Tag: Joe Woods

Chase Young is putting it all together down the stretch with the Saints

An uptick in performance and diversifying his pass rush arsenal shows Chase Young is starting to put it together in New Orleans:

Chase Young was a huge addition for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. When he was signed, Young was looked at as the piece to take the Saints pass rush over the top.

That didn’t happen, and fans became critical of Young early in the season. When expectations are high, patience is low.

Over the last two weeks, however, Young has begun to put it together. He recorded a career-high 10 pressures against the New York Giants. Young, then, followed that up with two sacks against his former team, the Washington Commanders.

This was Young’s first multi-sack game since Week 7 of 2023. It was also an example of the defensive end finishing. He ranks high in the NFL in quarterback pressures, and in this game he was able to convert his pressures into sacks.

Joe Woods praised Young for diversifying his pass rush move set, as well. This has all been a part of the development of Young through the season. The manifestation of that is arguably his two best performances in a Saints jersey over the last two games. Soon the question will be whether the Saints can re-sign him so he can keep playing at a high level in black and gold.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Jayden Daniels’ versatility is a huge challenge for Saints defense

Joe Woods understands Jayden Daniels can hurt you with arm and legs, but the Saints are stressing the need to keep him in the pocket:

Jayden Daniels’ ability to pass and run provides the New Orleans Saints with one of their most difficult challenges of the season.

New Orleans has a poor history of stopping quarterbacks from running the football. It’s been this way for years, and Daniels is the wrong quarterback to face when that’s one of your struggles.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods recalled when he knew the Washington Commanders quarterback would transition to the league seamlessly. “One game against a really good team he had about 100 yards on three scrambles, so right then I was like this dude is going to be a problem.”

Daniels’ speed gives him the upper hand if he has to get to the edge. Woods told reporters “We’re going to have different ways to control him and keep him in the pocket.”

Woods was sure to highlight Daniels’ ability to throw at a high level, not just run. Woods said: “I think he’s a pocket passer. I think he goes through his progressions. I think he has the arm strength to make all the throws, very accurate on his deep balls.”

His running gets a lot of attention, but Daniels will threaten New Orleans’ defense through the air and on the ground.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints DC Joe Woods on facing Giants star rookie Malik Nabers: ‘He’s special’

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods has high praise for Malik Nabers. The rookie is a special talent, and could be a problem on Sunday:

It didn’t take New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods long to praise Malik Nabers. When asked about the New York Giants rookie wide receiver, the first thing out of Woods’ mouth was, “He’s special.”

Nabers was described by Woods as possessing “slot receiver movement skills, but has the size to play outside.” The combination of those skills makes him a difficult player to defend.

What may be the most concerning is Nabers’ ability to get yards after the catch. This is one of the wide receiver’s traits Woods singled out. The Saints have to be tight at the catch point and be a sure tacklers.

Woods reflects on seeing Nabers when scouting for defensive backs. “Part of when you’re evaluating guys coming out of college, like defensive backs, you want to see them play against the best receivers. A lot of defensive backs that I looked at if they played LSU, I was watching that game. I noticed him right away.”

If Nabers is able to play, he’ll be a challenge for Woods and his defense to slow down. The wideout is dealing with a hip injury suffered in practice this week that may keep him on the sidelines for Week 14.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints linebacker’s role changed significantly after coaching change

Willie Gay saw zero snaps on Sunday despite the Saints’ struggles stopping the Rams’ rushing attack. His role has clearly changed since Dennis Allen was fired:

Willie Gay didn’t see a single defensive snap against the Los Angeles Rams. The first explanation you’d think of is the New Orleans Saints played more defensive backs to stop Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. It sounds good until you look at how Week 13 actually transpired.

The truth is the Saints couldn’t stop running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum on the ground. The Saints’ poor run defense was their biggest struggle on Sunday, and Willie Gay still didn’t see the field. You’d think he’d join Demario Davis and Pete Werner at some point.

Joe Woods replacing Dennis Allen as the defensive play caller directly coincides with a drop in Gay’s snaps. In the past three games, Gay’s snaps have went from 13 to 6 to 0. That consistent fall suggests Woods doesn’t see Gay as valuable an asset as Allen did. At the same time, we aren’t seeing other linebackers get those snaps. Davis and Werner were the only Saints linebackers to get on the field against the Rams.

Sunday’s game was the most glaring example of Gay’s absence. It’s hard to point at this being an aberration or the product of game planning when the snaps have dropped consistently. At this point it appears Gay is being phased out of the defense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

ESPN argues Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse

ESPN’s Matt Miller argues the Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse in the 2025 NFL draft with Georgia tweener Jalon Walker:

What will the New Orleans Saints do in the 2025 NFL draft? It’s way too soon to say with certainty, but there’s no better time to speculate than the Saints’ bye week. With a defense built on aging talent moving slower and making fewer plays, one obvious area they should address is their pass rush.

Just ask ESPN’s Matt Miller. He argues the Saints should go to one of college football’s powerhouses with their first pick, even if Georgia star Jalon Walker’s immediate fit in the Joe Woods-coordinated defense is unclear:

There’s a lot of uncertainty in New Orleans, which will have a new coach after Dennis Allen’s midseason firing and has questions about quarterback Derek Carr‘s future. The Saints could use this pick to improve a defense that gives up 6.1 yards per play, second worst in the league. Plus, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis will be 36 years old next season. Walker has played as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge. He doesn’t have great size, but his first-step speed and power have helped him to 5.5 sacks. I like him in a stand-up rushing role in a 3-4 scheme if New Orleans’ new regime goes that route.

The problem is the Saints don’t have a history of developing players like Walker — undersized edge rushers who are too light to play at defensive end with a hand in the dirt, but without the experience at dropping into coverage when stanced up off the ball at linebacker. Think of guys like Zack Baun and Martez Wilson, or Davis Tull and Ronald Powell in the later rounds.

At the same time, the Saints haven’t gotten much out of plug-and-play conventional defensive ends like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, either (to say nothing of the failed Marcus Davenport experiment). And it could be a whole new coaching staff making these decisions by the time April gets here. While there’s good reason to have some skepticism about Walker’s fit with the established system and coaches the Saints have right now, he could end up being just who they need to turn things around.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Aggression will be a part of the Saints’ culture under Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi expressed belief in being aggressive prior to last week, and showed he practices what he preaches. Don’t expect that to change:

For the rest of the year, you can expect the New Orleans Saints to be aggressive with their decision making.

After losing the last seven games under Dennis Allen, Darren’s Rizzi won his first game against the Atlanta Falcons. When you change head coaches in the middle of the year, sometimes you get an interim coach bump. Was that all it was? The Saints will have to prove that through the rest of the season.

Beyond rejuvenated energy, the Saints displayed an aggressiveness that will continue. When he was first announced as the interim head coach, Rizzi criticized Allen’s decision to not go for it on a fourth down versus the Carolina Panthers. That told us all we needed to know.

The Saints went for it on 4th-and-2 on the first drive. This was a predetermined decision coming into the game by Rizzi. He’s practicing what he preaches and is aiming to be aggressive.

He may not go for every fourth down, but his message to Klint Kubiak and Joe Woods was “we’re going to be aggressive play callers.” You saw that on the fourth down throw to Alvin Kamara.

The two most apparent aggressive decisions didn’t work, but Rizzi still strongly supports the decision. This is who he will be and, therefore who the Saints will be for the remainder of the season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Todd Grantham’s responsibilities are changing under Darren Rizzi

Todd Grantham’s responsibilities are changing under Darren Rizzi. He’s moving from defensive line coach to an advisor role:

Todd Grantham’s responsibilities are changing under New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi. He’s moving from defensive line coach to a senior advisor role after the team dismissed Dennis Allen. Rizzi says Brian Young, a 15-year coaching veteran on staff as a pass-rush specialist, will run the defensive line room.

“It’s a shuffle. Shuffle the deck there a little bit on defense,” Rizzi told reporters Wednesday, when asked whether he would characterize these  changes as a demotion and promotion. “You have to understand the workload change because Dennis got removed. Dennis was, daily, in the defensive staff rooms so we quote-unquote lost a defensive coach. Not only a head coach, we lost the play caller. Now Joe, who is doing his stuff, he’s now coordinating, his workload changes. His day-to-day workload the fans may not understand completely, we just re-divvy it up. I just felt this was the best way to shuffle the deck there.”

Grantham’s focus will be advising defensive coordinator Joe Woods as he begins calling plays in Allen’s stead; it’s a less hands-on role than what he’s had here before. That isn’t the only change on the defensive side of the ball, but it is the most notable. Young will work with linebackers coach Michael Hodges to coordinate the defensive run game each week.

But change was needed. The Saints were on pace to set an NFL record for the most yards allowed before contact on running plays, which was a direct reflection on Grantham’s unit. The defensive line was getting pushed off the ball and not making plays. The lack of development for young draft picks like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey speaks for itself, even if Rizzi took the high road here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Joe Woods will call defensive plays after Dennis Allen’s firing

Darren Rizzi confirms that Joe Woods will take over calling defensive plays after the firing of Dennis Allen

The New Orleans Saints’ firing of Dennis Allen moves around the coaching tree a decent bit, and one of the questions that became of this was who would call defensive plays, as Allen had previously done so. That question was answered during media availability on Monday, with interim head coach Darren Rizzi announcing that Joe Woods will take over these duties. This was the presumed result as Woods is the defensive coordinator of the Saints currently.

This will be the first time the Saints have had someone new calling defensive plays since nearly a decade ago, as Dennis Allen has handled this since his promotion in 2015 from senior defensive assistant to defensive coordinator with New Orleans. Prior to that it was Rob Ryan from 2013-2015 before he moved on to the Buffalo Bills shortly thereafter. We will see how Woods does in this new role, but ultimately the defense has not been exceptional as of late so things being worse would be a tough mark to hit.

Darren Rizzi has been named the Saints’ interim head coach

After firing Dennis Allen, Darren Rizzi was the best choice for New Orleans Saints interim head coach. He’s interviewed for the job before:

After firing Dennis Allen, Darren Rizzi was the best choice for New Orleans Saints interim head coach. He’s interviewed for the job before. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Rizzi was expected to be named the team’s interim coach, which was confirmed by the Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Rizzi interviewed for the head coach vacancy back in 2022 after Sean Payton stepped down from his post, but the job ultimately went to Allen. Going with Rizzi now gives players a familiar face to rally around and try to salvage their season.

Special teams coaches are the few coaches who interact with  almost e very player o n the roster, both offense and defense. They teach linemen where to line up on field goal tries and show quarterbacks how to hold a snap for a kick. They work with linebackers, receivers, tight ends, and everyone else in the return game covering punts and kickoffs.

And Rizzi, specifically, is a respected voice around the league. He’s coached special teams for a long time and played a key role in forming the new kickoff rules implemented this season. When he speaks, others listen.

Naming Rizzi the interim coach also keeps Klint Kubiak in place as the offensive coordinator and Joe Woods at defensive coordinator. Neither of them will have to take on extra duties and risk getting overwhelmed. More changes should be on the way, but for now this was thee best path forward for New Orleans.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Playmaking Saints secondary leads the NFL with 12 interceptions

Credit where it’s due: Dennis Allen’s secondary leads the NFL with 12 interceptions. Offseason coaching staff changes are paying off for the Saints defense

Credit where it’s due: Dennis Allen’s secondary leads the NFL with 12 interceptions through their first nine games. Offseason coaching staff changes are paying off for the New Orleans Saints defense. The decision to bring on coaches who shared Allen’s vision for the defensive backfield like coordinator Joe Woods and secondary coach Marcus Robertson have made a difference — and, we’ll admit, those were moves we questioned when Allen rolled out those changes in the spring.

But the numbers speak for themselves. Turnovers are one of the NFL’s most high-variance stats from one year to the next, but it’s not often you see a team go from ranking 30th in interceptions (7) to leading the league in just a single season. And it’s not like the Saints have different players out on the field.

Tyrann Mathieu, Paulson Adebo, Marcus Maye, Alontae Taylor, and Marshon Lattimore were all starters last year and they’ve all returned, albeit with some minor shakeups like Taylor moving to the slot. But whether it’s due to different coaching points like playing the ball differently or simple bounces going New Orleans’ way, the defense is doing a much greater job at creating opportunities for the offense this season. They need to keep that momentum going during the back half of the 2023 campaign.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]