Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Yep. We don't have a #2 corner. White, Bush, Robinson, Dixon, et al.... Second-tier players for the remainder of the season. This will truly be a roller coaster.

New Orleans Saints position spotlight: Secondary - ESPN

My take: It’s a neck-and-neck battle between the secondary and the defensive line for the Saints’ most disappointing position group so far this season. But the secondary has clearly undergone the most turmoil -- capped by Byrd’s season-ending knee injury in practice two weeks ago.

Byrd, who was expected to come in and take this rising secondary to another level, was struggling even before the injury. But he was hardly the only one as the Saints suffered through assignment breakdowns and missed tackles across the board. The Saints’ original No. 2 cornerback Robinson was benched during Week 2 (before returning as the nickel back after Byrd’s injury). His replacement, White, has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride with ups and downs since then. And fellow safety Vaccaro has been equally inconsistent, either because he was still dealing with soreness from last year’s broken ankle or because he was trying to do too much -- or both.

ESPN scouting Insider Matt Williamson’s take: “It’s been a nightmare. I think Lewis is turning into a great corner, on the positive side. But I never saw from Byrd what I saw in Buffalo, where he was a great ball hawk deep safety, played the ball in the air extremely well, baited quarterbacks, very few wasted steps. He didn’t show up at all. And maybe even more concerning, I thought Kenny Vaccaro was on the cusp of making the Pro Bowl. I don’t know if it’s injury-related, if he’s not all the way back, or he just doesn’t move as well as he used to, but he’s not doing anything well right now. Maybe the week off goes a long way [with Vaccaro]. And obviously the second corner’s a nightmare. They don’t have a second corner.”

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Inconsistent? No, he's the worst starting safety in the entire NFL according to ProFootballFocus grades.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

I wonder how Malcolm Jenkins & Roman Harper are grading now?

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

It's hard to imagine that our Rookie corners are worse than Corey White.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Out of 142 safeties graded, Vaccaro is 142nd, Jenkins is 7th and Harper is 25th.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Wow.....

How did Malcolm miss so many tackles here and go to philly and be all pro?

Collectively he and harper have 6 times as many interceptions as our entire defense does

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

I just can't hang a ton of blame on the DB's. With almost no pressure from the front, they are just getting abused by every QB we face.

They do share in the overall bad-D, don't get me wrong, but they will continue to get picked apart by ANY NFL QB who has an established runner and no pressure.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

The defense as a whole, including the coaching, gets a F. The Saints have some talent. It's not showing up on Sundays. I think they're thinking too much instead of keeping it simple and playing. The zone scheme isn't working. Players not fitting the scheme and certainly not executing it. Lewis is a solid #2 CB in the NFL. White is average at best. Dixon brings energy and effort. If the game ever slows down for him, he has the potential to be a solid #2. I loved Baptiste and wanted the Saints to draft him. For whatever reason, the staff does not think he's ready. Vaccaro is a playmaker. The staff allowed him and put him in position to make plays last year. This year they're asking him to play zone. Simply not his strength. Bush is a high effort over-acheiver. Nothing special. The only guy to make plays in the preseason, and one of the smartest guys on the team, Sunseri, is only seeing the field on special teams. I don't get it. He needs to assume Vaccaro's role last year or be playing safety and letting Vaccaro resume his assignments from last year. He needs to be on the field.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

I think it's safe to hang blame on all aspects of the defense - players, coaches, scheme, motivation (greenbriar).

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

That would be the one move to fix this ailing secondary. Loomis needs to make the phone call.:biggun:

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

If it were up to me, I'd hire Dennis Allen as a secondary coach IMMEDIATELY, shake his hand, wink at him across the table and then basically promise him first crack at the defensive coordinator position if Ryan screws things up ANY further. And I'd make Allen a "Mole" that reports to Loomis and Payton and Benson, on what the hell is happening in Ryan's defensive meetings and on his white boards. I don't trust Rob "ready to get weird" Ryan any further than I could throw him, at this point.

Payton has already gotten in trouble with being too hands-off, and giving the Defensive coordinator too much leeway, before -- with GW. In fact, the Saints coaches and organization have recently gotten in trouble with being too hands-off with the defensive staff TWICE, if you count Spags losing the team in the year Payton was out....this is probably on Vitt, too, since he is supposed to be Payton's right hand man.

Somebody needs to be following Rob Ryan to Miss Mae's after the games, taking notes on the meetings and copying his Powerpoint slides, or do whatever it takes to monitor him and his players. Right now I just don't trust the guy. Allen would be a huge improvement to bring him back, but the problems may be even bigger than that.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

I don't know about Allen as a DC.

His only stint as a DC, 2011, his team finished 20th in yards allowed and 24th in points.
As a head coach, his defenses finished 18th in yards and 28th in points in 2012 and 22nd in yard and 29th in points in 2013.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

The blame begins and ends at Rob's door. this is his system and he made all the moves over the past two years.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Well he was certainly a better jack of all trades than he is a safety at the moment.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

In the box safety... reference Troy Polamalu.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Yep. In the box safety.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Does Vaccaro have the sophomore blues? I can't help but wonder if Byrd doesn't feel comfortable here and if the back issue is on his mind?

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

I thought coach & Loomis would scoop him up when he was released by the raiders.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Let everyone play what they are good at. If they are not good at anything sit 'em.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

No surprise to read this. I just stated in another post that Kenny V needs to develop at one role, not multiple. The Big Lebowski has KV wearing too many hats and its not working.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

you need great FS play and solid LB play in pass coverage to get away with this move. what he wants and what is best for the team might not be the same thing. IMO it is not

he started the season off in a more traditional SS role and we all saw how well that was working out.

I would not mind take some lumps and bumps along the way as he adjusted to the roll, if and ONLY IF he had the supporting cast. right now i do not see it.

Rob kept 6 safeties and so far not one has stepped up and showed they can do Byrds job at a serviceable level. thumbs up Rob looks like you kept a bunch of SS and released the only UDFA FS backup we had in camp. man some one needs to step up. so far this is a money pit of a position. If the draft happened today I would rank all the back ups as replaceable.

so moving Kenny to a traditional SS position at this time will only amplifies FS, CB and LB play or lack of in pass coverage.

So wish all you want I do not see the supporting cast at this point. some players in the second level really need to step up their game. Same excuse that works for Byrd works here

Like so many positions on defense we need people to gut check and step up.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary
 

Wesley McGriff came in last year and did a good job I thought....but if Dennis Allen is available I would bring him back at almost all cost.

Re: Position Spotlight: Secondary