We're just going to have to wait to find out what the Saints offense will be if this is our only preseason glimpse

No one is going to believe anything we say about the offense for at least the next week.

They aren’t going to believe that things have looked more cohesive in practice and that everything is done with a plan. They aren’t going to believe that the offense looked sharp all of last week. They aren’t going to believe it when we tell them that things are going to be better on that side of the ball this season.

No, not when their first glimpse of the starters was a six-play drive that got marred by shoddy blocking. And not when the second glimpse was a three-and-out that finished with a net of zero yards after a third-and-12 pass gained a hapless two yards.

Hope. Excitement. Optimism. Nope, the Saints first-team offense wasn’t serving any of those things during Saturday’s 16-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. It was a frustrating watch and no doubt impressions and conclusions were reached. One scroll of TwittX will tell you that people are ready to bury everything and everyone off the first bit of confirmation bias they received.

And that’s the way it goes. Until the Saints put something else on film and win games during the regular season, this is it. I can sit here and tell you that we have seen something more cohesive in practice, that all the good stuff – the motions, the boots, the play actions, the creativity, the Taysom package – that has gotten us excited to watch this system was nowhere to be found.

Klint Kubiak might not have called a single motion during the first two series. It was all straight dropbacks and pretty basic stuff. This didn’t even look vanilla. It was vanilla extract, at best. Boiled chicken with no spice. But until we see it work, we won’t know it works, and it didn’t work on Saturday and the offensive line was spotty.

So, there was pressure and Derek Carr was under pressure multiple times. The run game was just OK. And you didn’t really see anything to make you say, “Hey, this is something.” And, man, all anyone wants after the last few years is a little bit of something on offense.

So, we’re going to have to wait. Even though practices are probably a better representation of how the offense is going to operate, no one wants to hear about practice now that there is something against another team to watch. And if this game is any indication, odds are, Kubiak isn’t going to show us much the rest of the preseason.

We might not even see the first-team offense in a game again until Week 1.

Saturday was supposed to lift the curtain. It was a big bluff with just a bunch of straight dropbacks and nothing else. Often times, what happens in the preseason doesn’t matter. The Saints offensive starters lit it up last year and then the regular season was underwhelming. But until the team makes everyone forget, this is what people will remember.

TIME TO WORRY? Cesar Ruiz was disappointed that the offensive line lost its attention to detail. He knows the group is better than what it did on Saturday, but it didn’t do those things, and the performance was well less than perfect.

But he also doesn’t think it’s the end of the world. The bad performance gives them something to watch, study and use to get better, and he plans to do all those things.

“It’s good to be able to get out there and now see it live against another team,” Ruiz said. “Now we can get back in the lab tomorrow and see what we got to fix. This is good. I think this is all great. It’s great to see all this and see all this and get back in the film room and make all the corrections.”

The offensive starters got two drives and those two drives basically did nothing. The first one stalled after pressure derailed things, and the second one never got going because of pressure. Trevor Penning got beat by his defender three times, which is going to have people worried, and Lucas Patrick looked spotty. But if there was a bright spot, it’s that Taliese Fuaga did not appear to allow a pressure.

There is no doubt, though, that the offensive line remains the biggest issue on the team. It was the biggest question mark entering camp, and what happened on Saturday did nothing to dispel concerns. So, there is still a lot of work to do and a lot to prove here.

“I understand how people will feel,” Ruiz said. “But I’m not worried about it.”

START THE HYPE: Spencer Rattler almost set the world on fire, though almost might be enough for now.

The rookie quarterback has been lighting it up during practices, and while there were a few moments that he’s going to want to clean up, he led five drives and got in the end zone on one and led the game-winning drive that resulted in a field goal.

Not bad. Not enough to bury anyone or start wild narratives, but enough to open eyes and create excitement. He finished 9-of-17 for 70 yards, but the numbers should have been higher. Rattler put a 34-yard pass on A.T. Perry’s hand, but a cornerback interfered with him and got flagged. Then there were a few other throws that we suspect on film will reveal that players could have made plays. But that’s life playing with the third-string offense.

Rattler has a big-time arm. He can really throw the ball and throws with anticipation and timing. He doesn’t let a moment get too big for him. The rookie had the awareness and patience to not stretch his arm out on his touchdown run, and that’s a moment where a lot of young players might get overly excitement and make a mistake. Not Rattler. He said after the game he saw a defensive back coming and knew that he had to protect the ball above all else.

Those are just good instincts. And we saw them again, later, when he didn’t lose his poise on the final drive.

This is a great starting spot for Rattler. If his game performances are anything like he’s looked in practice, expect him to be ever better next week. He should also get a chance to play with the second-team offense, so the quality of help should help elevate him, too.

STARTING DEFENSE COOKS: The Saints didn’t have Marshon Lattimore or Paulson Adebo on the field and still managed to suffocate the group of players the Cardinals had on the field to start the game.

The Saints had four sacks and we counted something close to 15 pressures (we’ll check the number on film). Nathan Shepherd, Bryan Bresee, Carl Granderson and Chase Young all had good and productive games.

The depth at this position might actually end up working out in the Saints favor. We’ve seen good things form the group all summer and the momentum continued against the Cardinals. If the team can get Isaiah Foskey going a little bit, things could be really deep.

SLEEPER STEPPING UP: Had a close eye on guard Kyle Hergel throughout the night. The undrafted rookie played what looked like 32 snaps on first count, and we do not believe he allowed a pressure during the game.

He’s playing really well and looks like someone who has a very real shot of making the 53-man roster. He might even make a case for snaps at some point this season if he keeps playing the way he has played.

GOING DEEP: Here’s what happened on Haener’s 58-yard throw to A.T. Perry.

The Cardinals were playing a version of Cover 4 and the Saints were in a 3x1 formation. Typically, Haener’s read would be to the front side of the formation. But the backside safety was lurking a bit toward the bunch side of the formation, which left Perry 1-on-1 with the cornerback.

“I gave the corner a pump, took my drop and had to step up pretty hard,” Haener said. “He ran a great route and great opportunity to throw it down the field and show people I can throw it down the field. In a 2-minute situation you have to connect on those.”

Haener finished 9-of-13 for 107 yards. He’s battling as hard as anyone can battle and while he doesn’t get talked about as much as Carr or Rattler, he’s making this an interesting fight for the backup spot.

“I don’t know what else I can do,” Haener said. “From my standpoint, I’m completing the ball at a high rate, protecting the ball pretty damn well, my reads and feet feel as clean as they’ve felt, and then I went out tonight and did what I was asked to do.”

ANSWERING THE CALL: No one needed to have a good game more than Perry. His camp was pretty quiet until recently and it felt like everyone around him was making more plays than him.

And then the lights came on and lit things up. Four catches on four targets. Eighty-five yards. He couldn’t have played better. And the people around him didn’t do anything to push him or come after his spot. Guys like Kevin Austin and Stanley Morgan, who have been making plays in camp, didn’t do much out on Saturday, which also happens to be good news for Mason Tipton, who missed the game due to injury.

A current stacking of the depth chart would probably look something like this: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson, Perry, Tipton.

SNAP COUNTS

Offense

WR Kevin Austin Jr. – 40

WR A.T. Perry – 37

TE Dallin Holker – 35

G Kyle Hergel – 32

T Jesse Davis – 30

T Josiah Ezirim – 30

WR Stanley Morgan – 30

G Tremayne Anchrum – 30

QB Spencer Rattler – 30

TE Michael Jacobson – 29

T Mark Evans – 27

T Landon Young – 27

G Oli Udoh – 27

QB Jake Haener – 27

OL Lucas Patrick – 23

T Taliese Fuaga – 23

T Trevor Penning – 23

C Sincere Haynesworth – 22

RB Jordan Mims – 22

G Shane Lemieux – 21

WR Samson Nacua – 17

RB James Robinson – 17

WR Cedrick Wilson – 16

WR Marquez Callaway – 16

RB Jacob Kibodi – 11

FB Adam Prentice – 11

RB Jamaal Williams – 10

TE Foster Moreau – 10

G Cesar Ruiz – 10

C Erik McCoy – 10

QB Derek Carr – 10

WR Chris Olave – 9

RB Alvin Kamara – 7

FB Taysom Hill – 7

TE Kevin Rader – 7

FB Zander Horvath – 6

Defense

DE Isaiah Foskey – 54

CB Rejzohn Wright – 43

DE Niko Lalos – 39

DT Kendall Vickers – 39

DT Khristian Boyd – 38

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry – 36

CB Shemar Jean-Charles – 33

CB Rico Payton – 32

LB Anfernee Orji – 32

LB Khaleke Hudson – 29

CB Mac McCain – 28

LB D’Marco Jackson – 27

S Jordan Howden – 26

S Will Harris – 26

LB Monty Rice – 25

S Millard Bradford – 22

DT Bryan Bresee – 22

S Roderic Teamer – 21

DE Payton Turner – 19

LB Willie Gay – 17

LB Isaiah Stalbird – 16

DB Lawrence Johnson – 11

DT Jack Heflin – 11

S Tyrann Mathieu – 10

CB Alontae Taylor – 10

S J.T. Gray – 10

S Johnathan Abram – 10

DE Chase Young – 9

DT Khalen Saunders – 9

DT Nathan Shepherd – 9

LB Jaylan Ford – 9

DE Carl Granderson – 8

DE Cam Jordan – 7

LB Mike Rose – 3

SNAP ANALYSIS: Foskey leading the defense in snaps is interesting and a clear message. The team is saying he needs more experience.

Same thing for Penning and Fuaga. After the other starters left, they remained in the game to play more. McKinstry is on the same program, and he had visible ups and downs in this game. Taylor doesn’t appear to be in danger at all.

Young only played nine snaps but he made an impact. He looked good in this game and was incredibly close to getting a sack. Sometimes creating them for teammates are just as good, though.

Jacob Kibodi only getting a handful of snaps isn’t a good thing for a long shot who has been around. Zander Horvath only getting six snaps was a surprise. The theory of him fits this offense so well and part of me thinks that he’s being hidden.