For plenty of New Orleans Saints, Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs was more than a meaningless exhibition.
It was the first game in an NFL uniform for many of them, meaning it was their first chance to prove they belonged on an NFL roster in a game setting. The Saints have 19 rookies on their roster, and not all of them are going to make the team, meaning every one of these preseason games is an audition for the 31 other NFL teams.
“We had some young guys that scored their first NFL touchdowns, we had some guys that kicked their first NFL field goals,” said coach Dennis Allen. “It was good to see some of those young guys make some plays. Now we’re in a race to improve between now and Week 2.”
Here is some of what stood out from the members of the Saints rookie class in Sunday’s preseason opener, several of whom played starring roles.
Merriweather maximizes opportunity
It wasn’t exactly the way Ellis Merriweather wanted to get an extended look, but the chance was there all the same.
The Saints lost fellow rookie Kendre Miller to a knee injury in the third quarter, and with Kirk Merritt sidelined by a hamstring injury and Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams already removed from the game, Merriweather was the only running back the Saints had left.
He had a pedestrian day on the ground, managing 24 yards on nine carries, but he delivered in one of the biggest moments when he caught the fourth-quarter touchdown from Jake Haener.
The scoring play was designed to go to Merriweather.
“I’m the first option on that,” Merriweather said. “Get out there, get to the pylon, and go catch the ball.”
Merriweather said that, before the play, running backs coach Joel Thomas came over with a message.
“He told me, ‘Look, I’ve watched your growth from Day 1, I see you have it in you, so go out and show everybody. I’ve believed in you from Day 1, so go out and do it,’” Merriweather said. “I was a rookie minicamp invite. I didn’t get drafted, I didn’t get a signing bonus, so every single day I go in there with my head down and ready to work, show them that I deserve to be out there.”
Haener finds it late
One of the things that has been most impressive about rookie quarterback Jake Haener through the first few weeks of training camp is that the moment has rarely felt too big for him. He’s been more poised and in command than most rookie quarterbacks.
That wasn’t the case early Sunday, when Haener’s debut got off to a rocky start. He missed open receivers and turned the ball over. The Saints managed just two first downs in Haener’s first five possessions under center.
“Playing this position, you’ve got to do a really good job of having a short-term memory,” Haener said.
He had a chance to completely rewrite the narrative for his performance on his final drive, when he led New Orleans on a six-play, 76-yard touchdown drive. The Saints benefited from a pair of penalties on that drive, but otherwise Haener was terrific, completing four of his five passes and adding eight yards on a scramble.
Haener capped the drive off with the 2-yard touchdown to Merriweather, cutting the Chiefs lead to one point with a little more than a minute to go.
“Early on it was a little erratic, but as he settled down I thought he got better,” Allen said. “He’s got a little moxie to him, and when the game was on the line, he ended up getting us down the field and putting points on the board.”
The Saints botched their 2-point attempt after Haener’s touchdown pass. Haener said he was trying to kill the play at the line, but the crowd noise drowned him out and the center thought he was calling for the snap.
Still, Haener was otherwise happy with the way the game ended.
“It was great to get out there, get my feet wet, and obviously (to) orchestrate something to leave people wanting more,” Haener said.
Perry shows his skillset
In a crowded receiver room, rookie sixth-rounder A.T. Perry has not had a ton of opportunities to show what he can do in training camp, and when he has had chances, his performance has been hit and miss.
But he was the Saints’ most productive receiver Sunday against the Chiefs, hauling in all six of his targets for 70 yards and a touchdown. All of those figures led the team.
Perry was a prolific collegiate receiver, hauling in 152 passes for 2,389 yards in his final two seasons at Wake Forest. He showed off a variety of skills as a pass catcher Sunday.
“It was good to see,” Allen said. “I thought he stepped up and caught the ball well.”
The one thing Allen didn’t like so much: Perry lunged for the end zone as he was losing his balance on his 29-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, and as he hit the ground he lost control of the ball.
The officials ruled that he’d crossed the goal line before losing possession and the touchdown counted, but Allen wanted to see better ball security from the rookie.
Saints rookie report: 3 who made a strong case in their Saints debut - NOLA.com
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