Anyone else tired of waiting on the great Jeremy Shockey? I don't know which is harder to find at this point, Shockey on the field or photos from a Chinese gymnast's Sweet 16 party.
The Shockey Watch hit three preseason games on Saturday night with the tight end scheduled to play the last exhibition game on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins in the Superdome.
The Saints (2-1) showing a much improved defense, shut out the Cincinnati Bengals 13-0 in Paul Brown Stadium. OK, it helped that the Bengals (1-2) didn't have star receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadesh and running back Rudi Johnson available because of injuries, but the Saints had to deal with a capable offense led by two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer, who got roughed up on a sack and had to leave late in the first half with a bloody nose and a cut lip.
Palmer was sacked three times in the first half, the last a safety blitz by former Bengal safety Kevin Kaesvihan. He walked off the field with blood spilling down the front of his face and a towel covering his head.
The Saints' defense allowed the Bengals to cross midfield just once -- and by only one yard -- on six possessions in the first half. They managed only four first downs and 94 total yards while falling behind 10-0.
The Bengals had 11 possessions, and 10 ended in punts. The Bengals finished with as many punts as first downs -- 10.
The Saints had 458 yards on total offense, compared with 165 for the Bengals. The Saints had 24 first downs.
The Saints went up 10-0 when Drew Brees threw a one-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Ronnie Ghent. A play-action fake into the middle of the line froze the defense, and Ghent was wide open in the end zone.
The big play was a 54-yard completion from Brees to Robert Meachem.
Brees played deep into the second quarter and carved up the Bengals' pass defense. He was 14-of-22 passing for 199 yards and had two drops, one touchdown and no interceptions and a 108.0 passer rating.
The Saints showed marked improvement in the secondary as well as the pass rush as cornerback Mike McKenzie made his preseason debut after having surgery last season, and second-round draft choice Tracy Porter made his first star opposite him. The Saints sacked Palmer three times for 25 yards The Saints held the Bengals to 38 yards and a 2.2 average on 17 carries. The Saints held the Bengals to 4 of 14 (29 per cent) on third-down conversions, a glaring weakness last week against Houston.
Martin Gramatica kicked a 42-yard field goal in the first half and rookie Taylor Mehlhaff booted a 45-yarder in the third quarter.
Lane Moore had another big night receiving with 4 catches for 79 yards. Meachem has 4 for 71 yards.
Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush had subpar nights rushing. Deuce carried six times for 9 yards and Bush had six yards on two tries. Pierre Thomas rushed five times for 46 yards, but lost the ball on a fumble in the red zone.
Marques and Bush left the game with injuries and didn't return. Coach Sean Payton said Colston suffered bruised ribs but X-rays were negative. Bush was hit in the third while returning a punt and said he could have continued playing, but he didn't think it was worth a risk of further injury by returning.
Payton said he decided not to play Shockey shortly before the game. "He wanted to play and had a good week of practice working with the starters," said the coach. "He'll play with the first string on Thursday night."
"I felt like we moved the ball well," said Brees. "But we left some opportunities out there for sure, especially in the second quarter. That's frustrating.
"I also need to get some work with Shockey in a preseason game."
The Saints' starters are expected to play one drive against the Dolphins.
Skyler Green, trying to win a roster spot, returned one kickoff for 23 yards and two punts for --4 yards.
I hope there is a place in hell for the greedy beast who first got the idea to make sure fans have to pay for preseason games if they wanted season tickets. This beast must be sentenced to watching preseason game film. They can awake him with "Hey, man, wake up, the third team punt coverage is going in."
His reply will be "I can't watch any more of this, and he will be instructed, "Well do the best you can."
SOME HITHER. OTHERS YON: Chris Paul got the gold medal he so badly wanted with USA's 118-107 victory over Spain in the Olympics final basketball game. The Hornet scored 13 points. Two former LSU stars, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus won gold medals as the USA defeated Australia 92-65 in the women's finals.Fowles scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while Augustus had four points and six rebounds. Fowles led U.S. women in scoring (13.4-point average), rebounding (8.3) and field goal percentage (64.0). Augustus averaged 7.9 point per game, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists...Charles Scott likely will be he starting tailback for LSU when they open their season against Appalachian State in Tiger Stadium on Saturday at 4 p.m. Coach Les Miles mentions Scoot more than Keiland Williams and Richard Murphy. The coach doesn't like Williams' fumbling problem. "I think the coach wants somebody to step as the one guy, but even if one of us does, coach is not going to completely turn his shoulder to what Keiland and Richard bring to the table," said Scott. Tigers defensive end Tyson Jackson said Murphy reminds him of Reggie Bush because of his speed. "He's going to make plays all over the field," said Jackson...
True story: Several USC players had had to miss practice time recently because of a severe outbreak of jock itch. I'm just wondering if this means we should scratch the Trojans from he national title picture...Former Tigers linebacker Thielen Smith? He is defensive coordinator at Charleston Southern. He formerly was an assistant at LSU, Tulane, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall and Illinois...John Curtis is ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region's Top 20 teams. Bastrop is No. 13...LSU Sports Radio Network hit the air two hours before kickoff time each week with a pre-game show that features player and coach interviews, an interview with the opposing coach as well as he final words from Miles before the Tigers take the field. For more information on the LSU Sports Radio Network and where to listen to the Tigers in your area. go to www.lsusports.net/radioaffiliates..
Wait. I have one more. When Lou Holtz coached at Arkansas, he opened his weekly television show after his team had suffered its fourth straight loss in five weeks with: "Welcome to the Low Holtz Show. Unfortunately, I'm Lou Holtz."
Anyone else tired of waiting on the great Jeremy Shockey? I don't know which is harder to find at this point, Shockey on the field or photos from a Chinese gymnast's Sweet 16 party.
