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Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
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Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | JERICKSON@THEADVOCATE.COM SEP 24, 2018 - 4:36 PM
The New Orleans Saints have a glaring weakness three games into a season that began with Super Bowl hopes. Drew Brees has been as dangerous as ever since the start of the season. Defensively, the front seven has bounced back from a bad opener and played well against both the Browns and the Falcons. A key Alvin Kamara run late against Cleveland seems to have sparked the running game all the way to Atlanta. But a secondary that sparked a defensive turnaround a year ago has been the team's Achilles heel so far. "Those deep balls are going to keep coming, because if there's only two things happening, a pass interference or completion, and there's no interception opportunity, then teams are going to take multiple shots more and more and more," Saints coach Sean Payton said. New Orleans is giving up 10.2 yards per pass attempt, more than two yards worse than Oakland, the next-worst defense in the NFL against the pass so far, and teams are hitting them hard with the big play. The Saints have given up four passing plays of more than 50 yards, and Cleveland also connected on a 47-yard touchdown pass that tied the game late in the fourth quarter. "That is something we have to get fixed," safety Kurt Coleman said. "Our ultimate goal, is, if we can limit teams from having explosive plays, we're going to have opportunities to win every single game. New Orleans has already begun searching for answers. The Saints benched starting cornerback Ken Crawley before the Atlanta game, only to put him back in the lineup after his replacement, P.J. Williams, gave up a 75-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley. After Ridley caught a third touchdown pass in the third quarter, The Saints shifted No. 1 cornerback Marshon Lattimore onto the rookie and gave Crawley a crack at All-Pro receiver Julio Jones, who promptly caught a 56-yard pass. And now that veteran nickel back Patrick Robinson will miss time due to a high ankle sprain suffered against the Falcons, the search for answers might go deeper than a simple personnel shift. "You have to identify what you're doing," Payton said. "There's a mental error on one of the coverage busts. We have to look closely at that. We have to ask ourselves, are we doing too much? Are we putting our guys in the best position?" Three games into the season, the Saints' secondary has also struggled to make the kinds of game-changing plays that came frequently a year ago. New Orleans picked off 20 passes in 2017, a mark that ranked third in the NFL. A key pick by Marcus Williams in the fourth quarter against Cleveland is the only turnover the Saints have forced so far. "I don't like the fact that we've had one takeaway after three games," Payton said. "I don't think we've caused a fumble one time. So there are a handful of things that need improvement fast." New Orleans is optimistic that it can fix the issues that have plagued the defensive backfield so far. Even in a game like Sunday's, the Saints saw reason for hope. "They only had four conversions on third down, there's a lot of good things we did in the secondary," Coleman said. "Some of the things we have to clean up is a little more consistency with our play-calling as far as making sure everyone's on the same page, and obviously, if you're on top, you've got to stay on top and make the play." New Orleans hasn't done it enough so fr. But the Saints have to start making those plays soon. |
Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
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Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
I really don’t understand this. We were great last year and have arguably more talent this year givin the addition of Coleman, Robinson, and experience under the rookies belt. It’s not like we were dominant pass rushers last year either.
Is Sterling Moore still out there? I missed most of the Atlanta game. I know PJ got smoked. Who was the problem after that |
Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
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Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
Can we trade a 5th or 6th for Natrell Jamerson or Kamrin Moore?
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Re: Saints searching for answers in secondary after rough start
Why are they asking Sean Payton anything about the defense?
We can't defend the deep pass. We aren't creating any forced fumbles. We can't get off the field on 3rd down. We are giving up HUGE plays in the secondary. Guys are LOST on the back end. Every QB we've faced so far has put up career numbers either in the passing game or damn near top tier QBR ratings. If Dennis Allen can't correct this, promote Mike Nolan to DC. |
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Have the talent to outplay opponents as opposed to out scheming them. They need to do it. |
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