Sean Payton discusses why Josh Hill is so essential to well-oiled Saints offense

Saints coach Sean Payton values nominal backup tight end Josh Hill highly, due as much to his ability to make any block as his versatility.

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Veteran tight end Jared Cook arrived to the New Orleans Saints with much fanfare, but he’s taken a backseat to Josh Hill for much of his first season. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cook’s production has not suffered for it — his 9 touchdown grabs tie All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas for the team lead. Hill has only gained 226 receiving yards this season, which trails even converted quarterback Taysom Hill (234 receiving yards).

But as Saints coach Sean Payton tells it, Hill’s ability to execute nearly any block in the playbook and experience in a variety of personnel packages explains the discrepancy between Hill’s 649 snaps played (6th-most on the team) on offense against Cook’s 502 (11th-most).

“He’s a guy we use in the run game and pass protection. He does a lot of things well,” Payton said. “He plays on special teams, he plays a lot of snaps each week and he’s done so for quite a while.” In addition to Hill’s extended time when the Saints have the ball, he’s chipped in 182 snaps on special teams (8th-most for the Saints, just ahead of kicker Wil Lutz at 180).

Payton continued, “He’s someone that has real good athleticism and it’s difficult because a lot of different personnel groups might run through him. He might be in the base, he might be in 11 (personnel). Certainly, Jared (Cook) is playing a lot of snaps. The two of them together will play a lot of snaps. He’s one of those guys that does a lot of things well.”

This isn’t the first time Payton has talked up what Hill brings to the team; earlier in the season, he likened Hill’s loss during a game to losing the front door of your home, in that you can get by, but it’s going to be significantly more difficult. Here’s hoping Hill and Cook can each remain healthy and continue to help the team as they push towards Super Bowl LIV.

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Saints snap-count analysis vs. Titans: Injuries shook up playing-time distribution

The New Orleans Saints snap count distribution was already shaken by key injuries going into Week 16’s game with the Tennessee Titans.

The New Orleans Saints went into their Week 16 game with the Tennessee Titans missing some key contributors with injuries, and damage sustained during the win cost them a few more. It directly impacted the snap count distribution for each position group, so let’s dig into it.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 68 (97%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 44 (63%)
FB Zach line, 26 (37%)
QB Taysom Hill, 25 (36%)
RB Latavius Murray, 25 (36%)

Kamara turned in his best game since his big day against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, and Hill made an impact while lining up at a variety of positions. This is the platonic ideal Saints backfield snap distribution.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 61 (87%)
TE Josh Hill, 42 (60%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 38 (54%)
TE Jared Cook, 36 (51%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 25 (36%)
WR Deonte Harris, 13 (19%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 7 (10%)

Hill has outsnapped Cook for most of the year, largely due to his proficiency as a blocker. But there’s no mistaking Hill’s impact in the passing game for Cook, who has averaged 77 receiving yards in his last five games. He’s also caught five touchdown passes in that time, giving the Saints something close to a consistent threat opposite Thomas.

Offensive line

OT Terron Armstead, 70 (100%)
OT Ryan Ramczyk, 70 (100%)
OC Erik McCoy, 70 (100%)
G/C Will Clapp, 70 (100%)
G/C Nick Easton, 70 (100%)
OT Michael Ola, 10 (14%)

Clapp and Easton had to stand in for Andrus Peat and Larry Warford, and the difference was palpable. The Saints offensive line is strong enough to absorb one of those losses, but they struggled without each of their Pro Bowl guards. The good news is that Peat should return soon, while Warford may be facing a more-extended absence. The unit posted a stronger performance in the second half than the first, but hopefully they can all get healthy before the playoffs begin.

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Week 16 snap counts and playtime percentages: Cardinals at Seahawks

A look at who got the most time on the field in the Week 16 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seattle Seahawks dropped their Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals and suffered a number of new injuries in the game. With health already a concern, the reserves were called up to back up the inactive starters.

Regardless, Seattle wasn’t able to find a way to get it done and inked its fourth loss of the regular season.

“We had a really difficult day, obviously,” coach Pete Carroll said postgame. “Boy, nothing worked out the way we wanted it to, other than the first couple of drives. After that, we just weren’t able to do enough to have a chance to win the game. It didn’t matter, kind of, what phase we were in. We just weren’t good enough today.”

The Seahawks had made a number of adjustments prior to the contest but fell short in nearly every facet of the game. Carroll believes it wasn’t a lack of preparedness.

“We were ready to play, and jacked up and all that, and it turns out like that,” Carroll continued. “It’s just really a surprise. We could talk about this, and you guys are going to ask your questions and stuff, but really, our focus is gone on that game, because it wasn’t going to be on this game after we got in this locker room anyway with the game coming up next week.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seahawks Week 16 loss to the Cardinals.

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Texans’ snap count observations from the 24-21 win over the Titans

The snap counts from the Houston Texans’ 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans reveals an interesting trend among the cornerback rotation.

The Houston Texans took sole ownership of the AFC South Sunday when they beat the Tennessee Titans 24-21 Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium. The outcome improved Houston’s record to 9-5 and dropped the Titans to 8-6 with two games left in the regulars season.

To clinch a playoff spot after Sunday’s accomplishment, Houston needs a win next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Titans need to lose to the New Orleans Saints.

However, before worrying about what the future holds, let’s take a gander at the past. The Texans’ snaps from the redeeming 24-21 win can tell where certain parts of the depth chart head in the future.

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Observations

Offensive line:

No surprise here: Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson split snaps at right tackle. For the third week in a row, Clark got the start, the two switched off periodically mid-game.
As Rivers McCown points out, Johnson plays as a run blocker more so than the 34-year-old Clark. 42.4% of Johnson’s snaps come on run plays as compared to Clark’s 35.1%.

Secondary

Houston appears to be nearing its cornerback rotation. They’ve gone from five to four playing, as rookie Lonnie Johnson did not play a defensive snap. However, he did have a big pass breakup on a fake punt.
Bradley Roby played the entire game defensively. The cornerback with the second-highest snap-share was Vernon Hargreaves at 49% (33). Johnathan Joseph and Gareon Conley each finished with 48% (32). It will be interesting to see if Houston takes a three-man rotation and Roby into the playoffs.
Since Week 12’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, safety Jahleel Addae has not played more than 10 snaps in a game. He played 20 on Sunday. Most of his snaps came after Justin Reid momentarily rested from a shoulder injury.

Front-seven

Linebacker Zach Cunningham was the only front-seven player to play the full game. The third-year Vanderbilt product continues to turn heads. He finished the win with 14 combined tackles, his fourth game with 14-plus.
Defensive tackle D.J. Reader played 70% (47) of snaps. That shouldn’t be surprising. He helped limit Titans tailback Derrick Henry, doing it himself as a tackler or plugging rush lanes. He is the motor of the defense.
Outside linebackers Brennan Scarlett and Jacob Martin rotated a bit. Scarlett had a higher snap share of 66% (44) compared to Martin’s 36% (24). There was a reason for that. Scarlett acts as a better edge setter, while Martin is more of a pure pass-rusher. One was there to defend the run, the other came in on third-downs and obvious passing downs.
The Texans miss J.J. Watt.

Offensive skill positions

Receiver Will Fuller jumped into the game plan after missing the loss to Denver. He played in all but four offensive snaps. He finished with five catches for 61 yards.
Kenny Stills has officially (if it wasn’t already obvious) take over the slot position in Houston. He finished Sunday with two receptions from the inside while playing a 62% (32) snap share.
The Texans looked to establish the run on Sunday, opting to use the more powerful Carlos Hyde as their primary back. Hyde, while playing 67% (42) of snaps recorded his third 100-plus-yard rushing game of the season.
Tight end Jordan Thomas played one snap. Though a promising second-year Y, Houston appears comfortable with Darren Fells and Jordan Akins as they head into the postseason.

The Texans will face the Buccaneers on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. Look for trends in who plays and differences based on the opponent.

Saints snap-count analysis vs. 49ers: In-game injuries forced quick fixes

The New Orleans Saints were hammered with injuries against the San Francisco 49ers, losing Jared Cook and cutting into their snap counts.

The New Orleans Saints rode a roller-coaster during their Week 14 game with the San Francisco 49ers, not helped by several injuries hitting the deepest position group on the team: the defensive line. Two defensive ends (Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson) and starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins each missed time against San Francisco while dealing with various injuries, creating some atypical snap counts. Here’s our unit-by-unit breakdown.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 68 (94%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 55 (76%)
QB Taysom Hill, 28 (39%)
RB Latavius Murray, 24 (33%)
DT Mario Edwards Jr., 1 (1%)

Short-handed at fullback (starter Zach Line was inactive with a knee injury) the Saints used Edwards in that capacity on one goal-to-go play. Hill got the most run of his NFL career, appearing on a personal-best 28 plays on offense and 31 on special teams. Kamara outsnapped Murray by a wide margin, which is concerning given how much better Murray has played than him in recent weeks.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 70 (97%)
TE Josh Hill, 62 (86%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 56 (78%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 42 (58%)
TE Jared Cook, 8 (11%)
WR Deonte Harris, 7 (10%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 5 (7%)

Cook was a big part of the Saints’ game plan in this one (as seen by his two touchdown catches in the opening minutes) but a concussion forced him out of the picture, and that meant a huge snap count for his backup. The Saints got more production out of their receiving corps than has been normal for this season, so hopefully they can continue helping out. Harris deserves more touches on offense.

Offensive line

C Erik McCoy, 72 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 72 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 72 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 72 (100%)
T Terron Armstead, 72 (100%)
G Patrick Omameh, 6 (8%)

Armstead deserves a ton of credit for playing this game (and playing well) despite dealing with a very painful high-ankle sprain. He held up against a talented 49ers pass rush after missing the last two games. Easton has continued to do his part as a fill-in at left guard and could be playing his way into lead position for the starting job next year. Ramczyk was seriously challenged for the first time this season by Nick Bosa; the rookie defensive end gave the Saints’ All-Pro candidate more than he could handle at times, which is more than can be said by a group that includes Khalil Mack, J.J. Watt, Shaquil Barrett, and Jadeveon Clowney.

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Week 14 snap counts and playtime percentages: Seahawks at Rams

Complete Week 14 snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in primetime.

The Seahawks suffered a tough divisional loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night on the national stage to yield the NFC West lead back to the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle also realized its first road defeat of the year.

With a few players battling injuries – including defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who was inactive for the matchup – some adjustments had to be made.

“We made our efforts, we made – the things that we do to get us back in it, we had couple great picks and a great touchdown by (Quandre Diggs) and we blocked the field goal too,” coach Pete Carroll said postgame. “We did the kinds of things that we needed to do, but we needed a couple plays on the other side to go ahead take advantage of it, and we weren’t able to find it. So a difficult night. And you got to hand it to them. They played great.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages for both the Seahawks and the Rams Week 14.

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Saints snap counts analysis: Vonn Bell logged 104 plays vs. Falcons

By playing both defense and special teams, New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell saw his snap count climb to 104 against the Atlanta Falcons.

This year’s NFC South division championship belongs to the New Orleans Saints, just as it did last year, and the year before that. The Saints still haven’t played a complete game with penalty-free, clean execution in all three phases, but they’re still 10-2 and have clinched a playoff berth in November. They have time to improve before the postseason kicks off.

Snap counts got weird in this game, particularly on defense. They ran a season-high 93 plays when Atlanta had the ball, which is a huge disparity against the 50 plays the Saints ran on offense. When the Saints go 2-for-10 on third down while the Falcons go 6-for-16 (and get helped out by a number of dubious penalties against the Saints defense), that’s going to happen. Here’s our snap count analysis:

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 48 (96%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 41 (82%)
QB Taysom Hill, 13 (26%)
RB Latavius Murray, 13 (26%)
FS Marcus Williams, 1 (2%)

Hill didn’t see a huge jump in playing-time on offense (he’s averaged 11.4 snaps per game this year) but this game was easily his biggest day of the year so far. He scored both of the Saints’ two touchdowns (one through the air, another on the ground) and consistently gave the team a spark when they needed it on critical downs.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 40 (80%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 37 (74%)
TE Josh Hill, 29 (58%)
TE Jared Cook, 29 (58%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 27 (54%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 11 (22%)
TE Jason Vander Laan, 5 (10%)

Smith ran a lot of routes but didn’t get open often against Atlanta, catching two targets for 14 yards. Cook was frustratingly inconsistent. The veteran tight end has clear playmaking ability — just look at his latest 40-yard catch-and-run — but he’s dropped three would-be touchdown passes in the last two weeks, and went 3-for-6 as a receiver on Thursday. At least Brees is still giving him chances to make an impact.

Offensive line

C Erik McCoy, 50 (100%)
T/G Patrick Omameh, 50 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 50 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 50 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 50 (100%)
G/C Will Clapp, 6 (12%)

New Orleans had to start two new faces at left tackle (Omameh) and left guard (Easton), and they both responded well when called up. The Saints gave up six sacks in their last game with the Falcons but rebounded to keep Brees clean and upright in this meeting. Their success in a pinch was a huge reason for the Saints’ success.

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Saints snap counts vs. Panthers: Defense runs 76 plays too many

The New Orleans Saints defense logged 76 snaps against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, tying for their second-most of the 2019 season.

The New Orleans Saints were lucky to escape their Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers with a win, thanks to some awful kicking by Carolina and a number of sloppy Saints penalties. There are some questions that need answering when reviewing the week’s snap counts, so let’s get to it.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 65 (98%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 44 (67%)
RB Latavius Murray, 26 (39%)
QB Taysom Hill, 7 (11%)

On the surface, Murray’s snap count is unremarkable. He’s averaged 28.5 snaps per game this year, but the Saints didn’t give him enough touches compared to his time on the field. He received just seven carries but averaged more than nine yards per attempt on them, even scoring the game’s opening touchdown run. For whatever reason, Saints coach Sean Payton was determined to remain pass-heavy down the stretch and put Kamara in some tough spots in short-yardage situations. Hill’s seven snaps on offense were his fewest total since Week 4’s game with the Dallas Cowboys, when he came in on just six plays. It’s possible that the absence of fullback Zach Line (knee injury) and the exit of left tackle Terron Armstead (high-ankle sprain) forced Payton’s hand into a pass-heavy game script.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 58 (88%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 47 (71%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 39 (59%)
TE Jared Cook, 38 (58%)
TE Josh Hill, 31 (47%)
TE Jason Vander Laan, 16 (24%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 15 (23%)

Vander Laan was called up from the practice squad and featured on the opening drive as an in-line blocker at tight end, throwing the key block that freed up Murray’s long touchdown run. But the Saints sidelined him as the game wore on and their offense evolved into a pass-first approach, which was puzzling. It’s even more troubling considering Smith and Ginn were targeted eight times but turned in just three targets for 51 yards, with each player dropping passes that should have been big gains. The Saints need better personnel at wide receiver, but they may be too deep in the season to find it now.

Offensive line

C Erik McCoy, 66 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 66 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 66 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 66 (100%)
G/T Patrick Omameh, 56 (85%)
G/C Will Clapp, 10 (15%)
T Terron Armstead, 10 (15%)

Credit to Omameh for stepping in early and holding his own at an unfamiliar position; he’s started full seasons during his six-year NFL career, but rarely played left tackle — his previous stops came at left and right guard. Whether the Saints will trust him to hold it down full-time until Armstead can return from his ankle injury remains to be seen. Clapp filled in for Andrus Peat at left guard in a pinch but the Saints went with Easton as his full-time replacement, and it’s worked out so far. McCoy had some rookie mistakes (failing to snap the ball on time at one point, drawing a delay of game penalty) but on the whole he’s made a big, positive impact.

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Week 12 snap counts and playtime percentages: Seahawks at Eagles

Snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seattle Seahawks Week-12 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to advance to 9-2 on the season and a perfect 6-0 road record.

The game certainly wasn’t a blowout by any means, with both teams struggling offensively to put big numbers on the board. Seattle was able to win the turnover battle, and eventually the matchup.

“We don’t care what kind of game it is and if it’s a close game we’re fine about that,” coach Pete Carroll said in his postgame press conference. “If it goes all the way down to the nub, we don’t care. It doesn’t bother us a bit. But going down 3-0 right off the bat didn’t phase anybody. We were fine about it the whole way through. And so I do think, I do think we understand what it takes to win in those situations and now we just got to keep proving it.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seahawks’ Week-12 victory over the Eagles.

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Chiefs snap counts, Week 11: Kansas City goes international

What can we learn from the Chiefs’ Week 11 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs got a win south of the border on Monday night. It was a hard-fought victory that saw ups, downs and everything in-between. The Chiefs dealt with some injuries throughout the course of the game but several players also felt the impact of the thin air and altitude in Mexico City.

Here’s how the snaps came down in Week 11:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

Austin Reiter was the only offensive lineman that didn’t play the full 68 offensive snaps. He left the game and was evaluated for a concussion after suffering what looked to be a completely different injury. He would later return to the game and finish it out with no problems.

Stefen Wisniewski played just seven snaps in place of Reiter. It felt like longer, but the Chiefs defense spent a good portion of time on the field while Reiter was getting checked out.

Rookie WR Mecole Hardman saw the most offensive snaps he’d seen since Week 2 of the regular season. Not having Tyreek Hill out there meant an increased workload for Hardman.

The running back carries were once again heading to a two-way split between Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy. Both players ended up injured and Darrel Williams swooped in to take the lead with 29 total carries.

Deon Yelder only received 30 offensive snaps in place of Blake Bell. That means for more than 50% of the game the Chiefs only had one tight end (Travis Kelce) on the field.

Gehrig Dieter played in three offensive snaps after being elevated from the practice squad on Sunday. He also played 10 snaps on special teams.

The safety group led the way in defensive snap counts with Juan Thornhill being the only play to play 100% of the defensive snaps. After the game, he said that he felt the altitude difference but battled through it.

For the second week in a row, Reggie Ragland played just 17 snaps. This was likely dictated by what the Chargers’ offense threw at the Chiefs.

Frank Clark played in 86% of the defensive snaps and you could tell because he really showed up for the Chiefs. From the first drive, he was making plays that had an impact on the game.

A week after being inactive, DT Mike Pennel played just 23 defensive snaps. As few snaps as he played, he made quite the statement. He accumulated a sack, three total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

Dorian O’Daniel, Darron Lee and Cameron Erving were all relegated to special teams only snaps. Ben Niemann and O’Daniel tied for the most snaps on special teams with 23.

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