Analysis: Offense stifles Saints quarterback battle in preseason loss, via @MaddyHudak_94
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The New Orleans Saints lost their preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens in more ways than one. A startling turnover trend cost the team six crucial possessions; worse, those giveaways cost both competing quarterbacks a fair shot from each of their respective opening drives. For a starting offense dependent on the outcome of three preseason games ahead of the 2021 NFL season, this matchup gave no meaningful information either way.
Preseason games only provide as much intel as the lineup, playbook, and opposition matchups allow for. In the Saints 17-14 loss to Baltimore, the team opened with neither All-Pro starting tackles, Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramcyzk, nor the inarguably most important player on the offense in Alvin Kamara. That’s without addressing the pedigree of the receiving corps; no lineup would have solved that mediocre position group performance. For a training camp largely dedicated to checkdown passes and handoffs to Kamara, Murray and Freeman, the star of the backfield was third string back Tony Jones Jr.
An offense needs two critical components to be successful in today’s NFL: high-caliber offensive line, and established run game. Neither of these elements were present for the first preseason quarterback evaluation until the second quarter. Resultantly, neither Taysom Hill nor Jameis Winston received an entirely fair shake, and we’re left to overanalyze 12 respective passes each.
It would be easy to focus on the interceptions; one could argue Winston won this metric in spades. Interceptions are easily Winston’s kryptonite, and he wasn’t at fault in his turnover throw at all. Hill, on the other hand, had a miscommunication with Ty Montgomery at best, and a misread at worst. It would be further remiss not to acknowledge had Winston thrown an interception out of poor decision-making, that would likely be the primary point of discussion with regards to his play. And it really wouldn’t be fair to do so in an absurdly small sample size.
Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill opened much stronger than Winston. While he benefitted from starters on the interior line, Hill also faced a ferocious first team defense headlined by Baltimore linebacker Patrick Queen. One that held ironclad against the run and blitzed heavy out the gate. Hill threw for 63 yards in his opening drive prior to Latavius Murray’s costly redzone fumble that inarguably stifled the offensive momentum. That same drive saw just three rushing yards; Hill also went 2-of-2 in third down completions for a combined 34 yards.
Hill’s second drive was ugly – no sugarcoating that short-lived possession. After gaining just two more yards on the ground by Murray, Hill missed Murray on a short right dumpoff and subsequently threw that questionable interception intended for Ty Montgomery. By Hill’s final drive, he had lost Erik McCoy under center and was done no favors by his running backs a third consecutive drive.
His 6-yd short pass to Freeman was stifled by Patrick Queen, followed by a run for no gain by Freeman, a 5-yd completion, and another run for no gain. Hill then threw an incompletion before connecting with Latavius Murray for an 11-yard pass; Freeman then gained one rushing yard before losing three in his following reception – again stuffed by Queen. Hill’s quarter then ended with a 12-yard sack – by Queen.
Jameis Winston
I won’t even count Jameis Winston’s opening drive as Devonta Freeman promptly fumbled that possession right over. In his true first drive down the field, Winston threw two incompletions before connecting with Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 16-yard pass on the fifth play of the drive. Said incompletions were strongly aided by the surrounding 28 and 17-yard runs by Tony Jones Jr, who surpassed the entire New Orleans rushing box score in his first attempt. Winston had a 1-yard completion before Jones Jr. put the first points on the Saints’ board with an 18-yard touchdown run. Only after these legitimate rushes did Winston find success in the aerial game.
Winston followed that drive up with an incompletion, a handoff to Freeman for a 1-yd gain, and a sack. It wasn’t until Winston’s penultimate drive that he finally took the lead in the quarterback competition. Winston completed back-to-back passes for 26 and 33 yards, threw two consecutive completions, and ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
By the time we saw something of substance, Winston had only completed two passes for 17 yards in three drives; his only third down attempt thus far had ended in a sack. When he ran a stellar two-minute offense, most if not all of Baltimore’s defensive starters had left the game (in fairness, as had many New Orleans offensive starters – and second stringers).
That’s not to say Winston didn’t shine once he stepped into the opportunity. Winston looked like a starting NFL quarterback, poised and in control of his team driving surgically down the field. Importantly, New Orleans had finally established a running game on Winston’s previous scoring drive.
Conclusions(?)
I know I am probably the largest cheerleader out there for Taysom Hill. I thought he showed poise in his opening drive, looked methodical, and overcame a nonexistent run game. I equally saw the bad in the subsequent drives, and then the ugly. Winston finished much stronger than Hill started. However, it took several unsuccessful drives and a believable running threat to garner momentum.
For those who want to wrap this quarterback competition up quick, here’s why I’d like to wait. For Taysom Hill, I’d like to see if any semblance of a running game opens the field as it did Winston, and he has yet to lead a two-minute drill. In practices leading up to the preseason opener, Winston largely led the two-minute offense; Hill should get the opportunity in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars. For Jameis Winston, I’d like to see how he maneuvers the pocket with the type of pass rush Hill initially faced, and his ability to test his decision-making against a starting defense.
But without either starting tackle and perhaps the most elusive running back in NFL history, will we see the true identity of this New Orleans offense? I can’t honestly say this shortened preseason will illuminate this battle for me at all.
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