Tag: Play Caller

Klint Kubiak calling plays vs. Panthers from the sideline, not the booth

Klint Kubiak has ultimately chosen to call plays from the sideline as opposed to the booth after trying out both options in preseason:

Klint Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, has ultimately chosen to call plays from the sideline for Week 1 as opposed to the booth, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. This comes after Kubiak split between the two options throughout the preseason to see which would work best for the team.

Earlier this week Kubiak refused to comment on which of the two approaches he would be taking for this first game. However, he has chosen the traditional route of sideline coaching, which allows for more communication with players throughout the game.

Considering he is new to the team and is building the scheme around the players who were already here, it does make sense that he went in this direction, as he can receive input live from players rather than having to infer it from play results.

Look at the veteran presence the Saints have on offense as well. Getting input is extremely valuable for a new coach to the team, as hearing back from players like Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, and Taysom Hill may help him make adjustments to improve the offense.

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Klint Kubiak will try calling plays from the sideline vs. Titans

Klint Kubiak will try calling plays from the New Orleans Saints sideline in their final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans:

After calling plays from the press box booth in the New Orleans Saints’ first two preseason games, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will try working from the sideline during Sunday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Kubiak has been given the option to find which approach works best for him so he’ll give both approaches a fair shot.

“The plan all along was to do both in the preseason, so probably going to be down for this game. I’ve done them both. Really good sightlines up there, have good coaches on the sideline, we’re going to try both in the preseason so we’ll try the other way this game,” Kubiak said after practice this week.

Obviously calling plays from the field level at the Caesars Superdome is a different experience to seeing everything from up in the booth. Kubiak pointed to the eye-to-eye contact with his players and ease of communication compared to talking through a headset, though he values the perspective in viewing the whole field from up high.

“There’s positives to both,” Kubiak acknowledged. “So no preference, I’d like to see how it works out this week.”

Expect backup quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener to split reps nearly-evenly in kickoff with the Titans. While the Saints haven’t said whether their starters will play many snaps in their final exhibition game, it would be unusual to see Derek Carr spend much time on the field at this point in the summer.

As to where Kubiak will be calling plays from when the regular season starts on Sept. 8? That’s yet to be determined, and his experience on Sunday will play a big part in making that decision.

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Saints OC Klint Kubiak calling plays from the booth again vs. 49ers

Klint Kubiak is still calling plays from the booth, not the New Orleans Saints sideline, against the San Francisco 49ers:

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is calling plays from the booth, not the New Orleans Saints sideline, against the San Francisco 49ers. It’s the same setup the team used in last week’s preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals with quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko manning the sideline.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen has said he wants Kubiak calling plays from wherever he’s most comfortable, though he acknwoledged they would have to find what works best for the team if the setup wasn’t bringing in results.

We’ll see if things go different against San Francisco. The Saints offense didn’t really liven up in their first exhibition game but they’re obviously not showing off everything in their playbook right away. Hopefully they find better results against the reigning NFC champions. If the line of communication isn’t effective they’ll be forced to try a more conventional setup with Kubiak down on the field rather than the other end of a phone line.

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New Saints play caller Klint Kubiak excited to work with Alvin Kamara

New Saints play caller Klint Kubiak is excited to work with Alvin Kamara: “He’s got a great skill set that we can do a lot of things with”

There aren’t many better examples of the New Orleans Saints’ decline than Alvin Kamara’s fall-off in recent years. A combination of factors — poor blocking, uninspired play calling, spotty quarterback play and the natural wear and tear of playing 100 games — have hurt him.

After earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in each of his first five years in the NFL, Kamara missed the event in each of the last two seasons. He’s scored just 10 touchdowns in his last 28 games after hitting the end zone 68 times in his first 73 games. The 4.5 yards per touch he averaged last season were the lowest of his career.

So getting him back on track might be a priority for Klint Kubiak, the Saints’ new offensive coordinator. He had a front-row seat to see how San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan weaponized Christian McCaffrey last year, which could be informative. Both running backs are known for their skills as pass-catchers with rare versatility. Kubiak spoke extensively with local media for the first time during rookie minicamp, and Kamara is one player he’s looking forward to deploying.

“I think it will be really fun to work with Alvin,” Kubiak said. “He’s got a great skill set that we can do a lot of things with. So it’s just up to us as coaches at identifying those things and him putting in the work.”

Kamara was one of the first players to meet with Kubiak after he joined the Saints, and that early exposure made a great first impression. His highlight reel speaks for itself, but Kubiak says those conversations with Kamara have opened his eyes to just what the playmaker can do in the offense he’s installing.

“He’s been in multiple times, up in my office, talking football. Getting some one-on-one time with him to teach the offense. Getting to know him a little bit, he’s a very bright player, I’m just now figuring out how bright he really is. It’ll be fun to load his plate up,” Kubiak added.

Both Sean Payton and Drew Brees pointed to Kamara as one of the most intelligent football players they had ever been around, so it isn’t too surprising to see Kubiak making a similar observation. Kamara took on more of a leadership role in recent years after Brees and Payton left the team, and it makes sense to keep the franchise touchdowns leader involved while laying their plans for 2024. Let’s see if it pays off to help revitalize Kamara’s career and get him back to the Pro Bowl.

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This chart says Dennis Allen is the NFL’s best defensive play caller

This chart says Dennis Allen is the NFL’s best defensive play caller. He’s good, and we don’t need advanced analytics to know that, but he isn’t infallible:

You won’t have a hard time convincing New Orleans Saints fans that Dennis Allen calls a mean defense — that’s his best strength, and it was the number-one reason so many people bought into the idea of promoting him to replace Sean Payton back in 2022. It’s Allen’s shortcomings as a leader and team-builder that drew criticism at the time and during the years since.

Still, it’s validating to see information like this plotted out to highlight Allen’s best qualities. NFL analyst Steve Patton ranked every defensive play caller from the 2023 season based on what he calls “coverage and market efficiency with team constraints” which examines how each defense performed relative to absences (for injuries and suspensions) and quality of opposition, among other factors.

And Allen came out on top. You don’t need to invent new metrics to see why. He fielded the league’s fourth-best defense on third downs (allowing a conversion on just 34.5% of downs) and the third-best unit on fourth downs (42.3%, with opponents going 11-for-26). Despite getting little production from his pass rush — the Saints finished with the NFL’s second-lowest pressure rate (15.1%) and fourth-worst sacks rate (5.7%) — Allen’s secondary held up even with Marshon Lattimore missing seven games to an injury. They allowed the 10th-fewest passing yards per game (207.3) and tied for the third-most interceptions (18).

But they weren’t perfect. Allen hasn’t been able to micromanage the run defense after being promoted to head coach, and it shows: even after drafting a first-round defensive tackle and signing two veteran free agents, New Orleans finished inside the bottom-10 in both yards per carry (4.4) and rushing yards per game (119.9). And he has to take the blame for a Saints pass rush that was asleep at the wheel for much of the season. Of their 34 sacks on the season, 15 came in the last five games. Allen’s reluctance to use undersized pass rushers like Zack Baun until the season was effectively over is a major blind spot in his coaching philosophy.

So take this chart’s findings with a grain of salt. Allen’s defensive play calling is an asset, sure, but he isn’t invincible. The Saints lost a pivotal early-season game to the Green Bay Packers when his defense gave up a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Sean McVay got the better of him in a late-season loss to the Los Angeles Rams that started with a 95-yard touchdown drive, and which got away from him when the Rams scored 20  unanswered points in four possessions before and after the halftime break. In this league, even a good defensive play caller can be outfoxed by an offense firing on all cylinders.

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Klint Kubiak may not be a slam-dunk OC hire for the Saints, but they lack options

Klint Kubiak may not be a slam-dunk offensive coordinator hire for the New Orleans Saints, but he could be the best candidate they can find:

Few fans expected the New Orleans Saints’ search for a new offensive coordinator to take so long, but it isn’t an easy process. And NFL-enforced anti-tampering rules are likely playing a factor. If the Saints hope to land someone coaching in Super Bowl LVIII — like Klint Kubiak or Brian Griese, both assistants with the San Francisco 49ers who have already met with them — they’ll have to wait until after the championship game to make a move.

Kubiak has the stronger resume of the pair. Griese only entered the coaching ranks in 2022. He did help guide the quarterbacks room through a lot of turmoil in his first year on the job with injuries sidelining Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, and he’s been a big influence on Brock Purdy’s development through two seasons. But he’s never called plays and there’s much more to the job of an offensive coordinator than coaching the quarterback, even if that is a critical task.

So why Kubiak? The San Francisco passing game coordinator has a lot of experience despite his young age (he’ll turn 37 in a few weeks) for a coach. He’s called plays before with the Minnesota Vikings (in 2021) and, briefly, the Denver Broncos (in 2022) after Nathaniel Hackett gave up that responsibility. He’s coached in the NFL since 2013, steadily climbing the ranks. Working under Kyle Shanahan on one of the league’s best offenses during the last year does make him an attractive candidate.

But here’s the catch. Hiring Kubiak (if that’s the direction the Saints are leaning) may not be a slam dunk. Two different teams have let him call plays and neither of they both chose to move on from him. He was jettisoned with the rest of the Vikings staff after Mike Zimmer was fired in Minnesota. When Hackett was dismissed in Denver, interim head coach Jerry Rosburg reassigned play calling duties from Kubiak and gave them to offensive coordinator Justin Outten. All three of them were let go once Sean Payton entered the building. If someone were being uncharitable, they’d suggest Kubiak would not have gotten this far if his father wasn’t an influential former head coach.

When he was calling plays for the Vikings in 2021, Kubiak’s offense ranked in the middle of the back in most areas: 14th in points scored, 12th in yards gained, 11th in passing yards and 9th in touchdown passes with the 17th-most rushing yards. Minnesota’s 25 points per game was a respectable scoring output. In 2022, though, the Broncos averaged 14.5 points per game before giving Kubiak the headset; he managed 16.8 points per game before they switched again. Denver scored 24 and 31 points in their final two games with Outten calling plays instead.

Some of it is on personnel. Some of it can be chalked up to the schedule and quality of opponents. There’s a big difference in Kubiak spending the offseason working with Kirk Cousins to learn how to best relay plays in to his quarterback versus being thrown into the role late in November with little prep time. But at the end of the day, mixed results are exactly what they look like.

Which means the Saints have to ask themselves an important question: is it worth waiting on Kubiak (or Griese, if they’re looking at him instead)? They aren’t the only team trying to hire a new play caller. If there are other candidates they value highly, waiting another week and a half to sit down with one of the 49ers assistants again could be costly. But Mickey Loomis prides himself on his patience. If he trusts Dennis Allen is zeroing in on the right candidate for the job, no amount of public pressure or complaints from anxious fans on social media is going to dissuade him. All we can do is wait and see how this plays out.

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Moving on from Pete Carmichael is just part of the Saints’ path forward

Moving on from Pete Carmichael is just part of the Saints’ path forward. Finding the right offensive coordinator is the most important decision of Dennis Allen’s career:

It wasn’t an easy decision, but the New Orleans Saints did it: they fired longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael on Tuesday, cutting off one of the last remaining pieces of their Super Bowl XLIV-winning team.

Now what?

Moving on from Carmichael isn’t enough. The Saints must replace him with a play caller who brings something new to the table: an upgrade, not a lateral move. By parting ways with Carmichael (and assistant coaches like Kodi Burns and Bob Bicknell) they’re signaling that it was Carmichael holding back the offense for the first three months, not quarterback Derek Carr.

So finding an offensive coordinator who can get more out of Carr while improving the run game is going to be key. Maybe that’s someone already on staff like passing game coordinator Ronald Curry. Maybe it’s someone who has worked with Carr before, like Jon Gruden. Or maybe an entirely fresh perspective could be the answer. There are assistant coaches on the rise around the league like San Francisco 49ers passing game specialist Klint Kubiak and Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson who could be in demand.

At the same time, Allen has tried and failed to recruit upgrades in each of his first two years on the job. He could be in a similar tough spot again this year with candidates looking elsewhere for better opportunities. If that’s the case, Allen might have to settle for a retread like Ken Dorsey (ex-Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator) or Jim Bob Cooter (the Indianapolis Colts’ OC, who defers play calling to head coach Shane Steichen). This is the most important hire Allen will make in his three-year run as head coach.

If Allen misfires and the Saints miss the playoffs yet again in 2024, that has to be the end of the line. That must be what’s at stake here: playoffs or bust. Another average-at-best showing from the offense and near-.500 record can’t be good enough. Not when the Saints marketed Allen’s own hiring two years ago as a move that would keep them competitive in the playoffs. After hiring his own coaches and drafting his own players and getting his own quarterback, Allen won’t have any excuses or anyone else to blame if he can’t guide this team to the postseason next year.

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Dennis Allen says Ronald Curry addressed offense at halftime vs. Jaguars

Dennis Allen says Saints passing game coordinator Ronald Curry addressed the struggling offense at halftime vs. Jaguars

It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints offense didn’t do enough with the opportunities they were given on Thursday night — especially in the first half, when they managed to score just six points against a couple of Jacksonville Jaguars touchdowns.

They went into halftime facing a steep deficit in a high-stakes situation. The team needed leaders to step up. And Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared a message from passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry after the break.

“It’s all about execution,” Allen told Amazon Prime Video sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung. “It’s like R.C. said in the locker room to the offense, ‘Let’s go out there and make plays that we’re capable of making.’ That’s what it’s about.”

Now, that doesn’t exactly sound like a big rah-rah speech or fire-and-brimstone sermon, but it’s notable that Curry was so vocally involved. Saints fans have been calling for Curry to have a shot calling plays instead of offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael early and often this season. Curry has been repeatedly spoken of highly by other members of the coaching staff and he’s called plays in each of the last two preseason series, so he has some experience.

The offense might not be better with Curry at the controls, it’s theorized, but it can’t be worse. Maybe Curry is more involved already than we’d be led to believe. Or maybe Allen’s comments shouldn’t warrant such a deep dive.

What’s important is that the team do what they can to win this Jaguars game, and Allen has a list of areas they can improve in the second half: “We’ve got to win situational football. Third down, red zone, we’ve got to be able to score points. We’ve got to be able to convert on third down, we’ve got to be able to kick a field goal. I mean, it’s the little things like that we’ve got to be able to do to give ourselves an opportunity to win a game.”

Facing a two-score deficit and the threat of a losing record for the first time this season, it’s obvious that pressure is building for Allen and his staff. This isn’t the outcome the Saints expected when they hired him last year or pursued his choice of quarterback this offseason. He’s running out of time to return the results they anticipated.

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Saints OC Pete Carmichael enters a make-or-break week for his job

With a long week looming after the Jaguars game, the Saints have the perfect opportunity to make a change. Pete Carmichael must prove he’s the right fit for the job:

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael should be entering a make or break week versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Play calling has been an issue for the majority of the season.

After a good game against the New England Patriots, the Saints stumbled in a major way versus the Houston Texans. That killed any optimism from New Orleans’ 34 point performance a week prior. The red zone play calling specifically on the final drive should cause nightmares for Carmichael.

Having a strong performance this week shouldn’t secure his play calling duties for the remainder of the season, but it might earn him some more time. With another poor performance, it’s time to pull the plug. The long week after a Thursday Night Football game would provide the perfect opportunity to get another coach, likely Ronald Curry, acclimated to the role. The extra time takes away the excuse of not wanting to do this midweek.

The reason for change has been here, but now the opportunity is right there too. Dennis Allen must know a struggling offense reflects on him as the head coach as well. He isn’t just the defensive coordinator any longer. He needs the offense to be fixed for his sake. If Pete Carmichael has another bad game against the Jaguars, a change of play-caller is mandatory.

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Dennis Allen not making rash decision on Saints’ offensive play caller

Fans won’t like the approach, but Dennis Allen isn’t making a rash decision on the Saints offensive play caller. That doesn’t mean change is not on its way:

It’s important to remember that “fan” is short for “fanatic.” Fans want to see emotion and drama and high stakes discussion in the aftermath of a painful loss — so it’s easy to understand their frustration when New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen kept a cool head after Sunday’s hard-to-watch collapse against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Especially when the topic of the offensive play caller came up. Pete Carmichael has left a lot to be desired in that role. The longtime offensive coordinator became the primary play caller last season for the first time in years, and he didn’t have the benefits of Sean Payton’s input or Drew Brees’ execution like he had before.

With the offense averaging just 13.8 points per game through the first four weeks this season, a regression from their already-poor scoring output a year ago, it’s fair to wonder how much patience Allen has for him in that role. NewOrleans.Football’s Brooke Kirchhofer asked Allen whether he’d consider a change on the headset after the Bucs embarrassed the Saints 26-9 at home.

“I’m not going there,” Allen said during his postgame press conference. “You know, we’ll go and look and see what we could have done better — all of us, coaches and players — and then we’ll go from there.”

Allen offered Carmichael a vote of confidence, adding that he thought the play calling was much better against the Bucs than in past weeks. But that rings hollow in the face of results. This was one of the worst offensive performances we’ve seen from this team in years and Carmichael is responsible for a big part of it. He dropped the ball in too many situations to escape blame. It’s just one example, but the offense went 5-of-14 on third down with Derek Carr having no options near the first down marker; Carmichael repeatedly sent the receivers too far downfield, forcing Carr to try a difficult throw without the option for a layup. It’s okay to pick up a first down and live another day. Not every swing needs to be a home run.

All that’s said to say that Allen must make a change, whether he wants to acknowledge it immediately postgame or not. Fans aren’t going to want to hear this, but he’s taking the right approach. An emotional decision to dismiss Carmichael on the spot would have been cathartic for viewers but let’s be real: no one deserves to find out they’re losing their job like that. These are conversations that should happen in private before being leaked to the media or formally announced. There are right and wrong ways to treat people here like in any other business.

So if that’s the plan — for Allen and his staff to review the tape, sleep on it, and then make a tough decision to take play-calling away from Carmichael before going in a new direction — then it’s something we can stand behind. The problem arises if Allen does all of that but balks at the possibility of a switch. The Saints can’t keep doing the same thing, running the same plays that aren’t working with the same decision-maker on the headset who hasn’t performed through 21 games with three different quarterbacks, and expect different results. That’s a mistake they can’t afford to make. If Allen takes that path the Saints will likely be looking to replace him and Carmichael both in a few months.

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