Crusader

METAIRIE, La. -- Andrus Peat and Stephone Anthony have switched places.

Nobody would have seen this coming at the end of last season -- or at the end of this year's preseason, for that matter. But suddenly Peat has become the more successful of the New Orleans Saints' two first-round draft picks from 2015.

Peat is still a work in progress. But that progress has been heading in the right direction while he started the first two games at left guard and the next two games at left tackle.

Anthony, meanwhile, has been relegated to deep-backup duty after starting every game as a rookie middle linebacker last year and leading the Saints with 112 tackles. Anthony has just four tackles this season and played just one defensive snap in last week's 35-34 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

"I think with Steph, one of the things that he's got to continue to do is just grow, from just understanding the pro football game," said Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who indicated that the mental aspect of the game has been Anthony's biggest hurdle.

"You look at a guy that's a big, physical guy that can run. His issues and his things that he's got to improve on really come from just his understanding of what we're trying to ask him to do," said Allen, who later added:

"One thing that he can do well is, he can run and hit. And so we've got to find (ways) that we can put him in those positions where he's got a chance to do those things and maybe take a little bit of the thought process out for him."

The Saints took a lot of the thought process out for Anthony this offseason when they moved him from the "Mike" position to the strong side and took the signal-calling duties away from him. They were hoping that would help feature his natural assets better -- but clearly that hasn't worked out yet.

Anthony has four tackles, zero sacks and zero takeaways in a total of 51 snaps this year.

Anthony, who was drafted with the 31st pick out of Clemson last year, said last week of his diminished playing time, "Of course it's frustrating. But it comes with it. This is part of the job. And whenever that time comes, I'll be ready to go."

Allen insisted the Saints haven't lost confidence in the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder.

"Absolutely not," Allen said. "I think we still have confidence in Steph and we've gotta continue to develop him. Let's don't forget, here's another young player. So I think we still have confidence in him, and we're gonna continue to work with him and continue to try to improve him."

Peat is a perfect example. The 13th pick in last year's draft has battled inconsistency while playing every position on the line but center over the past two years. He never won a regular starting gig last year, then he struggled again this summer while playing primarily at right guard.

But the Saints have stubbornly tried to find a role for the 6-7, 316-pounder. And they finally reached the conclusion that he's a much better fit on the left side than the right side -- whether that's at guard or tackle.

Terron Armstead is entrenched as the Saint's long-term starter at left tackle, but he has been dealing with an unspecified knee injury, forcing him to miss the past two games. Peat is a natural replacement for Armstead because left tackle was his position in college at Stanford and in high school.

"I think in his first game at left tackle vs. Atlanta (in Week 3), there were some things he did well, some things we wanted him to do better," Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. "Then turn around and watch (Peat's performance against) San Diego last week, and you quickly saw some improvement in those areas. So that's encouraging.






"I spent a couple days in this bye trying to go back and evaluate everything we've done. And one of the things that jumps out at me is seeing if we can improve his pad level and play with better leverage and just making his footwork more precise, whether that be run or pass. That all comes with time."

Peat has allowed only one sack all season -- though he was part of the tandem with Armstead that missed a blocking assignment on a critical blocked field goal at the New York Giants in Week 2.

One area where Peat's growth has become especially evident, Roushar said, is his confidence level and communication. Although he's a giant, Peat has a soft-spoken personality.

"He's a quiet person, as you know, to begin with. But I would tell you that in the meeting room and on the field I'm hearing him communicate more," Roushar said. "I'm hearing more and better questions in his preparations for an opponent and maybe a specific individual. … I would tell you that the last two weeks in particular I've been really encouraged with his thought process and his mental preparation."

First-round flip: Saints' Andrus Peat on rise, Stephone Anthony on bench - New Orleans Saints Blog- ESPN

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

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"Absolutely not," Allen said. "I think we still have confidence in Steph and we've gotta continue to develop him. Let's don't forget, here's another young player. So I think we still have confidence in him, and we're gonna continue to work with him and continue to try to improve him."

For some it takes a little while to figure it out.