Yoders' Live Blog - NFL: Saints/Bengals

Where else would you rather be on a Friday night than on your new leather couch, in your new apartment, watching the first game of your favorite team in all of sports in 9 months. Tonight, my beloved Saints play host to the Hard Knocks Bengals. And our live blog is back! Tonight is a solo effort with Y2 out of town, but since it's preseason, (and since it's the Bengals) there is sure to be laughs all night long! Refresh the page throughout the night and come along for the ride!

Postgame

Thanks to everyone who checked out the live blog tonight. Without a doubt the biggest night we've had here at RSS in our short time in the blogosphere. Again the live blog was a lot of fun, and thanks again for reading. I was really excited to see Sharper and Vilma flying all over the field. The Saints D under new coordinator Gregg Williams was awesome (except for one Mr. David of course). The O was good, but not great. Shockey, Brunell, and Meachem standing out. For the Bengals, they may win 5-7 games this season. At least you can check out Huit Cinq on Twitter.

My 3 Stars:

1. Darren Sharper: Everywhere on D, caused a fumble, pursued the ball, a Pro Bowl year?

2. Mark Brunell: Looked great, especially on the TD pass to Meachem.

3. Mike Valpredo: Give this guy a medal for his sideline reporting. Top class comedy.

Let us know what you'd like to see us live blog next in the comments or via e-mail. Thanks for joining us tonight once again. Happy trails from RSS.

4th Quarter

10:25 - Brunell throws an absolutely awful interception inside the 5 which is thankfully negated by a PI penalty. I feel bad for Bengals fans, I really do. Don't think it's going to get better from here. At least the Reds are having a good year, umm...

10:28 - Hamilton, obviously feeling bad for Bengals fans, coughs up the ball again and this time Cincy recovers. It looks like he's in to the endzone before the fumble, but the Saints don't have any challenges left because Sean Payton really wanted those 8 extra yards in the 1st $*#@&# Quarter!!!! Can you tell that still bugs me?? Bengals ball. Timeout.

10:31 - Watching DT Rod Coleman and FS Usama Young and CB Malcolm Jenkins for this 4th Quarter. Saints really pursuing the ball as 14 guys tackle DeDe Dorsey after he drops the ball. 3 & Out again for Cincy.

10:35 - Joey Harrington finally makes his first appearance. Who would've thought the worst days for the Lions would be AFTER he left? On an even better note, the Saints get the Lions in Week 1. Will be nice to start the year 1-0 (knocking on whatever wood I can find).

10:39 - Now I remember why the Harrington Era in Detroit isn't remembered so fondly as he overthrows his receiver by 15 yards. Hartley then splits the middle on a FG attempt from 54 yards after missing from 20 earlier. Such is life. Saints 17 Bengals 7.

10:42 - A thought comes to mind. If you're playing in the 4th Q of the 1st Preseason game how confident are you about your NFL career? What is the real-life equivalent? Trying to channel my inner Colin Cowherd but failing... maybe that's a good thing.

10:45 - Sideline interview with Roy Williams. Direct quote from my man Valpredo, "He's brought some other guys here, Tank Johnson, you guys needed that kind of influence it seems, and it's working." NFL Tickets: 50$. Owning a Team: 500 Million$. Bengals sideline interviews: Priceless.

10:49 - I'm not even kidding there have been 27 punts this 4th quarter, and we're not even halfway through. I'm reaching out to you in the blogosphere. I want you at home to know my hand is touching your hand for this gathering... sorry, I had to channel my inner Dusty Rhodes to finish this blog, especially with another timeout.

10:51 - Jeff Charleston & Chris Reis in for a huge tackle in the backfield. Looks like the depth of the D is going to be greatly improved this season.

10:53 - Another turnover! Jonathan Casillas tips the pass and then gathers in the INT on another rebound. Casillas is an undrafted rookie LB from Wisconsin and has been turning heads. He might have a chance to make the final roster.

10:55 - OMG! This guy on the sidelines is my new hero. "The good news themes in terms of players wearing stripes continues in terms of Cedric Benson..." Fox, NBC, ESPN, somebody hire this guy! The comedy is through the roof!! Certainly in the running for the 1st Star of the night.

10:59 - Saints now content to run out the clock w/ under 2 to go. Somewhere I see Mike Ditka yelling, "WE BECAME A TEAM TODAY! WE BECAME A TEAM!"

11:00 - And this one belongs to the history books! Final score from the Superdome Saints 17 Bengals 7!

3rd Quarter

9:46 - NOLA TP Saints writer Jeff Duncan's twitter page here and yes I did tweet him a Q about when Jason David will be cut. The obligatory jazz music welcomes us back for the 2nd half.

9:50 - Lynell Hamilton gets the first shot at the Saints 3rd RB position. Some guy named Mike Valpredo tries to tell us about all of the goings on on the Bengals sidelines. "That last drive at the end of the second quarter, that came by way.. of... the Bengal nation really gathering for each other." BENGAL NATION RISE UP!! That might be the early candidate for soundbyte of the decade.

9:53 - Weird Bengals ad campaign focusing on the word OWN. Own passion, the experience, etc. Oh, and own the jail cell. Sorry, too easy, and too predictable.

9:54 - Little Bro Jordan Palmer's time to shine for the Bengals. Or time for him to repeatedly handoff to Brian Leonard. The life of a 3rd String NFL QB ladies and gentleman! Wow he really looks like his brother! Still no sign of Malcolm Jenkins...

9:57 - Fantastic open field tackle by Prieleau on RSS favorite and Mizzou grad Chase Coffman to prevent the first down. Once Jason David is cut, the Saints secondary will be the most improved unit in the NFL. Book it.

10:01 - Brunell goes WAAAAAAAYYYY DOWNTOWN to Robert Meachem for the TD of 64 yards, 60 of which was in the air! Wow, what a throw by Brunell, and good for Meachem as well. (Paul Keels' voice surprisingly never rises above that smooth baritone sound.) What a deep threat he can provide this team. Let's hope he's in for a breakout season. Saints 14 Bengals 7.

10:08 - Tony Hargrove looking good along the Saints D-Line. He could be a keeper. Good stop by the reserves on 3rd & 1 as well.

1o:12 - Interview on the sidelines with Bengals T Andrew Whitworth. Evidently the difference this year for Cincy is going to be passion. Is that a good sign for a Pro team? That your biggest improvement is passion? Shouldn't that be there to begin with?

10:15 - Brunell STILL in. Well into the 3rd quarter. Thought we would see more of Joey Harrington tonight, reports were that he looked good in camp. Somehow there is a personal foul penalty waved off. That is one of my biggest pet peeves, people picking up flags. That and people not closing the door when they come in the house.

10:17 - Always fun to see old people talk about Twitter. Thank goodness, at least Anthony Munoz knows how to text, I was worried. Oh, and Hamilton fumbles the ball 30 feet into the air but the Saints recover. It's that time of the game folks. 1st Down Saints.

10:20 - Wow, Brunell looks lively tonight. Save it for when you really might need it old man! Some guy named Simon drops a good lookin pass. Then, another rifle over the middle to some guy named Harper for a 1st. Hold on for a sec while I pull up the Saints depth chart. I'm slipping in my Saints knowledge in my old age, sorry.

10:23 - Another good catch from Rob Harper over the middle for the 1st down inside the 10 which ends the 3rd Q. Rob is 24 years old from Murray State, most recently played for the Arkansas Twisters of afl2, and enjoys long walks on the beach. Welcome to the show Rob!

2nd Quarter

8:54 - Good to see Anthony Hargrove with the sack! I asked Pat Yasinskas (name drop, ty, ty) in the NFC South chat today if he liked Hargrove, and he did, and I felt like I really accomplished something. Graham misses another cake FG and we're still tied at 0. Glad to see the kickers have brought their A games today.

8:56 - Best news of the day. The Office is being syndicated on the Columbus Fox station. JACKPOT! Start of the 2nd quarter and the first stringers still in for NO. I like it, don't let them leave the field without points.

8:57 - Brees deep to Shockey for 33 yards. Does it mean as much against Bengals 2nd stringers? Sure it does, what kind of a stupid question is that! And yes, I just asked myself a stupid question. This might be a long night.

9:00 - TOUCHDOOOOOWWWN SAAAAAAAAAINTS!!! (channeling the SD PA guy). What a throw by Brees to Shockey who makes the tough catch in traffic. Don't underestimate Shockey wanting to stay healthy and shut up a lot of his critics this season. Imagine this offense if Shockey & Bush & Colston stay healthy, hold on, I'm hyperventilating. Time for the 1st stringers to hit the showers. Saints 7 Bungals 0.

9:04 - ANOTHER big pass play to Chris Henry. Who is #29 always getting burned in the Saints secondary? WAIT! IT'S JASON DAVID! HE'S IN DISGUISE! Ok, I feel better about the Saints D now I know who the mystery man getting torched is, whew. I thought it may have been someone important. Cut him. Please. On the other hand, Henry and 8_5 look good.

9:08 - Good stop again for the Saints D. Bengals forced to punt again. If I had to grade the first units, which I am contractually obligated to, here they are:

-Saints O: B-, should have been 10 points, but the long TD drive was vintage Saints, I'm a tough grader, what can I say.

-Sainds D: A, only reason it isn't an A+ is for Vilma's silly fumble. He and Sharper the standouts.

-Bengals 0: B, Palmer and his WR's looked solid. Could use a better RB though.

-Bengals D: B-, didn't really see enough of them to say anything much except allowing that long TD drive.

9:12 - Brees out, but Thomas and the WR's and the O-Line still in. Can't wait till one of them gets hurt. Thank goodness they have to punt.

9:16 - The Bengals rookie RB Scott looks pretty good, a heck of a lot more explosive than Benson. Then again, that holding penalty could have helped him out. Bengals and discipline don't really go hand in hand do they...

9:19 - Jo-Lon Dunbar is my man. Why doesn't he start instead of Shanle? Oh, and another penalty on Cincinnatti. Or however you spell it. I've lived in this state for 23 years and I still can't spell the stupid thing.

9:22 - Somewhere in there we reached the 2 minute warning. Dang this live-blogging thing is hard! And we get a timeout right afterwards. Thrilling. Boy this Bengals offense is in midseason form!

9:24 - Sooner or later Chris Henry is going to be charged because he is abusing Jason David. Inappropriate?? I hope Roger Goodell isn't watching the blog, or else I might be suspended from the running diary, he is a very powerful man you know.

9:26 - Gotta love the official reviews in the preseason. Protect the Shield!

9:28 - Also gotta love the clock on the Bengals broadcast, obviously can't afford the budget to put in tenths, am I in 6th grade here? 11.X left as O'Sullivan throws it out of bounds.

9:31 - HAHAHA! Henry beats David... AGAIN, this time for 6! Oh wait! And David committed a penalty as well! Saints fans rejoice! He is SURE to be cut after this pathetic performance! Anthony Munoz calling that a good matchup for the Bengals might be the understatement of the Millenium. Saints 7 Bengals 7.

9:34 - Halftime in the Big Easy. I think I'm going to tweet the Saints beat reporter just to make sure he asks Payton if Jason David will be cut after the game. I need some oxygen and a fresh HGH injection if I'm going to make it through this second half. Will start up a fresh new blog entry for the 2nd Half. See you in 15!

1st Quarter

7:52 - How bout a bonus PGA Championship blog entry? That bet of Tiger Woods at 4/5 is looking better and better is it not? Too bad for Paddy and those 3 bogeys on the Back 9, but I don't think there is ANYTHING stopping Tiger this weekend. It's been a while since he's completely gone off in a major, he may win by 8.

8:00 - Thank God football is back... sorry if I get a little extra annoyed tonight being a Saints fan and having to watch the Bengals local broadcast. So good to hear the dulcet tones of OSU radio voice Paul Keels... he is 1000x better on the radio for OSU football games. But then again, everyone around here cares 1000x more about OSU than the Bengals.

8:05 - Here's what I'm looking for tonight from the Saints' perspective:

-How do Bush, Shockey, and Colston look coming back from injury?

-Who stands out in the new look secondary, especially rookie Malcolm Jenkins?

-Who steps up on the D-Line to prepare for the suspensions to DEs Smith & Grant?

8:08 - Never a big fan of wearing white uniforms at home, especially in the dome, what's the point? Gotta reflect the heat from the lights on the ceilings? Anyhoo, a nice tackle from Usama Young as the Bengals O takes the field, this should be fun!

8:09 - First play, Palmer goes deep to Huit Cinq, and surprise surprise S Roman Harper doesn't commit a 50 yard PI penalty! A promising start!

8:10 - Scratch that last statement - Palmer to Henry for a big gain and a first down. Too early to flip flop incessantly on the first drive of the first preseason game?

8:11 - Hahaha...Cedric Benson coughs it up and Jon Vilma scoops it up and takes it inside the 10! What a hit by new boy (well, old boy) Darren Sharper to cause the fumble. If your Carson Palmer, does Cedric Benson really inspire confidence in you as a trusty RB??

8:15 - Well, that was disappointing, poor blocking on the outside on the WR screen to Meachem on third down. Oh well, 3-....WHAT?! Hartley misses a FG for the first time in a Saints uniform from 20 yards out!! Fanfreakintastic! Why am I a fan of this team again?!?!

8:18 - Sharper with a HUGE hit on LaVaer, ah whatever, on Coles... good job hanging on though as he stays down, and we get another timeout. Now I remember why I've become a huge soccer fan, THERE AREN'T 48,000 TIMEOUTS A GAME! (sorry, I still haven't gotten off the steroid cycle completely, I wonder if I could find Manny's doctor's #?)

8:20 - You can really sense a newfound tenacity on this Saints defense: big hits, forcing fumbles, pursuing the ball. Come to think of it, it's all been Darren Sharper doing those things! What a signing! The Bungals quietly go 3 and out, how much is Anthony Munoz getting paid for broadcasting this?

8:24 - Great pass by Brees to Meachem... who stays down. Unbelievable. Thank goodness they have that Giant Squid show on Discovery for these downtimes and timeouts.

8:27 - Wow, Brees somehow spins out of a blitz, but can't find Colston. Uninspiring start from the vaunted Saints O. And to follow it up, a great punt straight out of bounds. Sigh. Any suggestions on something else I can do with my life??

8:29 - I think I just saw a doctor check out the anus of a decaying Colossal Squid, which evidently is more powerful than a mere Giant Squid. Look at me ma! I'm learning! Come to think of it, why hasn't anyone caught onto this as a nickname? Doesn't Oklahoma City Colossal Squids sound much better and more intimidating than Oklahoma City Thunder??

8:30 - Never thought I would hear Cedric Benson and quick change of direction in the same sentence again... unless he was running from police! Zing! Don't forget to tip your waitress!

8:31 - Palmer pulls an Aaron Brooks and loses the ball, luckily for him it's incomplete. How embarrassing to be placed in the same sentence as Aaron Brooks. Sorry Carson.

8:34 - Gotta love the 21st Century graphics of the Bengals Television Network, I think Mike Brown has a bigger budget for the Bungals' scouting department.

8:38 - Unreal play. Vilma picks it off in the flat and almost takes it the distance! Wow, him and Sharper have been absolutely everywhere tonight! A 66 yard return and the second turnover by Vilma. Of course the ruling on the field is that Vilma fumbled the ball at the end of the return, so the Saints will challenge. Gotta say the ground caused the fumble, right? I sure hope so. I'm already pacing around the room and it's the 1st Quarter of a Preseason game.

8:40 - While we're in this official review, let me welcome all the Saints and Bengals fans to the Liveblog that might be checking us out from Ballhype, don't forget to vote us up! A special welcome to all those in Cajun Country! Got a chance to do some Katrina relief work down there and loved every minute of it. Oh and it evidently was a fumble, and the Bengals get 1st & 10 on the 4. &@^$!!

8:43 - On one hand, the Saints Run D has looked pretty stout, Sed Ellis in particular looking impressive. On the other hand, it's the Bengals and Cedric Benson. CJ is open for a big 3rd down catch while Randall Gay has a nice view from 5 yards behind him. Note to self: Huit Cinq might be in for a sleeper fantasy year this season. Can you note yourself in a live blog?

8:44 - Yea, so Chad Johnson is destroying the Saints secondary. Great spin move and romp down the sidelines. I think I remember the last game in the Superdome he had a huuuuge game as well. Then again, most all WR's do against the Saints secondary.

8:48 - Never one to not waste challenges, Sean Payton decides to spend his last challenge in the 1st Quarter to gain 8 F&$@$ yards!! He is the WORST coach I have ever seen at using these challenges, pre, regular, or postsesaon! Unreal! Stevie Wonder would do a better job challenging these plays! Please for the love of God somebody help him!

8:50 - Good to see an old friend of the program JT O'Sullivan show up again. I feel like my life will be a little more emptier when he retires and I can't enjoy him get all of these valuable preseason minutes. End of 1. Saints 0 Bengals 0. To quote Bob Uecker from Major League: I think I'll wet my pants.