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New Orleans – Three Performances of Note

Improved Run D

While Saints fans won’t be happy with the outcome against the Redskins, the Saints performance in run defense might be a small consolation. Perhaps motivated by Ryan Kerrigan’s strong day, second year defensive end Cam Jordan followed up his strong rookie campaign with a +6.8 grade in run defense. Primarily working against Polumbus -6.9 (run block), Jordan totaled a mammoth nine stops in 41 run snaps, good for a 22.% Run Stop Percentage. He generally overwhelmed Polumbus and any tight end that attempted to block him in the run game.

In the middle of the defense, newcomers Brodrick Bunkley and Curtis Lofton each made sure their presence was felt. Lining up almost exclusively at DRT, Bunkley dominated Redskins left guard Lichtensteiger and made four stops while constantly standing up or pushing offensive players into the backfield. Meanwhile Lofton showed Saints fans something they haven’t seen in a while; a linebacker who could get off blocks.

The other big addition at linebacker, David Hawthorne, was much less impressive, displaying his worst performance of the past three seasons. He struggled to get off blocks and make any impact in the passing game, ending up with a -4.2 grade. A missed tackle on the late three yard touchdown run by Alfred Morris adequately captured his play throughout the game.

Struggling Secondary

Even without Jabari Greer, the Saints secondary was primed for success facing a rookie quarterback at home. However, the game didn’t go as planned: only corners Johnny Patrick and Jerome Murphy graded positively in the secondary and they combined for only 38 snaps.

The safety position, manned by Roman Harper (-3.3) and Malcolm Jenkins (-2.4), continues to be a problem for the Saints, even under a new defensive coordinator. Neither player recorded a pass defense, while both were often late getting up field on Griffin’s quick throws. Harper, who last season led all safeties in sacks and was a staple in Gregg Williams’ blitzes, rushed fewer times than Jenkins against Washington and lined up at the deep safety spot three times more than the SS position where he has excelled. He’s looking more and more out of place by the game.

On the outside, Corey White allowed a reception on each of his five targets, including a red zone touchdown while Patrick Robinson was targeted six times, allowing three receptions for 56 yards, including a big reception after he gambled trying to jump the route. There were bright spots, though, as he almost came down with a leaping interception and added a sack and pressure on blitzes, but his subpar day was indicative of the problems New Orleans were having in their secondary.

Replacing Meachem

Over the course of the season, we’ll find out how much of an impact the loss of Robert Meachem will have on the Saints offense. If Week 1 is any indication, it will indeed be felt. Marques Colston (-2.1), usually a highly reliable target for Drew Brees, had only four catches in 10 targets, with two dropped passes and a potentially game-changing red zone fumble late in the first half. Speedster Joe Morgan also played poorly, failing to bring in either of his two targets as the Saints lacked the depth to rotate their receiving weapons. Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham were the only bright spots in an unimpressive passing display as the Saints struggled to find their rhythm.

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