Tag: Ranking

Saints strength of schedule ranked easiest in the NFC South

The New Orleans Saints have the best strength of schedule for the 2020 season in the NFC South, ahead of Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Despite a slate of games against several playoff teams — and both participants in last year’s Super Bowl — the New Orleans Saints project to have one of the easier schedules you’ll see around the NFL. Their opponents have a combined winning percentage of .490 from last season’s results, which places ninth-best in the league.

That looks even better when compared to the rest of the NFC South. Both the Carolina Panthers (.500) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (.502) are settled near the middle of the pack, while the Atlanta Falcons (.525) have one of the NFL’s steepest uphill climbs ahead of them.

Now, sure: this isn’t very informative, given how thoroughly teams change from one year to the next. The Buccaneers and Panthers are proof enough of that, with new quarterbacks under center in Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater, and an entirely new coaching staff getting to work in Carolina. But the fact remains that a number of teams playing the Saints this season were not very good last season, which should do a lot to build confidence in New Orleans’ chances of future success.

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Saints’ Who Dat Nation ranked among top-5 most-passionate fan bases

Fans of the New Orleans Saints were listed among the most passionate fan bases in America’s major sports leagues by a recent Forbes ranking.

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The New Orleans Saints fan base is a group that punches above its weight class. While their television market might be one of the smaller you’ll find around the NFL, Saints fans have an unmatched appetite for football — often turning in the nation’s highest ratings for prime-time games, whether the black and gold are involved or not.

But Saints fans do more than tune in when a game is on. According to a list put together by Forbes staff writer Christian Settimi, the Who Dat Nation ranks fourth among America’s most-passionate fan bases. That puts them shoulder-to-shoulder with supporters of the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. and ahead of the leaders in other sports like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and MLB’s Boston Red Sox.

Settimi considered factors like team value (the Saints are estimated to be worth $2.275 billion), social media following (5.4 million between Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), and average home game attendance (with 73,082 spectators packing the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). She also noted that New Orleans throws a ton of hometown support behind its team:

A full 75% of New Orleans residents identify as Saints fans—second in the NFL to Green Bay’s 82% with the Packers—helping to make the “Who Dat” nation’s social media following four times as big as the city’s population of 1.3 million.

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2020 Saints UDFA class graded one of the NFL’s strongest

Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom praised the class of 2020 undrafted free agents signed by the New Orleans Saints, LB Joe Bachie in particular.

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The 2020 NFL Draft is well behind us, but the selections made are just part of the equation that determines whether teams improved by adding young talent out of the college ranks. The flurry of recruiting and signing of rookies who were not picked impacts every team in the league, and the New Orleans Saints are one franchise that appreciates that area of roster-building.

According to a ranking put together by Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom, the Saints have put together the third-best group of undrafted free agents around the NFL. While Nystrom particularly valued pickups like Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received more contract guarantees than some recent Saints draft picks), he also lauded the Saints for their aggressive strategy of making moves to draft high-end players while getting an early start on the post-draft recruiting circuit. He wrote:

The Saints use their late Day 3 picks to trade up for prospects they’ve targeted who are falling. When New Orleans is out of picks and ESPN analysts say they’re “done drafting for the year,” that isn’t exactly true… it seems to be part and parcel of a larger prospect acquisition strategy. While other teams are drafting on Saturday, monitoring their boards and negotiating trades, the Saints are calling their top UDFA targets. They literally get a jump on the rest of the league. It’s genius.

Nystrom was also a fan of the 2019 Saints undrafted free agent class, ranking it the best in the league. Last year’s group saw contributors like returns specialist Deonte Harris and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle create an immediate boost, so he’s clearly right to point out that New Orleans knows what it’s doing in this phase of the offseason.

You can find Nystrom’s full writeup and NFL rankings at this link, or where we’ve embedded them below:

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Vic Fangio ranked No. 22 among NFL coaches by Patrick Daugherty

Where should Vic Fangio rank among the NFL’s best head coaches?

Each offseason, Rotoworld’s Patrick Dougherty ranks all 32 head coaches in the NFL. This year, Broncos coach Vic Fangio is ranked No. 22.

“Fangio’s tenure will hinge on whether he can move past his offensive inertia,” Dougherty wrote. “The Broncos’ weapons-focused draft suggests Fangio and GM John Elway understand the stakes.”

Denver went 7-9 last year and finished second in the AFC West.

Fangio is the lowest-ranked coach in the division, behind the Chiefs’ Andy Reid (No. 2), the Chargers’ Anthony Lynn (No. 18) and the Raiders’ Jon Gruden (No. 19). Given that Fangio has a limited sample size to judge from, Dougherty’s ranking seems to be fairly reasonable.

If the Broncos return to the playoffs this year, Fangio will undoubtedly shoot up the rankings in 2021.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is ranked No. 1 on the list. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone has the lowest ranking (No. 27). Dougherty did not rank the five coaches entering their first year with a new team.

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USA TODAY backup QB rankings puts Saints on top of the NFL

The New Orleans Saints have a depth chart stocked with backups like Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, which USA Today ranks best in the NFL.

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Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and it’s fair to say that Jameis Winston has stronger qualifications than any backup quarterback around the league. With Taysom Hill in the mix, the New Orleans Saints have an argument to make for the NFL’s strongest set of passers among their peers.

And at least one ranking agrees with that. USA Today’s Nate Davis ranked the Saints depth chart at quarterback higher than any other team in the NFL, just ahead of the Dallas Cowboys tandem of Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton:

1. New Orleans Saints: Jameis Winston’s arrival makes this the first team to have a pair of 5,000-yard passers on its roster. Winston, who led the NFL in passing yards (5,109) in 2019 has obvious flaws in his game, namely his proclivity for turnovers (league-worst 30 INTs in 2019). But given time to re-calibrate his estimable tools under Sean Payton’s watch, maybe it’s Winston – and not highly compensated gadget guy Taysom Hill, who threw six passes last year – who emerges as Drew Brees’ eventual successor.

In an ideal world, we’ll never get a look at Winston running the Saints offense — at least this year. That would mean Brees has missed time with a maybe-significant injury, which wouldn’t be great. The chances of the Saints rattling off five straight wins again after pulling off that trick last year with Teddy Bridgewater under center are not high.

Still, Davis is right to point out that this could be more of a long-term investment than it first appears. Winston’s year on the depth chart should put him on similar footing to Hill in 2021, should Brees step away from the game, allowing the Saints to have a true starting competition between a pair of experienced options. And as seen up and down this list of backup situations around the NFL, that’s an outlook that most teams might envy.

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2020 Redskins schedule: Ranking the 7 toughest games this season

Washington hase zero primetime games, other than playing the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, which kicks off a tough road stretch in December.

Now that we know the order and time in which the Washington Redskins will be playing their opponents in 2020, we can start to get a feel for how the season might play out. Our biggest takeaway from the Redskins schedule release comes on Thanksgiving and builds from there. The Redskins will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Turkey Day, and that will start a three-game road trip that then goes to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, followed by a trip out west to play the San Francisco 49ers.

So while there are a few games on the docket in which the Redskins should definitely come out victorious, there are also a handful of games in which a win might seem miraculous. Here’s our ranking of those games, from tough to toughest.

No. 7 — at Arizona Cardinals (Week 2)

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

If you went back even a year ago, it would seem absolutely crazy to say that the Cardinals are going to be one of the tougher teams that the Redskins play this season, but I truly believe that Arizona will step up this season in a big way. QB Kyler Murray showed a lot of promise in 2019, and he’s been given All-Star WR DeAndre Hopkins to throw to, who will come in alongside veteran Larry Fitzgerald.

Arizona’s defense isn’t anything that will keep you up at night, but it’s going to take a solid gameplan to slow down their offense and keep points off the board. Washington’s defensive line may be able to get pressure on Murray, but there’s no guarantee that they can get him to the ground before he finds Nuke running wide downfield.

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The Athletic ranks Saints uniforms among the NFL’s finest looks

A recent NFL uniform ranking from The Athletic heaped praise on the New Orleans Saints for their iconic black and gold color scheme.

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New Orleans Saints fans might be biased, but the black-and-gold jerseys they put on each week have to rank among the best in the NFL.

Fortunately, an NFL uniform ranking from Matt Barrows and Daniel Brown of The Athletic vindicates those feelings. They placed the Saints among the NFL’s elite, praising New Orleans for the history woven into their color scheme and its timeless synergy with the logo.

Compare that to the sorry also-rans in the NFC South, like the bottom-ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31), Carolina Panthers (30), and Atlanta Falcons (28). You’ll struggle to find a collection of worse color palettes and designs around the NFL, which helps the Saints stand out even more for how great of a job they’ve done in putting their own kits together. Here’s a summary from The Athletic’s writeup:

7. Saints. The black-and-gold combo used by the team represents oil – “black gold” — and indeed the Saints struck it big with this surprisingly flexible color palette. The fleur-de-lis logo adds a distinctive only-in-New Orleans touch. It’s like a Mardi Gras for your eyes.

Best look: Thanks to vital journalism by John Sigler of Saints Wire, we know that during the Sean Payton era, New Orleans’ best winning percentage (10 games or more) is black jerseys/gold pants (.639).

And hey, look at that shoutout. It’s good to know that the hard work we put in here at Saints Wire is appreciated — you can check out each uniform combination used by the Saints since Payton was hired back in 2006 by following this link, which also details the 2019 results.

Everyone knows that the weeks of practice, planning, and preparation pale in comparison to great uniforms, which is what really determines the better team on any given Sunday. That’s just common knowledge. And if the Saints are smart, they’ll continue to capitalize on it.

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What draft experts said about Cesar Ruiz before the Saints picked him

The New Orleans Saints picked Michigan Wolverines center Cesar Ruiz, a prospected rated highly by many experts before the 2020 NFL Draft.

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After months of speculation, we finally found out who the New Orleans Saints picked in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft: Michigan center Cesar Ruiz. But why was he so highly regarded, and were the Saints right to target him to so early in the draft?

To find out, we surveyed a variety of scouting reports and draft guides from around the NFL’s orbit. Here’s what we learned.

One positive scouting report came from Dane Brugler at The Athletic, who ranked Ruiz the second-best center in the draft behind LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry. Brugler praised Ruiz for his extensive starting experience and gift for understanding the game. He wrote:

Overall, Ruiz’s technique tends to break down when rushed, but he is very steady in pass protection and continues to grow as a run blocker, displays all the ingredients to be a longtime NFL starting center.

Over at The Draft Network, Ruiz was the highest-rated interior offensive lineman (all guards and centers put together) and the 28th best prospect on their combined big board. One analyst, Joe Marino, wrote of Ruiz’s NFL projection:

For such a massive man, Ruiz displays outstanding mobility and he is highly effective working laterally and in space. His versatility extends beyond just the ability to play any spot along the interior, he has the attributes needed to thrive in both gap and zone blocking run schemes.

Conversely, TDN’s Kyle Crabbs wrote in his scouting report that while Ruiz is an excellent prospect at center, but teams shouldn’t try to move him out to guard:

Ruiz brings desirable strength in one on one scenarios but also provides nimble quickness as a puller and in pass protection. His lack of length regulates him to manning the middle as a center only, but he’s a cerebral and polished player leaving Michigan and should provide stability and effective communication at the heart of whichever offensive line he calls home.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper also listed Ruiz as this year’s best interior offensive lineman, thanks to his experience at guard and 26 games played at center. Ruiz was his 26th rated overall prospect.

The lowest ranking came from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who put Ruiz as his 37th ranked player. But Jeremiah still liked Ruiz enough to compare him to a three-time All-Pro who was selected for five Pro Bowls in his brief career:

Ruiz is an extremely consistent, physical and aware center. In pass protection, he has a tight punch and immediate anchor. His lower body is outrageously strong. He is very aware vs. twists/stunts. He lacks elite foot quickness, but he doesn’t have any issues sliding and redirecting to stay square vs. defenders. In the run game, he latches and runs his feet to create movement. He is outstanding on combo blocks, staying under control, locating and walling off linebackers. His lack of foot quickness shows up on outside pulls. Overall, Ruiz reminds me of Travis Frederick coming out of Wisconsin.

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2020 NFL Draft: Final composite Top 143 big board

There are plenty of opinions circulating the world wide web as to just who the best prospects available in the 2020 NFL draft are. Each draftnik and analyst have their own inherent biases, whether it be based on school and conference or traits they …

There are plenty of opinions circulating the world wide web as to just who the best prospects available in the 2020 NFL draft are. Each draftnik and analyst have their own inherent biases, whether it be based on school and conference or traits they like to see. That’s why there’s never just one list and fans are generally well off looking at a multitude of boards to get an overall sense.

Here, the work has been done for you. Using the Top 100 boards of well-revered and respected names in the industry, we’ve compiled a composite ranking. That’s why the awkward number of 143. Across the six boards we used, there were 143 total prospects named in the various top 100s.  An important distinction, this doesn’t take into account scheme fit or team needs for the Dallas Cowboys. This is a list that looks at the NFL as a whole.

These are the boards used.

Dane Brugler
Draft Network
Pro Football Focus
Tony Pauline
Jonah Tuls
Matt Miller

53 players appeared in everyone’s Top 100 and another 18 showed up on at least five boards. As for the outliers, there were 21 players who only showed up on one board, signifying the diversity of opinions across the draft world. From there, players had to be given ranks for the boards they didn’t appear in.

If a player showed up on five boards, the missing rank was assigned 101. For four boards, 110, three boards, 120, two boards, 130 and one board 140. Data scientists are probably cringing right now, but it seemed a fair way to assess on surface and not completely dismiss the outliers from the exercise.

So without further ado, follow along.

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Which Saints uniform combination won the most games in 2019?

The New Orleans Saints won all three of their “Color Rush” games in 2019, and debuted a new uniform combination for the Sean Payton era.

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A number of NFL teams are debuting new uniforms this offseason, but they’re all playing catch-up to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have one of the league’s best color palettes, embodied with a crisp set of uniforms and iconic jerseys. It’s a great compliment to the city’s character, which was reflected in a recent ranking of NFL kits.

But which uniform combination benefited the Saints the most in 2019? Here’s the full breakdown, ranked by winning percentage:

  1. “Color Rush” alternates: 3-0 (1.000)
  2. White jerseys, white pants: 5-1 (.833)
  3. Black jerseys, black pants: 5-2 (.714)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 0-1 (.000)

The Saints finally gave their “Color Rush” specials the performances those terrific jerseys deserve, winning all three contests in which they were worn — including two road games with the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons, and an early-season prime-time matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Curiously, the gold pants were limited to a few preseason appearances and Week 2’s disastrous loss to the Los Angeles Rams before getting phased out. The Saints introduced white pants not long after and never went back to the gold trousers, which had been a staple over the last decade. Maybe they’ll continue to be a third-tier option in 2020.

For the curious, here’s the record for each uniform combination used in the Sean Payton era, since 2006 (not including the alternate, kind of hideous gold jerseys worn during a 2002 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, which Cameron Jordan wants to revive):

  • White jerseys, white pants: 5-1 (.833)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 41-27 (.603)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

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