FanHouse Jason David

Amongst Saints fans, it was the essentially the equivalent of the "chicken or the egg" debate: Who has been more responsible for the team's terrible pass coverage the last two years, cornerback Jason David or free safety Josh Bullocks? Whether you think it was David's fault for making Bullocks work overtime to cover his mistakes, or Bullocks' inability to play deep zone that often left David on the losing end of public perception, we can all agree that the two combined to form quite possibly the worst double-coverage tandem the league has seen in some time.

After the release of David on Monday, the issue is moot. In one offseason the Saints have waved goodbye to the entire right side of their secondary. Bullocks, the free safety brought in under old boss Jim Haslett as a second-rounder out of Nebraska, is now fighting for a starting job in Chicago, after the Saints failed to re-sign him as a free agent this offseason.

While it's not the concern of Saints' fans anymore, we've gathered some video of the two. Fans of the Bears, or whichever team David eventually signs with, would do well to study and steel yourself to the cold reality that lies ahead.

The new-look Saints defense still features a very old look -- cornerback Jason David on the wrong end of the highlight reel.

On a night in which the imprint of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' aggressive scheme was evident even through the veil of vanilla that saturates the NFL preseason, David essentially assured himself a spot on the Saints' first batch of cuts with the same bad play that has watermarked his career since joining the team in 2007. There was much for Saints fans to like based on their first glimpse of this new defense -- Jonathan Vilma's omnipresence, a visible confidence, the ability to take the ball away -- but perhaps the most comforting knowledge lies in the fact that David won't be a liability anymore once the games that matter start, even from the bottom of the depth chart.

The New Orleans Saints have bolstered their secondary, signing cornerback Jabari Greer to a four-year deal. Greer is coming off a two-year stint as a starter for the Buffalo Bills, and he was having a breakout season in 2008 before falling injured.

This deal is likely especially exciting for Saints fans, due to their almost palpable hatred of Jason David. Plus, Tracy Porter -- who was off to a great start to his rookie season before getting hurt himself -- will also be returning to the lineup. Having Greer and Porter as the starting corners in 2009 represents a huge upgrade from what we saw New Orleans cart out in the second half of last season.

Franchise tags and salary-cap concerns play a very important role in real-world wheelings and dealings, but what if the biggest-named free agents were matched with the teams that gave them the best chance to make a Super Bowl run? What would that list look like? Glad you asked.

Yes, this is a strictly fictional account, one that requires you to suspend reality for the next few minutes. But, hey, it's the NFL offseason, which means that there won't be any meaningful football for another seven months. What else do you have to do?

Rookie CB Tracy Porter was progressing nicely in his first NFL season after a great collegiate career at my alma mater (Indiana University). He had almost allowed Saints fans to forget about the non-coverage "provided" by Jason David on the outside.

After making several pass breakups, including a very solid one in the red zone late in the first half, Porter left the game with a dislocated wrist.

Tuesday evening it was reported that Porter will miss the remainder of his once promising rookie season. What a shame.

By the way, check out the comments under the above linked post. Saints fans are ready to jump. I hate to say this part is funny, though it is: Most of the comments illustrate that the fans aren't necessarily panicking because Porter is gone, but instead panicking because David may be forced into action.

I think my favorite was the one where the commenter asked -- seemingly legitimately -- why David never gets hurt ... only to turn around and answer his own question by saying David's never close enough to the action to get hit.

It's safe to say, the Saints and their fans aren't having a good week. At least Drew Brees is still ok. For now.

If the first matchup of the Texans versus Saints were a referendum of the 2006 draft, then Texans defensive end Mario Williams would be the clear victor. He finished the day with a sack, a forced fumble from that sack and six tackles--along with lots of quarterback pressure. In a league where gifted defensive ends are usually harder to find than running backs, the Texans are hoping for many more of these types of performances.

Saints running back Reggie Bush, on the other hand, had a awful day. Against a Texans defense that has been awful against both the run and the pass, he rushed 15 times for 34 yards, an average of 2.3 yards. He caught 12 passes for 70 yards.

Most of his yardage came when the game was out of hand. He lost two fumbles, including one at the goal line that the refs on the field ruled a fumble, but arguably wasn't, but couldn't be overturned. Saints coach Sean Payton adds that he is concerned about Bush's missed assignments.

Obviously, with 47 yards total rushing this week and 43 yards last week against the Rams, the Saints are a team that obviously misses a healthy Deuce McAllister. And has fans wondering about the play calling. The Saints had so much more time of possession this week compared to the Rams game and still couldn't run the ball.

And now for some random recap and fun pictures you might not see if you read just the AP report of the game:

To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Houston Texans/New Orleans Saints preview.

2007 Records:
Houston Texans 4-5 (4th, AFC South)
New Orleans Saints 4-5 (T2,NFC South)

Last Game:
Texans Bye Week (Previously Texans 24, Raiders 17)
Rams 37, Saints 29

If you want to read or participate in some Reggie Bush-Mario Williams talk, check out this. Otherwise this is going to be a straight up preview of the game.

It's interesting that both of these teams have the same record, but that the Saints are only one game out of first place in the division and are very much talked about in the playoff hunt, but that the Texans are three games out and not much in the playoff discussion. Certainly both teams want to leave this game with a .500 record.