Lattimore is out there at practice and observing so I'm inclined to believe they aren't hiding the severity of his injury.

https://twitter.com/jkatzenstein/sta...69622550708224

That formula was used 8 years ago now and Payton has not been able to replicate it since.

2013 was a good D, but that's because they were fundamentally sound up front and got to the QB. They didn't get many takeaways.

I understand when you say this team was a handful of plays away from a playoff berth, but honestly....isn't that the same excuse we have heard for the past 3-4 years?? It sounds very familiar.

The disappointing truth is, in crunch time, this team has proven it will faulter, and then say a few days later "if only this play, if only that play."

I agree with you on this. But since we have evidence that it worked once, that it could come together again.


My point is that the combination of factors that I referenced in a previous post (coaching,scheme,talent, health) came together that season when it did not do so the season before, or the seasons after.



Of course it's familiar because this current iteration of the Saints under Payton are always at the cusp of having a special season if everything falls into place.
It happened in 2006. It happened in 2009 after to lackluster seasons. It happened in 2013. And despite the injury situation last year the defense made incremental improvement under Allen last season. In addition coaching changes with the D-line and LBs are showing promise.


So I presume that you believe that nothing has changed since last season that will change that? That none of the free agents, coaching changes, draft picks, or anything else that has happened since January is going to make this season any different?

The defense was better last year. It went from historically record breaking awful to injury riddled subpar. There's another year in Allen's system with better coaches, new talent, and more experience. And as I keep saying the defense only needs to be average and consistent in order for the team to get over the hump.

Will it be? I don't know yet. However if you really believe that none of the changes could possibly make a difference, I guess the season is lost before it has even started.

SFIAH

I'd like to believe things are different, I actually like the coaching changes Payton has made, I just wish we could keep defensive backs healthy for more than a week. That's not Paytons fault though, they are just all made of glass.

Question: Over the last three years, what percentage of Saints games have started and ended with the listed #1 and #2 DBs on the roster playing the entire game?

You can't build any part of an organization without your expected personnel. I already see the rumblings of that this year.

Under the right circumstances the turnaround can be virtually instantaneous. See the transformation from 2012 to 2013. But it works in both directions. See 2013 to 2014 as an example.

A defense is a blend of scheme, coaching, personnel talent, and health. A good mix of all 4 leads to success. Any single one significantly missing leads to disaster. I'm pretty confident about 2 of the 4: coaching and talent. I'm still trying to understand Allen's scheme and how it's supposed to impact the rhythm of the opposing offenses. And health. That's the joker.

SFIAH

I'd like to believe things are different, I actually like the coaching changes Payton has made, I just wish we could keep defensive backs healthy for more than a week. That's not Paytons fault though, they are just all made of glass.

This defense willl get better, when you factor the new player additions, the coaching improvements, the only thing we will not have changed, which has changed quite regularly, is the defensive coordinator...

I'm also wondering if it's just paranoia on the part of the organization now. Considering that lingering issues only seem to get worse once the season starts that if there's even the slightest tweak you pull the player until they are completely healed?