Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans

10-23-2018, 05:14 PM

jeanpierre · 10-23-2018, 05:14 PM

BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com Oct 23, 2018 - 3:41 pm

The New Orleans Saints were supposed to have one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

It hasn’t played out that way. All the promise from last season that was supposed to lead to forward progress has seen this group moonwalk instead. Patrick Robinson landing on injured reserve hasn't helped, but even some of the incumbents have stood in place or slid.

Cornerback Ken Crawley, who looked poised to break out this year, ended up getting benched for the start of a Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons, strong safety Kurt Coleman, who was signed this offseason, is only playing in base packages, and some of the other players have had off days along the way.

So, it made sense when rumors swirled the last 48 hours about New Orleans' interest in various cornerbacks. The cousin of Arizona’s Patrick Peterson ignited the rumors by announcing the team had interest in him, and New Orleans was the cornerback’s preferred destination, but that deal didn’t happen. Instead, former New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple is now a Saint.

Apple isn’t one of the four or five best cornerbacks in the league. His addition won’t make national analysts trip over themselves to declare the Saints the new favorites to win the Super Bowl like Peterson would have. But his acquisition strengthens a potential trouble area, and that might be enough for a team that is one of the NFL’s few legitimate contenders.

The former Ohio State Buckeye has created some turbulence for himself throughout his career, which should be expected considering the 2016 first-round pick was traded to New Orleans in exchange for picks in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively. After having a solid rookie year, Apple’s 2017 season ended after he got into an argument with a member of the coaching staff. Safety Landon Collins later called him a locker-room cancer.

Apple has since atoned through public statements and, seemingly, in the locker room, as everything has been silent since his suspension. He’s also played well, allowing 18 receptions on 29 targets for 225 yards, which is good for an 86.1 pass rating when targeted. Crawley, by comparison, has surrendered a 154.8 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Focus.

Now, that statistic isn’t a direct reflection of how Crawley has played. The team’s safeties have left him in some bad spots at times, and the New Orleans defense was struggling with communication earlier in the year when it surrendered a bunch of explosive plays. But the Saints felt the need to upgrade this position, which says something about the production it has received.

Watching all of Apple’s snaps from this season, it is clear why the Saints felt he was worth adding to the roster. Not only should he feel comfortable joining a secondary that includes fellow Ohio State products Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell and Kurt Coleman, but his skills seem to fit the things the Saints like to do.

Apple is comfortable both pressing and playing deep zones. During games against Jacksonville and Dallas to start the season, he showed off his ability in both areas. On one play against the Jaguars, he threw a jam on wide receiver Donte Moncrief, shadowed him up the sideline, and then broke up a back-shoulder throw. Later, in Cover 3, he had an impressive play where he carried a receiver up the sideline, dropped down to switch when the safety picked up his initial mark, and then sat between the two routes to create bracket coverage on both players when another defensive player picked up the underneath route.

The Saints often ask their cornerbacks to play some deeper zones in Cover 3 looks or when disguising coverages in other zone looks. It hasn't always worked and has led to some busted coverages and explosive plays. Apple can potentially offer an upgrade if he blends in quickly with the existing players.

Those were easily his two best games of the season. Apple missed the next two, including one against the Saints, before returning against the Carolina Panthers. Both Carolina and the Philadelphia Eagles went after the cornerback a little bit. He held up fine despite surrendering some catches.

Philadelphia wide receiver Nelson Agholor beat Apple for a 58-yard touchdown, but it came after Carson Wentz held the ball for four seconds and the safety bit on an underneath route. Still, Apple shouldn’t have let Agholor get behind him, so the blame also falls on his shoulders.

Philadelphia threw at Apple 11 times in that game. The six other receptions he gave up gained just a little over 50 yards. He also broke up two passes to wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey. On his second-to-last target of the game, Apple successfully sorted out a bunch formation, which is something New Orleans has struggled with at times this season and broke up a pass to tight end Zach Ertz.

It's easy to see why the Saints were attracted to this player, and he might look even better here. New Orleans has a better front seven than the Giants, which should help him see more hurried throws, and the players around him in the secondary should at least be comparable to the guys he played with before, if not better.

Overall, it looks like he’s improved upon a lot of the things that caused him to have a poor reputation at times in New York, and if that improvement is real, he should be a guy who helps shore up some of the stuff that has caused New Orleans issues.

Apple isn’t going to be a shutdown cornerback. He’s going to give up some catches, but he shouldn’t make a lot of mistakes or bust many coverages. That might be all the Saints need.

44Champs · 10-23-2018, 05:24 PM

Just the mention of "locker room cancer" in the article is enough to raise a red flag

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rezburna · 10-23-2018, 05:28 PM

Everybody on the Giants is a locke room cancer because the organization has been ****ty as of late. They got rid of the coach that kept them disciplined.

|Mitch| · 10-23-2018, 05:51 PM

No doubt; not very hard at all to be labeled a locker room cancer when you’re sitting on a truly terrible Giants team the past couple of seasons...

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K Major · 10-23-2018, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by 44Champs

Just the mention of "locker room cancer" in the article is enough to raise a red flag

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Saints have a strong locker room & positive culture. Cam, DDavis, AJ Klein, Coleman are leaders of men. No way they'll allow him to disrupt what the common goal is in New Orleans.

WillMacKenzie · 10-23-2018, 06:01 PM

One bad Apple ruins the whole bunch. Hopefully he gets it quick.

I’m willing to be optimistic about this

WhoDat!656 · 10-23-2018, 06:44 PM

At least Payton is trying to do something about the defensive side of the ball instead of adding to the offense and trying to outscore the opposition.

homerj07 · 10-23-2018, 09:35 PM

Fingers crossed. A 4th and a 7th isn't too bad for an upgrade. And possibly a decent upgrade.

jeanpierre · 10-23-2018, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by rezburna

Everybody on the Giants is a locke room cancer because the organization has been ****ty as of late. They got rid of the coach that kept them disciplined.

See, there you geaux, right there...

Now, right now, everyone's been given Gruden sh*t for trading Khalil Mack, but here's the thing...

Mack may make more than the coaches, but the Head Coach has to run the show...

Gruden understands he has to be in charge and if that means trading away the whole damn team - so be it...

But Gruden now has three first round picks, plus others, in this year's draft...

He'll find his Khalil Mack fast with the top pick, Dallas will yield a top 15 pick, and Chicago will probably be in the 20-25 range...

But you've got to have discipline and order in that locker room; players no matter who they are have to yield to the team and the team's rules...

10-23-2018, 05:14 PM	#1
Threaded by jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39 Rating: (0 votes - average) Twitter
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10-23-2018, 05:14 PM	#2
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans BY NICK UNDERHILL \| nunderhill@theadvocate.com Oct 23, 2018 - 3:41 pm The New Orleans Saints were supposed to have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. It hasn’t played out that way. All the promise from last season that was supposed to lead to forward progress has seen this group moonwalk instead. Patrick Robinson landing on injured reserve hasn't helped, but even some of the incumbents have stood in place or slid. Cornerback Ken Crawley, who looked poised to break out this year, ended up getting benched for the start of a Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons, strong safety Kurt Coleman, who was signed this offseason, is only playing in base packages, and some of the other players have had off days along the way. So, it made sense when rumors swirled the last 48 hours about New Orleans' interest in various cornerbacks. The cousin of Arizona’s Patrick Peterson ignited the rumors by announcing the team had interest in him, and New Orleans was the cornerback’s preferred destination, but that deal didn’t happen. Instead, former New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple is now a Saint. Apple isn’t one of the four or five best cornerbacks in the league. His addition won’t make national analysts trip over themselves to declare the Saints the new favorites to win the Super Bowl like Peterson would have. But his acquisition strengthens a potential trouble area, and that might be enough for a team that is one of the NFL’s few legitimate contenders. The former Ohio State Buckeye has created some turbulence for himself throughout his career, which should be expected considering the 2016 first-round pick was traded to New Orleans in exchange for picks in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively. After having a solid rookie year, Apple’s 2017 season ended after he got into an argument with a member of the coaching staff. Safety Landon Collins later called him a locker-room cancer. Apple has since atoned through public statements and, seemingly, in the locker room, as everything has been silent since his suspension. He’s also played well, allowing 18 receptions on 29 targets for 225 yards, which is good for an 86.1 pass rating when targeted. Crawley, by comparison, has surrendered a 154.8 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Focus. Now, that statistic isn’t a direct reflection of how Crawley has played. The team’s safeties have left him in some bad spots at times, and the New Orleans defense was struggling with communication earlier in the year when it surrendered a bunch of explosive plays. But the Saints felt the need to upgrade this position, which says something about the production it has received. Watching all of Apple’s snaps from this season, it is clear why the Saints felt he was worth adding to the roster. Not only should he feel comfortable joining a secondary that includes fellow Ohio State products Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell and Kurt Coleman, but his skills seem to fit the things the Saints like to do. Apple is comfortable both pressing and playing deep zones. During games against Jacksonville and Dallas to start the season, he showed off his ability in both areas. On one play against the Jaguars, he threw a jam on wide receiver Donte Moncrief, shadowed him up the sideline, and then broke up a back-shoulder throw. Later, in Cover 3, he had an impressive play where he carried a receiver up the sideline, dropped down to switch when the safety picked up his initial mark, and then sat between the two routes to create bracket coverage on both players when another defensive player picked up the underneath route. The Saints often ask their cornerbacks to play some deeper zones in Cover 3 looks or when disguising coverages in other zone looks. It hasn't always worked and has led to some busted coverages and explosive plays. Apple can potentially offer an upgrade if he blends in quickly with the existing players. Those were easily his two best games of the season. Apple missed the next two, including one against the Saints, before returning against the Carolina Panthers. Both Carolina and the Philadelphia Eagles went after the cornerback a little bit. He held up fine despite surrendering some catches. Philadelphia wide receiver Nelson Agholor beat Apple for a 58-yard touchdown, but it came after Carson Wentz held the ball for four seconds and the safety bit on an underneath route. Still, Apple shouldn’t have let Agholor get behind him, so the blame also falls on his shoulders. Philadelphia threw at Apple 11 times in that game. The six other receptions he gave up gained just a little over 50 yards. He also broke up two passes to wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey. On his second-to-last target of the game, Apple successfully sorted out a bunch formation, which is something New Orleans has struggled with at times this season and broke up a pass to tight end Zach Ertz. It's easy to see why the Saints were attracted to this player, and he might look even better here. New Orleans has a better front seven than the Giants, which should help him see more hurried throws, and the players around him in the secondary should at least be comparable to the guys he played with before, if not better. Overall, it looks like he’s improved upon a lot of the things that caused him to have a poor reputation at times in New York, and if that improvement is real, he should be a guy who helps shore up some of the stuff that has caused New Orleans issues. Apple isn’t going to be a shutdown cornerback. He’s going to give up some catches, but he shouldn’t make a lot of mistakes or bust many coverages. That might be all the Saints need. saintfan, ChrisXVI and MarchingOn like this.
	It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

10-23-2018, 05:24 PM	#3
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans Just the mention of "locker room cancer" in the article is enough to raise a red flag Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk jnormand likes this.
44Champs Site Donor Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,589

10-23-2018, 05:28 PM	#4
rezburna 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kenner, LA Posts: 7,935	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans Everybody on the Giants is a locke room cancer because the organization has been ****ty as of late. They got rid of the coach that kept them disciplined. SmashMouth, jeanpierre, ChrisXVI and 1 others like this.

10-23-2018, 05:51 PM	#5
\|Mitch\| 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alexandria, La Posts: 11,303	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans No doubt; not very hard at all to be labeled a locker room cancer when you’re sitting on a truly terrible Giants team the past couple of seasons... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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10-23-2018, 06:00 PM	#6
K Major Site Donor 2019 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedford, TX Posts: 24,622 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans Originally Posted by 44Champs Just the mention of "locker room cancer" in the article is enough to raise a red flag Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Saints have a strong locker room & positive culture. Cam, DDavis, AJ Klein, Coleman are leaders of men. No way they'll allow him to disrupt what the common goal is in New Orleans.

10-23-2018, 06:01 PM	#7
WillMacKenzie 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,627	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans One bad Apple ruins the whole bunch. Hopefully he gets it quick. I’m willing to be optimistic about this

10-23-2018, 06:44 PM	#8
WhoDat!656 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Shreveport,Louisiana Posts: 16,062	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans At least Payton is trying to do something about the defensive side of the ball instead of adding to the offense and trying to outscore the opposition.

10-23-2018, 09:35 PM	#9
homerj07 In Doh We Trust Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Central Florida Posts: 7,027 Blog Entries: 16	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans Fingers crossed. A 4th and a 7th isn't too bad for an upgrade. And possibly a decent upgrade. st thomas likes this.

10-23-2018, 10:22 PM	#10
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: Eli Apple film breakdown: Why new Saints DB should be a solid fit in New Orleans Originally Posted by rezburna Everybody on the Giants is a locke room cancer because the organization has been **ty as of late. They got rid of the coach that kept them disciplined.** See, there you geaux, right there... Now, right now, everyone's been given Gruden sh*t for trading Khalil Mack, but here's the thing... Mack may make more than the coaches, but the Head Coach has to run the show... Gruden understands he has to be in charge and if that means trading away the whole damn team - so be it... But Gruden now has three first round picks, plus others, in this year's draft... He'll find his Khalil Mack fast with the top pick, Dallas will yield a top 15 pick, and Chicago will probably be in the 20-25 range... But you've got to have discipline and order in that locker room; players no matter who they are have to yield to the team and the team's rules... SmashMouth and rezburna like this.
	It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

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