Ellington

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The New Orleans Saints defeated the St Louis Rams 26-24 in the preseason opener for both teams. While the win is great if you are a Saints fan, in the preseason the final score doesn't really matter much.

What does matter is how individual players look in game action. As New Orleans looks to build this year's team, questions must be answered, jobs must be won and future stars need to shine.

Here are my quick thoughts:

Ingram shines in first half

Mark Ingram looked like he was entering a contract year. The running back out of Alabama looked lighter, had more speed, quicker feet, made defenders miss and finished off runs.

Ingram had 30 yards on his first three carries of the night and he finished the night with 83 yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. His night was done before halftime but he looked impressive and picked up where he left off late last season.

New Orleans didn't pick up Ingram's fifth year option. The reason Saints declined to pick up the option because they would owe Ingram $5.2 million (way too much to pay for a running back in today's NFL) and Ingram hasn't played like a first round pick due to injuries and being inconsistent.

Tonight Ingram looked like he wanted to be the lead man in a crowed backfield. Another running back Khiry Robinson also had a good night with 23 yards on five carries.

New Orleans has plenty of talent at running back. Ingram is not just playing for this season but for next season as well when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Backup quarterback battle

Drew Brees didn't play tonight while he recovers from a strained oblique. Brees will be fine as long as he gets some work before the season begins.

The injury does give the Saints a chance to figure out their backup quarterback situation. Veteran Luke McCown is battling second year player Ryan Griffin for the right to sit behind Brees.

Tonight, McCown got the start, he didn't look terrible as he got to play with the starters but he wasn't super impressive either. His final line of the night was seven for ten for 49 yards with no touchdowns.

McCown did have an ugly interception that killed the Saints first drive. New Orleans had been moving the ball very well on the St Louis starting defense.

Griffin replaced McCown and went 11 for 16 for 103 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions at the half. In the second half, Griffin went five for seven for 76 yards and a touchdown (Saints first touchdown of the preseason).

I have been hearing how the Saints were impressed with Griffin. Tonight he looked impressive with a strong arm, the ability to avoid the rush, nice pocket awareness and some quick feet.

If Brees doesn't play or plays sparingly in the next preseason game, New Orleans should give Griffin some work with the first team.

Wide receivers fighting for spots in a crowded group

All though training camp Saints fans have heard of the exploits of 2014 first round draft pick Brandin Cooks. He has been one of the stars of training camp if you have followed anyone covering New Orleans.

Cooks got off to a slow start with one punt return for -1 yard and two catches for just eight yards in the first half. Things got better for Cooks as he finished with two punt returns for five yards, but his biggest play of the night was a 25-yard touchdown that showcased his skill where he made a Rams defender miss, made several quick cuts and then turned on his speed to out race everyone for his first NFL touchdown.

The speedster from Oregon State finished the night with five catches for 55 yards.

One New Orleans receiver who needs to have a big camp is Nick Toon. He didn't have a spectacular numbers but he did look like solid possession receiver.

Toon finished the night with three catches for 11 yards. This is a big preseason for Toon and it started out well for him so far.

Tight end Hill might have locked up a roster spot

There is no question, Jimmy Graham will be Saints starting tight end. Being the backup to Graham will more than likely fall to Benjamin Watson -- but the biggest plays of the night didn't come either.

Josh Hill, the second year tight end out of Idaho State, had two big catches. Hill actually led the Saints with two receptions for 67 yards -- his first catch was for 46 yards where he showed some speed, ability to make defenders miss and he finished the run.

Hill was one of the three memorable players of the night along with Griffin and Cooks. If he plays the same way next week, he could push Watson for the backup job.

Saints defense... the good and the bad

I'm not going to break down every drive of the night but I will mention most of the drives of the first half.

New Orleans defense looked lost after the offense threw an interception on their first drive. St Louis did pretty much what ever they wanted on their first drive as the Saints busted coverage and missed tackles as the Rams moved down the field for an easy touchdown.

The Saints played much better on defense on the Rams next drive, getting a sack and a quick stop. New Orleans would get a second three-and-out on the next St. Louis drive.

New Orleans defense allowed another touchdown in the first half when they missed a tackle on a third down run play. St Louis used the new life to go down field for a touchdown.

New Orleans would get very sloppy near the end of the half. The Saints committed several penalties to allow the Rams to kick a field goal right before halftime.

The Saints defense was outstanding in the third quarter. New Orleans forced two three-and-out drives and ended another drive on downs.

It was total domination for the Saints defense over the Rams offense in the third quarter.

Special teams not special at times

The special teams weren't terrible, but they did have two plays that stood out.

First was a missed extra point (PATs in the first two preseason games are being snapped from the 10 yard line instead of the 3), which ultimately allowed the Rams to have a chance to win at the end of the game with a field goal. If the Saints had made the PAT then the Rams would have needed a touchdown to win; their 59-yard attempted field goal would have been for the tie.

Second was a successful Rams fake punt. Getting nothing done on offense in the third quarter, St Louis tried to jump start their offense with a fake punt. The result was a 38-yard gain on 4th-and-3 from their own 27 yard line. To their credit, the New Orleans defense didn't go on to allow a score on that drive.

Side note: Micheal Sam gets first NFL action

Micheal Sam became the first openly gay player to play in the NFL when he entered the game with about five minutes left in the first quarter. Sam's stat line on defense and special teams was one tackle and one quarterback hit.

Sam never flashed on screen, but you wouldn't normally expect a seventh round pick to standout in their first NFL action. Playing early in the first quarter means the Rams are giving Sam plenty of opportunities to make this team.