Marginalia from Saints-Jags

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We usually fill up three or four pages of notebooks each as we cover a Saints game. The preseason contest between New Orleans and Jacksonville was no exception. Here are the various tidbits we found as we began emptying its contents.

Kickoff Return Rare Air

WHEELS 🔥#Saints | 📺: FOX-8 pic.twitter.com/r8wTEHiTJX
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 15, 2026

Watching Ty Chandler run back the opening kickoff of Preseason Game 1 a good 86-yards was a crowd pleaser. It was also quite singular.

Guess how many returners in the first week of preseason games ran back a kickoff for over 80-yards. Only one.

Guess how many kickoff returns were for over 60-yards. You guessed it, one.

Over 50? Only Chandler.

His 86-yard return was almost twice as long as the next longest of the week one preseason games, a 48-yarder by Cincinnati's Ke'Shawn Williams.

TV Broadcast Quirkiness & Kudos

As seen in the X post from above, the television broadcast was having some timing issues. Though frustrating (and the complaints are making the rounds on the Internets), it is not totally the fault of the broadcast team. Many times it's a problem with the on-field folks not being in sync with the production truck. Other times, it's as simple as a commercial being 64-seconds instead of the common 60-seconds, and no one noticed until the spot aired. Either way you put it, it is not the fault of the guys in the booth.

On the other hand, the broadcast seemed washed out on live TV. We did not watch the game on a cable provider. We did get a recording of the game on the actual on-air broadcast and found the same thing a few folks commented on: a washed look to the broadcast from Fox-8. Anything else we saw on the station was crystal clear and clean. Not so the football broadcast.

Speaking of which, we don't think anybody can top the folks announcing the TV game for Fox-8. Joel Myers and Jon Stinchcomb make an enjoyable duo. Their back-and-forth bantering makes a game with a lot of names who are not recognizable very entertaining. In fact, Stinchcomb is not just knowledgeable. He can dish a line quickly with a noticeable smile in his voice. He is a true gem in the booth. Terron Armstead had his first game as a sideline reporter. His interviews were fun to listen to, and he will grow in the experience. We know the little interviews with various non-football folks are a necessary evil. Terron actually made those sorta interesting.

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