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Whether they’re playing too sloppy or are simply victims of variance, the New Orleans Saints are committing too many penalties. It’s something they know they need to clean up, and it’s a point of emphasis for Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff.
Some Saints fans have been eager to single out cornerback Eli Apple, who leads the defensive backs with seven accepted penalties (three others were offset or declined by the offense) through New Orleans’ first twelve games. But doing that is a really ignorant move given context. He’s been a clean player for much of the season, but hit a slump with six fouls in his last three games, including three penalties last Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Per charting from Pro Football Focus, Apple leads all Saints cornerbacks in both snaps played (802) and coverage snaps (560). Of course he’s going to draw more targets — and more opportunities to commit a mistake — by playing more often than his peers. Considering all 10 of the penalties he’s drawn (though just seven were accepted, remember), that’s a rate of just one foul every 80.2 snaps he plays. In other words, he’s being flagged for 1.2% of his total snaps.
Compare that to his peers. Rookie defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson has only played 369 total snaps (270 in coverage), but he’s drawn six penalties (all of them accepted). That’s a foul every 61.5 snaps, or 1.6% of his time on the field. Some rookie mistakes are to be expected, and that inexperience extends to Apple, who has only worn black and gold in 24 games (including the playoffs). He’s had very little time to learn from a quality coaching staff in New Orleans after struggling to understand whatever New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur and his staff, few of whom should keep their jobs after another losing season, were trying to teach him.
Hypothetically, the player who would replace Apple if he were benched is cornerback P.J. Williams, who has played 586 snaps (388 in coverage) but drawn four penalty flags. His penalty rate is 0.7%, or one foul every 146.5 snaps. But Williams has the worst coverage grade from PFF and was abused last week by Carolina Panthers sleeper D.J. Moore. He’s a solid slot specialist who can’t handle extended action outside.
The last cornerback worth examining is the best of the group: Marshon Lattimore, who has played 612 defensive snaps (dropping back in coverage on 425 of them) and only been flagged three times (one of them offset). That’s a rate of one foul every 204 snaps, or 0.5% of his total playing-time. While Lattimore’s hamstring issues are still lingering over from his college days, he’s clearly the best player in the group, and someone the others should model their game after.
Look at the difference between them. Lattimore’s penalty rate (0.5%) really isn’t that far off from Apple’s (1.2%), all things considered. Apple’s penalty rate is almost indistinguishable from those of the players some fans insist should be playing ahead of him, whether it’s Gardner-Johnson (1.6%) or Williams (0.7%). Gardner-Johnson is still learning his role as a nickel or dime defender, while Williams has proven many times he can’t hack it in Apple’s position.
So be thankful that the Saints are 10-2, and that Apple has been a big part of their success. Be thankful that the Saints aren’t starting the likes of Ken Crawley, Sterling Moore, B.W. Webb, Brandon Browner, and Corey White at cornerback anymore. Things could be so much worse than having Apple lined up on the outside.
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