Tag: Alontae Taylor

Panthers receiving corps as riddled with injuries as Saints secondary

Alontae Taylor is the only one of the Saints’ top cornerbacks healthy this week, and Carolina is depending on a WR who was hurt in practice:

The passing game will be an interesting battle to watch when the Carolina Panthers have the ball against the New Orleans Saints. This game will feature a banged up Saints secondary versus a depleted Panthers wide receiver corps.

Paulson Adebo’s season is over with a broken femur suffered in Week 7. Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry are both out with hamstring injuries this week. That leaves Alontae Taylor as the only piece of the core cornerbacks who will play Sunday.

Xavier Legette is the only wide receiver of note available to Bryce Young. Adam Thielen is doubtful and Diontae Johnson was shipped off to the Ravens. Even Legette, who is expected to play, was added to the injury report midweek with a toe injury.

Carolina has struggled to throw the ball this year with Young or Andy Dalton. This would be normally be an easy matchup for the Saints secondary. With all the injuries, it’s difficult to project how they’ll perform.

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Alontae Taylor on constantly shifting roles: ‘I’m used to it’

Injuries may push Alontae Taylor to strictly lining up outside this week. But changing roles isn’t anything new for the Saints’ slot corner:

Injuries to New Orleans Saints cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry may keep Alontae Taylor from playing any snaps in the slot on Sunday.

After Paulson Adebo’s season-ending injury, Dennis Allen moved Taylor outside in his base defense. When the New Orleans Saints were in nickel formation, McKinstry played outside and Taylor went back inside.

But McKinstry was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday, and Lattimore hasn’t practiced all week. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries, and it doesn’t seem like either is trending towards playing against the Carolina Panthers.

Current plans seem like safety Ugo Amadi will play the nickel, which he did last week. This is another shift for Taylor. He started the year at solely nickel corner, then he played both inside and outside last week and it appears he’ll strictly be a boundary corner this Sunday.

Moving around is nothing new, and Taylor said, “At this point I guess I’m used to it.”

It helps that Taylor is going to his natural position. He maintains that he is a cornerback who has gotten comfortable playing the nickel. The comfortability outside means no acclimation period. Even if it’s just Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, it’s still another NFL team, and Taylor knows he can’t take them lightly.

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Mickey Loomis clarifies Dennis Allen’s statement on young players

Mickey Loomis used Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis as examples of how good young players can develop into great talents, and stars, with time:

Dennis Allen recently said the New Orleans Saints don’t have any great young players, instead saying they have “young guys who are developing.” It was an odd comment for a head coach to make about his team, even when taken in context of the conversation.

So Saints general manager Mickey Loomis stepped in to expand on Allen’s comments by comparing young players to Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis. Those two players didn’t blossom into stars immediately.

Loomis pointed to the beginning of their careers, specifically the first four years where their tackles, sacks, and postseason honors were more pedestrian. It took some time but both Jordan and Davis developed into great players with the records and Pro Bowls to back it up. He then pointed to players such as Chris Olave, Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Alontae Taylor as some of the players who could follow that same career arc.

While those players may not be stars yet, Loomis believes they could ascend and begin to get more accolades in the next four to five years similarly to Jordan and Davis.

Loomis ended up naming nearly every prominent young player on the team, but he understands they can’t all be stars. “Will they all do that? No. That’d be unrealistic. We don’t expect that. But certainly we have a lot of guys, and there’s others as well, who have that opportunity.”

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Dennis Allen doesn’t believe the Saints have any great young players

Dennis Allen doesn’t believe the New Orleans Saints have any great young players, but he says they don’t need them:

Dennis Allen joined WWL radio for the coaches show and gave an interesting outlook on the New Orleans Saints’ current roster, specifically the young players.

Allen doesn’t believe the Saints have any great young players, that would include Chris Olave. Erik McCoy feels like just aged out of being a young player. The first player who jumps to mind, however, is Olave.

When describing the roster, Allen said, “I think we have some good young players. I don’t know that we have any great young players, or at least we’re not in that position at least yet. I think we still got some young guys that are developing that we hope can continue to get better and improve.”

This just feels like an odd position for a head coach to take publicly. Even by leaving the door open for those players to become great, it feels like a slamming of the current roster.

Maybe Allen felt comfortable saying this because he believes, “You can win a lot of games with a lot of good players. You don’t have to have a ton of what people might consider great players. You need tough, smart, competitive football players that play the game the right way.”

Allen does believe they have those type of players. He just doesn’t think you need great players to win football games. He’s right if the coaching is great. Something has to be great for you for you to win a lot of games.

When you’re 2-6, coming out to say you don’t believe you have great young players gives the appearance of a coach blaming the roster for the team’s shortcomings. Everything else he said afterwards can’t erase the leading statement.

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Saints rookie DB is about to be thrown into the fire

Kool-Aid McKinstry started in Week 2, but playing opposite of Marshon Lattimore is a much different experience. This is why the Saints drafted him:

Kool-Aid McKinstry’s rookie season completely changed when Paulson Adebo went down with injury. McKinstry goes from being a minor player in the system to basically being a starter. But the New Orleans Saints drafted him so highly because an emergency like this might happen.

He’ll be the outside corner opposite Marshon Lattimore in the Saints’ nickel defense, which they run more often than almost any other personnel grouping. You’ll frequently see Lattimore, McKinstry and slot corner Alontae Taylor on the field together.

This is similar to the role McKinstry played against the Dallas Cowboys, but the difference comes from who is on the other side of the field. In Week 2, the rookie filled in for Lattimore. This week, he’s playing opposite of Lattimore.

Even though Adebo is a good cornerback, he was one of the NFL’s most-targeted players in coverage because teams didn’t want to try Lattimore. That tendency didn’t change with a rookie entering the lineup. Lattimore is rarely challenged. That’s another tendency that is unlikely to change.

McKinstry saw just two targets on 12 passing snaps in Week 2. He probably won’t see another game with just two targets. He also will see more than 12 snaps on passing plays as well.

In limited action, McKinstry has looked good. He’s about to really jump in the fire playing opposite of the Saints top corner. Expect to see McKinstry much more than you did against the Cowboys.

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This stat says Saints DB is the NFL’s most disruptive player through 7 weeks

Alontae Taylor has made a living in the backfield this season. Through seven weeks, he leads the league in creating “havoc plays”

The 33rd Team has a metric called havoc plays. A havoc play is any tackle for a loss, sack, interception, forced fumble or pass breakup. Instead of individualizing each stat, they compiled them into one stat.

Through seven games, Alontae Taylor has become a master of disruption. The New Orleans Saints defensive back leads the NFL in havoc plays, with 16.

Due to Paulson Adebo’s injury, Taylor’s role will change slightly. He’ll play opposite Marshon Lattimore in base defense. In nickel, Taylor will slide inside and Kool-Aid McKinstry will play outside.

The change in role only increases Taylor’s ceiling for havoc plays because he won’t have to come off the field. He still gets to retain his spot in the slot which is what sets him up for so many havoc plays.

Playing insides gives him more opportunities to blitz and be more aggressive in the run game. Taylor is second on the team 3.5 sacks this year. One of those sacks led to a strip sack of Jalen Hurts.

In addition to being a leader in sacks, Taylor also leads the team in tackles for a loss and is second in pass breakups. That last number in particular should increase by playing on the outside in base formations.

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Dennis Allen reveals plan at cornerback after Paulson Adebo injury

Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry will see bigger roles in the Saints’ secondary after Paulson Adebo’s injury. Dennis Allen shared the plan moving forward:

Paulson Adebo’s season ended last week after a broken femur. It’s a genuine tough break for a player who’s currently in a contract year. This extends the long list of injuries the New Orleans Saints have to deal with.

Luckily for them, cornerback is probably the one position the Saints are set up to deal with an injury. Dennis Allen announced Monday that Alontae Taylor will replace Adebo at outside corner in base defense opposite Marshon Lattimore. Kool-Aid McKinstry will fill in on the outside in nickel coverage.

This was the expected next step after Adebo’s injury. It’s the plan they’ve used for mid game injuries and also absences. Taylor has been excellent on the inside this year, so it was unlikely he’d abandon that position entirely. Now, he just won’t leave the field.

The rookie’s role grows as well. The Saints play a lot of nickel, so he will see the field frequently. That may not be the case this upcoming week, because the Chargers are such a run heavy team. In many games, however, McKinstry will see the field as much as most starters.

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Saints starting cornerback carted off the field vs. Broncos

Paulson Adebo was carted off against the Broncos with a serious leg injury. Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry stepped into the lineup:

New Orleans Saints starting cornerback Paulson Adebo suffered a brutal leg injury in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Safety Jordan Howden tackled Broncos running back Javonte Williams, and they collided with Adebo right on his upper leg when he crashed in to assist with the tackle.

Adebo was clearly in pain after the play and unable to get up. The medical staff brought a cart out for the cornerback, and he was fitted with a vacuum splint to stabilize his leg.

Rookie corner Kool-Aid McKinstry stepped in to substitute Adebo. He and Alontae Taylor will split time on the outside opposite Marshon Lattimore. McKinstry started against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 when Lattimore was out with injury. Taylor played outside when they were in base defense, and slid into the slot in nickel defense.

This looks like a season ending injury. What it does is give the Saints a chance to get an evaluation of the rookie. McKinstry seemed like a pick who would contribute more in his second year.

That timeline has been pushed up. The injury is a tough blow for Adebo. He was entering a contract year.

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Key stats to watch in Saints Week 6 game vs. Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield has played very well this year, but the Saints pass defense excels in two key areas that could slow him down:

There are two pivotal stats to watch in the New Orleans Saints versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, and they both boil down to passing efficiency.

The Saints defense’s greatest attribute through five games is their ability to take away the football. They are especially skilled at intercepting the quarterback. Tyrann Mathieu and Paulson Adebo lead the team with two picks each. The team’s 7 interceptions are third-most in the NFL, and they’ve yet to go a game without at least one takeaway through the air.

Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, protects the football very well. His 2 interceptions are tied for the fifth-fewest among all quarterbacks who have thrown 100 passes this season. It’s not like he’s barely throwing the football either. Mayfield averages a little more than 30 attempts per game.

In addition to protecting the football, Mayfield is one of just three quarterbacks with double -digit touchdown passes. The Saints have allowed one passing touchdown all year.

Something has to give, and it’ll be an interesting battle to watch. The Saints have effectively played bend-but-don’t-break football. If they let the Buccaneers get into the red zone, Tampa Bay will aim to throw it in the end zone. It’s vital the Saints keep them out of it.

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Alontae Taylor views MNF vs. Chiefs as redemption game

The last time he played in prime time, Alontae Taylor was benched. He’s eager to prove he can play under the bright lights against the Chiefs:

The New Orleans Saints haven’t played the Kansas City Chiefs in four years. Despite having never competed against the Chiefs, Alontae Taylor looks at this game as an opportunity for redemption.

The last time Taylor played in prime time was against the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football,” and that game left a bad taste in his mouth. Taylor was benched during that game after getting repeatedly beaten in coverage. There aren’t many people thinking about that game leading into this week’s “Monday Night Football” contest, but Taylor is on a mission to prove that struggles under the bright lights won’t be a trend.

“I don’t want anyone to look at the Rams game and say the stage was too big for Alontae,” Taylor told Erin Summers, “My last prime-time game I got benched at the end of the game against the Rams for having bad eyes, getting emotional, and for making bad decisions.”

Taylor has improved drastically since that game. He’s visibly grown more comfortable at nickel cornerback. Growing at the position may be enough for the masses, but Taylor intends to prove to himself that “the lights aren’t too big. The stage isn’t too big.”

The game against the Rams was late in the season. Taylor wants to prove these past four games aren’t a fluke. He was our pick for the Saints’ Defensive Player of the Month, and he’s looking to carry that over into October.

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