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The New Orleans Saints spent too much time lowering the bar for historically-bad defensive play in the 2010’s, but a three-year upturn near the end of the decade might have saved their reputation.
That’s the case in a recent writeup from ESPN chronicling the best and worst performances from around the NFL over the last ten years. The Las Vegas Raiders might be on the move in 2020, but the reputation they’ve carried over after years and years of futility on defense in Oakland outweighs any bad memories Saints fans might still be trying to repress. ESPN named the Raiders as the NFL’s worst defense from the last decade, citing their bottom-rung performances in points allowed (26.2 per game) and yards yielded (360.7).
For context, the Saints entered the wrong end of NFL record books by allowing 28.4 points and 440.1 yards per game (in 2012), improving slightly in 2014 with 26.5 points and 384 yards surrendered per game, once Rob Ryan was at the wheel as defensive coordinator. But New Orleans ranked dead-last in 2015 for both points (29.8) and yards per game (413.4), Ryan’s last year with the team. It’s no surprise that the Saints went 7-9 in each season, squandering the prime of Drew Brees’ career.
But what is surprising is how far the Saints have come. They were fortunate to not be defined by these all-time terrible performances, having put in the work to overhaul the coaching staff, scouting department, and locker room makeup after three consecutive 7-9 finishes. Change was needed, and Sean Payton took major steps to address it. Now, he’s reaping the rewards.
For context, the Saints allowed only 21.3 points per game last season. They limited opponents to just 333 yards on offense, doing much of the heavy lifting when Brees missed five games with an injured throwing hand. Spearheaded by playmakers like Marcus Williams (who led the team with four interceptions in 2019), Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Marshon Lattimore, the Saints defense has had just as much to brag about as its offense — and sometimes more.
So keep that in mind the next time someone botches a coverage or two in a single game. We’ve come a long way from the days of Ryan cursing out Jairus Byrd, Brandon Browner, Corey White, and Kenny Vaccaro from the sidelines. It could be so much worse.
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