Texans Can Use Saints Game As Blueprint For Week 6 Matchup
The Houston Texans round out their preseason slate Sunday against the New Orleans Saints Sunday — a matchup that will take place in week 6 as well.
The two teams agreed it was in the best interest to cancel joint practices to preserve health. While the Saints and Texans get less to put on tape for when the game's result actually counts, Houston executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio said DeMeco Ryans and Co. are still able to learn "operational" things about New Orleans for their regular season matchup.
"How they sub, the pace of sub, how they do it, signal, don't signal," Caserio said on the Texans radio show Thursday. "More than anything, you're just maybe a smidge more familiar with the players and the operation, just their cadence of maybe how they play offensively, how quick they get to the line of scrimmage, how quick they get the play in the huddle. Those types of things."
Despite the "vanilla" play calls likely to take place this weekend, Caserio said the Xs and Os and how the Saints use their personnel will make themselves known during the first five weeks of the regular season. He added that New Orleans will not craft a "brand new system" in seven weeks between its preseason and regular season games.
Caserio gave an in-depth scouting report of most of the Saints' position groups as well, saying they "have a faily well-established program" that still displays shades of the Sean Payton era.
The Texans' general manager said adding quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Michael Thomas returning from injury are both big for New Orleans, while Chris Olave is "as good of a player that nobody really talks about" at his position.
Caserio said Alvin Kamara is "one of the best all-around" running backs in the NFL and that Cam Jordan is "probably going to go down as one of the greatest players in the history of the organization."
This Sunday's preseason game will be a "good initial introduction" to New Orleans' team before their week 6 matchup, Caserio said.
"Experienced team with a lot of high-quality players with an influx of I say some youth," Caserio said. "(It will) be a good challenge regardless of who plays or who doesn't play."
Houston will get a first-hand glimpse at New Orleans' youth versus veteran combination in its preseason finale Sunday at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.
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