Pete Carmichael – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Derek Carr finishes November with just two touchdown passes

Derek Carr finished November with just two touchdown passes and one win. The Saints are not getting a great return on his $150 million contract:

It’s fair to say the New Orleans Saints have not gotten a great return on their investment in Derek Carr. The veteran quarterback’s $150 million contract resulted in just two touchdown passes through the month of November — a three-game stretch interrupted by their bye week.

As noted by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Carr’s last touchdown pass was a 2-yard strike to Taysom Hill in the second quarter of their Nov. 5 game with the Chicago Bears. Both teams traded field goals before Hill threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson late in regulation.

Carr’s struggles to end drives with touchdowns have only grown more pronounced as the season continues. The offense managed just three points in two and a half quarters when he left the Minnesota Vikings game with an injury. When Carr returned after the bye week for a road game with the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints went 0-for-5 on drives reaching the red zone.

Those five possessions ended with three field goals, Carr’s ugly interception to Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (which was returned 92 yards for a backbreaking defensive touchdown), and a fumble by Hill that set up a nine-play, 95-yard scoring drive for Atlanta. It’s been a disaster.

And really that’s the only way to look at Carr’s turn as the starting quarterback for New Orleans. He’s managed just 10 touchdown passes in 11 games while throwing 5 interceptions and fumbling 5 times (twice losing possession). His performances with the Las Vegas Raiders the last two years were the lowest of his career, but he’s playing even worse now that he’s exchanged his silver helmet for a gold one.

Carr deserves plenty of blame for the Saints’ problems this season. So does his play caller Pete Carmichael. But ultimately the buck stops with the head coach who empowered (or settled for) both of them: Dennis Allen. Carr was Allen’s handpicked quarterback, and Carmichael was who he stuck with after failing to recruit an offensive coordinator in each of his two years in charge. Drastic changes are needed for the Saints to live up to the standards they’ve set for themselves.

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Saints left in shambles after disastrous Week 12 loss to Falcons

The Saints were left in shambles after a disastrous Week 12 loss to the Falcons. Dennis Allen and Derek Carr have a lot to answer for:

The mask is off, and we know who the New Orleans Saints are: a bad football team whose deficiencies were covered up by their too-good-to-be-true spot on top of the NFC South standings. They lost to the Atlanta Falcons 24-15 and fell to second place in the division.

Dennis Allen can’t point to the NFC South standings anymore as a reason for optimism. That became a favorite tactic of his and the diehards still supporting him as issues piled up for the Saints. Between Pete Carmichael’s predictable play calling and Derek Carr’s consistently poor execution, there were plenty of dirty hands on offense — and flaws were exposed defensively and in the special teams units. But time and again Allen and his camp could say, hey, this is still a first-place football team.

And now that excuse is gone. And it was always fake. The Saints haven’t beaten a team worth bragging about all season. So where will Allen turn now? He got his quarterback, he was given the easiest schedule in the NFL, and for the first ten weeks he had the healthiest roster in pro football. And he has nothing to show for it. The Saints gambled big and they’re losing badly.

They’re left in shambles after this loss to the Falcons. Multiple starters left with injuries like wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (thigh) while offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Ryan Ramczyk were also banged up. Now they have a losing record, a devastating loss to their biggest rival, and a lame duck coach and quarterback. There’s six games left to turn it around, but this group has their work cut out for them in winning back fans’ trust.

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How the Saints and Steelers offenses compare through 10 games

Has Pete Carmichael really performed as badly as Matt Canada? How the Saints and Steelers offenses compare through 10 games:

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are celebrating the team’s decision to move on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and a lot of New Orleans Saints faithful are hoping for the same turn of events. Pete Carmichael has struggled to elevate an offense flush with talent at the skills position and heavy investments along the offensive line — not to mention the addition of Derek Carr, who the Saints see as their franchise quarterback now and for years to come.

Canada didn’t meet expectations in Pittsburgh. Carmichael hasn’t met the standards set in New Orleans, either, but the Saints don’t appear to be ready to make a change. So how far apart are they? How has Carmichael’s Saints offense compared to the Canada’s Steelers squad which was found lacking? Let’s compare:

Steelers fire OC Matt Canada, Saints fans say Pete Carmichael should be next

The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, leading Saints fans on social media to say Pete Carmichael should be next:

Whew: the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision to move on from embattled offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday, naming running backs coach Eddie Faulkner his replacement and handing play-calling responsibilities to quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. It’s a bold move for a team fielding one of the league’s worst offenses.

And many New Orleans Saints fans on social media quickly spoke up in the wake of Canada’s ouster, saying that Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael should be the next struggling play caller to be dismissed. Some went further, suggesting it’s time for the Saints to move on from head coach Dennis Allen as well.

The Saints may be 5-5, but they are in first place in the NFC South, so it’s a different situation from the Steelers (who are in third place in the AFC North). Still, here’s what Saints fans and analysts had to say online:

Dennis Allen’s fate shouldn’t be separate from Pete Carmichael

Despite being a defensive coach, Dennis Allen’s choice to not make offensive changes should reflect on him.

The New Orleans Saints have been in the same place all season long. They are good enough to compete in and win a bad division but not good enough to inspire confidence for a playoff run. Because New Orleans is always in contention for the NFC South, the fans have to constantly hear the dreaded “we can still win the division” line or some variation of it. That’s a true statement and is the reason the Saints are opting to not make coaching staff changes.

The desire for change comes on the offensive side. Head coach Dennis Allen leads the defense. Despite their first half struggles, it is unlikely there will be changes defensively. That doesn’t mean he should be absolved from responsibility; Allen should shoulder a lot of responsibility for the state of the offense.

As the head coach, he has sat and watched the offense be inconsistent with no real attempt to jumpstart it. If Allen wants the Saints to keep doing what they’re doing, he should also be held accountable for the results.

The likely scenario is if the offense doesn’t improve, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael will suffer the consequences. The issue with the offense is the talent appears to be there. They have playmakers in Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Michael Thomas, Juwan Johnson, and Taysom Hill, plus an offensive line stocked with first- and second-round draft picks. And a quarterback who has seen it all in Derek Carr. A lot of struggles boil down to coaching, so replacing the play caller makes sense.

However, Allen has chosen to not switch play callers for two seasons. For that reason, his fate should be just as much tied to the offensive success as Carmichael. If things don’t pick up after the bye week, the Saints must consider wholesale changes sooner rather than later.

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Studs and Duds from Saints’ 27-19 loss to the Vikings

It was too little too late, but you can’t say the New Orleans Saints didn’t try and rally back against the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s 27-19 loss. The defense fought hard in the second half and the offense made enough plays to cut into a huge first-half deficit. They showed some grit in the face of adversity with injuries stacking up. It just wasn’t enough to steal a win.

But who made a difference on Sunday afternoon — for good or bad? Who stood out for positive and negative reasons? Let’s break down this week’s Studs and Duds:

Halftime report: Saints down 24-3 in most embarrassing first half of Dennis Allen’s tenure

Yikes. The New Orleans Saints went into halftime down 24-3 against the Minnesota Vikings in the most embarrassing first half of Dennis Allen’s tenure. They’re 2-8 in games when trailing by 10 or more points with Allen as head coach, and if things don’t turn around rapidly in the second half they’ll be even worse.

Allen can’t point to health as a problem. 21 of the 22 players from the Week 1 two-deep roster were available. Michael Thomas exited the game early with a knee injury but young stars Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed combined for 3 targets, 2 receptions, and 3 yards in the first half. Derek Carr did a bad job responding to pressure and looking for his weapons.

But the defense bears the brunt of responsibility here. The Vikings offense is missing its best quarterback (Kirk Cousins) and wide receiver (Justin Jefferson) with multiple starters playing through injuries like tight end T.J. Hockenson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Joshua Dobbs was acquired in a trade last week and carved the Saints up to the tune of 220 passing yards and 40 rushing yards in the first half alone.

And penalties have been a major problem. After drawing just one foul for a loss of 5 yards a week ago, the Saints went into halftime with four penalties for 25 yards with two other infractions declined. And almost every penalty wiped out a big play — a Paulson Adebo interception, an Alvin Kamara first-down run, and a Cameron Jordan sack. The Saints couldn’t get out of their own way.

This first half encompasses the criticisms that have dogged Allen’s team for two years. They’re sloppy and penalty-prone and can’t function consistently enough on offense to keep up with even a league-average outfit. Everything is difficult. There is such a heavy responsibility on the defense to carry every game that the margin for error is so thin and every mistake matters. The Saints must get out of their own way before they can even worry about competing.

The good news is that the Saints will receive the opening kickoff in the second half. Let’s see if Derek Carr and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael can do something with that opportunity.

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3 things we know about the Saints, 3 questions that still need to be answered

Three things the Saints have made clear and three questions that need to be answered heading into the remainder of the season.

The New Orleans Saints were one of the NFL’s most intriguing teams with a sky-high ceiling heading into the 2023 season.

But they’ve fallen flat in a number of areas that need some notable adjustments for them to get where they need to be on all three cylinders as a team, falling by a touchdown or less in three of their four losses this year.

Even with an overall record of 3-4, the Saints are still in the hunt to win a division that the Atlanta Falcons currently lead (4-3). Here’s a look into three things we know and three things we need to know seven games in.

Dennis Allen says to expect few changes coming out of Saints’ post-TNF breather

Dennis Allen says to expect few changes coming out of the Saints’ post-Thursday Night Football breather. They’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing:

If the New Orleans Saints were going to make any big changes to get their season back on track, this was their best chance. But it doesn’t sound like Dennis Allen views the post-Thursday Night Football break that way.

The Saints had ten days between last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and their next matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. If they were going to make any substantial changes offensively — like naming a new play caller or benching struggling starters — it would have made the most sense to do so when this extra rest time gave them a window to do so.

“No, no, no. If we decide to make some changes we’ll let you know,” Allen said when asked if the team had made any personnel changes. So offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is still calling plays, and the rest of the offense should look like what fans have seen thus far.

Additionally, Allen said that the team wouldn’t be bringing in any outside candidates, which squashes the speculation from fans about a team-up with Derek Carr’s old coach Jon Gruden: “You get in the middle of the season and there’s generally not a lot of people from outside your building that are coming in that are making significant changes. We’ve got our guys and we’re going to be hard at work trying to fix our issues.”

So the Saints are going to keep doing what they’ve been doing. They’ve lost four of their last five games while struggling to end drives with touchdowns, convert third downs, and do other things that successful offenses expect to achieve each week. We’ll see how that works out for them.

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What went right, what went wrong in Saints’ Week 7 loss to Jaguars

Instant analysis from Saints’ Week 7 loss to Jaguars: What went right, what went wrong, and what’s the bottom line?

The New Orleans Saints played just well enough to give fans hope before things fell apart in Thursday night’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But these things happen when a legit playoff team matches up with a squad that isn’t quite ready for prime time.

So what can we learn from Week 7’s game? What went right for the Saints? What went wrong? And what’s the bottom line? Let’s break it down: