Tag: saints news

2 49ers assistants interview for Saints offensive coordinator job

The Saints interviewed two #49ers assistants for their open OC job:

The 49ers coaching staff is a popular one for teams to raid when it comes time to hire new head coaches and assistants. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has already had a couple head coach interviews. Klint Kubiak also interviewed for the Bears open offensive coordinator position. Now Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Brian Griese are on the Saints’ radar for their OC opening. They’ve both interviewed with New Orleans according to New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill.

Kubiak is San Francisco’s passing game specialist on offense. This is his first year with the 49ers after bouncing around the NFL as a QB coach, offensive assistant and offensive coordinator. His one venture into being an OC came with the Vikings in 2021. That year Minnesota finished No. 14 in points and No. 12 in yards.

Griese getting an interview is extremely interesting since the 2022 campaign was his first foray into coaching in the NFL. He helped guide Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy through a tumultuous 2022 campaign where Lance went down in Week 2, and Garoppolo went down in Week 13, forcing Purdy, the final pick of that year’s draft, into a starting job. Purdy’s success has certainly helped put Griese on the map for OC openings despite his lack of overall coaching experience.

Hires from coaching staffs won’t be made until after the Super Bowl or after the 49ers are eliminated. For now Kubiak and Griese are two integral pieces of San Francisco trying to get over the hump and win an NFC championship.

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PFF: Chargers’ worst offensive players in preseason loss vs. Saints

Here are the worst-graded players on the offensive side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus.

The Chargers lost to the Saints in the second preseason game of 2023, 22-17.

Along the way, they had some key contributors on offense, but there were some who did not help as much. Here are the worst-graded players on that side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus.

PFF: Chargers’ top defensive players in preseason loss vs. Saints

Here are the top 10 Chargers defensive players and what their grades were in the preseason loss to the Saints.

The Chargers lost to the Saints in the second preseason game of 2023 on Sunday, 22-17.

Despite the loss, they still had some key contributors on defense. Here are the top players on that side of the ball, per Pro Football Focus.

Chargers LB Daiyan Henley shines in preseason loss to Saints, flashes playmaking skills

Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley was all over the field on Sunday.

The Chargers needed to bolster their linebacker corps this offseason. They did so with the signing of veteran Eric Kendricks and the selection of Daiyan Henley in the third round.

Henley, the former Washington State product, showcased why he was one of the best linebackers in this year’s draft class with an impressive performance in the preseason loss to the Saints on Sunday.

With Kendricks, Kenneth Murray, Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga all sitting, Henley got the start in the middle of the defense and wore the green dot as head coach Brandon Staley’s primary play-caller.

It didn’t take long to notice Henley. He showcased his speed to consistently make one-on-one tackles on running backs in the open field.

He did make a mistake in coverage early in the second quarter when he lost running back Kendre Miller on a wheel route up the sideline for a 27-yard gain.

Nonetheless, nine times out of ten, the former wide receiver and defensive back is making a play on the football in the air, with coverage being one of his primary strengths.

Against the run, Henley made a great play in the second quarter. Winston handed off to Miller and Henley read it well, using his quickness to knife the gap and make a good wrap-up tackle at the line of scrimmage.

Henley also made an eye-popping play as a pass rusher. He blitzed in between the left tackle and guard with no blocker in the backfield and with his acceleration coming downhill, Winston had no time to react, resulting in a combined sack with edge defender Carlo Kemp.

Henley led the team with nine tackles.

“I liked the way Daiyan played,” Staley said. “I thought he was aggressive. I think you see what an outstanding tackler he is. He can really feel the run game. He’s physical, outstanding in the blitz game. He just needs to keep improving because he’ll learn a lot from it.”

Henley will start the season as a core special teamer and continue to develop his game at the position, considering he’s only been playing linebacker for three years. But with his coverage chops and prolific blitzing skills, Henley could see some playing time on defense.

Looking ahead, Henley has the necessary traits and makeup to become a starter for the Bolts in his second season, especially after the presumed departure of Kenneth Murray, who is a free agent after the upcoming season.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 22-17 loss to the Saints

After they dominated the Rams last week, the Chargers just couldn’t keep up with the Saints this time out. Still, it wasn’t all bad.

The Chargers did get a chance to play some preseason football despite some initial fears about the weather. After they dominated the Rams last week, the team just couldn’t keep up quite the same pace this time out. Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Let’s start with a stud of the game first:

Stud: S JT Woods

After good reports out of camp for JT Woods’ performance in joint practices, I was excited to see if he could back that progress up in a preseason game. He did. Woods had good quality coverage that resulted in a few pass breakups and was generally a good tackler.

Woods did miss one tackle on the big play to Lynn Bowden, but he kept his composure and kept playing with good intensity.

Dud: QB Easton Stick

Easton Stick landed in my studs category last week after his effort against the Rams. This outing was not as favorable for the Chargers’ backup. Stick went 21/41 with two interceptions and a sub-50 passer rating.

There were some good moments for him. His two-minute drive toward the end of the first half did show off some legitimate improvisation and creativity. But the moments of occasional improvisational brilliance were outweighed by the decision-making. Stick became a little overly reliant on using his legs to bail him out of plays and just made some perplexing throws. Why was a two-yard pass thrown to Stone Smartt on 3rd and 9?

The scanning of the field through his reads was poor and it felt like he was still sailing the ball wide even when he did make a good read.

Stud: LB Daiyan Henley

It felt like Henley was active from the get-go in this one. He ended up leading the team in tackles with nine and had an explosive sack where he shot the gap to clean up with Carlo Kemp. Henley also blew up some runs in the backfield.

While Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray will be the starting duo, today was the first time that Henley’s overall athleticism won me over on the field. He has to get some defensive playing time early. The speed and motor he has could be used in an almost Drue Tranquill gadget-like way in spots during the season.

Dud: RB Elijah Dotson

Elijah Dotson honestly started the game off pretty well. There weren’t any huge runs early, but it felt like he was running downhill and physical with some confidence. But the production tapered off during the game. Dotson finished the game averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

More important than the rushing production was the situational football from the Northern Colorado product. Two bad drops from Dotson on the last drive of the game would almost immediately lead to Easton Stick throwing his final interception.

Stud: WR Quentin Johnston

Tonight’s effort from Quentin Johnston was exactly what fans wanted to see in Week 1. Johnston had three catches for 37 yards with no drops. In terms of a skill that was demonstrated in this game, the route running was what really stuck out.

Overall, it felt like the game slowed down a lot for Johnston after he caught that touchdown against the Rams last week. The route-running fluidity and body control were a few strides better tonight.

Dud: Austen Pleasants and Foster Sarell

Both of them deserve a dishonorable mention tonight. Part of why Stick had so much trouble early on in the game was the nonstop pressure he was getting. The interior offensive line shares its role in the blame as well, but Pleasants was especially bad tonight. He was slow off of the line and got beat in the backfield.

And from Sarell, it’s more of the same as last week. This game may have been *slightly* better for him from a pressure standpoint, but it’s of no matter. They’ve both thoroughly proven that neither of them can be trusted to be the swing tackle.

A 41-year-old free agent tackle Jason Peters doesn’t seem that bad now actually.

5 takeaways from Chargers’ 22-17 preseason loss to Saints

Here are five overarching thoughts on the Chargers’ second preseason game of 2023.

In the shadow of a hurricane and aftermath of an earthquake, the Chargers looked shaken and stirred in their second preseason action of the season. After putting up 34 points with a high-flying offense last week, LA managed just 17 against the Saints, falling 22-17.

Here are my takeaways:

Live tweet updates from Chargers vs. Saints preseason Week 2

Stay up to date on all the action from the preseason matchup between the Chargers and Saints.

The Chargers are taking on the Saints in the second preseason matchup of 2023.

Get the latest updates from the game with our live tweets below:

Chargers vs. Saints preseason Week 2: How to watch, listen and stream online

Find out how to tune in to watch the Chargers take on the Saints in the second preseason game.

The Chargers continue their three-game preseason slate.

Today, they kick it off in a bout against the Saints at SoFi Stadium.

Here is everything you need to know so you can tune in:

Game Information

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints

Sunday, Aug. 20 — 4:00 p.m. PT

SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, CA

Television

The game will be televised on NFL Network and on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles and Orange County. Noah Eagle, Dan Fouts, LaDainian Tomlinson will have the call.

Radio

ALT FM-98.7 (English broadcast)

FM 105.5/94.3 (Spanish broadcast)

Streaming

FuboTV (try it for free).

7 Chargers players to watch vs. Saints in preseason Week 2

Players who flashed in Week 1 will be looking to continue their momentum on Sunday.

The Chargers are still currently scheduled to play their second preseason game against the Saints on Sunday despite potential concerns with Hurricane Hilary.

Joint practices seem to have gone well for both teams. Players who flashed in preseason Week 1 will be looking to continue their momentum on Sunday while others will be looking to get their first quality reps up on the scorecard.

S JT Woods

Woods had a good week during joint practices with the Saints. Woods recorded multiple PBUs and even got an interception in the two-day meet between the squads.

Woods didn’t have a bad game against the Rams last week either. He had no missed tackles on the day and gave a clean performance on the field for the most part. There have been signs of improvement. But Woods committed an egregious penalty after he hit Ben Skowronek in the helmet after a 3rd down stop near the goal line. Stetson Bennett would go on to throw a touchdown to Puka Nacua just a few plays later.

Derwin James obviously won’t play in this game and Alohi Gilman is currently dealing with a knee contusion. This would be a great opportunity for the Baylor product to put an authoritative stamp on the 3rd safety role if he’s able to turn in a solid performance. He’s shown improvement in his tackling and in coverage so far.

K Dustin Hopkins

Hopkins has struggled to stay on the field during this preseason and training camp period. Before Hopkins returned to practice this week, Cameron Dicker handled all of the kicking duties in the Chargers’ Week 1 preseason win.

Hopkins returned to practice but wasn’t as efficient as Dicker by any stretch. He also missed a 48-yarder short. Clearly, his injury isn’t behind him and Staley seemed rather uncertain that he would even play on Sunday at yesterday’s presser.

If Hopkins wants any chance of making this team, preserving his trade value, or landing somewhere else after he’s waived, it’s now or never for 2023.

DT CJ Okoye

CJ Okoye’s sack was that was seen around the world. He’s been a star this week after his big play, appearing in a Chargers’ media availability session and “The Rich Eisen Show”.

Okoye is such a raw prospect in that he’s still learning techniques and football basics, but his development curve seems to be going well up to this point. He’ll be a free spot for the Chargers on the practice squad this year with the International Player Program.

Considering the Chargers’ need to keep their top defensive tackles healthy throughout the rest of the month, Okoye should get some decent mileage this week. He could see an even larger snap count next week as the Chargers wind down the preseason in San Francisco.

WR John Hightower

Hightower suffered a minor injury last week in practice that caused him to have to sit out the Rams’ game. Assuming the game is played Sunday, this will be Hightower’s first chance to do some damage this preseason.

Hightower burst onto the scene early in training camp with a number of touchdowns and big catches. Staley has talked quite a bit about his performances and the overall depth of the receiver room. When asked about keeping five or six wide receivers yesterday, the Chargers’ head coach did say that this wide receiver room is the deepest they’ve had since he’s been with the team.

Jalen Guyton is still on the PUP list and there wasn’t a non-53-man roster receiver who really made his presence felt last week. WR6 is still out there for the taking and Hightower will be able to play Sunday.

RB Elijah Dotson

Dotson finds himself in the driver’s seat for RB4 if the team does indeed decide to go in that direction on the roster. If not, he’ll likely at the very least have earned a practice squad spot when the time comes.

However, that’s contingent on Dotson staying healthy and finishing out the preseason strong. He doesn’t need to have nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns every week, but the team will still need him to back his Week 1 performance up.

The Chargers waived former 2021 draft pick Larry Rountree earlier in the week. The door is wide open if Dotson wants to run through it.

CB Cam Brown

Brown’s preseason debut did not include flashy highlight reel material, but he kept it simple and efficient. Brown had three tackles, two pass breakups and a run stop while also contributing on special teams.

Kemon Hall was waived earlier in the week with an injury designation after he had surgery. Hall contributed quite a bit on special teams as a practice squad member and rostered player over the years with the Chargers.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Brown will be the next man up, but he’s certainly competing for a practice squad role. Of note, the Chargers signed Matt Hankins earlier this week at cornerback as well.

EDGE Carlo Kemp

Kemp flashed last week against the Rams with five quality pass rush pressures. His speed and bend on the outside were certainly more than most expected to see.

Another good effort from Kemp could earn him some more potential practice squad consideration.

NFL monitoring Chargers vs. Saints status as Hurricane Hilary approaches

The NFL is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Hilary’s forecast.

The Chargers are set to host the Saints in a preseason game on Sunday, but the NFL is monitoring the situation with Hurricane Hilary as it approaches the West Coast.

“We continue to monitor the weather and will (update the situation) if anything changes,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday, per NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan.

There are no plans to cancel or move the game as of now.

The storm has intensified to Category 4, and Southern California is under a tropical storm watch for the first time ever. No tropical storm has made landfall in So Cal since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service.

Kickoff is slated for 4:05 pm PT at SoFi Stadium.