Saints 24, Bucs 20: New Faces Do Saints Some Good

Mike McKenzie, the Saints' best corner and the best player on their defense last year, was inactive today. That's not good. Jason David donned pads but as far as I could tell didn't step foot on the field. That was good. The result -- new corners Randall Gay (brought in through free agency) and Tracy Porter (a second-round draft choice) got the start and provided the Saints with something they haven't had in years -- competent corner play on both sides.

But they weren't the only new Saints to make an impact. Jonathan Vilma, the team's leading tackler, and Sedrick Ellis, a beast who constantly penetrated double teams, were just as advertised, and Jeremy Shockey took a while to get going but made some clutch catches for 54 yards. These players were the difference in the Saints' win.

But this was a competitive game. The Saints shot themselves in the foot early with some undisciplined penalties, and Tampa countered each of New Orleans' offensive punches with some shots of their own. Earnest Graham broke free on a 46-yard run, and had most of Tampa's significant offensive spark. The Bucs almost eked out a late win, as they did the second time the teams played last year, by driving down the field with time expiring. But on a last-ditch fourth-and-one in Saints territory, Jeff Garcia made his first ill-advised throw of the game, a choreographed slant that Scott Fujita stepped in front of for the game-clinching interception.

The Bucs defense forced New Orleans to keep the action short, only breaking on an 84-yard touchdown catch by Devery Henderson that might not have happened if Ronde Barber would have kept his footing. The Bucs had Reggie Bush contained on his 42-yard touchdown catch, but simply couldn't tackle him.

As for Bush, he was a little of Reggie '07 and a little of Reggie '06. He had some maddening runs, and misjudged a punt that the Bucs wound up downing deep in Saints territory, pinning the team back for a short drive that ended with Drew Brees' only interception (which was returned for a touchdown). But he was effective in the pass game, tallying 112 yards and the touch on eight catches. Deuce McAllister, the team's inside punch, didn't play, but the team was able to use Bush in space by utilizing Pierre Thomas, who ran for a very solid 52 yards on 10 carries before leaving with an injury.

Joey Galloway, a notorious Saints killer, didn't make his typical large impact but caught a quiet 56 yards after not participating at all in the preseason. Garcia managed to get the ball to Antonio Bryant and Ike Hilliard, but the passing game was for the most part neutered, settling for little gains at a clip. This was largely due to the pressure the Saints got from their front four, which had Garcia under pressure often.

Both teams showed glimpses of why they can be a very good team in the NFC, and both made mistakes which will either reveal themselves as serious character flaws or first-game jitters. I'm willing, for both squads, to bet on the latter. Truth is, no matter how good either team has been in the recent past, they always give each other a serious battle, and today was no exception. It was a fight to the end, and you sort of have to ignore the miscues and be happy with a division win to the start the season. A division win that the Saints' new additions played a pivotal role in getting.