Saints to Open Preseason Against 49ers

The Saints get the 2011 preseason underway tonight versus former division-rival San Francisco. Fans are geared up because football is back, so what to watch for tonight?

Here are some players I'll have my eye on to see how they perform:

• Mark Ingram, RB, #28 - of course all eyes will be on the former Heisman Trophy winner. This is the guy the Saints traded back into the 1st round for and reviews from camp so far have been glowing. This will be most Saints' fans first time to see Ingram in the black and gold.
  
• Cameron Jordan, DE, #94 - just like Ingram, Jordan was the Saints first 1st round pick this year and reviews have also been stellar so far. The Saints lacked a pass rush from their ends last year, let's see what Jordan brings.
• Patrick Robinson, CB, #21 - with Tracy Porter being out with an injury, Robinson has been seeing more reps and should get lots of playing time this year. Let's see what kind of improvements he's made from year one to year two.
  
• Men in the middle (Shaun Rogers, DT, #92 and Aubrayo Franklin, DT, #99) - the Saints beefed up the middle of their d-line with the additions of Rogers and Franklin. Let's see these two giants in action.
• Linebacker battle (notably Will Herring #53, Martez Wilson #95, Scott Shanle #58, Jonathan Casillas #52, Clint Ingram #57, others) - all training camp reports note OLB as the tightest and toughest race on the roster. Let's see who starts to separate themselves in this crowded group.
  
• Who's that guy? - every year fans latch onto to a "camp beast." We've seen fan favorites such as Junior Gallette (watch for him tonight as well), Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston, Rod Harper, Onome Ojo, Boo Williams, Zach Hilton, among others catch everyone's attention in the preseason. Who's it going to be this year? Some names that are being talked about in 2011 so far include Joseph Morgan, WR, #13; Joique Bell, RB, #20; Korey Hall, FB, #35; Tom Johnson, DT, #72; and Jarred Fayson, WR, #88.
• The Reggie Bush Factor - Reggie was a fan favorite, so everyone will want to see what we got for him (Jonathon Amaya, S, #40) and the man who is replacing him (Darren Sproles, RB, #43).

There will be lots to look for and lots of things to nitpick after tonight's game, but one thing we don't want to see is any injuries, especially to starters. *Keeping my fingers crossed*