Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton hinted Wednesday at some tinkering with the team's defensive front with team hopping around from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme for the last two seasons.

We've already started witnessing some of that tinkering during the first day of training camp. Most specifically, freshly paid defensive end Cam Jordan received a slew of snaps in the Jack linebacker spot along the edge.

Of course, the recently released Junior Galette manned position last year.

Jordan called it a more "Cam friendly" position.

Akiem Hicks played the end spot opposite Jordan as the formation looks more like a 4-3 scheme than anything else. John Jenkins and Kevin Williams received to vast majority of snaps at defensive tackle.


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Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

You are wrong. As usual.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

That stagnant offense finished in the top five of almost all categories.

While this team is led by Drew Brees we will be fine. No worries mon.:party:

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

... "score as well" ... ??? So whattya' think an acceptable PPG for this defense should be? 14pts? 28?

Yep, the best offense is a good defense ... or something like that, :lol:.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Anyone pointing to the offense as the main problem just isn't really in touch with reality.

When your Offense ranks tops in every single category on the planet, and your Defense ranks worst in every single category in the universe, only a boobonic moron would suggest that Offense is the problem.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

More SCHMEGMA!
Fewer down linemen!!
Blame it on Brees!!!

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Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Drew does everything right. Drew does everything wrong.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Brees almost had 5k yards yet again with almost 69% passer rating. Ingram had a near 1000 yard season and we were still a top 5 offense in spite of receivers dropping half the balls thrown their way. If the defense had done its job and the offense didnt have to play catch up all the time we wouldnt have had to put up those kind of numbers and we likely would not have seen the turnovers and dropped balls. Any other team would take those offensive numbers in a heart beat.

Wrote this before I saw Dannos post but he pretty much said it all. If you think offense was the problem you are either spoiled or dont really know to much about the game of football.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Turnovers. Problem with the Saints, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL, was turnovers last year...

Brees and Co. moved up and down the field at will last season but either turned the ball over at inopportune moments during the game, had too-often stalled 3 and out drives or settled for 3pt field goals...

We were only 9th in scoring offense and that is unimpressively skewed when you factor we were in a division that had scoring defenses of the Falcons (27th), Tampa Bay (25th), and Carolina (21st)...

We were driving our dates all over town - but we couldn't score!

Conversely, the defense allowed teams to roll up and down the field and failed to force turnovers at a rate to offset the yardage allowed as opposed to the 2009 run where we had game changing, often scoring, turnovers...

It's all about the turnovers, baby...

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

we didnt get it done on either side of the ball when it mattered.
but we have a lot of pretty statistics.

but we sucked last year.

Even Drew cannot win throwing from his ass.

can we agree on that?

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

It's gotten so bad the past couple of years, I've forgotten what Saints interceptions and fumble recoveries even look like!

I cannot take any more of this old routine of, ball hits defender on the numbers, and pops up/bounces off into the air, or guys diving for the loose ball and scooping up armfuls of air....it's getting reaaaaaal old.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

bend do not break and give up FG is all i want,

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Noticed this little tidbit in the article:
Kenny Phillips and Vinnie Sunseri were the second-team safeties.

Where's Bush or Warren?

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

That's a problem, except he DIDN'T. He had 33 Td's and 17 INTs. So, twice as many.

And as far as 3 and out's go, it's always been like that. Typically with this offense it's either, 3 and out, or POINTS. Pete Carmichael has said that, many times. In fact, the Saints have consistently been near the best in the league in terms of, FEWEST PUNTS every year. They were actually the team with the third fewest punts in the whole league last year. So, there can't have been that many 3 and out's, as you think. It's just not possible.

They have droughts SOMETIMES. This was also true in 2009 and also in 2011 when they were a record-breaking offense -- it's nothing new. Obviously you would like them to score touchdowns EVERY TIME.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Wrong again. Just because YOU said it was all the Offense's fault doesn't mean everyone who disagrees with that thinks its ONLY the Defense's fault.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

The front office sucked. The coaching was horrible. The play was bad. The 2014 New Orleans Saints.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Do you even bother to fact check before you start running your suck? :rolleyes:

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Can't be any worse than 14 and sure as hell no worse than 12 :doh:

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Um, Max Unger wasn't a whisper. Our first first round pick wasn't one, getting rid of uncooperative LG and C wasn't one. Adding CJ Spiller wasn't one.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Really don't get the round peg/square hole approach on defense...

Finally, FINALLY, start drafting personnel to scheme a 3-4 defense...

Which, as a scheme, is better suited to today's passing game and then decide to go with a 4-3?!?

Creeping in the back of thoughts is the possibility of FO want to justify Cam Jordan's contract after justifiable criticism of the Galette contract...

Consider what has transpired...

Man-up for 3-4 ILB in the first round in Stephone Anthony...

Get great value in an ideal, proven 3-4 OLB in Hau'oli Kikaha...

Then somehow steal another OLB in Davis Tull in the 5th round...

Trade for another ILB, Ellerbe, who's best days were in Baltimore's 3-4...

Have good rotational OLB in Powell, a former consensus No.1 Prep player...

And great veteran experience in Parys Haralson...

Not to mention trading two draft picks just over two years ago for a proto-type NT...

But going to employ a 4-3 defense so Cam Jordan has more chances for sacks?!?

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Agree100% ,again. I don't get it either.

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

Agreed. I'm hoping that its just one of several packages that we will use during the season.

Its not a bad 1st down grouping at all. Shift to a traditional 3-4 on passing downs to get Kikihaha on the field as an OLB.

Anthony looks like he could easily play 4-3 MLB as well as ILB in a 3-4.

We're just exploring options, right?

Re: Saints tinker with defensive line in first practice
 

You're probably right, it's early and I'm overreacting because I've wanted to see this change to the 3-4 base since it was announced two years ago...

The game is so much faster today with the pass:run ratio and limited contact in pass defense...

The old 4-3 baseeffectiveness is limited to college and prep levels now, unless you have four/five first round picks in that group as the Jets have done (and yet they have nothing else except a quarterback on the verge of stardom [sic]...

And with our personnel vs depth, I just don't get having our best four defensive linemen out on the field full-time...

But again, it's early and Foster may have a return to full health and we may have some more undrafted free agent rookie gems once again...

Rather have out biggest three boys jamming their offensive line of five/six, having four linebackers swarming shutting down running and short/intermediate passing lanes, and our heavily-invested free safety coming up for the timely pick, pick-6...