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Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com Dec 5, 2018 - 9:25 am
Every team plays some variation of the same coverages. There are only so many ways a secondary can line up and defend an offense. But the smaller details of how those coverages get played vary from location to location, and those details often determine success or failure. “You could go to any defense and say, ‘Do you play Cover 3?’ I’m sure they have a Cover 3 in their repertoire,” Saints safety Kurt Coleman said. “But it’s a matter of how do they want you to align, how do they want you to play certain formations? That stuff can only be gained through experience and time together.” That’s why this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is essentially the seventh game of the season for the New Orleans secondary. That might sound like ample time to get Eli Apple, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Giants in October, fully acclimated, but also remember he didn't get to spend an offseason learning the defense. The cornerback has been learning on the fly. There have been some games where the results have been good. New Orleans shut down the Philadelphia and Cincinnati passing attacks, save for Apple surrendering a touchdown at the goal line against the Bengals. And despite Falcons receiver Julio Jones picking up 147 yards, not all of which were on Apple, it felt like the cornerback limited the damage to a certain degree. But there have also been some bumpy moments. The cornerback surrendered four catches for 71 yards to Dallas’ Michael Gallup last week and should have given up another 55 yards to the wide receiver after biting on a double move, but Dak Prescott overthrew the pass. So while there is still room for improvement, the Saints think it will come as he continues to settle into the defense. In the meantime, the team is impressed with how quickly he has been able to pick things up. “I wouldn’t say that he’s totally into every small thing that we’re doing, but for him to come in and be able to play and have an understanding of what we’re doing, you have to be impressed with him,” secondary coach Aaron Glenn said. “That goes to show his football intellect.” The Saints have been mindful of how they’ve put together their plans. They’ve been careful not to put too much on Apple’s plate, which led to them keeping things relatively simple at the start and ramping up from there. The plan opened up a little bit against Atlanta when Apple followed Jones. Last week, New Orleans had Marshon Lattimore shadow Amari Cooper. Such plans would not have been possible during the first few weeks after Apple arrived. “It takes a little bit time to get comfortable within the system, and within the language and the verbiage, and some of those things,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “So, the more variables that you add to that, the more difficult it is. “I think the initial plan coming in was Marshon on the right, Eli on the left and get him accustomed to (that), get him comfortable with what we're doing, and the things that we're going to ask him to do, and then as we do that, then we can begin to look at different things that we might do within the game plan to get ourselves in the best matchups.” Apple is still learning the terminology of the defense. The Saints say they reiterate it to him before every play, after every play, and between the snap. As safety Vonn Bell said, the goal is to keep “refreshing him.” There have been moments so far when the budding chemistry between players have led to plays getting made, such as the defense successfully defending against a pair of rub routes last week, a concept that has plagued the defense in recent years. But the most prominent example of the secondary adjusting in recent weeks came on a play against Philadelphia where two longer-tenured players were able to communicate something before the snap. When the man Lattimore was covering ran a crossing route, safety Marcus Williams came down to pick him up, and Lattimore dropped deep to help Apple, who was covering Nelson Agholor. The pass went deep, and Lattimore got there in time to intercept the pass. The Packers tried to run the same play against the Saints last year in Week 7 when Lattimore took off down the field to break up a deep pass to Jordy Nelson. “We’ve been waiting on one of those all year, for one of them to throw that,” Lattimore said. “It worked out perfectly. Our communication is on point.” The next time it comes up, Apple will recognize the play from the Philadelphia game. He’s settling in. It will just take some time before it gets all the way there. |
Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
Aaron Glenn is a coach I'm getting increasingly afraid of losing. He does great stuff with our DBs and I wouldn't be surprised if we'll have Apple playing up to his potential as a first round pick no later than next year.
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
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He needs to perform better at the #2 spot as we head for the home stretch. |
Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
He got caught with his fly open a couple of times against Dallas!
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
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Yea they were tackling our guys before the ball got there and we were getting called for way more then what they got away with. Yes he needs to get better but he got here only six weeks ago and he is a major improvement over crawley that knows the system already. |
Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
I had hopes for Crawley not sure what happened to him
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Needs to quit looking in the damn backfield and mirror his wr |
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Ticky/tacky calls or lack thereof across the board. Garbage crew. |
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
Apple has had good and bad games since his arrival. I am a fan of his size and think he did a damn fine job vs. Julio in the Atlanta game. I think he's a building block who will get better as he regains confidence.
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
Eli Apple had a really good day today - he's getting comfortable and developing chemistry with Mr. Marcus and his Buckeye teammates...
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
While I don't consider PFF an absolute, as a base line or as a relative gauge, this news is encouraging...
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Re: Eli Apple learning on the fly: Some good, some bad as DB settles in with Saints secondary
Wish Patrick Robinson could've been rehabbed in time for the end of the regular season and for our Superbowl Championship run...
Could you imagine how good the secondary would be then?!? |
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