WhoDat!656

On one hand, the young, aggressive New Orleans Saints defensive linemen try not to pay attention to the amount of sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has endured through three games.

On the other hand, they can't ignore that Tannehill has been sacked a league-leading 14 times during Miami's 3-0 start.

Linebacker Junior Galette said the sack totals may not tell the correct story of how the Dolphins' offensive line has performed. Nonetheless, Galette said the focus will continue to be stopping the run first en route to Tannehill.

"We're definitely chomping, don't get it switched," Galette said. "We're definitely chomping at the bit where we say, 'Hey this guys been (hit).' Just like last week (against the Cardinals' Carson Palmer). We need to put this guy on his back.

"We definitely feel like we have that advantage. We need to stop the run first to get to the point where we have that advantage."

The Saints have eight sacks this season and numerous pressures on opposing passers. Opposing quarterbacks have a 68.7 passer rating and the Saints' pass defense ranks fourth in the NFL going into Week 4.

"You definitely have to look at that (Tannehill's sack totals), but you also look at it as another team and an offensive line that you want to do your best to beat with the most ways that you can with the group of guys that we have," defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said. "You definitely can't look too far into the stats because they have different personnel and run a different system than we do.

"You want to treat it as another game and you want to come out and perform in the same way you have in previous weeks."

Red zone ups and downs: New Orleans and Miami have maintained differing formulas on their way to starting the season 3-0. None are more eye popping than how each offense has performed in the red zone.

The Saints are 31st in red-zone efficiency at a 33.3 percent success rate in scoring touchdowns; New England is dead last in the NFL. It's far from the norm for the Saints' offense, which finished No. 2 in that category last year.

Miami is on the opposite side of the spectrum as the Dolphins rank first in the NFL at an 87.5 percent touchdown rate.

"I don't know the specific reason, but we practice it a lot, we put a lot of emphasis on it and we know we want to score touchdowns when we get down in the red zone," Tannehill said. "If you kick a lot of field goals, you're giving up four points a time, is the way we look at it.

"We put a lot of emphasis on getting in the end zone, putting seven points on the board whenever we can, we understand it's not always going to happen, but we want to have a high percentage of that."

The Saints are 16th in red-zone defense at 57.14 percent.

Quotable: "He seems like a great young man. Texas kid who went to Texas A&M, I'm jealous. When I was in high school that's all I wanted to do was go to Texas A&M. Obviously I wouldn't trade it for the world. I think his journey has been an interesting one. I think he started out as a receiver, and if I'm not mistaken he was a pretty good one. Then all of the sudden he's playing quarterback and drafted in the first round.

"He's a phenomenal athlete and playing very well this year. He's a guy that isn't talked about a lot from last year's draft class with the RGIIIs, Andrew Lucks and Russell Wilsons, but man he's having I think quite the career thus far, especially early on in his career. I think he's handled that process pretty well, and I think he's got a bright future ahead of him." -- Drew Brees on Tannehill.

High sack total for Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill gets New Orleans Saints' attention: notebook | NOLA.com

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

Seer1

Him 14, Drew 10. Hope our OL gets it together first!

homerj07

In a major way.

Rugby Saint II

I can't wait for Bunkley to get back. He's going to be so disruptive.
We also need to get some other players healthy.