Tag: Lucas Patrick

Erik McCoy injury would be a ‘red button’ type of loss for Saints

Erik McCoy was injured against the Philadelphia Eagles. Concern for the offensive line is on red alert for any time that he misses:

Games early in the season always tend to result in some sort of overreaction, however, I don’t think it would be reactionary at all to say the New Orleans Saints offensive line would be in huge trouble if Erik McCoy had to miss some time.

Facing a player like Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter exacerbated the issue, but it went deeper than that. There was a point where Cesar Ruiz and Oli Udoh ran into each other in the backfield. Think Jordan Howden and Marshon Lattimore colliding on Dallas Goedert’s field-flipping catch, but as offensive linemen.

McCoy is the leader of the unit and you can’t help but think those plays don’t happen with him there. It’s a trickle down effect with his absence. Lucas Patrick moves to center, and now you’ve downgraded at center and left guard. Ruiz looked bad too, but that could reasonably change. Udoh performed too poorly to receive the benefit of the doubt.

So McCoy missing pretty much the entirety of the game showed he may be one of the five most important players on this team. He’s their best offensive linemen and the glue holding the rest of the unit together.

The interior of the offensive line is dramatically worse without him. It may not disrupt the offense as much as it did in Week 3, but it will have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the offense.

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Saints center Erik McCoy (groin) won’t return vs. Eagles

New Orleans Saints starting center Erik McCoy won’t return to their Week 3 matchup dueto a groin injury:

This story was updated to add new information.

Update: The Saints announced that Erik McCoy’s status was downgraded, and he will not return against the Eagles.

The New Orleans Saints found themselves with an early injury in their Week 3 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, as starting center Erik McCoy went down on the first drive with what looked to be a severe injury as he walked off the field very carefully. Lucas Patrick replaced him and Olisaemeka  Udoh filled in at left guard.

The good news is that he was not immediately ruled out, as he was later announced as questionable to return with a groin injury.

On another positive note, it was not a knee injury or hamstring issue, which are both concerning for anyone, but especially offensive linemen. We will monitor how his status changes throughout the game, and hopefully he can get a chance to get back into the game at some point.

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Alvin Kamara excelling despite facing second-most loaded boxes

Defenses are selling out to stop Alvin Kamara and it isn’t working anyway. This is a testament to his offensive line:


Here’s an impressive New Orleans Saints stat for you. Alvin Kamara has ran for the sixth-most yards on the ground in the NFL and scored the most touchdowns despite seeing the second-most attempts with eight or more defenders in the box.

Defenses load up the box specifically to stop the run, and it happens 45% of the time when Kamara carries the ball. Everyone knows what the Saints want to do, but this tactic hasn’t been effective in stopping the Kamara.

Why? Taliese Fuaga, Lucas Patrick, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning are five reasons. The impact of the unit is seen through the near three yards before contact per carry against the Carolina Panthers by all Saints running backs.

You don’t beat heavy boxes purely on the strength of your running back. Kamara has phenomenal contact balance, but even with that he can’t consistently beat the odds by himself.

The front line is doing a good job resetting the line of scrimmage and getting to the second level to block linebackers. That’s why he’s been so successful despite running against heavy boxes on nearly half of his attempts.

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Taliese Fuaga, two other Saints rank highly in ESPN’s pass block win rate

Taliese Fuaga ranks among the best offensive tackles in the league when looking at ESPN’s pass block win rate so far:

The New Orleans Saints’ 2024 NFL draft picks were very intriguing from the start, especially Taliese Fuaga, who was looked at as the immediate franchise tackle due to Ryan Ramczyk’s injury and Trevor Penning having a rough initial start to his career. Now, Fuaga and Penning are both playing at an exceptionally high level for two weeks, and Fuaga ranks among the best offensive tackles in the league when considering the statistic pass block win rate. This statistic measures the percent of pass-blocking snaps that the offensive lineman wins, i.e. does not give up a pressure or sack.

According to the ESPN rankings in these statistics, Fuaga has taken 28 pass-blocking snaps, and on 27 of them, he has won the rep (96%). This ranks Fuaga tied for ninth best among offensive tackles, tied with Andrew Thomas, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson, which is a pretty exceptional company to be in as a rookie.

His fellow Saints teammates Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick also rank among the best interior linemen in this statistic, with McCoy at 12th (97%) and Patrick at 18th (96%). This success can be shown in many other metrics as well, such as pressures allowed within 2.5 seconds, where the Saints rank first at an extremely low 4%. The next best is at 11% with the Los Angeles Chargers, and the average for the NFL is 23%. That is how successful this Saints offensive line has been at protecting Derek Carr, and doing so at such a high rate is allowing the offense to play at a very high level.

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Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick make the PFF team of the week

Erick McCoy and Lucas Patrick were the highest graded Saints at Pro Football Focus. This earned them each a spot on the PFF team of the week:

New Orleans Saints offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick each earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus team of the week after the Saints’ dominant victory against the Dallas Cowboys.

But one name missing from the list was Alvin Kamara. James Cook got the nod over Kamara after running 78 yards and two touchdowns while catching a 17-yard touchdown pass for the Buffalo Bills. Both had monster games, but Kamara was snubbed on this list.

Kamara simply had the better game. Cook finished with 95 total yards. Kamara had 115 rushing yards alone and added 65 yards through the air, for a total of 180. That’s nearly double the yardage. Kamara also had four touchdowns compared to Cook’s three.

That being said, it’s a PFF team of the week, and the criteria is obviously heavily based on their grades. Cook received an 87.3 grade while Kamara ended with a grade of 67.4.

McCoy and Patrick were the Saints’ two highest-graded players in Week 2. New Orleans dominated the trenches, and it was most evident on the interior. On occasions when there was pressure from the defensive ends, Derek Carr could always step up in the pocket.

More than just this week, McCoy and Patrick are the highest graded linemen in the NFL through two weeks. This speaks volumes for how well the Saints offensive line has performed. Carr has remained clean through two weeks, and he may owe McCoy and Patrick a couple steak dinners.

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Landon Young on the difference between playing left guard and tackle

Landon Young came in for Lucas Patrick at left guard vs. the Panthers, and he may have to fill in for Taliese Fuaga vs. the Cowboys

Landon Young came in for Lucas Patrick at left guard against the Carolina Panthers, and there is a chance he may have to fill in for Taliese Fuaga against the Dallas Cowboys this week.

The New Orleans Saints drafted Young as an offensive tackle. This year he became more versatile by adding guard to his repertoire. That has come in handy just a week into the season.

This week in practice he’s gone from guard to tackle and he discussed the difficulties of it: “It has its challenges. It’s a little bit easier to go from outside to inside than inside to outside.”

Unfortunately for Young, the Saints are asking him to take the harder route. Being a natural tackle may make his transition easier. The most important and beneficial thing for Young is getting reps at the position he’ll end up playing.

Adjusting to different players on your own team and opposing teams is a huge difference Young pointed out. He goes from blocking smaller, agile players on the edge to bigger, powerful players on the interior.

There’s also the chemistry factor of understanding the tendencies of the center or the guard next to you. This understanding is crucial as you pass off defenders to teammates.

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Saints starting left guard Lucas Patrick exits Panthers game with toe injury

New Orleans Saints starting left guard Lucas Patrick exited the Panthers game with a toe injury. He won’t return after initially being ruled questionable:

The New Orleans Saints have an offensive line injury in Week 1, with starting left guard Lucas Patrick being removed from the game with a toe injury. He was replaced, intriguingly enough, by Landon Young rather than Nick Saldiveri for the last few drives. Saldiveri opened training camp as the starter but was sidelined for the rest of the summer with an injury of his own.

That could be an interesting subplot to watch in the coming weeks depending on the severity of Patrick’s injury. Patrick was initially questionable to return to the matchup, but the team later downgraded his status and said he would not return.

The offensive line depth for the Saints is definitely a tough spot compared to other positions, as there are quite a few options but not many have a lot of experience at this point. Interior linemen Shane Lemieux and  Kyle Hergel are both on the practice squad and could be called up to the 53-man roster next week if Patrick has to miss extended time.

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Saints’ rebuilt offensive line is their biggest Week 1 pivot point

Taliese Fuaga is the player with the most potential to raise the ceiling for the Saints’ offensive line. But Trevor Penning’s struggles make it a pivot point:

Taliese Fuaga is the player who has the potential raise the ceiling more than any other man along the New Orleans Saints offensive line. If that seems like too much pressure to put on a rookie then blame Erik McCoy. His consistent praise of Fuaga this offseason has elevated the expectations heading into Year 1.

Fuaga will be tested to face some of the most talented pass rushers in the NFL. After the season opener, there’s a four game stretch where Fuaga could line up against Micah Parsons, Bryce Huff, Matthew Judon, and even Chris Jones occasionally.

Trevor Penning is on the other side of the line, and his struggles have made the unit a pivot point. Penning’s development is key to the improvement of the offensive line. If he can’t meet expectations, their floor drops out beneath them. Just as Fuaga can improve the unit, Penning risks crippling it.

Fuaga set himself apart plainly because there’s more belief he can go the distance. Both men’s performance affects the ceiling of the unit dramatically, but Fuaga shown more this offseason and preseason than Penning. The higher the talent, the more the ceiling gets raised.

Additionally, a new left guard means more pressure on the left tackle. Penning has Cesar Ruiz to give assistance. The left guard will still help Fuaga, but he has less of a safety net. It’s likely going to be Lucas Patrick in that spot but thee Saints have viewed Nick Saldiveri as their best option, so the veteran won’t have a very long leash. Each of these players must do well and prove the five-man lineup is not as vulnerable as it may appear.

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Erik McCoy breaks down the three new starters on offensive line

The New Orleans Saints have three new starters on the offensive line and Erik McCoy lays out what each guy brings to the table.

The New Orleans Saints offensive line will look drastically different from last year. Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz are the only true constants.

Trevor Penning is a familiar face in a new position. He’ll replace Ryan Ramczyk at right tackle while rookie Taliese Fuaga will start at left tackle. Lucas Patrick comes in at left guard.

The veteran of the group, Erik McCoy, spoke about the new members of the offensive line.

McCoy praised the first-round pick saying, “I think he’s a ball player and I really believe he’ll have a great rookie year. I think he can be a really good player for this team for a long time.” He doesn’t believe Fuaga’s back injury will disrupt what is a bright immediate future.

This isn’t the first time McCoy has spoken highly of Fuaga. He has a high level of belief in the rookie.

McCoy also evaluated Penning and Patrick. He’s seen every year of Penning’s career and feels he’s been making strides and hopes this will be a good year for Penning. Patrick’s experience in a similar system has been a valuable asset for McCoy. If he has a question, Patrick has been there to answer it

Expect the Saints to add more offensive linemen soon

If there’s one place to expect the Saints to make changes after the initial 53-man roster, it’s the offensive line. Expect moves this week:

The initial 53-man roster is never the final roster. Cuts from other teams get picked up, and sometimes teams will pick up players they previously waived. One place you can expect to look different on the New Orleans Saints roster is offensive line.

First and foremost, they only kept eight offensive linemen when they typically keep nine. The versatility of some depth pieces may have contributed to this. Taliese Fuaga, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz are locked in.

Trevor Penning and Lucas Patrick will be  penciled in as the starters, but New Orleans should still look to add competition at right tackle and left guard. Those easily feel like the most uncertain positions along the offensive line.

Competition remained there until the end of camp with little optimism sparking at right tackle. The Saints may have to start Penning as their right tackle, but he hasn’t done enough to keep them from looking elsewhere.

Whether it’s a starter or depth, New Orleans likely isn’t done tweaking the offensive line room.

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