Preseason is almost over. Who else is ready for some real NFL football?
The Rams are coming. Those Lovable Ewes from LA-LA Land, are headed to the Big Easy.
Normally, the idea of the New Kids On the Block, the Los Angeles Rams, coming to New Orleans to play the Saints at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome would get the juices flowing.
But not when it’s the fourth game of the preseason when few, if any, marquee players and difference makers are expected to play and justify the outrageous prices being charged by NFL owners.
I suspect many Black and Gold season-ticket holders will watch the game from home and elsewhere and the Superdome will be half empty on a school night.
That’s the nature of the NFL beast.
As plain as the nose on your face, teams typically use the third game of the preseason as a meaningful “dress rehearsal’‘ in preparation for the start of the regular season and the final game as a “dress down,’‘ a last-gasp chance for bottom-tier players to make their current roster or rosters elsewhere on the eve of cutdown day Sept. 1.
In other words, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, running back Alvin Kamara and defensive end Cam Jordan and all healthy starters likely will start and play Saturday night (7 p.m., CBS) against the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Philip Rivers and bookend pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
The three aforementioned Saints are expected to play into the second quarter, may play the entire first half and could even come out to open the third quarter to break a sweat.
After all, it’s a “dress rehearsal,” the only meaningful exhibition of the preseason. The regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is just around the corner on Sept. 9 at the Superdome and teams have to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.
But don’t expect to see Brees, Kamara and Jordan in Thursday night’s “dress down’‘ pre-season finale at home against the Rams, despite the fact that fans are still being charged full regular-season prices.
If that scenario plays out, as expected, Saints fans will not have seen Brees in person at a pre-season home game, unless, of course, you count pre-game warmups. He stood on the sideline in their 20-15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals as backup quarterbacks Taysom Hill (31 snaps), Tom Savage (20) and J.T. Barrett (12) shared time under center.
Don’t despair, Saints fans.
You can gain some solace knowing the Rams are scheduled to return to the Superdome in Week 9 (Nov. 4) to play the Saints in what promises to be a very meaningful game when all healthy starters for both teams should be on display.
Two defending divisional champions with Super Bowl LIII aspirations, featuring numerous Pro Bowl-caliber players on both sides of the ball.
Now that will justify paying full admission. That even has my juices flowing.
The bottom line is, I’m ready for some real football, not a bogus facsimile.
What say you?
Brian Allie-Walsh, a longtime Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.
This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 11:49 AM.