Football is back, New Orleans.
In what is sure to be one of the strangest football seasons
imaginable, the NFL and several major college football conferences returned to
action this weekend. Most stadiums were without fans, replaced instead by piped-in
crowd noise.
While fans across the country were mostly relegated to their
homes, the spirit of football, camaraderie, and fun returned. For the first
time in several months, a sense of normalcy was restored, even if it was for
just a few hours.
In honor of the potential final season opener of Drew Brees's
illustrious career under center, here are nine thoughts on the Saints' 34-23
win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1.
It's fitting during an unpredictable year that
the Saints' first play of the season was a pass to Taysom Hill, the
jack-of-all-trades backup quarterback who has emerged as one of the more
unlikely weapons in the NFL over the last couple of seasons. Run, pass, catch—and
now, change diapers—the recent new father does it all.
2.
Tom Brady in a non-Patriots uniform will take
some getting used to, but it was a special sight to watch two of the greatest
quarterbacks of all time duel in the Superdome. Two decades in, and Brady still
has the competitive fire that's made him a six-time Super Bowl champion. The
intensity of his celebration after he called his own number near the goal line
for his first touchdown as a Buccaneer was proof of that.
3.
Alvin Kamara seems to be worth every bit of the
five-year, $75 million contract extension he agreed to on Saturday, putting up
two touchdowns (and almost a third) against Tampa Bay. I'd argue that that
amount is still too large of an investment in a running back, but if Kamara
continues to produce like he did on Sunday for the rest of the season, the
Saints' status as contenders remains strong.
4.
Despite the intriguing storyline, the Tom-pa Bay
era of Brady leading the Buccaneers is off to a rough start. Brady tossed two
interceptions, including a pick six, and was sacked three times. Thanks to
Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins, Tom Brady became the third quarterback in NFL
history to throw pick sixes in three straight games, dating back to his final
two games as a Patriot last season. Welcome to the NFC South, Tommy B.!
5.
Margus Hunt has the makings of the latest Saints
folk hero. The 6'8" Estonian defensive end made his gigantic presence known in
the second quarter, when he bulldozed through the line and blocked a Buccaneers
field goal. It goes without saying that he's already on my short list of
greatest Marguses of all-time.
6.
The return of the Marshon Lattimore-Mike Evans
feud was perfect. There's no love lost between the Saints cornerback and
Buccaneers receiver, just good old-fashioned divisional rivalry hate. The
pair's trademark chippy relationship came to a head during an altercation when
Lattimore lost his helmet, and the Saints ended up with a penalty. The referee
always catches the second player in an on-field fight, hopefully something
Lattimore remembers for future games.
7.
Leonard Fournette's Domecoming was very
underwhelming. Since the former LSU and St. Augustine star was recently signed
by the Buccaneers, we knew it would take some time for him to get up to speed,
but tallying only 19 rushing and receiving yards combined was abysmal—like,
shades of the 2015 LSU-Alabama game abysmal.
8.
Like many of the players, Brees looked rusty,
but he played his typical brand of mistake-free football and even flashed a few
long throws downfield. With more talented offensive weapons surrounding him
than ever before, Brees doesn't have to be perfect for the Saints to succeed this
season, but he does need to be better than 18-for-30 and 160 yards.
9.
Although Kamara's final touchdown was reversed,
you've got to love the Saints keeping their foot on the gas by pulling out a
tricky double pass to hit Kamara and set up the Saints in the red zone in the
final two minutes. When Tom Brady's on that opposing sideline, go for the
jugular.
Kudos
Shoutouts to other players and teams that caught my eye in
the rest of the football world.
- How about those Ragin' Cajuns? Louisiana
Lafayette pulled off a massive road win over No. 23 Iowa State in one of three
Sun Belt over Big 12 conference wins of the day. The Big 12 has been a bush-league
conference for a while now (outside of Oklahoma), and Saturday's trio of losses
further solidified that point.
- Coastal Carolina has now beaten Kansas twice
in Les Miles' first 13 games as the Jayhawks' head coach. It's bad enough to
get beaten by a team nicknamed the Chanticleers once, but this makes some of
Miles' on-field gaffes at LSU seem pedestrian.
- The Tulane Green Wave battled back to take a
27-24 victory over South Alabama, notching 14 fourth-quarter points and helping
land coach Willie Fritz a new contract extension in the process.
- Former LSU stars Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Joe
Burrow scored their first professional touchdowns in their NFL debuts.
Edwards-Helaire shined bright on Thursday, with 138 yards and a touchdown for
the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Burrow scampered for a
23-yard touchdown in the first quarter of his opening game as quarterback for
the Cincinnati Bengals. Watching former Tiger stars begin to excel in the NFL
brought memories of last year's amazingly perfect LSU season rushing back. You
love to see it.
Andrew Alexander is a contributing writer, football fan,
and unofficial President of the Arch Manning Fan Club. Follow him on Twitter at @TheOtherAA
and listen to the Krewe du
Drew podcast.