Tag: pete werner

Saints defense could welcome back a badly-missed starter against the Chargers

The Saints defense could return a badly-missed starter against the Chargers this week. Pete Werner is working his way back from a hamstring injury:

The New Orleans Saints defense could welcome back a badly-missed starter against the Los Angeles Chargers this week. Veteran linebacker Pete Werner is recovering from a hamstring injury, and Saints head coach Dennis Allen  is optimistic about his chances.

“He’s doing well,” Allen said Monday, “I’m expecting that we’ll have some guys coming back this week. But, we’ll see how it goes throughout the course of the week.”

Injuries have hit the Saints hard before the regular season’s midpoint. Werner has had to miss their last three games, all losses in which the run defense was gashed for a combined 671 yards on the ground. Missed tackles and miscommunication have run rampant, and it’s clear they miss Werner’s presence at the second level.

Of course he isn’t the only player out with an injury; Allen has previously said that key offensive players like right guard Cesar Ruiz, tight end Taysom Hill, and even quarterback Derek Carr are trending in the right direction, though at varying paces. But when Allen’s reputation hinges on being a defensive mastermind, his defense’s breakdown will draw the most scrutiny.

Hopefully Werner’s return can clean up their mess in the middle of the field. Backups like Anfernee Orji and D’Marco Jackson have been around the ball a lot, but they have each missed tackles, and Demario Davis hasn’t looked like himself while dealing with an injury of his own. The Saints are planning on Werner leading the way to the future at linebacker after signing him to an extension during training camp, and a strong performance in L.A. would do a lot to build confidence in that plan.

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Saints rule out multiple starters again on final injury report vs. Broncos

The Saints ruled out Chris Olave and Cesar Ruiz on the final injury report, but Derek Carr is doubtful to play against the Broncos:

Four New Orleans Saints players were ruled out on the final Week 7 injury report for Thursday night’s game with the Denver Broncos, and two more are questionable to play. Two Broncos players were preemptively ruled out and three of their own are questionable to play.

But before we get to that, this bit is a surprise — quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is doubtful to play, not ruled out altogether. You don’t often see players listed as doubtful suiting up on game days, much less starting at quarterback, but it happens just often enough to make you wary. Fans should still expect rookie QB Spencer Rattler to get the start. Taysom Hill (rib) is also listed as doubtful to play.

Now as for the others? Wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) won’t play, and neither will several other starters including right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee), and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). Center/left guard Lucas Patrick (chest) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (back) are both questionable. It’s a new injury for Saunders, so he may not be able to go. Shaheed is having meniscus surgery and may be done for the year, but that’s no sure thing yet.

Here’s the full injury report from Wednesday:

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Saints share another long injury report, but with good news on Taysom Hill

The Saints shared another long injury report before this week’s Broncos game, but with good news on one of their best players. Taysom Hill is progressing well:

The New Orleans Saints shared another long injury report before this week’s  Thursday night game with the Denver Broncos, but it wasn’t all bad news. There’s a welcome update on of their best players. Taysom Hill (rib) is progressing well after missing the last two games with a fractured rib, having also dealt with a bruised lung earlier this season. He would have been a limited participant had the team practiced at full speed on Monday.

But because it’s a short week, the Saints only held a walkthrough, so the injury report is sharing estimations rather than real participation updates. And the training staff still needed to attend to 17 different players. Whether that means simply taping up a sore ankle or helping them through a three-week rehab program, it’s still a heavy workload. Certainly heavier than should be necessary at this point in the season.

We’ll get a better idea about everyone’s status after practice on Tuesday, but here’s the latest on everyone from Rashid Shaheed and Pete Werner (who wouldn’t have practiced) to Payton Turner and Alvin Kamara (who would’ve been limited) as well as Tyrann Mathieu and Willie Gay Jr. (who would’ve been full-go):

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Back-to-back short weeks won’t help ease Saints’ injury concerns

Injuries continue to pile up for the Saints, and back-to-back short weeks won’t help. They’re playing three games in eleven days:

The New Orleans Saints are currently playing without starters and cornerstones like Taysom Hill, Pete Werner and Cesar Ruiz — not to mention Derek Carr.

This week’s initial injury report featured nine players who did not participate. It was only a projection because it was a walkthrough, but many of them remained sidelined on Thursday’s updated report. It still shows how many injuries the Saints are dealing with.

New Orleans has had the more expansive injury report every week this season, and it continues to grow. Even guys like Rashid Shaheed and Alvin Kamara have been limited at practice.

The Saints played the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football,” and have to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this upcoming week. They follow it up with a Sean Payton reunion against the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football.” That’s a stretch of three games in eleven days.

This is a bad time for the team to have back-to-back short weeks. The Saints are down offensive linemen and critical pieces on the offense and defense. Oftentimes, teams will be hesitant to bring players back on short weeks.

On the bright side, the Saints will have ten days to rest until the next game after Denver. The hope is that long break will lead to the return of some key players, but they must navigate this gauntlet first.

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Saints announce inactive players for Week 5 game vs. Chiefs

The Saints ruled out five starters prior to Monday. Who else will be inactive as they face the Chiefs on ‘Monday Night Football?’

The New Orleans Saints are once again the more injured team entering the game. The Kansas City Chiefs, however, enter the game without Rashee Rice. That is the biggest loss to the Chiefs. The Saints, on the other hand, already ruled out seven players before the game.

The Saints will have to take on Chiefs defensive tackle without two-thirds of their interior offensive line. Cesar Ruiz will miss his second consecutive game, and Erik McCoy is on injured reserve. To make matters worse, Shane Lemieux started at center last week and is already on injured reserve himself.

Demario Davis returning is the best injury news the Saints have received, but it came at the price of losing Pete Werner and Willie Gay.

Here is the full list of inactive players for the Week 5 game versus the Chiefs:

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

  • G Cesar Ruiz (knee)
  • LB Pete Werner (hamstring)
  • LB Willie Gay (hand)
  • DE Payton Turner (knee)
  • TE Taysom Hill (rib)
  • DT Khristian Boyd
  • QB Spencer Rattler (emergency third quarterback)

Kansas City Chiefs inactive players:

  • OL C.J. Hanson
  • OT Ethan Driskell
  • DT  Marlon Tuipulotu
  • DEE Cameron Thomas

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Saints rule out starter vs. Chiefs, update Kendre Miller’s status

The New Orleans Saints linebacker unit will be without Pete Werner against the Chiefs, and Kendre Miller’s status was updated for Week 5:

The New Orleans Saints provided two updates to their injuries on Sunday, which included marking starting linebacker Pete Werner as out and returning running back Kendre Miller as doubtful. Werner will also not travel with the team to Kansas City for their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, which is an unfortunate development as the team was already without Willie Gay Jr. as well, and Demario Davis is returning off injury. If last week is any indication, the starters will be Davis and D’Marco Jackson for Week 5.

Kendre Miller being downgraded is not great news either, as he had practiced fully at points during the week, but unfortunately will not be able to take some pressure off of Alvin Kamara just yet unless a major swing occurs and he looks ready on Monday. We will see how he looks pre-game and if anything has changed, but this could also be a precautionary measure to ensure he is fully healthy before getting on the field.

Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. shares update after hand injury

New Orleans Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. exited Sunday’s game with a hand injury. On Monday, he shared a photo after apparently undergoing surgery:

New Orleans Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. exited Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons with what was announced as a hand injury. On Monday, Gay shared a photo on Instagram after apparently undergoing surgery, via Saints News Network’s John Hendrix, but we shouldn’t speculate too much. It could be a hand issue or maybe a wrist. Either way Gay was wearing a sling over his left arm.

It’s another tough blow to a Saints defense already dealing with multiple injuries. Demario Davis missed that Falcons game with a hamstring issue. Tyrann Mathieu left partway through with a groin problem, and he was already managing an injured heel. It’s a lot to deal with.

The good news is the Saints have an extra day of rest before their Monday night game with the Kansas City Chiefs next week. Depending on what he procedure he underwent, Gay could try wearing a club over his left hand and play through it, but there’s too little information for us to do more than  speculate. If Gay and Davis are both unavailable we should expect Pete Werner to continue starting while D’Marco Jackson and Anfernee Orji step into the lineup. Stay tuned for updates.

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Saints’ big defensive ends will be key in stopping Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson is looking to run outside the tackles, so Carl Granderson and Chase Young will be key to the Saints stopping the Falcons’ leading rusher:

The defensive ends will be a critical part of helping the New Orleans Saints stop Atlanta Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson. When you think about containing a running back, you typically think of linebackers. Their job got more difficult with Demario Davis ruled out, but they’ll need the help of Carl Granderson and Chase Young.

Robinson likes to gets around the corner, and he’s extremely productive when he does. The running back has 196 yards on the season, and 155 of them are from runs outside the tackle. If you expand that range to Robinson’s career, he’s racked up 950 yards outside the tackle. Only Christian McCaffrey has more yardage since Robinson came to the NFL.

Robinson is looking to stretch the defense, and the play-side tackles are going to attempt to hook the defensive ends inside.

Granderson and Young are athletic players. If they can shed their blockers, they should do a good job turning Robinson back inwards. That’s where Willie Gay and Pete Werner should be to finish the play.

Continuing to force Robinson horizontal is also effective. Granderson and Young’s ability to keep Robinson from getting outside and down hill is key. If they can consistently force him to the sidelines or back towards hell then they’ve done their job.

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Willie Gay Jr. has no doubts stepping into the starting lineup vs. Falcons

Willie Gay Jr. is stepping into the starting lineup due to Demario Davis’ injury with full confidence: ‘I don’t feel like it, I know I’m ready’

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis is missing his first game ever due to injury — breaking a streak of 197 consecutive starts, dating back to 2012. Because of that, Willie Gay Jr. is expected to join Pete Werner in the starting lineup against the Atlanta Falcons.

It’ll be interesting to see how often the Saints bring second-year linebacker Anfernee Orji in for base sets with three linebackers on the field together. Orji was a stud in camp, and Atlanta’s run game with Bijan Robinson would normally command some base packages.

Gay and Werner will play likely every snap, and Gay is prepared for the moment: “I know I’m ready. I don’t feel like it, I know I’m ready.”

At the time Gay said that, Davis wasn’t confirmed to miss the game. It was clear it was expected by Gay’s response. It’s not as if he’s never been a starter before. He was a starter in Kansas City, so there should be full confidence coming from him.

Even with New Orleans, Gay has played in every game. He’ll just be stepping into a larger role. Davis’ injury thrusted Gay into the starting lineup, but Werner will likely be taking over for Davis at the middle linebacker spot. Gay would then step in at Werner’s normal position of weakside linebacker, with Orji possibly getting the first shot on the strongside.

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Chase Young is one of the NFL’s fastest pass rushers off the snap

Chase Young is one of the NFL’s fastest pass rushers off the snap. The recovery he’s made from last year’s neck injury needs to be seen to be believed:

Everyone spends the offseason trying to get better. Putting in hours in the weight room and working on the field after practice separates those who are going through the motions from those who want to be great. But some players are dealing with even more unique circumstances. Look at Chase Young, the New Orleans Saints defensive end who signed his contract one day in March and underwent neck surgery the next. He spent his offseason working to recover from an ailment that slowed him down last season.

And the proof is in his performance. ESPN sports analytics writer Seth Walder shared an eye-opening graphic comparing the fastest pass rushers off the snap in the first week of 2024’s games to their averages from 2023. And nobody made more improvement than Young.

Walder found that Young got off the line of scrimmage 0.66 seconds after the snap in the Saints’ season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers. That was a full 0.16 better than his average a year ago (0.81), and it was a bigger jump than anyone else made around the NFL. Walder noted that this is a very stable stat with little variation from one year to the next. New York Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux trailed Young with an improvement of 0.14 seconds, but no other player was faster than 0.13.

That’s a significant gap. It helps explain why Young played like he did last season — he drew a lot of criticism from San Francisco 49ers fans who, excited by their midseason trade for him, noticed he was slow to react and hesitant to rally to the ball. He was playing through a neck injury that required offseason surgery. Now he’s well and looking more like his old self.

Just ask his old teammates. When the Saints kicked off training camp in August, former Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner commented on Young moving with rare agility — something he’d first noticed when they were both Buckeyes, and that he now compared to other all-world athletes in New Orleans side by side. Young is different. We’re seeing that in his stats, the stories his opponents are telling about him, and the advanced stats tracking his every move on the field. If he keeps it up he could be one of the highest-paid players in free agency next spring. He just might end up being too valuable for the Saints to let walk away.

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