Our defense
 

So what is the main consensus on the defense. Everyone has different opinions.

Some say we have no talent and others say we do.

Some say that certain players need to be benched and others say they need discipline.

Some said RR was bad because he was too friendly and didn't get in the players' faces.

It seems nobody has a clear opinion on this defense's problems. May the most knowledgeable person about this speak up in this thread.

Re: Our defense
 

This thread is doomed lol.

Re: Our defense
 

I think there's talent on this team just not elite talent. We don't have an aaron donald, or a Cj mosely, or a Justin houston, or an earl thomas. I think if we were in position to draft Danny shelton over Andrus Peat this would be a top 15 defense. There's no interior pass rush. When the secondary is healthy they can be pretty good. Damian Swann and Breaux are miracles in themselves.

Re: Our defense
 

Well I will give you my take. Seeing as I have been on the game chat and threads every week. I hear people constantly say he dropped that pick, he should have tackled him. which leads me to believe the players are not doing what they are supposed to do.

We have had injuries, yes. But everyone else has them too. The problem has been the guy who should be the captain of our defense, Ellerbe, is hurt.

The one other reason I may give is we may have too many cooks. Pick 1 leader as that's how most defenses work. We lost Vilma and since we have not had someone step up. It is not going to be Browner, so it leaves Ellerbe because Byrd doesn't have the backbone and Jordan is still rather young to be a captain. With Ellerbe hurt, his presence on Sunday is not as effective unless they let him help on the sidelines like Vilma did.

Also, one too often the 10 yards off the line I hear the players play. Is that got to do with RR's playbook or the players? That's what we will know tomorrow. If the players don't play far off the line they may be in position to make more plays.

Re: Our defense
 

Plenty of talent. Missing a few pieces.

Re: Our defense
 

Seems like we have talent but these players arent being played to their potential because of scheme. We get a good pass rusher and a little depth along the line and we would be easily middle of the pack. Our secondary believe it or not is one of the most talented out there as far as personnel. Our LBers will finally be decent come next year. Get us a pass rusher and a coach who can play these guys to their strengths and we would be fine.

Re: Our defense
 

Josh Norman and Prince Amukamara please.

Re: Our defense
 

Our D just doesn't do what they are paid for. Although sqare pegs in round holes aren't getting it either.

Re: Our defense
 

I don't think we're going to get a top 15 pick next draft. If that's why we suck because we don't get a high pick well the FO should have drafted Perryman or McKinney. We have a wierdo for a scout now and he will not draft a single player we will know by name. Look at last draft. None of us saw those picks coming.

I have been talking about the SEC/ACC strategy for a while now. Kikahaha is gonna be good but if he was gonna take a season to really be big then we should have went for someone with better impact. I mean I don't know but we could have gotten Shaq.

Re: Our defense
 

Optimistic about Allen and what improvements he can instill.

Re: Our defense
 

Pretty much 100% spot on.

Good coordinators can compensate for a few holes here and there. And its true that we had an inordinate amount of injuries, but even so we shouldn't have been on pace for worst defense ever.

Re: Our defense
 

We need a leader. Plenty of talent.

Re: Our defense
 

I don't see Carolina letting a young stud walk away from that talented D & Prince is simply too injury prone for my taste (we have two on the roster).

Re: Our defense
 

Our what?

Re: Our defense
 

Trenches - they just get pushed all around. losing man on man battles

OLB/DE - setting the edge is a huge sore spot.

CB/LB/S - second level run support is lacking.

Saints defense is aggressively tentative. They rush in and stop then react to the action. Other teams are taking the game to them not the other way around

If they kept track of failed attempt to strip the ball vs making the tackle as the first defender making contact, the saints would be tops in the NFL.

we have plenty of issues but up front is number 1.

Big butted sand in their pants players are needed. Ones with attitude that love hurting people

Re: Our defense
 

"That love hurting people"

As in "Bounty?"

Re: Our defense
 

I wonder when the NFL will bring professional football to Louisiana.

Re: Our defense
 

100's of problems on D. Our guys up front are super soft.
My suggestion? ... let em sweat out training camp in Thibodeaux, Hammond or McComb, MS.

Probably won't change anything but it will at least make me feel better ;).

Re: Our defense
 

Well today after the first two drives the defense settled in. the roblem needs to be addressed on offense first. Sorry but my backs ace and q(backwards) key does not work.

Re: Our defense
 

Our interior dline is fluffy bunny slipper soft. We need attitude up front...so I reckon ol dline coach has them in bubble wrap therapy during training camp?

Get them back down herein the swamp where they belong. Way past the point of embarrassed with our dline.

Re: Our defense
 

If it is something you love getting a side kicker is irrelevant.

Beside a bounty and the saints connection with the saints was never proven

Great example of a late round pick the saints will probably never talk to is Josh Tupou, NT, Colorado 6-3 325 5.00. He is out of football this year due to a fight on campus. here is the kicker. he went to a party with two loud mouth friends that started the fight. He put an end to the fight when he drove two people through a wooden fence.

I see this as a kid that made a bad choice in friends at the time and i would look into it asking did he learn about picking his friends better? What draws me to him is the fact he did not start it but he had their backs and put an end to it. charges were not pressed and we are not looking at a Florida state type of interference coming from Colorado.

answer that first question correctly and you get a player with third round talent in the fifth round.

See that is were i see an error in the saints skipping some players as trouble makers. To me it is all about how you got the label not that you have one.

That to me is a kid that would love the chance to hurt people on the professional level and prove he is not the kid people made him out to be.

if he answers the question right

Re: Our defense
 

Both sides of the ball needs a few mean SOB's.

Re: Our defense
 

I don't think this defense is as talented as some people think it is. There are some guys being over valued (Vaccaro and, to an extent, Anthony) in my opinion, but there is more talent than what their play would indicate. These guys don't have any technique in tackling or pass rushing. They make almost zero impact plays. Kikaha is the only guy who has shown an ability to get the ball loose. No one can intercept. All of that is a combination of bad coaching, bad scouting, and a lack of desire by the players.

For those who get upset when I don't sing the praises of Stephone Anthony, I think he is solid. I don't see superstar like some do.

Re: Our defense
 

Football is fairly simple, the game is won and lost by who controls the "LOS" or Line of Scrimmage, as my old coach once said….if you can't control either you are not gonna win many games. Right now, we struggle with both….terribly. That is the first place to start, both sides of the ball. Unfortunately we are not good at either do it may take us a while. But that's where I'd start. We can pay a lot of guys a lot less to be just as ineffective.

Re: Our defense
 

YES.
I think the people of Mississippi, who have faithfully supported the Saints deserve to host Training Camp, at least a portion of it. I also think they deserve a preseason game.

Training Camp belongs in the Gulf Coast

Re: Our defense
 

I don't know what difference it will make, either, but I have to agree on moving training camp back down south. Something about starting your season off next to a golf course, where the weather is nice, and the scenery is nice... just rubs me the wrong way. You might as well hold yoga sessions instead of football practice. I'm not sure why you want to get all cozy for training camp.

Re: Our defense
 

"Cops say there is no surveillance footage of the incident -- but they did note that there were roughly 10 other Saints players in the club that night."
-- TMZ website, 9/9/2015

Look, when you start the first weekend of the season off with 10 guys partying in the club at 4 AM, that is NEVER a good thing.

Drew getting a little tipsy and jumping up on the pool table at Lucy's, after winning the Super Bowl, that is one thing. That was after the season was OVER, and he won it ALL.

I said this back in September, and I'll say it again -- no NFL team ever won anything big, when they started the season with 20% of their roster hanging out in the club at 4 AM, during the first week the season started, OK? Except maybe the classic Oakland Raiders, forty years ago, but that was a different era. if you're a winner, you party AFTER THE SEASON. Not before, not during. End of story! This was a HUGE sign of trouble that was there for all to see, all but a lot of people ignored it.

Something is up in the locker room, behind the scenes, and this team is doomed until they get a handle on that. This reminds me TOO MUCH of the Dick Nolan thing.

How can a pro team look like world-beaters one week, and then get steamrolled the next, up and down, coming out the tunnel every week either white-hot and playoff ready, or totally flat and looking so anemic and lost? Look no further than 4 AM and everybody still hangin' in the club!

Re: Our defense
 

We need a couple of Big Nasties on both the O-line and the D-line. We play soft because we are soft.

Re: Our defense
 

No wonder we lost to the cardinals? Who were these ten players?

Re: Our defense
 

The defense did fairly decent this weekend, but the offense stunk. Sorry Drew's last year will be next year. Need a QB we can start grooming now

Re: Our defense
 

Drew was never a really mobile QB but it's a lot worse today.