Jackson Free Press

Football is back. After an offseason where player activity has made more news than player signings, the New Orleans Saints getting back on the playing field meant more -- after one of harshest punishments ever given to an NFL franchise in the wake of "bounty gate."

In the NFL Hall of Fame game, New Orleans finally got back to football and away from the offseason drama. The Arizona Cardinals helped the Saints open the NFL preseason.

New Orleans received the opening kickoff and Drew Brees went to work. In a ten play drive that covered 77 yards in just over four minutes, the Saints first string offense looked in midseason form.

Mark Ingram scored on a one-yard plunge to give New Orleans an early 7-0 lead. Brees’ night was done after the score with him going four of five for 41 yards.

Brees' counterpart, Kevin Kolb of the St. Louis Cardinals, didn’t have quite the night the record-setting Saints quarterback did. Kolb was constantly harassed by the Saints defense as the Cardinals porous offensive line failed to give very much protection.

Kolb didn’t help make his case to be the starting quarterback when his first pass of the night was intercepted by Malcolm Jenkins. Kolb didn’t see Jenkins jump a short passing route as he made the first of several terrible defensive coverage reads of the night for Arizona.

While Brees only played one offensive series, Kolb kept playing as the Cardinals offense struggled. Kolb’s night ended after he was knocked down in his own end zone after an incomplete pass, injuring his ribs.

Kolb didn’t make it through three full series before he was injured. He was replaced by John Skelton, who is also fighting for the starting quarterback job.

Late in the first quarter, Skelton got the Arizona offense going, in a drive that went 89 yards in 14 plays that lasted over seven minutes to tie the game at 7-7.

After Brees left for the evening, he was replaced by back-up quarterback Chase Daniel. While the Cardinals quarterbacks were under duress most of the night, Daniel put up solid numbers as he played most of the first half and midway into the third quarter.

Daniel finished the night completing 15 of 20 passes for 203 yards. After the Cardinals tied the game, Daniels got the Saints offense rolling once more, driving to the Arizona four yard line.

New Orleans was unable to cross the goal line instead opting for a 23-yard field goal from 42-year-old John Kasay, also fighting for his job, to retake the lead at 10-7. The Saints field goal scoring drive lasted just over four minutes and covered 36 yards in 10 plays.

The Saints got a chance to run their two minute offense in the second quarter and Daniel ran it nearly to perfection. Daniel drove New Orleans 94 yards in seven plays in under a minute and half.

Daniel capped the drive with a Travaris Cadet catching the four yard …

Football returns on Sunday with the Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints. The Saints finally get to play football after a tremulous offseason that included a prolonged contract dispute with quarterback Drew Brees and the bounty gate scandal.

This game will be the first game of head coach Sean Payton’s yearlong suspension due to bounty gate. The Hall of Fame game also marks the debut of Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

Before the game, here is a look at five things to watch during the game:

Saints offense on third down and goal line

This will be something to watch all preseason long. When the Saints offense reaches third down and/or the goal line, the effects of Payton’s suspension might hit New Orleans the hardest.

Payton’s play calling helped the Saint offense stay at its high-powered best -- but his best play calls came when the Saints reached third down or the goal line. Brees will be able to carry Payton’s thought process onto the field, but it will not be the same as having Payton on the sideline looking at the play sheet and having his unique feel for calling games.

Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. will take over the play calling duties, as he did when Payton broke his leg last season. The Saints offense struggled at times in Payton’s absence, suffering two of their three losses last season after the injury.

How the Saints offense converts third downs and goal line situations in the preseason could be a key indicator to how the New Orleans offense will operate during the regular season. While Brees is directing the first team offense, play-calling in key situations is must watch.

Another effect of Payton’s suspension will be gamble plays -- like going for it on fourth down either for a score or a first down -- and gutsy calls like the on-side kick from the Super Bowl. It will not be until the regular season that New Orleans would feel the pain of not having their riverboat gambler head coach making big calls.

Saints’ defense

As discussed above, Steve Spagnuolo takes over the defensive coordinator job after Greg Williams moved on to St. Louis Rams for the same position (Williams was later suspended for the year for bounty gate). Spagnuolo is taking over the New Orleans defensive unit after he was fired as head coach of the Rams.

As defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Spagnuolo became a head coaching candidate after his defense held the record-setting New England Patriots offense to just 14 points in Super Bowl XLII.

Much like former defensive coordinator Greg Williams, Spagnuolo uses a base 4-3 defense. Spagnuolo will blitz, but not as much as Williams did. He will also try to disguise his blitzes more than Williams did.

In the NFL, it can take a year to two years before a defense learns the ins and outs of a defensive scheme. Learning assignments and executing those …