Saints Recap: Andy Dalton Returned Home a Winner in Preseason Loss
(Houston, TX) — Andy Dalton returned to his hometown by engineering a touchdown drive on the Saints' first possession in front of family and friends inside NRG Stadium. Dalton's from Katy, a suburb of Houston that produces great football players in Texas.
Aug 13, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) answers media question about his performance against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle T. Mosley-SAINTS NEWS NETWORK
I asked Dalton how did it feel to return home. "It was good. I got to see family. My family came in from New Orleans. And then my parents still live out in Katy. I got a sister and brother-in-law that live out in Katy. And my in-laws came in from Dallas. It was good to get to see a lot of people and a lot of family."
New Orleans was highly stealthy before signing Dalton as an insurance policy should Jameis Winston become injured as he did in 2021. Since Winston sprained his foot at a 7-on-7 training camp practice, his return has been day-by-day. Dalton has handled the first-team assignment and performed well in Winston's absence, precisely what the New Orleans brass envisioned as Jameis' backup.
Aug 13, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton (14) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
"As for me, when you get to free agency, and you get the opportunity to join a team like this, you get excited. Because of not only the type of people they have here, the locker rooms is great, the staff is exactly what you want, and everybody's on the same page. So I'm looking forward to see what we can do this year," Dalton remarked.
Andy Dalton ran Pete Carmichael's offense with precision against the Texans. He was 5/5 passing for 51 yards, one touchdown, and 148.8 quarterback rating on the 10-play, 67-yard drive — he also ran once for six yards.
Dalton noted, "You're only going to get 10 to 15 snaps. So you want the drive to go. We did some good things, completed some passes, and converted some third downs. We got down there and were able to score, punched it in when we got in the red zone. So I mean, it's freaking draw it up. That's exactly how you do it."
The Saints called it a night for Dalton after the scoring possession.
This week, New Orleans will spend several days in Green Bay for joint practices and battle the Packers at Lambeau Field on Saturday, Aug. 20. Expect Dalton to take most of the practice reps and start the contest should Winston continue to nurse his foot back to health.
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