4 takeaways from Saints’ lopsided win over Panthers

The New Orleans Saints disassembled the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the NFL regular season, playing complimentary offense and defense.

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The New Orleans Saints disassembled the Carolina Panthers in their regular season finale, winning their seventh consecutive road game and improving to a 13-3 record on the year so far. There was a lot to learn in New Orleans’ lopsided victory, so let’s get right to it.

Jared Cook is going to be a problem in the postseason

Cook was only targeted twice, but he caught both passes to gain 60 yards and score a touchdown. His first catch was a 37-yard gain down the seam in which he was just too big and athletic for the Panthers defense to keep up with. The second lob sent Cook’s way was one of the prettiest receptions you’ll ever see, with the big tight end reeling in a one-handed catch for six points.

The Saints made a point to involve many different receiving options on Sunday, but you can bet that Cook will get more than two opportunities in the upcoming playoffs. He could very well lead the team in targets now that he and Brees have gotten on the same page, which spells trouble for opposing defenses. Good luck preparing for Cook in addition to Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara.

Taysom Hill will be dangerous, too

In the event that a talent-loaded defense does prepare well for Cook, Thomas, and Kamara, it’s reassuring to know that Hill is up to the task as a real receiving threat. The do-it-all quarterback has expanded his skills set in his third year with the team, and he ended up catching six touchdown passes this season. Hill has rapidly developed into a scoring threat for the Saints both in the red zone and from further afield. Credit to him for putting in the work to become as much a technician as an athlete.

While Hill’s most prominent usage still comes on special teams and in option snaps from the shotgun, don’t be shocked if the Saints use him as a mismatch weapon in the postseason. Teams don’t have as much film to study of him in that role, and he’s already thrived despite the small sample size. If the Saints get favorable looks with Hill lined up in the slot or at tight end, they’ll give him a chance to make a play.

The Saints defense travels well

Carolina averaged just 2.3 yards per rushing attempt as a team, and their quarterbacks were sacked twice and hit five other times. The Saints defense logged 9 pass deflections with both A.J. Klein and Janoris Jenkins getting interceptions. Maybe they’re able to communicate better on the road — whatever the case, New Orleans playing punishing football on defense, and that bodes well for any road trips they’ll have to make in the playoffs.

As a team, the Saints have racked up 51 sacks this year, which is the most of the Sean Payton era. It’s the most since the 2001 season (53 sacks), and ranks among the best in team history (the 2000 Saints collected 66 sacks). And they’ve done considerable damage even without former first-round picks Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins, which says more about the depth the Saints have amassed along the defensive line than anything. They’ve hit home runs on recent undrafted free agent finds like Shy Tuttle, Carl Grandderson, and Taylor Stallworth, and the results speak for themselves.

Special teams might be the edge New Orleans needs

The Saints offense can score on any unit in the league. Their defense can compete with just about anyone, even if they’ve been outplayed in a few key moments this season. But where the Saints shine best might be on special teams, where rookie Pro Bowl returner Deonte Harris has scared opponents into kicking away from him, and the coverage unit bottles up opposing returners. The Panthers had just 29 return yards on Sunday.

This is the sort of “hidden yardage” that can make or break contenders. Harris’s prowess does a lot to set the offense up in favorable starting position; the coverage squad led by Craig Robertson, Justin Hardee, J.T. Gray, and Taysom Hill is highly effective at forcing teams to start deep in their own territory, especially when working with Thomas Morstead’s precise punting. If the other two phases of the game find themselves evenly-matched, the Saints can trust their special teams units to create a spark. And Wil Lutz is one of the best in the business, even late in games.

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Watch: Michael Thomas throws a block, Taysom Hill runs 45 yards for a TD

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill caught his sixth touchdown pass of the year, with wide receiver Michael Thomas on the assist.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill caught his sixth touchdown pass in 2019, just like we all predicted. And Hill did most of the work, catching a dump-off throw from Drew Brees before cutting upfield and streaking towards the end zone.

But his teammates deserve some real credit for the assist, particularly wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas is usually the one making big gains through the air, but he was in position to throw a key block and spring Hill into the open field. It goes to show how selfless Thomas is, doing his part to help the team and get his teammate into the end zone for a score.

Hill has developed into a really dangerous threat as a receiver in his third year in New Orleans. He’s caught 19 receptions for 197 receiving yards and half a dozen scores, while also doing damage on the ground. His rate of 5.9 yards per carry (having gained 154 rushing yards on 26 attempts) leads the team, eclipsing both Alvin Kamara (171 attempts for 797 yards, 4.6 yards per carry) and Latavius Murray (142 attempts for 635 yards, 4.5 yards per carry). It might upset fantasy football analysts, but Hill plays a key role in the Saints offense, and he’s only getting better.

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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.

Wil Lutz to do-it-all Taysom Hill: ‘Don’t let the coaches see you kick’

Taysom Hill has done almost everything for the New Orleans Saints, but if Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz gets his way he’ll never kick field goals

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What can’t Taysom Hill do? The New Orleans Saints reserve quarterback has turned into a competent passer, but he’s done his best work as a short-yardage runner, ace on special teams, and as a receiver. That was highlighted during Sunday’s game with the Tennessee Titans, when he literally did it all on offense, including a huge 23-yard gain through the air.

But one of his teammates is concerned about Hill’s growing skills set. While he didn’t necessarily ask Hill to back off, Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz politely asked Hill to, “Please don’t let the coaches see you kick field goals” after their latest win. While Lutz is extremely good at what he does, the last thing he wants is some competition.

The fact that Saints players are comfortable joking with each other like this is hilarious, and it speaks to the positive locker room chemistry the team has invested in building in recent years. The sky may be the limit for what Hill can do in the NFL, but if Lutz gets this way, we already know the extent of his skills.

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Michael Thomas sets NFL single-season reception record

With 144 receptions on the season, Michael Thomas broke Marvin Harrison’s long-standing NFL record.

After 14 games in the 2019 NFL season, former Ohio State standout wide receiver Michael Thomas had 133 receptions on the season. This season has already set records, and Thomas is very clearly the top receiver in the NFL right now, but the question was whether he would break Marvin Harrison’s single-season record of 143 receptions.

With two games, and Thomas average almost ten receptions a game, it seemed very likely. At halftime of the Week 16 game against Tennessee, Thomas was right around pace. However, after a slow third quarter, it looked like Thomas might have to wait until Week 17 against Carolina.

On a drive in the second half of the fourth quarter, Thomas was still three receptions short of the record. The Saints came out throwing, and three straight passes to Thomas meant that the record was now shared with him and Harrison. Ironically enough, the record-tying reception came on a pass from “Swiss army knife” backup quarterback Taysom Hill, not from Drew Brees.

That drive stalled on a failed fake punt attempt. Thomas didn’t have to wait long for the record, though. The Titans fumbled on the next play, and the next drive looked like it ended on a Michael Thomas touchdown reception–a fitting way to break a record that stood for 17 years. The touchdown was overturned (the ball was placed on the one-yard-line), but the record still belongs to Thomas, and it will likely stand for a long while.

And, in a fitting form of justice, the drive ended two plays later on a Thomas touchdown–and this one stood up.

Who is Taysom Hill and why is he so important?

Who is Taysom Hill?

In youth football, for those who had the pleasure of playing the game, it was not really about offensive schemes or play calling. At least at the earliest levels it was all about who had the most athletic player that could do it all; running around, reversing, field, and basically just out-performing all other 21 kids out there.

This type of do it all player disappears as a young athlete progresses through the levels of football. Granted you might be a star receiver who also returns kicks in college, but we see less and less big time players play multiple positions. The Saints however found a diamond in the rough who does just about everything, a rarity in today’s game.

Meet Taysom Hill. The quarterback, running back, receiver, kick returner, punt returner, special teams specialist, and tight end. At 6’2″ and 220 pounds, Hill is highly athletic with the ability to beat anyone in open space and can be a matchup problem wherever he lines up.

Hill was the starting quarterback at BYU and went undrafted in 2017. He was claimed by the Packers and spent the preseason in Green Bay before being waived and picked up by the Saints shortly after. After starting out on special teams, Sean Payton knew they had a unique playmaker on their roster.

The Saints love to get creative with Hill as well. They line him up at quarterback in the wildcat formation, which keeps defenses on their toes because of his strong arm and quickness. He has one rushing touchdown in 2019.  He also tends to line up at wide receiver and has four receiving touchdowns on the year as well.

The Colts will have to be conscientious of wherever Hill lines up on the field Monday night. Many defenses do not account for his versatile skill set and can get burned, especially in the red zone. The Saints creative play designs make it easy for Hill to be wide open.

Matt Eberflus needs to always have someone spying on or covering this dynamic playmaker all game if the Colts want to have any success against this multi-faceted and talented offense. His fitting nickname with New Orleans media is “the human Swiss Army knife.”

Drew Brees, Sean Payton don’t regret botched two-point conversions

The New Orleans Saints took an aggressive approach in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but Sean Payton and Drew Brees don’t regret it.

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The New Orleans Saints were determined to stay aggressive in their game with the San Francisco 49ers. They expected it to be a close game, where an extra possession or score here or there would ultimately make the difference. If you had told them going in that the final score would end up being just two points apart, they wouldn’t have been surprised.

Now, no one expected it to be 48-46 as time expired. The Saints didn’t take much solace in the success they had against the NFL’s best pass defense, but it’s impossible not to be encouraged by all of the scoring opportunities they created. Count Saints quarterback Drew Brees among the group who was happy to be competitive in so many high-leverage situations.

“You know you’re in that type of game, right?” Brees said during his postgame media availability. “We’re going to play aggressive. We faked the punt. We brought just about (every) kickoff out of the endzone and hit on a couple of those. We had a great return there. Let’s see if we can break one of these.”

Saints coach Sean Payton wasn’t nearly as eager to get into the specifics of his team’s approach. Still smarting from the loss, Payton summed up his decision to go for it on an early two-point conversion moved up by a 49ers penalty as, “Flag puts it at the one (yard line). That’s why.”

Fortunately, Brees was feeling more amiable to explain his team’s thinking in that situation: “Those are difference makers. If you just look at the statistics if you’re going from the two-yard line versus going from the one-yard line it’s a big difference. We had a play we liked. Oddly enough, they miss a line(backer). They had an extra guy who shouldn’t have been there.”

As Brees said, that first two-point try was snuffed out by the unexpected 49ers defender, who crashed down on the ball-carrier unblocked. A miscommunication between Brees and his receiver on a later two-point attempt failed to add any points, but these are obviously gambles the Saints are comfortable making.

“So, unfortunately, the play didn’t work,” Brees continued, “but that’s a big play in the game if we get (it). We’re going to play aggressive. We’re going to take chances. We’re not going to making excuses.”

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Inconsistent week-to-week officiating is still hurting the snake-bit Saints

Stop if you’ve read this, but the New Orleans Saints were victims of an obscure NFL rule during their game with the San Francisco 49ers.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the New Orleans Saints were victimized by inconsistent officiating by the NFL’s referees and their crews. They may have drawn half as many penalties (5) as the San Francisco 49ers (10) on Sunday, but an officiating gaffe (and an obscure rule) still ended up costing New Orleans.

This time it came when Saints coach Sean Payton called a bold fake punt against the 49ers, in which quarterback Taysom Hill targeted wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith on a pass deep down the sideline. But Smith wasn’t able to turn and make a play on the ball due to an enveloping bear-hug from the 49ers player covering him.

And no penalty flags flew because of it. Payton raced over to confront referee John Hussey, who dismissed Payton’s concerns due to a rule stipulating that plays run out of a punt formation are ineligible for defensive pass interference fouls. FOX Sports NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino agreed with that ruling on the broadcast.

Payton agreed with it too, emphatically arguing that the play still qualified for a holding foul which would have kept the ball in the Saints’ control. To that, Hussey shook his head and walked away, leaving Payton rubbing his face in exasperation.

What’s troubling is that this rule — that punt plays are exempt from defensive pass interference penalties — wasn’t observed just a few weeks ago, when referee Craig Wrolstad fouled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for it on a fake punt pass by Arizona Cardinals punter Andy Lee.

So if this is truly what the rules state, why are the NFL’s officiating crews still messing up and hurting teams this late in the season? Why can’t they consistently call each game they work? The NFL either needs to stop pinching pennies and hire full-time, professional officials or look into automated referees, much like the “robot umpires” Major League Baseball is experimenting with. In a sport where one or two plays can make such a big difference, the NFL’s continued reliance on officials who can’t call a clean game from one week to the next is shaping into a crisis.

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What can’t Taysom Hill do? Saints’ Swiss Army knife struggles to juggle

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill can juggle his responsibilities during a football game, but he’s not as talented in juggling tennis balls.

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Sometimes it seems like Taysom Hill can do it all — at least on the football field. He can throw, he can catch, he can even run the ball himself and make plays on special teams. So it’s fair to wonder what he can’t do at a high level.

To find out, Hill sat down with Cooper Manning for an interview on the FOX Sports NFL pregame show. Manning has been splitting time with his brothers Peyton and Eli, and their father Archie, on the “Manning Hour, Minus 58 Minutes” segment throughout the 2019 season, and he took the opportunity to quiz Hill on his many talents.

Hill’s picked up a popular nickname as New Orleans’ own Swiss Army knife, owing to his efficiency in a variety of roles, but he didn’t have great knowledge of the many attachments on his namesake tool — beyond the knife itself and the scissors, anyway.

He also isn’t a great juggler, which is hilarious given how well he’s juggled so many different roles for the Saints. Hill also declined the opportunity to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and his best attempt at a magic trick was to sent a pack of playing-cards flying into the air. We’ll give him an A for effort.

So to recap: Hill is good at football, but not so great in other jobs. Check out his full interview where we’ve embedded it below:

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Former Saints CB Jabari Greer shares his thoughts on always-evolving offense

Jabari Greer practiced against the New Orleans Saints offense every day for almost four years, and he’s noticed changes in today’s team.

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Jabari Greer was one of the unsung heroes of the 2009 New Orleans Saints squad, which won Super Bowl XLIV and brought the city its first Lombardi Trophy. The veteran cornerback started several years for New Orleans and consistently manned up against the best receivers in the league.

His playing career ended with a torn ACL, but Greer has found success in covering NFL games in Canada for TSN and contributing to the SEC Network as a college football analyst, a role he’s enjoyed as a proud Tennessee Volunteers alum.

When prompted by a fan to discuss the changes in the 2019 Saints offense against the unit Greer played alongside from 2009 to 2013, Greer acknowledged the differences seen today while praising Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff for creatively working with the personnel they have, and not trying to put players in positions they aren’t suited for.

“Great question! I believe the Saints have adjusted their offense based on the personnel they have available, and not draft based on the system that is in place,” Greer wrote from his official Twitter account. “That is good coaching! Humbly asking ‘Who do we have, and how can we make ‘em shine.'”

A great illustration of Greer’s point would be Taysom Hill. Nominally a quarterback, the Saints have developed Hill’s positional versatility to a point where he’s scoring multiple touchdowns (both on the ground and through the air) while making an impact on special teams with blocked punts, all in the same game.

Obviously it would be great if the Saints had the personnel to where Payton doesn’t have to scheme up so much smoke and so many mirrors. If they had, for example, another wide receiver to make plays opposite Michael Thomas then things would be going much more smoothly — but their best options, Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith, have caught just 38% of their targets since the bye week.

The Saints will have opportunities to improve that position group in the offseason. But for now, it’s like Greer said — good coaching and creative adjustments to personnel are helping the Saints win the day, week in and week out.

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