Sean Payton explains Marcus Davenport’s low snap count vs. Bucs

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said the decision to limit DE Marcus Davenport’s playing time came down to their sub package personnel.

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The New Orleans Saints handled their Week 11 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with ease, but did so largely without second-year pass rusher Marcus Davenport. The starting defensive end played just 23 snaps against Tampa Bay, with backup Trey Hendrickson appearing on 34 plays. That’s obviously not the kind of disparity Saints fans would hope to see out of that duo.

However, it makes sense in context of New Orleans’ game plan for the Buccaneers. Saints coach Sean Payton noted that his defense spent a lot of time in their sub-package with three down linemen rather than four. With Tampa Bay playing from behind for most of the game and dialing up so many dropbacks for Jameis Winston, the Saints responded by fielding more defensive backs than usual, which meant fewer opportunities for Davenport.

“Part of it was that a lot of our sub plan was out of a three-down look, so the rotation, if you’re playing four, it’s just going to be that many more snaps for the guys in the rotation,” Payton said. “A lot of it was just by, the three down sub package plan that we had.”

As for why more of the few snaps to go around went to Hendrickson rather than Davenport: consider each player’s skills set. Hendrickson is a quick-twitch pass rusher who bursts off the edge with great speed, and has several different arm-fighting moves at his disposal to disengage blockers. But he’s a relative lightweight for the position and can get bullied in run defense, lacking the sand in his pants to hold his ground against a 300-pound offensive tackle.

That’s not the case for Davenport, who is a prototype for an NFL defensive end. Much like teammate Cameron Jordan, Davenport is a naturally-gifted run defender thanks to his size, length, and agility. And also like Jordan, he’s taking some time to develop into an NFL-quality pass rusher. Jordan only had 9 sacks and 17 quarterback hits in his first two seasons, a stretch of 32 games. Davenport is already up to 7.5 sacks and 25 hits in his first 23 games. During his first 23 games, Jordan amassed just 4 sacks and 8 hits.

So there’s your answer: when forced into a pass-heavy game script, the Saints are going to give Hendrickson more opportunities thanks to his upside in those situations. When opponents are committed to remaining balanced on offense or showing the Saints looks that demand more of a four-down alignment, Davenport will get more chances. It’s not the ideal return on a player the Saints invested two first-round picks in, but it’s a reminder to fans that Davenport’s best football is still ahead of him.

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Saints snap counts, Week 11: Was Marcus Davenport demoted?

New Orleans Saints LB Kiko Alonso and LG Nick Easton saw their highest snap counts of the 2019 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11, but they did so with some uncommon splits in their snap counts. Second-year pass rusher Marcus Davenport was the third wheel in the defensive end rotation. Backup left guard Nick Easton played a full game in his first appearance on offense this season. Linebacker Kiko Alonso played the second-most snaps at his position group. Six difference defensive backs played more than 50% of snaps. Here’s how everything shook out against the Buccaneers:

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 67 (96%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 43 (61%)
RB Latavius Murray, 29 (41%)
FB Zach Line, 23 (33%)
QB Taysom Hill, 10 (14%)
FS Marcus Williams, 2 (3%)

The Saints may have caught some flak from the broadcast team for putting Hill in for a pass attempt rather than Brees, but it’s a look they’ve had success with before given Brees’ subpar arm strength on passes deeper downfield. This time it happened to bite them when Hill was surprised by an unblocked blitzer. Kamara improved as the game wore on and steadily looked more comfortable after he bounced off of some Buccaneers defenders. Williams got in on the victory formation to close out the game, which is always nice to see.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 57 (81%)
TE Jared Cook, 49 (70%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 42 (60%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr, 38 (54%)
TE Josh Hill, 32 (46%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 13 (19%)

It’s a shame that the Saints can’t get any consistent production out of their wide receivers besides Thomas, because they’re all getting on the field very often without justifying it. This is now two weeks in a row where multiple receivers played 50% or more of snaps on offense but failed to combine for multiple catches. The clock is ticking on Smith and Ginn’s job security. Hill was on track to see his usual workload (39 snaps per game) but a concussion sidelined him.

Offensive line

T Terron Armstead, 70 (100%)
C Erik McCoy, 70 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 70 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 70 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 70 (100%)
G Will Clapp, 14 (20%)
G Patrick Omameh, 1 (1%)

It was a heck of an outing for Easton, who got his first snaps on offense of the year and turned them into a game-long performance. He effectively came off the bench to pitch a no-hitter. When Hill went out with a concussion, the Saints’ go-to adjustment was increased snaps for Clapp as a blocker, though Omameh joined him in a heavyset offensive line look on Brees’ leaping fourth-down conversion.

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Bears rookie draft class has played fewest snaps in the NFL

Despite receiving high praise coming out of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bears’ 2019 draft class has been nowhere to be seen.

It’s been nearly seven months since the 2019 NFL Draft concluded in Nashville, and 254 players saw their NFL dreams come true. Five of those eventually becoming Chicago Bears.

Running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Riley Ridley, cornerback Duke Shelley, running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. and cornerback Stephen Denmark rounded out the 2019 Bears rookie class, a group that received high marks following the draft.

But despite the high praise, you may have noticed that outside of Montgomery, the Bears rookie class has been nowhere to be seen. It’s not your eyes playing tricks on you, it’s reality.

After calculating each team’s snap counts via Pro Football Reference through Week 10 of the NFL season, the Bears rookie draft class has played a total of just 366 snaps, the fewest in the NFL. For context, NFL rookie draft classes have averaged 1,441 snaps. The New York Giants, led by quarterback Daniel Jones, have the most snaps at 3,226.

Out of the Bears’ 366 snaps, Montgomery, their top draft pick selected in the third round, accounts for 329 and Shelley, their sixth-round pick, has played the remaining 37 plays. Ridley, Whyte Jr., and Denmark have yet to see the field.

Without a first or second round pick due to trades involving outside linebacker Khalil Mack and wide receiver Anthony Miller, respectively, the Bears relied on their mid-round picks to find talent.

General manager Ryan Pace has had success in rounds 3-7 throughout his tenure, finding gems such as safety Adrian Amos, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, safety Eddie Jackson, running back Tarik Cohen, and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, who contributed immediately in the regular season and/or developed into solid players in the NFL.

But after a slew of success in those rounds, the Bears appear to have stalled this season, only utilizing one rookie regularly in games. While they did tie with the New Orleans Saints for the fewest amount of picks in the draft, the Saints’ rookie class has played 1,095 snaps so far in 2019, ranked 23rd in the league.

With such few picks, the need to hit on draft picks is more crucial than ever. Montgomery has shown flashes of his hard-nosed running that made him a popular back while at Iowa State.

Ridley was touted as a precise route-running receiver who would translate well to the next level, and Shelley was a ball hawk at Kansas State before injuring his ankle, hurting his draft stock. Both players are on the active roster, but have been healthy scratches for most, if not all the games. Ridley has not been active for any game this year and Shelley last played in Week 4 against Minnesota on special teams. Whyte Jr. and Denmark have spent the season on the practice squad.

With six games remaining and a spot in the playoffs still achievable, it’s unlikely fans will see the other members of the rookie draft class barring injury. But at some point, Matt Nagy and the rest of the coaching staff need to know what they have in their rookies and how they can contribute in 2020 and beyond.

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Week 10 snap counts: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks played a lot of their new players, Josh Gordon and Quandre Diggs, in their victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seattle Seahawks improved to 8-2 on the season with a thrilling overtime victory over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, a game that will go down as an instant classic between the two NFC West rivals.

Seattle had a few tricks up their sleeves in this one, including the team debuts for both safety Quandre Diggs and receiver Josh Gordon.

Gordon was on the field for 28 snaps, hauling in a handful of crucial catches down the stretch to keep Seattle in the game.

Diggs played all 88 of Seattle’s defensive snaps, settling in as the team’s starting free safety alongside Bradley McDougald – giving Seattle a veteran duo to man the secondary.

The Seahawks also gave core special teamer Shaquem Griffin a new role on the defense, as the second-year saw 14 snaps on defense – all coming as an edge rusher in obvious passing downs. He previously had not played a single snap on defense this season, and appeared to be replacing Ziggy Ansah, who himself only saw 14 total snaps.

The Seahawks once again relied heavily on Chris Carson, who was on for 71 of Seattle’s 74 offensive snaps. Rashaad Penny only saw three total snaps, and did not come back into the game after fumbling early in the third quarter.

Jacob Hollister played in 58 snaps, thanks in part to an injury to Luke Willson that kept him out and limited him to just 14 total snaps.

Here is a look at Seattle’s snap counts and play percentages for Monday’s game.

And for the 49ers:

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Saints-Falcons snap counts: Defensive line playing often, but not playing well

The New Orleans Saints have given high snap counts to several first-round defensive linemen, but they haven’t received big plays in return.

The New Orleans Saints came up short too early and too often against the Atlanta Falcons, but where do the faults lie? Which position groups are too thin or underperforming too frequently? To find out, we surveyed the Saints snap counts from their Week 10 loss and broke them down below. Here’s what we’ve learned:

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 69 (100%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 54 (78%)
RB Latavius Murray, 17 (25%)
FB Zach line, 9 (13%)
QB Taysom Hill, 7 (10%)

The Saints found a great formula they can win with during Teddy Bridgewater’s stint at quarterback: a physically assertive running attack fueled by strong blocking up front, and heavy usage of the fullback. That plan flew out the window early on when miscues in the passing game (off-target throws and dropped would-be big gains) put the Saints into a negative game script. Kamara rarely left the field in his first game back from injury, but the Saints rarely allowed him to run the ball despite consistent success on limited touches. They didn’t have a very effective plan going into this game, and didn’t execute it very well, either.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 66 (96%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 57 (83%)
TE Jared Cook, 49 (71%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 48 (70%)
TE Josh Hill, 22 (32%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 11 (16%)
WR Deonte Harris, 2 (3%)

This game was one to forget for the receiving corps; Thomas may have reeled in 13 of his 14 targets, but he was held out of the end zone like everyone else. And all of the receivers listed after him combined for one catch on five targets, with Ginn dropping all three of his opportunities. Brees was a little off-target at times, sure, but the Saints badly needed someone besides Thomas to make a play, and none of them were up to it. It’s continued to be a disappointing first season in black and gold for Cook.

Offensive line

T Terron Armstead, 69 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 69 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 69 (100%0
C Erik McCoy, 69 (100%)
G Will Clapp, 49 (71%)
G Andrus Peat, 22 (32%)
G Patrick Omameh, 1 (1%)

An injury to Peat shortly before halftime pushed Clapp into the lineup, but neither of them played well. Peat was repeatedly bullied by Falcons interior lineman Grady Jarrett, one of the league’s better pass rushers at his position, and he ended up on his back too many times before exiting the game with an arm injury. Clapp has shown before that he can handle a big role in a pinch, but there wasn’t much to be encouraged by in his prolonged action against one of the NFL’s thinnest defensive lines. Atlanta runs a one-man show up front, but the Saints offensive line was challenged across the board by players they should (on paper) outclass.

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Chiefs snap counts, Week 10: Return of the MVP

What can we learn from the Chiefs’ Week 10 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs were unable to beat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The team went with some unique roster choices to start the game. Damien Williams saw the start at running back. Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety. The best news is that Patrick Mahomes returned to action and didn’t miss a single snap.

Here’s how the snaps came down in Week 10:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

QB Patrick Mahomes returned from injury in Week 10 and didn’t miss a single snap. He had an impressive day throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns while completing over 70% of his passes.
RT Mitchell Schwartz saw his snap streak come to an end at 2,895 consecutive snaps. He only missed three plays before coming back into the game and finishing it. A testament to just how much of an ironman he is.
LG Martinas Rankin made it just over 50% of the way through the offensive snaps before suffering a right knee injury. He was carted off the field.
Stefen Wisniewski saw his most action as a member of the Chiefs. He got exactly 50% of the offensive snaps and played at left guard in place of Rankin.
After playing every snap just a week ago, Tyreek Hill was unable to do the same in Week 10. He landed hard on a play and it looked like the worst-case scenario for him. Luckily, he was able to avoid injury and come back into the game.
TE Blake Bell was questionable to return with an injury early in the game. He eventually did make his return with a heavily taped ankle.
With no LeSean McCoy, Damien Williams saw the start and received all but five of the Chiefs’ carries. Even after fumbling the ball he remained the lead back for most of the game.
Mecole Hardman has seen a steady increase in snaps over the past three weeks with 18 against the Titans. He had yet another explosive play after connecting with Patrick Mahomes on a 63-yard touchdown.
Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety in the Chiefs’ nickel package. He was quickly relieved after a few misfires on his part.
Reggie Ragland saw just 17 snaps on the day. He’s been part of the reason for the Chiefs’ defensive resurgence, but he didn’t help on Sunday. It seems that the Titans forced the Chiefs into sub-packages more often than other teams had in recent weeks, which led to the lower snap total.
Khalen Saunders also saw a low snap total of 13. He’s been integral to the run defense finding success over the past several weeks.
Emmanuel Ogbah only played 23 snaps before going down with a torn pec. Those could be the last snaps we see from him as a member of the Chiefs as he’s scheduled to become a free agent following the season.
Morris Claiborne played in just seven snaps against the Titans. I think it’s safe to say the Chiefs won’t be replacing any of their starters with Claiborne any time soon.
Dorian O’Daniel, Darron Lee and Armani Watts were the only three players that played only special teams snaps during the game.
Anthony Sherman led all players in special teams snaps against the Titans with 24.

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