CharityMike

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 30, 2012, 9:14 AM EDT

AP
The Saints’ secondary was lit up by Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Sunday night, and New Orleans is giving up 475 yards a game in total offense, the worst in the NFL by more than 50 yards a game. So something needs to get fixed with the Saints’ defense in a hurry.

Unfortunately, Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo says there are no quick fixes.

“We’re not going to wave a magic wand and change everything,” Spagnuolo said. “We just get better at what we’re doing.”

Spagnuolo said he has never experienced a defense this bad and therefore isn’t quite sure where to start fixing it.

“It’s uncharted territory,” he said. “I’m not used to this, because I’ve been blessed to be at places where we’ve played pretty good defense and we’re not doing that right now. Yet, I can’t really put my finger on it. But we will. We’ll figure it out.”

Even if he does figure it out, with the Saints at 2-5 and already five games behind the Falcons in the NFC South, Spagnuolo may be figuring it out too late.

Steve Spagnuolo says there’s no magic fix for the Saints’ defense | ProFootballTalk

TheOak

Just WOW
"Spagnuolo said he has never experienced a defense this bad and therefore isn’t quite sure where to start fixing it."

arsaint

I'd try about 8 undrafted FAs wanting to make a paycheck.

Could it really be any worse at this point?

GeauxForMore

You need talent Spags. Look at the defenses you had in New York and St. louis. It's hard to fix a house without a single hammer.

Shoe.

For a world-class, experienced, practicing professional in a field full of intense competition, those words are especially troubling to me.

How can you say you don't know where to start? Are there not enough obvious, glaring deficiencies? This dude is supposed to be one of the best on the planet at this particular medium (teaching guys to be better defenders) and all he has to say is, "I don't know."

I'm all aboard the "let's gives Spags time to do what he does" train, but hearing him say he "can't put his finger on" what is going so wrong is very disheartening to me, when many people can clearly see missed tackles (fundamentals), missed assignments (more fundamentals, especially in a zone scheme), and lack of energy from start till finish.

Don't know where to start PLEASE

How many of us would get a strange look from our boss if he came to us to tell us we were doing a bad job, and our reply was what Spags said

SaintsBro

Well. Some of ya'll (not just Shoe, and I mean this in a FRIENDLY way) are just looking for stuff to trip out on... he is not telling you ANY thing different from what you all are saying here, he's just saying it in a more diplomatic or level-headed way!

I mean he has got to be pulling his hair out over this. It's HIS NAME going on the defense in the history books, if this keeps up. You think he likes it?

When he is saying he "doesn't know where to start," he simply means, it's because there are MULTIPLE, simultaneous problems with this defense.

Think of it like a medical patient, who comes wheeling into the ER, and has many, many problems: he's overdosed on pills, which caused him to fall asleep at the wheel and be in a car wreck, he has high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, he's allergic to a bunch of stuff, he's lost a lot of blood, and now he's having a heart attack right there on the gurney because of the stress of the car accident.

Even the best, most experienced world-class doctor is going to have problems with sorting out THAT kind of situation, where to even START fixing the guy on the gurney. Translation: we're fricked.

"can't put my finger on it" simply means, the players suck...that more than one player sucks, and they suck differently at different times...if it was one player or one scheme or one THING that was not working, Spags could put his finger on it and EASILY fix it for us. Or at least make it tolerably bad, acceptable. Kinda like Gregg Williams used to do a lot of.

But it's like Frogger, or that video game where the gnomes come popping out of the holes and you have to hit them with a hammer. He's got to be pulling his hair out over this thing, his hair is practically turning gray before our eyes!

But, he said in the longer version of the interview that he IS in fact losing sleep over this defense, so at least there's that!

neugey

At this point, we need the magic wand. Is this guy still available?

MatthewT

Yes indeed, his words are very troubling. Sounds like to me a guy who perhaps wants to get fired? Maybe this job is a little bit over his head?

Ashley

Just wait till next year. If he wants his job, there will be a major change in personal. Once again our top pick will be spent on a "d" player. Lets just hope this time he pans out.

Papa Voodoo

Start by watching game tape of Greg Williams defenses and start using that model...blitz like a wild man.