Saints Look to Start Strong in Home Opener Against the Cleve

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We’ll continue a series of opponent preview posts for the New Orleans Saints opponents in 2018. Next Youth Alex Okafor Jersey , we’ll go to the home of the Dog Pound, the Cleveland Browns. Our friends over at Dawgs by Nature took some time to give us Saints fans the scoop a the young, potential-filled team.Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY SportsWeek 2: vs the Cleveland BrownsNotable free agent additions:QB Tyrod Taylor (trade), RB Carlos Hyde, WR Jarvis Landry (trade), LB Mychal Kendricks, CB T.J. Carrie, CB E.J. Gaines, S Damarious Randall (trade)Over/Under:5.5 wins. As stupid as it may sound to take the over (6 wins or above) for the Browns after having just 1 win in the past two seasons, the quarterback position makes a significant difference. The Browns were bit by too many turnovers last year, and Tyrod Taylor is known for protecting the football.Most exciting rookie:CB Denzel Ward. As the No. 4 overall pick, he is expected to be a Day 1 starter. Fans will already be rooting for him as an Ohio State product, but he also adds a physical man-press presence to the defense that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams needs for the rest of his defensive strategies to fall into place.Position battle to keep an eye on:Left tackle. After the retirement of future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, this is the only position battle taking place on offense. Will it be Shon Coleman, last year’s starting right tackle? Will it be Austin Corbett, the team’s second-round pick this year? Or could veteran left guard Joel Bitonio finally make the switch over to left tackle?Biggest storyline heading into training camp:Hard Knocks being in Berea will be a storyline in itself, as Cleveland fans are excited to see some of the inner workings of the organization, the emotion of the players, how the coaches handle matters, etc. A reasonable alternative is the fact that it was just announced that Josh Gordon will miss the start of camp as part of his treatment plan, but the ambiguity of the whole situation will definitely be a big talking point heading into camp now.Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:Despite all the improvements the Browns have made this offseason, has the safety position been addressed enough? The assumption is that Jabrill Peppers will actually get to move to strong safety this year after frustratingly being stuck 30 yards deep all of last year, but will Gregg Williams go through with that? Also, Damarious Randall, who had been acquired from the Packers http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-ramczyk-jersey , has been a cornerback in the NFL. Will his switch to free safety work as smoothly as everyone hopes?Notable injuries heading into training camp:LB Mychal Kendricks and P Britton Colquitt were dealing with some minor injuries this offseason, but both are expected to be fine for some or all of training camp.***The Saints’ home opener is against a (likely) Tyrod Taylor-led Cleveland Browns. It’s to be determined if that fares better for the Saints or not.So what says you, you unbiased Saints fans? Do the Saints win their second game at home, or will the Browns spoil the first game in the Dome? Vote in the poll. Explain in the comments. And make sure you also check out DraftDividends.com, a website for a new book I’m writing currently titled Draft Picks and Dividends: A Fantasy Football Player’s Guide to Understanding the Stock Market. Baker Mayfield has assorted shiny trophies, plaques and awards from his college days. Probably more than he realizes.So far, his biggest NFL honor can't be hung or placed on a shelf.Mayfield was humbled by compliments made toward him by Saints star quarterback Drew Brees, who believes the Browns rookie is destined for fame.On Wednesday, Brees gushed when talking about Mayfield."I think he can be a lot better than me," Brees said. "He's got all the tools. He's more athletic. He probably can run around better. He's got a stronger arm."Mayfield was moved by the praise."Yeah, it doesn't get much higher than that," Mayfield said following practice. "That's one of the greatest to play of all time. That's the guy that I've had an unbelievable amount of respect for and looked up to just because of where I'm from first and then size and story as well. So I've always enjoyed watching him."Mayfield hopes to meet Brees for the first time Sunday as the Browns (0-0-1) visit the Saints (0-1), who lost their home opener 48-40 to Tampa Bay last week.For now, Mayfield is Cleveland's No. 2 quarterback, waiting his turn behind starter Tyrod Taylor. The Heisman Trophy winner grew up in Texas patterning his game after Brees, who entered the league with far less fanfare and minimal expectations following a storied career at Purdue.The knock on Brees coming out of college was that he was too short to succeed in the pro game. He'd be swallowed in the pocket and there was no way he'd be able to see receivers, never mind complete passes.Well, all Brees has done on the way to numerous Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title, is become one of just three quarterbacks to surpass 70,000 yards passing.The Hall of Fame awaits.And while Mayfield appreciated Brees' comments, they'll only be words if he doesn't produce."It's really cool. It's humbling, but unless I go to work every day, then it's not going to matter," he said. "Expectations are one thing, but you've got to do your own. Got to do your own."Brees' remarks also caught the attention of Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry."You're talking about Alex Anzalone Jersey , especially me being from Louisiana, Drew's a G.O.A.T.," Landry said. "He's the guy. For him to say that, that's one of the highest praises you can get from one of the guys that is tremendously respected around the league and around the world. So that's huge."Of course, Mayfield can't do much about building a legacy on the sideline.The Browns are taking a slow-is-better approach with Mayfield, whom they believe is their QB of the future — not the present.Barring an injury, Mayfield won't play this week against the Saints. And unless something changes dramatically soon, the Browns intend to have Mayfield sharpen his skills during practice until they feel he's ready to start.That's been the plan since March, when Cleveland traded for Taylor, who led Buffalo to the playoffs last season.Browns coach Hue Jackson said he won't be swayed to change direction by the early success the New York Jets have had with Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick. Darnold shook off throwing an interception that was returned for a TD on his first attempt and completed 16 of 21 passes for 192 yards and two TDs in a rout of Detroit on Monday night."I like our young quarterback a lot, but it didn't change my mind on anything," Jackson said. "Baker's been really good in practice. I think he's still growing. The thing I love, he's so engaged in what we're doing. That is a fist bump to him because I'm sure it's tough."I'm sure he wants to play. Any competitor wants to. At the same time, I think he's ready. He's preparing himself week in and week out on what it takes to play. And when his day comes, he's going to go out there and play well. I keep saying that. Do not know when it is, but when it does happen, he will play well."Taylor's 15 of 40 performance last week against Pittsburgh sparked some debate as to whether the Browns were handling their QB situation — and Mayfield — correctly."The most important thing is that he's our future," Jackson said. "If he is, we don't have to rush this thing. When everybody saw the numbers last week, everybody wanted to go, 'OK, Tyrod is out. Let's go the other way.' Let's slow down a little bit here. Let's get this thing going. Week 1, here we go to Week 2. Let's see if we can improve on offense and play better."
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