes, which would not go un-noticed up in Media Capital. If the Saints are playing deep into this post-season, it will be on the backs of their offensive line. It is Soul Of The Saint's intent that the group is not taken for granted or under-appreciated by the nation of 'Dat fans.