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jeanpierre

BY NICK UNDERHILL | NUNDERHILL@THEADVOCATE.COM SEP 23, 2018 - 6:30 PM

ATLANTA — Terron Armstead wouldn't agree with the premise of the question.

It has become trendy in recent years for people to call September an extension of the NFL's preseason. With the rules limiting what teams can and can’t do during training camp, the play during the first month of the season is often sloppy while teams work to form identities and coalesce.

But the idea of surviving and winning games while that process takes place suggests it is OK to commit foolish penalties and commit mental errors because everything will work out in the end for talented teams. It's not. The Saints expect to play better than they did in each of the first three regular-season games, including Sunday’s 43-37 overtime win over the Falcons.

“We’re not trying to survive anything,” Armstead said. “We’re playing to win every game. We’re not trying not to lose. It’s not survival.”

He's right. Survival is the wrong word to describe what happened against the Falcons. The offense was clicking on Sunday after struggling last week against the Cleveland Browns. The defense hit a few potholes along the way, which tends to happen when a team surrenders 37 points. But the unit got stops when it needed to get them, namely on Atlanta’s final drive of regulation when the defense held steady and forced a punt.

Cleveland missing a field goal at the end of regulation last week was surviving. The difference between that and what happened Sunday is important. Finding a way to rise up in a critical moment is significant. Those are the things that shape identity. But it is also important to understand it took a lot of poor moments to set up a good one.

The struggles of the secondary have been the most surprising thread to emerge through the first three games. The back end was supposed to be the strength of the defense. It is anything but that right now. With its ability to create pressure and stop the run, the front seven looked like the strength of the defense Sunday while the secondary appeared the most troublesome area of the roster.

The team tried to create a spark by inserting P.J. Williams in the starting lineup for Ken Crawley. The problem was the Falcons quickly realized Williams was beatable and unleashed on him rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who had 129 of Atlanta’s 201 yards at halftime.

Williams got benched in favor of Crawley after surrendering a 75-yard touchdown to Ridley with 2:23 remaining in the second quarter but was quickly back in action after slot cornerback Patrick Robinson suffered a high-ankle sprain. The results didn't change much.

Crawley got flagged for a 45-yard pass interference penalty while covering Ridley and then was the primary man in coverage on a 58-yard reception by Julio Jones. It’s not immediately clear whether Crawley was responsible for the Jones' reception or if Jones had entered someone else’s zone. Either way, it wasn't good enough.

“Can’t have guys running through the defense like Julio Jones,” coach Sean Payton said. “That will have to get corrected.”

The problem is those same issues have shown up each week. It was there Week 1, when the team blew a coverage that allowed Tampa Bay’s DeSean Jackson to run free for a touchdown. It was there last week, when Antonio Callaway got away for a 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. And it was there again this week.

The issues are surprising because Crawley, Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell, and Marcus Williams were together last season, and the two newcomers, Robinson and safety Kurt Coleman, are veterans who should be part of the solution. But the players say there are still some communication issues that need to be worked out.

“A lot of guys are still learning. (Robinson) is coming back to this defense, so guys got to learn. Even someone like Coleman,” Crawley said. “These guys got to keep learning, keep progressing in our defense. Our D-coordinator (Dennis Allen), he does a good job of disguising the coverage and doing different things. We just have to be in tune when he changes up the coverages and different looks he tries to get off.”

There were a lot of other areas the team would like to fix. Untimely penalties are another one. The Saints were flagged 11 times for 120 yards. One of those penalties came when defensive tackle David Onyemata illegally hit the snapper on a field-goal attempt, giving Atlanta a new set of downs. The Falcons ended up scoring a touchdown instead of leaving the field with just three points.

As Cam Jordan put it, it was “overly frustrating to see us try and kill ourselves.” Those are the things that need to be fixed. But what's important is the Saints are winning while that process is ongoing.

“There’s going to be lows, and there’s going to be peaks,” Jordan said. “But that’s what we call a football game. Nothing is perfect though we’re striving for perfection. It makes a win that much sweeter when you know you have room to grow.”

On paper, New Orleans is too talented to keep having performances like this. It should click. It’s September. There’s still time to get there, but the team only has one more game before the calendar turns.

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

CharityMike

I like how Crawley talked in that article as if he did something wonderful at all this season. When you suck that bad, stfu, don't get in an article talking like you have room to talk.

jeanpierre

Agreed. And don't participate in the styling and profiling poses until you've done something - an entire game...

Cruize

The picture thing is way past old. Plus, no one on the defense has done ANYTHING special. Brees and the offense is the ONLY reason the Saints are not 0-3.

K Major

I had a sound byte from Ken a few weeks ago (can't find it at the moment) but he basically said that his "DC (Dennis Allen) likes to give different looks so we have to do a much better job of changing looks yet still cover our man".

Again it sounds to me like the coordinator is over complicating things defensively. We can kick Ken & PJ till the cows come home but at some point you have to hold coaches accountable. Remember when Kenny V was somewhat outspoken on how silly the scheme was here in New Orleans?

It's been proven that bad defenses will trump juggernaut offenses. Sorry but I have no confidence in Dennis Allen to fix things on defense.

vpheughan

WHERE'S THAT SPAGS GUY WE TRUST IN?

CharityMike

Don't get crazy lol

lee909

Get on the phone to Eric Reid and Delvin Breaux and get them in the building.

God knows what happened to Crawley but PJ Williams was all over the shop.
Vaccaro out for a more expensive Coleman is looking more and more like some undercover Panthers op as the weeks go on. Kenny had flaws but at the least the guy was doing a job most weeks


Really feeling sorry for Cam at times
The man is a colossus and if he was on a better D he would be in the All Pro awards every year. Constanly having to deal with everything on his own, more parts to that pass rush and a secondary that could cover and he would rack up stats

"Two receivers to the left, Garcon to the right. Manning in the shotgun, puts Collie in motion. Looks in his direction...it's picked off! It's picked off! It's Tracy Porter again! He's runnin' free! He's gonna go all the way!

Barry from MS

Simplify coverages. Quit the disguising crap.

What exactly has been the payoff from trying to disguise coverages? Goal is to confuse the QB into making the wrong reads. 1 turnover 3 games. Huge TD passes & DPIs....Fail.

Make Bridgewater/Hill chunk the ball as far as they can all week & make them cover a WR...without looking like dork clowns.