ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-1) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-1) PRESEASON GAME #2 SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2021 – 7:00 P.M. (CST) CAESARS SUPERDOME – NEW ORLEANS, LA. TV: Gray Communications Network (WVUE FOX 8 locally) – Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Jon Stinchcomb and Jonathan Vilma (color analysts) and Me- ghan Payton (sideline) LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Mike Hoss (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: KGLA (830 AM and 105.7 FM) – Mario Je- rez (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline) Both clubs enter tonight’s game with retooled and THE MATCHUP tweaked rosters that they are working in following offsea- On Saturday, August 28, the New Orleans Saints (1-1) will sons of change. finish out a preseason that will have featured 21 practices, New Orleans will seek to keep the good times going in three preseason contests and countless hours of sweat in the Big Easy as they seek to replace the retired Drew the weight room, as well as attention to detail in the meet- Brees with a competition at signal-caller between Tay- ing rooms at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center as som Hill and Jameis Winston that has brought out the they host the Arizona Cardinals (1-1). It will be New Orle- best in both players. While transitioning at quarterback, ans’ final dress rehearsal before they make their regular New Orleans is backed by the running back combination of season debut against the Green Bay Packers in the Cae- Alvin Kamara and Murray, a dominating offensive line sars Superdome on Sunday, Sept. 12. and a defense that continue its ascent to new heights in New Orleans and Arizona have met in six exhibitions, 2020, led by linebacker Demario Davis, safety Malcolm with the Black and Gold holding a 5-1 edge. The regular Jenkins, Jordan and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. season series is tied 15-15 with New Orleans having won The presence of that quartet has been supplemented by the last two, while the Saints have captured the only post- the impressive preseason development of young defend- season meeting. In the last meeting on Oct. 27, 2019, ers such as linebacker Zack Baun and defensive end Mar- quarterback Drew Brees made a triumphant return from cus Davenport, who are also primed to step forward in thumb surgery to throw for 373 yards, three touchdowns 2021. and only one interception in a 31-9 win. Running back Lat- The Cardinals have improved from 3-13 in 2018 to 5-10 avius Murray rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown -1 in 2019 to 8-8 in 2020 and look to take the next step and also recorded the first receiving score of his career. and crash the postseason for the first time since 2015. Defensively, New Orleans kept the Cardinals out of the Five of Arizona’s eight losses were by eight points or less, end zone as defensive tackle David Onyemata, defensive three by three points, as quarterback Kyler Murray contin- end Cameron Jordan and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle each ues to improve into one of the NFL’s top dual-threat signal- recorded sacks. callers. Cardinals vs. Saints: Preseason Game 3 2 SAINTS-CARDINALS CONNECTIONS cuse...Cardinals DT Rashard Lawrence prepped at Neville (Monroe, La.) HS and played at LSU as a teammate of Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury spent the 2004 sea- Saints G/C Will Clapp in 2017...Arizona OLB Devon Ken- son on the Saints practice squad…New Orleans wide re- nard’s father Derek Kennard Jr. played for the ceiver Kevin White went to training camp with the Cardinals Saints...Saints QB Trevor Siemian, Arizona LS Aaron in 2019...Saints Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi, Brewer and OL Max Garcia were teammates in Denver Cardinals Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson and in 2015...Siemian, Poole and Jets T Kelvin Beachum were Outside Linebackers Coach Charlie Bullen served on the teammates with the New York Jets in 2019...Saints Vice same Miami Dolphins coaching staff from 2016- President of Player Development Fred McAfee played for 18...Arizona safety Chris Banjo played for New Orleans the Cardinals in 1994...Cardinals Assistant Head Coach/ from 2016-18…New Orleans tight end Nick Vannett and Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers and Saints Senior Cardinals running back James Conner were teammates in Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers Curtis Johnson served Pittsburgh in 2019...Cardinals offensive lineman Marcus on the same Chicago staff in 2016…Cardinals Defensive Henry was originally signed by the Saints as an un- Coordinator Vance Joseph has a history in the New Orle- drafted free agent in 2016...Saints defensive back C.J. ans area, attending Archbishop Shaw (Marrero) HS, where Gardner-Johnson and Cardinals cornerback Marco Wil- he led his team to a 37-6 record in three seasons as the son were teammates in the same University of Florida starting quarterback and won the 4A state championship as secondary in 2018...New Orleans defensive tackle Chris- a sophomore. He earned USA Today honorable mention tian Ringo, Cardinals cornerback Darqueze Dennard , All-American as a senior and also lettered all four seasons safety Shawn Williams and wide receiver A.J. Green were in basketball. His older brother Mickey, is currently the wide teammates with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017...Cardinals receivers coach at LSU. Joseph was tutored by Saints Assistant Special Teams Coach Devin Fitzsimmons is a Senior Defensive Assistant Peter Giunta with the New York Folsom native...Saints defensive back J.T. Gray spent his Jets in 1995...New Orleans DL Josiah Bronson, Arizona junior season at Coolidge (Ariz.) HS, where he earned Ari- WR Andre Baccellia and CB Byron Murphy Jr. were college zona Division IV Section II first team as a defensive back teammates at the University of Washington...Saints QB and second team as a running back in 2012. Gray and Car- Taysom Hill played at Brigham Young...New Orleans dinals Offensive lineman Shaq Calhoun were college team- LB Chase Hansen prepped at Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) mates at Mississippi State in 2017...Cardinals Offensive HS and both he and S Marcus Williams played at the Uni- Assistant Jerry Sullivan enjoyed two tenures as an assis- versity of Utah. Hansen and Williams played with Cardinals tant at Louisiana State University (1984-90, 2017-18)...New TE Kylie Fitts and DT Leki Fotu at Utah….Cardinals Pass- Orleans linebacker Pete Werner and Arizona offensive line- ing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Tom Clements was man Brandon Bowen were college teammates at Ohio quarterbacks coach for the Saints from 1997-99…Saints State...Arizona defensive end Margus Hunt played for New Pass Rush Specialist Brian Young and Cardinals Assistant Orleans in 2020...New Orleans defensive end Payton Offensive Line Coach Brian Natkin were college team- Turner and Cardinals offensive lineman Josh Jones mates at UTEP…Cardinals Defensive Backs Coach Mar- were teammates at University of Houston...Cardinals cor- cus Robertson served on Allen’s staff when he was head nerback Robert Alford prepped at Hammond (La.) HS and coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2014. Allen tutored Craw- played at Southeastern Louisiana University. Saints corner- ford with the Raiders from 2012-13, where Crawford was back Brian Poole, running back Devonta Freeman, Arizona also a teammate of Saints RB Latavius Murray in defensive lineman Jack Crawford, defensive lineman Corey 2013...Saints DE Cameron Jordan prepped at Chandler Peters and Alford were teammates in Atlanta. Saints (Ariz.) HS...Arizona Running Backs Coach James Saxon safety Jeff Heath and Crawford were teammates in Dallas and Rizzi served on the same Miami staff in 2010...New from 2014-16. Heath and Arizona center Rodney Hudson Orleans RB Dwayne Washington, Cardinals S Budda were teammates with Las Vegas in 2020...Saints wide re- Baker and ILB Ezekiel Turner were college teammates ceiver Chris Hogan, Arizona cornerback Malcolm Butler at Washington. Washington and Arizona TE Darrell Daniels and linebacker Chandler Jones were teammates with the were college teammates at the University of Washington. New England Patriots...Butler prepped at Vicksburg (Miss.) Vannett and Daniels were teammates in Seattle in 2018. HS and played at Hinds (Miss.) Community College...New Washington and Cardinals K Matt Prater were teammates Orleans defensive lineman Albert Huggins, linebacker in Detroit...Saints T/G Andrus Peat prepped at Corona del Shaq Smith and Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) HS and his father Todd, played for the were college teammates at Clemson...Saints G/T James Cardinals from 1987-89. Peat and Cardinals DLs Josh Hurst and Cardinals TE Maxx Williams were teammates Mauro and David Parry were college teammates at in Baltimore from 2015-18...New Orleans G J.R. Sweezy Stanford. Parry appeared in one game for the Saints in appeared in 29 games with 26 starts at guard for the Cardi- 2017. nals from 2019-20...Cardinals CB Picasso Nelson prepped at Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.) HS and played at South- ern Mississippi...Saints P Nicholas Cooney and Cardinals OL Koda Martin were college teammates at Syra- Cardinals vs. Saints: Preseason Game 3 3 THE HEAD COACHES Kliff Kingsbury was named Arizona's head coach on Janu- ary 8, 2019. The 41-year old Kingsbury came to Arizona Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted a 152-89 after spending six seasons (2013-18) as the head coach at overall record (.629), including a 9-8 postseason mark after his alma mater, Texas Tech. The New Braunfels, TX native the franchise had won only one playoff game prior to his is a 12-year coaching veteran who also spent three sea- arrival in 2006.