Classic Joseph Addai half. Or at least the Joseph Addai I expect to see in 2007. He seemed active, but it's a surprise when you notice he has 88 total yards at halftime on 13 carries and a catch.

Do that again and you have a quiet 175 total yard day. He's a great slasher and always hits the right holes. Playing on the Colts practically guarantees him 100 total yards a game. He rarely does anything that wows you, though, and that's the difference between ranked in Big Three this year (LT2, Jackson, and Gore), and being ranked fourth. Addai owners won't mind one bit.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

That's three catches for Eric Johnson. I'd tell you the amount of yards, but the play-by-play and box score is still having problems.

Watching Johnson work, it's not hard to see why he always gets hurt. He certainly isn't making anyone miss and he's a big target underneath who seeks out contact. The Colts have already leveled him twice, causing a fumble. A few more games like this and Johnson is going to be on the sidelines again.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Haven't seen Anthony Gonzalez on the field much tonight. John Madden made an interesting comment that the Colts want Gonzalez to be Brandon Stokley, but he's not yet.

I wasn't sure if Madden was trying to say that Gonzalez has been a slight disappointment thus far or just stating the obvious that Gonzalez is a rookie with a long way to go. Either way, I'm not buying him as a fantasy asset until 2008.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When I was talking about this game with people this week, I said no result would surprise me except a defensive struggle. While I'm sure this thing will loosen up, it's Offense 7, Defense 7 through 25 minutes

A nice early reminder that none of us know anything.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Colts offensive line is getting in Drew Brees' face and causing a lot of havoc. He's thrown 11 passes for 42 yards. The Saints aren't even trying to test the field deep with Devery Henderson or Marques Colston.

The Saints also aren't using their third receiver very often, using Eric Johnson and their running backs in the slot.

Reggie Bush just dropped a pass to end a drive. Another drive ended earlier on a batted Drew Brees pass, and a three-yard loss on a running play on a third-and-six. Seems like normal Opening Day rust.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I doubt many fantasy owners enjoyed Jason David's long fumble return for a touchdown. Reggie Wayne loses a point, the Saints lose a possible drive, and a fantasy defense that almost no one could have active tonight.

Kudos if you did! Let me know.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The New NFL.com has been great, but their scoreboard is having some issues right now. Colts 1, Zephyrs 0.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Two catches, 13 yards for the Saints tight end. That sounds about right. Johnson has a 9.4 yards-per-catch average for his career, and it wouldn't surprise me if it goes down this year. It also wouldn't surprise me if he caught 60 passes. He might turn into the Chris Hoiles of the NFL.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Saints decide to keep Jason David covering the left side of the field even when Marvin Harrison switches sides, and Harrison burns him for a 27-yard touchdown.

Big plays were a huge problem for the New Orleans defense last year. They probably will be again with David as a starter and Jason Craft behind him. You get the sense the Colts set that play up for a while with a lot of short stuff, then struck. And Harrison starts another year ahead of Reggie Wayne.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Saints come out running, which shouldn't be so surprising. Reggie Bush gets more of the love early, but showed some of the problems he had in the first half all year.

He gets an inside run, but only goes two yards. He catches a swing pass, but backs up too much near the first-down marker, leaving the Saints in third-and-one. Bush then shows his versatility on an end-around he takes nine yards.

This game has all the makings of a shootout, but the Saints don't look interested. They want to grind out yards with runs and short passes.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)