Tag: review

Drew Brees weighs in on the state of Saints after disappointing 2024 season

Ever an optimist, Drew Brees shared his thoughts on the Saints as a team and where they stand after the concussion of a disappointing 2024 season:

The New Orleans Saints are in quite the state of transition after finishing the 2024 season on a low note, falling 27-19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season finale. That ended their year with a 5-12 record, a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, and an uncertain future without a head coach in place.

There’s plenty of work to do as the team looks to find their next coach, has questions at quarterback for the long-term and has multiple positions of need to fill as the 2025 NFL draft looms ahead.

We spoke with former Saints quarterback Drew Brees on the state of the team and how he reflects on last season. Brees quickly pointed out that the biggest issue was the injury bug, which the Saints caught in a major way.

“The tough part with the Saints is that they weren’t healthy,” Brees told me this week. “They lost both of their starting receivers early in the season between Rasheed Shahid and Chris Olave.”

The difference between the first two games of the season, in which the Saints looked like an offensive juggernaut scoring 91 points, compared to what the rest of the season looked like was like night and day.

Brees continued: “You look at what they did the first two weeks of the season when everybody was healthy. They were as good of an offensive team as anybody in the league. All of the sudden, guys just start dropping like flies, and then you lose Derek Carr there toward the end. You lose Alvin Kamara, you lose Taysom Hill.”

Brees went as far as to say that it was not totally fair to evaluate the Saints because of just how many elements were missing.

“The were shorthanded most of the year, which put a lot of pressure on guys both of offense and on defense,” Brees said. “So, kind of unfair to evaluate the team, other than noting they had a lot of young guys who stepped up and had a chance to play.”

And there were some diamonds in the rough who did show their talents and gained some recognition for the bright spots they were able to provide in an otherwise largely abysmal season.

“You trade Marshon Lattimore, arguably one of the best defensive guys in the secondary, kind of midway through the season, which allowed some young, secondary players to come in and get more time,” Brees said. Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry played more snaps after Lattimore was traded, but other defensive backs like Ugo Amadi, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Rico Payton got more opportunities because of it, too.

Despite the blunders and the fact the Saints have to practically totally rebuild on all fronts going into next season, looking to bounce back from a 5-12 overall record that put them at dead last in the NFC South, Brees views this team as being in a “good position.” He’s always been an optimist.

“So, look, they’re kind of in good position. But, obviously, they’re going out and looking for a new head coach, whether they recruit that guy from within, which is kind of where we have been the last 20 years,” Brees said.

The Saints have another option here, and it may just be time to pull the trigger on it. Brees does not seem too opposed.

“Or,” Brees added, “you go outside of the building and go get somebody with some fresh perspective.”

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Once-proud Saints run defense hit a new low vs. Raiders

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles stopping the Las Vegas Raiders’ rushing attack is a perfect depiction of how far their once-proud run defense has fallen:

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles stopping the Las Vegas Raiders’ rush attack is a perfect depiction of how far the Saints run defense has fallen.

New Orleans is a long way from holding on to a yearslong streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher. Now, they’re allowing Ameer Abdullah to break the century mark for the first time in his 10-year career. Coming into the game, the Las Begas running back had a total of 196 rushing yards and nearly matched that total in a single game against the Saints.

Aidan O’Connell took two kneel downs, and Brock Bowers ran the ball for a loss of one. Even with that, the Raiders averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Abdullah, their lead back, averaged 5.8 per rush. He left the field with 115 rushing yards on the afternoon.

The Saints entered as the third-worst run defense, and the Raiders had the worst run offense in the league. Someone had to break, and that someone was the Saints.

A lot of the issues come down to poor tackling. This has troubled the Saints throughout the year. It’s one thing to be a bad run defense. It’s another thing to be bad against one of the league’s least-productive rushing offenses. Whoever is coaching them in 2025 must make fixing this a top priority.

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Saints free agent report card: Was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing?

Our next New Orleans Saints 2023 free agent report card: Was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing at defensive tackle?

Few positions looked as different last season compared to the year before as the New Orleans Saints’ defensive tackles. With their position coach leaving for a promotion, the Saints allowed the entire group to test free agency while bringing in veteran replacements and spending their top draft pick on a new centerpiece.

So how did they perform individually? We’re keeping our 2023 Saints free agent report card series going after reviewing Foster Moreau and Jamaal Williams. Which leads us to the next question: was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing at defensive tackle?

What went right, what went wrong for the Saints in 2023

What went right and what went wrong for the New Orleans Saints in 2023? And what’s the bottom line? Taking a look back before moving on to 2024:

You can’t move forward without learning from the mistakes in your past — and at the same time, the New Orleans Saints made some good decisions and did enough things well to end the 2023 season with a winning record. That can’t be overlooked (though it can certainly be overrated, which we’ll get to in a bit).

So with the calendar turning over to 2024, we’re taking a look back at the 2023 campaign to see what went right, what went wrong, and settle on the bottom line; as well as previewing what comes next for a Saints team that insists they’re closer to making some noise in the playoffs than many critics believe:

Dennis Allen won his first challenge of the 2023 season, but it didn’t count

Dennis Allen won his first challenge of the 2023 season in Week 18, but it didn’t count. Still, the Saints will take it, and the points that came with it:

Dennis Allen can’t even get credit for winning a challenge. The New Orleans Saints head coach was 0-for-3 on challenges going into Week 18’s regular season finale with the Atlanta Falcons, but he rightfully pulled out the red challenge flag early in Sunday’s contest.

Rookie Saints running back Kendre Miller rumbled into the end zone, eluding half a dozen Falcons defenders, but the officiating crew on the field initially said he was stopped short of the goal line. Allen challenged that result, and the play was overturned — but that’s thanks to an instant replay review from the NFL’s home office in New York, which radioed in the correct call at the same time.

Look, no one is complaining about this, but we have to acknowledge it’s at least a little funny. Allen has deservedly drawn a lot of criticism. That he hasn’t even won a coach’s challenge by Week 18 speaks for itself. And the fact that he would have finally got in the win column there against Atlanta is notable.

But we’ll take the points, and the extra challenge. Referee John Hussey agreed that this wouldn’t count as an official challenge from Allen so he still had both of his challenges for the rest of the game. Miller’s touchdown run helped tie things up with Atlanta, and it all broke out in New Orleans’ favor.

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Studs and Duds from Saints’ 23-13 win over the Buccaneers

Our Studs and Duds from the Saints’ 23-13 win over the Buccaneers highlight Juwan Johnson, Demario Davis and other standouts from Sunday:

It took a team effort to put away the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the New Orleans Saints are left feeling pretty satisfied. This was a complete win with the offense, defense, and special teams units each pulling their weight.

But who were the standouts? 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:

WATCH: Breakdown of 2023 season shows how Saints benefit from poor schedule

WWL’s Doug Mouton has an excellent of how the Saints have benefitted from a weak schedule and what the results say about New Orleans.

“The Saints are better than the bad, but not as good as the mediocre.”

This viral video breakdown by WWL’s Doug Mouton does an excellent job showcasing how the Saints have benefited from their weak schedule. New Orleans remains in the playoff race without defeating a good team this year. That’s partially due to a weak division as well.

New Orleans has won every game against the scrubs, lost every game against the good teams, and lost all but one matchups against teams in the middle of the pack. So, where does that put the Saints? At the end of the season, the Saints could end with a winning record without having beaten a team worth bragging about.

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The 2023 Saints are now 1-6 against teams at or over .500

The 2023 Saints are now 1-6 against teams at or over .500. Dennis Allen’s squad can’t beat opponents who have a backbone:

This is brutal. The New Orleans Saints sold fans a vision of false hope with recent wins over the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, but they fell crashing back to Earth on Thursday night in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. And the numbers tell the story.

Having taken the field with the same 7-7 record as the Rams, you’d think the Saints were competing on equal footing; but they weren’t. New Orleans came up short against a quality opponent in what’s become a pattern this year. Head coach Dennis Allen’s team has a 7-8 record now, having gone 1-6 against opponents that went into Week 16 at or over .500 themselves.

In other words, the Saints caught the 8-6 Indianapolis Colts at a bad time and escaped with a win, but didn’t enjoy the same luck in losses to the 8-7 Rams, 10-4 Detroit Lions, 8-6 Houston Texans, 8-6 Jacksonville Jaguars, 7-7 Minnesota Vikings, and 7-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints have lost to teams with a combined record of 60-53 (.531).

Instead, the Saints have padded out their schedule by beating up on teams with losing records. The teams they have beaten are a combined 30-68 (.306) going into Week 16’s games, with just a single win over a team that’s at least .500. Allen hasn’t shown he has any answers when going up against opponents with a cohesive gameplan, competent coaching, and playoffs experience.

And that’s disappointing. What more does team management need to see to determine that this isn’t the answer? That there isn’t a path forward here? It’s much the same as it was last year when Allen struggled to lead the Saints to a 7-10 finish. With a winning record nearly out of reach this season, it sure feels like time isn’t on his side.

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Saints failed to change the narrative in prime-time loss to Rams

The Saints failed to change the narrative in prime-time loss to Rams. Dennis Allen’s team is exactly what their record says they are:

The New Orleans Saints kicked off against the Los Angeles Rams with everything in front of them. The stakes couldn’t be higher with the loser needing a lot of help to stay alive in the playoffs race. Dennis Allen’s team had every opportunity to change the narrative and prove they belonged.

A win would have dramatically improved their playoff chances by opening up a wild-card seed as well as the NFC South title. A loss would’ve made them long shots to even win the division. With celebrities like Shohei Ohtani and legendary former Saints quarterback Drew Brees in attendance and the game broadcast to a national audience, the stage was set for Allen’s team to prove their doubters wrong.

And they fell flat on their faces. The Saints lost 30-22 and were never in control of the game’s flow. Allen’s handcrafted defense started the night off by allowing an eight-minute, 95-yard touchdown drive to the Rams. Derek Carr wilted under pressure and threw an awful interception in the second half to set up a quick Los Angeles touchdown run.

When the Saints finally rallied back in the fourth quarter by blocking an L.A. punt to set up shop in scoring position, they were already down 30-14 with the announcers previewing the Rams’ next game.

It was a disaster. Allen’s odd decision to try an onside kick late in regulation made it all too easy for the Rams to run out the clock inside New Orleans territory. Both teams may have taken the field with a 7-7 record, but by the final whistle it’s clear they didn’t belong in the same company.

That validates all of the criticism Allen and his staff and quarterback have faced: that they can’t beat good teams (the Saints are 1-6 against squads at or over .500 this year), that they’re undisciplined and prone to penalties, and that they aren’t as competitive as recent wins over the lowly Carolina Panthers and New York Giants would suggest.

Allen carried himself with a bit of swagger after knocking out those two clubs. Now he has to face the music after coming up short in the most important game of the year.

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What went right, what went wrong in Saints’ Week 14 win vs. Panthers

What went right, what went wrong in the Saints’ Week 14 win over the Panthers? And what’s the bottom line?

It was another tough game to watch for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, as they squeaked out a win against the Carolina Panthers. The day was defined by two quarterbacks, Derek Carr and Bryce Young, unable to find much that worked on the offensive side of the ball. Still, the Saints walked away with a victory and are tied for first place in the NFC South.

How did we get here? Let’s break it down by asking and answering three questions:

What went right?

What went wrong?

And what’s the bottom line?