Pregame primer: All the key storylines ahead of New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
The Saints are set to host the Carolina Panthers in a matchup of two teams who desperately need to string some wins together. Here is a compilation of all the stories you'll need to be ready for the noon kickoff at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
- BY ROD WALKER | rwalker@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
In the old days of wrestling, this would be called a "loser leaves town" match.
And although the loser of Sunday’s game between the Saints and Carolina Panthers isn’t officially eliminated from the playoffs, a defeat sure would put an even bigger dent in what seems to be already-slim playoff hopes.
Sometime around 3 p.m. Sunday, either the Saints will be 1-4 or the Panthers will be 1-5.
“I do not think it makes or breaks the season, but it is certainly important,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “I would say that both teams would expect to be much better than what their records reflect right now.”
History tells us that teams that start that slow have a hard time bouncing back to the make the playoffs. This may not be a must-win, but it’s about as close as you can get: Only 12 teams have started 1-4 and made the postseason.
But if you’re a Saints fan looking for some good news, it happened twice last season: The Houston Texans (who started 1-5) and the Kansas City Chiefs both did it.
That’s the good news for Saints fans if they happen to lose Sunday. But the bad news is the next four weeks of the schedule.
At Kansas City. Home against Seattle. Road trip to San Francisco. Home game against Denver.
There are no gimmes on that schedule. Even home games, which just yesterday seemed like guarantees, are no longer a sure thing. These Saints have lost both of their home games this season and are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start in the Dome since 1995.
But, hey, I have some more good news. Maybe.
This is a Carolina team, just eight months removed from playing in the Super Bowl, that is reeling. The Panthers have dropped three straight after their lone win over the 49ers.
Some Panthers fans have already abandoned ship: The team returned a chunk of its allotment of tickets for Sunday's game. Perhaps they weren’t sure whether Cam Newton was going to play after he missed last week’s game with a concussion, but he is expected to return Sunday.
Which version of Newton shows up could determine the outcome. Will it be Superman, who was a near unanimous pick for league MVP honors last season? Or will it be Clark Kent, who is 27th in the league in passing yards and whose 80.2 passer rating ranks 31st?
On the other sideline, which Saints team will show up? Will it be the one that should’ve won against Oakland in Week 1? Or the Week 2 version with the stellar defense that played well enough to beat the New York Giants?
Or the one that was embarrassed in that Week 3 Monday night game against the Falcons? Or the one that gutted out a win in San Diego two weeks ago?
That win gave Saints fans some hope for a season that seemed to be headed down the drain. But now a game that early in the season looked like one worth circling on the calendar has all of a sudden become one that can make or break the season.
“The most desperate team wins," Brees said. "So, if there’s not desperation, you create desperation."
Neither of these teams needs to create it.
They spent the first few weeks of the season doing that.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
A lot of air time has been spent on sports talk shows the past two weeks speculating that the New Orleans Saints will see a more cautious version of Superman this Sunday.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is expected back Sunday, fresh off of suffering the first concussion of his pro career against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Newton has always seemed like the exception, the one quarterback capable of dishing out as much damage as a defensive linemen and remaining healthy.
But after a series of blows to the head in the season opener against Denver and the concussion at Atlanta, NFL experts have been wondering aloud for weeks if Newton will stop running through tacklers and start sliding or stepping out of bounds instead.
New Orleans is expecting to see the same old Newton on Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
"All I know is Cam Newton's a competitor, and he's one of the best in the league," Saints defensive end Kasim Edebali said. "If he's on the field, he's going to give everything he's got."
Roman Harper, who spent two seasons as Newton's teammate in Carolina, can't imagine the quarterback changing his playing style.
"When Cam's in, he's in," Harper said. "He's going to be himself. He can't help that."
Newton's numbers so far this season don't match his MVP season — he's completing 57.9 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions — but the Panthers quarterback has also faced off against Denver and Minnesota, arguably the top two defenses in the NFL.
There is potential for Newton's numbers to rise significantly, even after the 1-4 start. With Kelvin Benjamin healthy again, Newton has more than just Greg Olsen at his disposal, and the Panthers will likely get running back Jonathan Stewart back as well.
If Newton's his normal, battering-ram self, he presents the kind of challenge New Orleans hasn't faced much this season.
Despite playing a string of veteran quarterbacks to start the year, the Saints have mostly played against pocket passers.
Newton presents a unique combination of mobility and strength.
"I thought Derek Carr, he's a good athlete, I think he's pretty mobile, but Cam's a different breed," Saints strong safety Kenny Vaccaro said. "He's not just mobile; he's strong in the pocket. Sometimes it takes two d-linemen to take him down, other times it doesn't, but he can definitely extend plays. And I think this year you see him keeping his eyes downfield and making big plays."
A New Orleans pass rush that has struggled at times this season must find ways to keep Newton contained in the pocket so pressure can speed up his decisions.
When Newton's able to escape, he can extend the play clock and force the Saints' secondary to cover two or three seconds longer than they'd normally have to against a pocket passer.
"We've just got to plaster our coverage and stay with our receivers," Saints cornerback Ken Crawley said. "Play within our coverage."
Newton's strength also keeps the Panthers from taking negative plays. A successful pass rush is no longer just getting to the quarterback; like no quarterback in the league other than arguably Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, Newton is capable of shrugging off the big loss even when he's in the arms of a defender.
"You think he's going a little bit easier than he does go down, and he's able to get the ball off, throw it away or something so you don't get a sack," Saints nose tackle Tyeler Davison said.
There are no easy answers to stopping Newton anymore, but the key, in Harper's mind, is to try to make him uncomfortable, starting with the pass rush.
And once he's on the move, there's no reason to expect Newton to slide.
"You can tell guys have been getting after him a little bit; you've just got to be physical," Edebali said. "You can't treat him like a regular quarterback, you've got to treat him like a running back."
A running back who's still plenty capable of running through any tackler who isn't in the right position.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
The next level: Slowing Greg Olsen is easier said than done
Covering tight ends was one of the weak points of the New Orleans Saints defense in the past few seasons.
It might just be because the Saints haven’t come against a strong enough challenger or the games just went away from tight ends, but New Orleans has done OK defending the position so far this season. Through four games, the Saints have surrendered only 16 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown to tight ends.
That, relative to previous seasons, represents major progress. But the Saints now face a guy who can kill all the good vibes in a single afternoon: Carolina’s Greg Olsen.
The 6-foot-5 tight end has caught 33 passes for 516 yards this season and has a knack for shredding the Saints. In two games last season, he caught 17 passes for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
That’s why coach Sean Payton gushed over him this week.
“Before I even get to his skill set, you can watch him play each week and see passion,” Payton said. “I think that there’s a toughness element to him. He takes on the task of blocking the D gap or getting down the field on a post or a double move or a seam with the same enthusiasm. He’s a very good foot (speed) athlete. He’s flexible.”
For the Saints to win this game, they need to find a way to contain Olsen and force the Panthers to beat them in other ways. That task is easier said than done, but keeping their season alive might rest on being able to figure it out.
Four downs
1. Tight ends back
The Saints will receive a boost this week if tight end Josh Hill is able to return. New Orleans’ offense is at its best when it has formational flexibility but, with Hill out, the team has relied on using mostly three-receiver sets. His return should allow New Orleans to operate as designed.
2. Discipline
This game will test the discipline of the defense. With quarterback Cam Newton a constant threat to run, New Orleans needs to make sure it maintains the integrity of its defense and does not allow Newton to escape around the edges. That has been an issue in past matchups, and it’s a sure way to lose.
3. Deep passing
The Saints haven’t gotten their deep passing game going, and it was almost nonexistent in the previous game against the San Diego Chargers. This could be a good game to get it going. The Panthers have a young secondary, and two of their cornerbacks are out this week. Brandin Cooks could benefit from that.
4. Desperate times
What happens when you put two teams that need a win to keep hope alive on the same field and tell them to fight it out? That’s what we’re going to find out Sunday. At some point, it stops being early in the season, and you become what your record says you are. Neither of these teams wants to be in the NFC South basement.
Who has the edge?
When the Saints pass
Advantage: Saints
Carolina’s secondary is hurting, and the Saints should be able to take advantage.
When the Panthers pass
Advantage: Panthers
The Saints are allowing 301 passing yards per game, which is far too many.
When the Saints run
Advantage: Panthers
Carolina has one of the stingier run defenses in the NFL, which doesn’t bode well for the Saints.
When the Panthers run
Advantage: Panthers
The Panthers are one of the NFL's more dangerous running teams. We all saw what the Falcons did against the Saints.
Special teams
Advantage: Saints
New Orleans has a lot to figure out on special teams, but so does Carolina.
Injury report
Saints
Out: T Terron Armstead (knee), CB Delvin Breaux (fibula), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quad)
Questionable: DE Paul Kruger (back), TE Josh Hill (ankle), G Senio Kelemete (hamstring), LB James Laurinaitis (quad)
The Advocate says: Not many surprises or new developments for the Saints this week on the injury report.
Andrus Peat will continue to start at left tackle, and the defensive plan will remain the same with Breaux and Ellerbe out of action. The biggest question will be whether it's Tim Lelito or Kelemete at left guard.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Craig Robertson starts at middle linebacker again, regardless of whether Laurinaitis is healthy enough to play.
Panthers
Out: James Bradberry (foot), T Michael Oher (concussion), DT Paul Soliai (foot), CB Robert McClain (hamstring), DT Vernon Butler (ankle)
Questionable: DE Charles Johnson (quad), WR Kelvin Benjamin (knee), QB Cam Newton (concussion), RB Jonathan Stewart (hamstring)
The Advocate's predictions
Nick Underhill
I’ve been as inaccurate on my Saints picks as Tim Tebow trying to connect on a 20-yard out route. So, after being repeatedly burned, I’m going to try to change my fortunes by picking Carolina. All it will probably do is result in a Saints win.
Panthers 34, Saints 31
Joel A. Erickson
New Orleans nearly beat Carolina twice last season, and the Saints finally get through Sunday. Cam Newton's getting healthy and Luke Kuechly is still in charge of the defense, but the Panthers have a young secondary and problems getting to the passer.
Saints 34, Panthers 31
Scott Rabalais
The defending NFC champs are in desperate straits and may get revenge on New Orleans when they play in Charlotte. But for now, I don’t think Cam Newton is quite right, and that puts Carolina at a deficit that the Saints can play to their advantage.
Saints 27, Panthers 20
Rod Walker
The last time the Saints lost three straight at home to start the season was in 1995. After a heartbreaking loss to Oakland in the opener and that embarrassing Monday night loss to the Falcons, the Saints avoid the hat trick.
Saints 35, Panthers 31
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
Brandin Cooks isn't about to let the NFL take the bow and arrow out of his hands.
Nor should he.
For Cooks, the celebratory act of pulling back an imaginary arrow after a touchdown is a sign of reverence, a symbol of devotion that hadn't caused any problems, at least until Washington cornerback Josh Norman was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and fined $10,000 for performing a similar celebration near the sideline after an interception two weeks ago.
Cooks was surprised. His bow and arrow has never been a problem before, not even in the 2016 season opener, when he pulled back and fired twice after touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders.
Now, the NFL's competition committee has decided that simulating the act of shooting a bow and arrow represents violence.
"The key is if it's a gesture that either mimics a violent act — that's something with a firearm or a bow and arrow — or a sexually suggestive act, those are unsportsmanlike conduct," Blandino told the NFL Network last week. "That's something that officials will flag. That's direct from the competition committee and something that we're going to try to be as consistent as possible."
Norman's flag and fine represented the first time the NFL has cracked down on Cooks' signature celebration.
"I've been doing it for three years now, and there was never a complaint about it," Cooks said. "Now, all of a sudden, there is. It just reminds me that, it's almost as if they try to take so much away from us, but for something like this, that means so much to someone that has nothing to do with violence, it's frustrating. I'll definitely continue to speak my opinion about it, and if they have a problem with it, so be it."
Cooks picked up his bow and arrow from the Bible.
A devout Christian whose Twitter account is dotted with passages from the Bible, Cooks initially found himself struck by the story of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and his wife's servant, an Egyptian named Hagar. After Abraham's wife, Sarah, bore him another son, Isaac, she wanted the boy and Hagar cast out of their house, and God promised to Abraham that he would make a great nation out of Ishmael, the same promise he'd made about Isaac.
Ishmael and Hagar wandered in the wilderness after leaving Abraham, and the boy became an expert archer to provide for himself and his mother.
The story stuck with Cooks, and then he found another verse that spoke to him.
Psalms 144:6.
"Send forth lightning and scatter your enemy, and shoot your arrows and rout them," Cooks quoted. "I just remember it sticking with me for such a long time, I remember thinking, maybe I can do something with this."
The symbolism matters so much to Cooks that he calls himself "The Archer" and had a gold pendant custom-made in the offseason to wear on a gold chain around his neck.
For Cooks, the bow and arrow is equivalent to pointing to the heavens or dropping to a knee after he crosses the goal line.
"It's one of those things that keeps me honed in and keeps me humble through the success and the gifts that I've been given," Cooks said. "I think it's a pretty cool way to give God the glory in a different way, and for other people to see it and buy in."
Hard to understand why the NFL would take that away from him. A bow and arrow might be deadly, but Robin Hood and Cupid are more playful than malicious, and this is 2016. Any fan who wonders why Cooks is firing an imaginary arrow can Google the answer in a flash.
But on a deeper level, the NFL spends too much time trying to erase the personalities of its players. As much as the league wants to pretend it is populated by freakishly athletic drones, the NFL is made up of human beings, and their backgrounds, stories and inspirations draw fans to the game as much as their achievements.
Cooks, for example, has far more depth than his blinding speed. The wide receiver was available Tuesday as a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz's partnership with Uber to give away tickets to Saints games. Fans who open the Uber app and use the promo code "MBDrivesNOLA" before kickoff will be eligible to be one of 25 who select Mercedes-Benz vehicles and earn two free tickets to the Superdome.
The reason for Cooks' partnership with Mercedes-Benz? Right after he was drafted, he bought his mother a Mercedes-Benz, the car he'd always loved as a kid. The company saw the story and brought him on board.
So Cooks isn't going to let the NFL's sudden emphasis on banning archery-related imagery take away something that has become a central symbol of his faith.
"I plan to continue a form of it, but who knows what's going to happen, you know, once you're in the end zone, when so much adrenaline is going and so much excitement is going?" Cooks said. "One thing I want to make sure I don't do is hurt my team, but I'll do a form of it in such a way where hopefully I don't get flagged on it."
The fact that he has to alter his celebration at all is a shame.
No matter what the NFL says, Cooks' arrow has always been aimed in the right direction.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints have another quarterback on their roster.
The team claimed Joe Callahan, who was waived by the Packers, and cut offensive tackle Khalif Barnes to make room for the new addition.
The rookie completed 61.4 of his passes during the preseason with three touchdowns, and no interceptions for an 88.2 quarterback rating over 182 snaps.
The Packers were impressed enough with the rookie to carry him on the active roster coming out of camp. And the Saints, who had one of the higher waiver claims in the league, were obviously intrigued by what Callahan put on film.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wesley, the 6-foot-1 quarterback completed 915 of 1,420 passes for 12,852 yards and 130 touchdowns with 38 interceptions. He led the Division III school to a 33-7 record during that span.
New Orleans is currently carrying Drew Brees and Luke McCown on the 53-man roster. It waived Garrett Grayson, a 2015 third-round pick, last month and signed him to the practice squad.
Barnes has bounced off and on the roster since the end of training camp.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Losing Erik Harris will be a blow for the Saints.
The safety wasn’t logging snaps on defense, but played a team-high 99 snaps on special team before suffering a torn ACL earlier this week during practice and landing on injured reserve. His injury creates a void the team must now find a way to fill.
“We got to have people step up in new positions,” tight end Josh Hill said. “He’s a guy that came in and was playing really well. We’ll lean on each other and do what we can do to fill his role a little bit.”
The Saints brought up Brian Dixon from the practice squad, as it did prior to the last game against San Diego, to help alleviate the burden on special teams. Last season, Dixon served a core special teams player and was a standout at the gunner position on the punt team.
It’s a tough blow for a Saints team that has had some issues on special teams throughout the season. According to Football Outsiders, New Orleans currently ranks 21st in the NFL in overall special teams production.
The team struggled a little bit last year, as well, according to these special teams rankings, finishing 26th overall. However, the team finished 11th in 2014.
“In the kicking game it’s more about some of the younger guys understanding the nuances of special-teams units,” coach Sean Payton said. “Then the question is what’s the best thing this guy does in coverage, what’s the best thing he does in protection. I think we have a handful of returns, maybe more than we’ve had in a while, hopefully we can get that return game going.”
The team currently is averaging 17.7 yards per kick return, and 7.1 yards on punt returns. Both marks rank near the bottom of the league.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Sheldon Rankins will likely start making his return form injured reserve in the near future.
Coach Sean Payton was asked Friday if the rookie defensive tackle will start practicing next week, and responded by saying, "I think so, yeah."
Rankins suffered a broken fibula during training camp and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.
Under the new rules, a player does not have be designated to return at the time when he's placed on injured reserve, but each team can only bring one player back. However, the player has to spend six weeks on the shelf and then can practice for two weeks before returning.
Rankins, a first-round pick, was expected to start at defensive tackle. Since his injury, Nick Fairley has logged the majority of snaps at that position. Both players are expected to serve in the sub-rush once Rankins returns.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints will be without three starters this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee), cornerback Delvin Breaux (fibula) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (quad) have been ruled out for Sunday's game.
Andrus Peat logged the snaps at left tackle in the other games Armstead has missed. Senio Kelemete (hamstring), who is questionable, or Tim Lelito will likely start at left guard.
Defensive end Paul Kruger (back), tight end Josh Hill (ankle) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (quad) are listed as questionable. All the limited players practiced in a limited capacity, outside of Kruger, who was held out.
For Carolina, cornerback James Bradberry (foot), tackle Michael Oher (concussion), defensive tackle Paul Soliai (foot), cornerback Robert McClain (hamstring) and defensive tackle Vernon Butler (ankle) have been ruled out.
Quarterback Cam Newton (concussion) and running back Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) are among those listed as questionable.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
Sometimes it’s easy for the Saints to forget how far Willie Snead has come as a wide receiver, and how deep his understanding of the game goes.
When he showed in camp before last season, it seemed like he already had it all figured out and was ready made to make plays.
“I probably don't appreciate that as much because it just seems like when we first got him that came natural to him,” coach Sean Payton said.
That level of polish also can also make it difficult to see how much Snead has grown in the classroom and in his understanding of the game from when he had 984 receiving yards as a rookie to this season, which is where a large portion of his success comes from.
The receiver pulled in 69 passes last season and often made things look easy, but his production disguised the fact that he was trying to process a lot of information on the field, sometimes at a slower pace than he'd like.
Instead of looking at the defense and immediately knowing what adjustments to make based on the coverage, there were times when he was figuring it on the fly, and it would disrupt the timing of the offense.
That’s why he dedicated his offseason to watching film. He now feels like he gets it. The information is coming quickly, and it’s one of the reasons he ranks 11th in the NFL with 83 yards receiving per game.
It's also why he’s caught 15 of the 18 passes thrown to him this season.
“If I see it early enough, then I can adjust everything I need to do to be on the same page,” Snead said.
His quarterback agrees.
“He’s grown a tremendous amount. I think there’s a level of comfort there, a level of confidence,” Drew Brees said. “Obviously he’s worked extremely hard to get to the point where he is now. And I think he knows how much trust and confidence I have in him as well.”
New Orleans has proof of how deep Snead's understanding of the offense goes.
There are times when the Saints put a marker in their receivers’ hands and ask them to draw the rest of the passing pattern. The players almost always, of course, know what they’re being asked to do, but there are times when they are blind to what’s happening elsewhere on the field.
There aren’t many moments when Snead gets caught slipping. He almost always knows what the guys on either side of him are doing, and rates highly among the other players in the room in terms of understanding and knowing the whole offense.
“He would probably be one of the higher-graded players on offense that would be able to do that,” Payton said. “’This is what (Brandin) Cooks is doing over here, this is what Michael (Thomas is) doing, this is what I’m doing, this is what the back does.’ You’d be surprised sometimes how players just learn what they do. You’re always, as a coach, trying to teach the whole picture and how it applies.”
Snead is hopeful that his strong start to the season will carry over to Sunday when he goes against the Carolina Panthers. Many people probably forget that the receiver spent a few weeks on Carolina’s practice squad in 2014, but that experience sticks with him.
While he has the utmost respect for the organization, the fact that the Panthers gave up on him stokes his fire.
“I’m blessed and thankful for everything that’s happened thus far,” Snead said. “When I see the Panthers, I do feel some type of way about it. At the end of the day, I try to keep it humble and just play my heart out.”
And Snead says he’ll be ready to go at full speed. He missed the Atlanta game with a toe injury and was only around 80 percent during the last game against the San Diego Chargers, a contest in which he finished with one reception for 23 yards.
Coming off the open week, he says he’s up to about 95 percent and can now bear weight on his injured foot and was able to cut during practice this week.
“I wasn’t all the way there,” Snead said. “That was the first action I’ve had since the injury, just trying to put all my weight on that foot, it was discomforting at times. But I fought through it.”
Snead’s fought through a lot of things during his career. Sunday will be an opportunity to show a team he used to know how far he’s come.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Stephone Anthony is biding his time.
After playing a prominent role as the middle linebacker as rookie, Anthony was switched to strongside linebacker and has had difficulty finding his way on the field this season. He's logged just 51 snaps, including just one against the San Diego Chargers in the last game.
It's been a bit of a fall, but Anthony says he's not frustrated and focusing on getting better.
"It’s just put in the time," Anthony said. "Put in the time in the film room and at home and just get in that book a little bit more and just focus.
"Nothing is given, you earn everything you get. And whenever opportunities come, just play when the time comes."
Anthony was asked if he feels he's earned a role with how he's played this season but he declined to answer one way or the other.
"I’m not sure, man," Anthony said. "I think whatever coach asks me to do, that’s what I do."
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was asked last week why Anthony hasn't been playing, and said that the linebacker needs to have a better understanding of what the team is trying to do. He added that it's up to the coaching staff to find a way to use the former first-round pick.
"The biggest challenge is putting him in a position and asking him to do some of the things that he does well," Allen said. "One thing he can do well is run and hit, so we've got to put him in positions where he can do those things, and maybe take a little bit of the thought process out of it."
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The New Orleans Saints are still trying to get several players healthy after the bye week.
Cornerback Delvin Breaux (fibula), offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee) defensive end Paul Kruger (back), linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (quad) and safety Erik Harris (torn ACL/meniscus) did not take part in practice.
Tight end Josh Hill (high ankle sprain), guard Senio Kelemete (hamstring) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (quadricep) were all limited after missing the Chargers game due to injury.
For the Panthers, cornerback James Bradberry (foot), defensive tackle Vernon Butler (ankle), defensive end Charles Johnson (quad), tackle Michael Oher (concussion) and defensive tackle Paul Soliai (foot) did not practice.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
The New Orleans offense hasn’t been able to operate as designed through the first quarter of the season.
The Saints are a team that likes use to multiple tight ends on the field and run various route concepts with different personnel. An injury to Michael Hoomanawanui during the offseason was a blow for the offense. And a subsequent ankle injury to tight end Josh Hill has forced New Orleans to operate primarily out of three-receiver sets.
Instead of having a pair of players who are threats in the receiving game, when the Saints have deployed more than one tight end, it’s typically been Coby Fleener and Chris Manhertz, who is still developing as a route runner and has yet to be targeted. And seeing those two on the field together has been rare.
Overall, the Saints have used two or more tight ends on 41 snaps, which is one of the lowest marks in the league. New Orleans has used its three-receiver personnel on about 175 plays. That type of ratio is uncommon for this team. While the impact is obvious in the running game and limits the number of play-action opportunities, it also changes how the passing offense operates.
The good news is that Hill should be back on the field in the coming weeks.
“When you got two tight ends, and you get certain coverages with two tight ends that sometimes (you wouldn’t with three receivers),” wide receivers coach John Morton said. “We’ve probably been a little bit more 11 personnel (one tight end, three wide receivers) more than what we’re used to. But getting Josh Hill back is going to pay dividends for us because we can do a lot more things.”
It might seem like hand-wringing over nothing since the Saints offense is producing at a comparable pace in terms of yards and big plays from last season. But the team struggled, at least by New Orleans’ standards, to move the ball through the air against the San Diego Chargers (207 yards) and New York Giants (263).
There are likely several reasons behind this, some of which might be the result of how the team was defended or the quality of competition. But part of the reason might be because of the limited personnel packages available.
The Saints introduced a three-tight-end package last season after acquiring Hoomanawanui via a trade with the New England Patriots. It’s not something someone would consider a passing package, and New Orleans often used it to set it up big shots down the field since the personnel encourages teams to stack the box and defend against the run and leave a single safety deep.
New Orleans often gets looks that can be advantageous for passing while in 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers). If you look at some of the shots the Saints took down the field last season, many came with multiple tight ends on the field, and Brandin Cooks was often the beneficiary on these plays.
Against the Lions last season, he had gains of 13, 27 and 29 yards operating out of looks with two or more tight ends. He also scored a 54-yard touchdown against the Panthers, a 38-yard touchdown against the Titans and a 26-yard touchdown against the Giants from these sets.
Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown against the Raiders in Week 1? It came out of 12 personnel, with eight defenders in the box and a single-high safety.
While Cooks gets open and routinely makes big plays from other personnel groupings, and against all types of coverages, these looks help open things up for him and the other receivers. Not having it as part of the arsenal is taking something from the offense, and it has changed how the Saints dictate some matchups.
“I think it would be very normal for defenses to run certain things, three-tight-end is certainly different,” coach Sean Payton said. “If you are in your heavy, three-tight-end (package), I think there are a certain two or three ways defenses are going to play you. That would be much different than if you were in a three- or four-wide look.
“It’s just a matter of what you’re trying to accomplish with the tight ends. Are you out there trying to run the ball with some play action or are you in those sets with the mindset of throwing first?”
The other thing about not having tight ends available is that it has robbed New Orleans of some ability to disguise and surprise defenses in the passing game. The Saints don’t have a lot of plays that are run just from one specific personnel grouping. There’s overlap, and some of the concepts run within three-receiver sets can also be run with two or three tight ends on the field.
An example of this came against the Carolina Panthers during Week 13 last season. In the first quarter, the Saints ran a passing concept out of both 11 and 13 personnel. The first play, which resulted in a 14-yard touchdown to Ben Watson, had the receiver to the left running a post route, the slot receiver to the right running a post, and the outside receiver running up the sideline. Watson went up the seam.
Later in the game, the Saints ran the same route concept on the right side of the formation with Hoomanawanui, the inline tight end, running up the seam, Watson running the post, and Cooks going up the sideline. Hoomanawanui caught the ball for a gain of 19.
At the very least, not being able to switch up some of the personnel packages has taken some the guesswork out of the equation for defenses.
“But certainly your personnel, the first thing we look at cut-up wise on a team is a personnel formation page to see how they play 11, three by one, two by two, how they play 12, two tight ends, how they play 13 (three tight ends, one receiver),” Payton said. “So a lot of it is how they see you and what they feel like you are trying to do with it.”
Hill caught only 16 passes last season for 120 yards, but getting him back could, indeed, pay dividends for the offense.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints worked out several players on Tuesday, including former first-round pick Bjoern Werner, according to a source.
The pass rusher was selected in the first round of the the 2013 draft and logged 6 1/2 sacks over three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He did not have a sack during the 2015 season.
He spent camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was cut prior to the season.
The Saints tried out several other players, many of which have shown the ability to rush the passer. Among them were linebacker Derek Akunne, defensive end Wes Horton, defensive end Royce LaFrance, linebacker Danny Lansanah, linebacker John Lotulelei, linebacker Dezman Moses, linebacker Andy Mulumba, linebacker Shaquille Riddick, and defensive end Greg Townsend.
Moses and LaFrance both attended Tulane. LaFrance spent some time with the Saints over the summer, while Moses spent the last four years playing for the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
This wasn’t what the New Orleans Saints had planned for Ken Crawley.
The team saw a promising player, one it wanted to develop, get some snaps, and use on special teams. No one expected the cornerback to be matching up with Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones in Week 3.
But football has a way of ruining plans.
Delvin Breaux broke his fibula in Week 1, and then P.J. Williams was gone a week later after suffering a concussion that landed him on injured reserve. Just like that, Crawley became a starting cornerback.
“He’s been put into a position where he’s getting a lot of playing time,” secondary coach Aaron Glenn said. “It’s unfortunate as a rookie, an undrafted rookie, to be put in that position, but I think he’s handled it well.”
Crawley has responded well to the challenge. He has played 88 percent of the defensive snaps, which ranks second behind only linebacker Craig Robertson (97) and standout pass rusher Cam Jordan (89), and he has proved to be capable.
There have been some gaffes along the way, such as a costly pass interference penalty against Atlanta. He also was in coverage and in position to make a play on a deep pass to Victor Cruz that ultimately sank the Saints against the New York Giants in Week 2.
But there have also been some highs, like in Week 3 against the Falcons. He was targeted five times while covering Jones and gave up one reception for 16 yards. While two of those incompletions were the result of bad passes by quarterback Matt Ryan, Crawley forced Jones out of bounds and broke up another pass to force incompletions.
“Man, I know this: It’s not too big for him, and I like that,” Saints coach Sean Payton said after the Atlanta game.
As success has come, Crawley has started to feel more confident.
“That’s from preparation — knowing what routes I’m expecting and just going out and playing them and having fun,” he said. “Not playing too tense out there. Just knowing my responsibility and matching those routes.”
According to The Advocate’s charting, Crawley has been targeted 25 times in coverage and has allowed 16 receptions for 188 yards with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. A good amount of those yards came in Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders, when he gave up seven receptions on eight targets for 66 yards.
There was also a breakdown in zone coverage that Crawley was part of against the San Diego Chargers that resulted in a 57-yard touchdown, but it’s not clear which party was responsible.
But he's getting better each week. His coverage is improving, and he has made some impressive plays, such as going in pursuit to force a fumble on a 40-yard reception against the New York Giants after another defensive back was beaten off the line.
“He’s improved tremendously since rookie camp from his stance, from his understanding of the game, from his confidence,” Glenn said. “There’s a big improvement from rookie camp until now.”
Crawley knows there are key areas where he can get better. He’s working to improve his ability to locate the ball and admits his technique could use improvement, such as how he breaks on the ball.
But he feels like he’s improving, and a lot of his success can be attributed to his study habits. Crawley has been putting in a lot of work in that area and hasn’t been afraid to lean on other people in the building to help him prepare for upcoming opponents.
“If I got to ask the coaches for extra, texting them at night, getting with these veteran guys,” Crawley said. “Even the rookie, De’Vante (Harris), we’ll share key notes about different receivers, and what they do, what they see about these guys and what do they think.”
The Saints will have a hard decision to make when Breaux returns. Crawley has played well on the outside, but so has Sterling Moore. Someone is going to be knocked out of the base defense.
It could make sense to have Crawley come on in nickel packages, with Moore sliding to the inside.
But having to pick and choose is a good thing. It means Crawley is making progress and playing well.
“Some of the things he’s really working on, he’s working hard to get those things down,” Glenn said. “For a guy that’s undrafted as a rookie and play against some of the competition he’s played against, he’s done a heck of a job.”
It wasn’t the plan, but something good could be emerging from the hardships the Saints have had to face because of injuries.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 4 min to read
Michael Thomas leads all NFL rookie wide receivers in receptions, is tied for the lead in touchdowns and is third in receiving yards.
The current trajectory would put the New Orleans Saints rookie just shy of finishing with 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, which by any standard would be a strong season for a first-year player.
And yet the Saints see a player who could be playing even better.
They see a player who could improve on his splits, how he releases off the line of scrimmage, the way he details his routes and his general technique. Those improvements have come, sometimes at a rapid pace, but once he cleans everything up, Thomas should be even more productive on Sundays.
That's a good spot for the second-round pick to be in and speaks to how much potential the team sees in him.
“Some of these guys, when they come to college, they got bad habits and stuff,” Saints wide receivers coach John Morton said. “He’s been working on that. He gets better at something every week.”
When Thomas came into the league, everyone raved about his hands. He didn’t drop many passes at Ohio State, and there were anecdotes about him doing hand yoga to stretch his mitts and make them bigger, stronger and more flexible.
The benefits of his work showed up repeatedly during training camp, when the 6-foot-3 receiver made acrobatic, one-handed catches in tight coverage. He hasn’t had to make one of those plays in a game yet, but those hands are why he has been able to pull in 21 passes for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns through four games.
Some might look at Thomas’ 10.9 yards per reception, which ranks 83rd in the NFL, and assume he lacks big-play ability or hasn’t been making much happen after the catch. But the only reason he has 21 receptions is his ability to quickly create separation at the line, get off press coverage and make catches in tight windows.
Without those skills, his numbers would be lower, and the Saints might be lacking an essential element in the passing game.
“He’s just another great playmaker that adds to our offense,” wide receiver Willie Snead said. “Me and (Brandin) Cooks and Mike T, that’s a hell of a combination. He’s getting a lot of single coverage, and he knows how to beat the one-on-one matchups.”
Sometimes these aren’t the kind of plays that make highlight reels, but Thomas’ ability to quickly create separation and make contested catches shows up every week. Against the Oakland Raiders in the season opener, he created just enough separation from cornerback D.J. Hayden with a jab step to make a contested catch for a gain of 2 yards while the pass rush was closing in on quarterback Drew Brees.
His touchdown against the San Diego Chargers last Sunday fit the same profile. A quick jab step got cornerback Pierre Desir moving the wrong way, which gave Thomas room to get open for a 5-yard reception in tight coverage. And there's the 13-yard reception he had on a slant, using the jab step again, against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford.
Sometimes it leads to bigger gains. After Thomas beat a jam from the New York Giants’ Eli Apple at the line — and again at the top of the route — he hauled in a gain of 17 yards on an in route. The play worked so well that New Orleans ran it back — and Thomas beat the jam again, picking up 23 yards.
Of Thomas’ 31 targets, 17 have come against press or man coverage. He has caught 13 of those passes, including two touchdowns. While his feet play a part in his success in this area, his hands — to get off jams and make contested catches — are what makes it work.
“He’s a pretty big receiver. He’s really strong,” Morton said. “You hear offensive linemen say they have strong hands. He has strong hands. He can get off press, and he’s physical with the DBs. There’s no question that helps him out in press coverage.”
Thomas has shown an ability to run every route. His highest-percentage route so far is the curl, which makes sense since the Saints have played some zone teams. Atlanta, for example, plays a lot of off coverage, and the curl allows him to operate underneath the coverage.
But, of the rest of his routes, the majority have been run over the middle on ins, slants and crossing routes. He has run a good amount of go, posts and corners as well, but very few out routes.
As far as where he lines up, you’d have to look hard to find the couple of times he has come out of the slot. The reason for that: Thomas excels over the middle and in traffic. Most of his damage has come on crossing routes (four catches on five targets for 31 yards), ins (5-for-8, 79 yards) and slants (7-for-11, 63 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). Thomas has also caught two curls for 17 yards.
The Saints said they want to find more ways to get the ball in Thomas’ hands. In time, that could mean more targets outside the numbers on breaking routes, where he would have more room to make things happen.
“We have to look to continue to find touches for him, but yes, I would say he has come up with some big plays when we needed him,” coach Sean Payton said. “(The San Diego) touchdown was certainly significant, being fourth down. There are always a ton of things that as a rookie receiver he needs to work on with his releases, his splits and his alignment. But he does play hard, and he does show the ability to make plays in the crowded area.”
Thomas is already off to a solid start, and he should only continue to get better. Snead sees Thomas going through the same growing pains he did last year, his first as a starter, and expects things to get easier for his teammate each week.
“I think reading coverage and seeing the whole field and not just seeing the field in front of him,” Snead said. “The more reps you get, the better you get at it, and you see more. That was what it was for me last year, and I know that’s what he’s going through, and I’m sure he’ll get better.”
If the Saints find more ways to get the ball in Thomas’ hands, and if the game continues to slow down for him, he might be able to jab step around his current pace and get on the other side of the 1,000-yard plateau.
But even if he doesn't hit that milestone, Thomas, Snead and Cooks look like they're turning into a solid combination.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 5 min to read
For the first 12 years of its existence, the NFC South was the NFL's most volatile division — a medieval squabble of warring clans trading power back and forth.
No NFC South team — not even the New Orleans Saints of Sean Payton and Drew Brees — repeated as division champion for more than a decade.
And everybody but the Atlanta Falcons made the Super Bowl at least once.
"I feel like this division has always been extremely competitive," Brees said. "Regardless of records and put those aside, when there’s a division game in the NFC South, man, it’s tough to get a win, whether you are home or on the road."
Somehow in all of that chaos, Roman Harper essentially has spent his entire career at the head of the NFC South: first in a streak of playoff performances for the Saints, then during two seasons with the Carolina Panthers as a key part of a long string of tight, hard-fought battles between the teams.
Back in New Orleans again, Harper finds himself getting ready for the next installment of the series, the latest in the kind of division battles Brees said he expects when the Saints and Panthers get together.
Nobody has more knowledge of these teams than Harper.
"There’s more than one way to skin a cat," Harper said. "Success can be bred and sought after in many different ways, and the way we did it in Carolina was so different than the way we had success here."
Off to Carolina — and back
Harper, a member of the foundational 2006 draft class that teamed with Brees to form the core of the Saints' early success under Payton, fell into Carolina's lap when New Orleans released him after the 2013 season.
But he wasn't looking for two chances a year to prove to his old team that it had made a mistake. Harper chose the Panthers for a more elemental reason.
"I needed a job," he said. "Being in the same division made it a lot easier. I know all the teams in this division, and it was an easy transition for me."
Harper headed to Carolina with a fairly narrow view of how to win in the NFL. He had spent his entire career in New Orleans under Payton; his Bill Parcells-influenced leadership style was all Harper knew.
Ron Rivera immediately started expanding Harper's horizons.
"Different head coaches — offensively, defensively minded," Harper said. "Coach Rivera’s the complete opposite of what you would think Sean Payton is, but they’re both so effective at bringing across their points."
Everything felt different — right down to the fact that the Panthers practice outside every day, a departure from the mostly indoor sessions the Saints hold during the season.
And there were a whole new set of leaders to learn, including a happy-go-lucky, exuberant, young quarterback. Harper knew plenty about Cam Newton as a player after so many battles against the Panthers in the first three years of the quarterback's career. But he didn't know much about Newton as a person.
"He’s one of the funniest guys you’ll ever meet; he’s such a loose, flowing guy, and he's always joking," Harper said. "It’s just really how great of a teammate he is and all the things he’s done for that locker room where it comes to presents and other things like that, surprising guys and taking care of guys. He’s one of the better teammates you’ll find."
Reborn and refreshed by the shift, Harper played in all 32 games of his two seasons in Charlotte, helping the Panthers win the second and third titles of an NFC South three-peat that broke the division's long-standing ban on repeat winners.
Then he came close to reliving the Super Bowl experience he had first felt after the 2009 season.
"Being on a 14-0 team is something that I’ll always remember," Harper said. "It’s the best season that I’ve been a part of, other than winning the Super Bowl. Those are the things I’ll always carry with me."
The Panthers let him go during the offseason, eager to promote Tre Boston, a safety Carolina drafted in the same offseason that it brought Harper to Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the second time in his NFL career, Harper found himself unwanted by a team he loved — only without any hard feelings.
"It was something different, and I really enjoyed it," he said. "It allowed me to grow as a person and see that I didn’t just stay in my one shell. You grow as a person and a player when you get out of your comfort zone."
A new beginning
Two years before Harper made his return to New Orleans, Rivera had predicted the veteran safety would be a Saint again at some point.
Even if neither knew it at the time.
Shortly after the Panthers signed Harper, Rivera approached his new safety with a unique kind of compliment.
"He told me, ‘Roman, you know what? I appreciate you so much and all the things you bring to this team, this locker room,' " Harper said. " 'But I feel like you’re one of those players that the Saints ... maybe you should never leave that organization. You're one of those guys.' "
Harper gets a kick out of that message now. When he got back to New Orleans, the veteran safety realized he was not returning to the same Saints team he left.
"It’s a big-time adjustment," he said. "The whole team’s different. I didn’t know many people besides Kenny (Vaccaro) and Cam (Jordan) and Mark (Ingram) and Drew, but the team had completely turned over, so I have to kind of jive back in and let people know who I am as a person, not just a jersey or all these stories you hear about Harper."
Harper, who through four games has played 107 defensive snaps and made one start in relief of an injured Vaccaro, acclimated quickly, albeit in a reduced role. But it turns out the Saints weren't the only part of the relationship that was different.
"He’s obviously in his 11th year, and I think from a leadership standpoint, he’s been on a lot of winning teams," Payton said. "I think in his next career, when that comes, that’s going to help him, because he understands and recognizes the specific attention to detail, the difficulty of playing week in and week out and winning games and the energy that takes. Certainly, he’s a lot wiser.”
Harper instantly became one of the leaders for a secondary in the middle of a youth movement, taking players aside in meetings and helping the young guys understand the game plan week to week as injuries trimmed the ranks.
This week, he has an even bigger role. As Rivera admitted earlier this week, Harper's the perfect scouting resource for Payton and company.
"Being there for two years, I know their identity, their personnel, the things they like to do, the things they believe in, so it’s a unique situation for myself," Harper said. "I’ll give (the Saints) as much information or as little as they want. I’m just here to help this team win games, and whatever that takes, whether it's lining up on the field or helping them in the classroom with some things we’ll see or face."
Back in the fray
No matter what happens Sunday, Harper is going to walk away from football some day with a healthy love for both the Saints and the Panthers.
He plans to raise his three kids in Charlotte, all while maintaining a home in the New Orleans area.
"It’s super nice," Harper said of Charlotte. "Real slow. Kids don’t grow up fast there. They’ve got some really good school systems and stuff like that in certain places. My wife loves it there. I just like it; it’s all right."
For the moment, Harper is focused on getting the Saints a win against the team that offered him a spot when he thought his career in New Orleans had ended for good. And his former team is aware of the threat he presents in a game between two one-win teams desperate to avoid the NFC South cellar.
"We have to look at some things," Rivera said. "We know Roman Harper is over there, so we have to do some things that are going to be a little bit different, obviously because of him."
The jersey might have changed, but this weekend, Harper finds himself in a place he has been so many times before.
Right in the middle of another NFC South battle.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The New Orleans Saints brought up rookie wide receiver Jake Lampman from the practice squad and released tight end Chris Manhertz.
Lampman, a 6-foot, 205-pound undrafted free agent out of Ferris State, has been a member of the practice squad since the day after the Saints made their final cuts to 53. The rookie had one catch for 19 yards in the preseason.
New Orleans' decision to release Manhertz likely means the Saints are confident about getting back the full services of Josh Hill on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Manhertz has missed three games with a high ankle sprain.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
Kasim Edebali has spent most of his third season in the NFL doing the dirty work.
Edebali, who looked like the Saints' starter at the defensive end spot opposite Cameron Jordan until New Orleans signed Paul Kruger late in the preseason, has played 91 snaps on special teams and 82 on defense through four games.
He might have to play a bigger role Sunday. Kruger, who left the Saints' win over the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago with a back injury, is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. If Kruger can't go, Edebali would step into the starting lineup opposite Jordan.
"If your number's called, you've got to be ready," Edebali said. "Kruger came in here after preseason. He was the man up. He had to play, and he was playing. Now, no matter what happens, everyone on the D-line has to be ready to play this week."
Edebali, who had 18 tackles, five sacks and six quarterback hits in 361 snaps as a second-year player, seemed like he might be headed for a breakout year after a two-sack performance against the New England Patriots in the preseason opener.
"I think I played well, and if the coaches think I can be a starter, they'd have to have the confidence in me," Edebali said. "But it is what it is, and no matter what, I'm ready to go. I'm not a selfish guy; I want to make sure the team wins."
For a long time, Jordan has been saying Edebali just needs more snaps to show what he can do, but his limited work didn't produce big numbers in the first quarter of this season. Edebali has two tackles and a batted pass in 82 snaps, although he has produced several hurries.
His best work has come in the kicking game.
"He’s playing in rotational snaps in the sub, and he’s playing in all the special teams," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "He had an outstanding game against San Diego in the kicking game. He was the special teams game-ball winner. I think he’s been real good."
Edebali has stepped up when the Saints needed him before. During his rookie season of 2014, Edebali sacked Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers twice in a New Orleans win, and his combination of athleticism and hustle placed him second on the team in sacks last season.
Jordan and defensive tackle Nick Fairley could use some help. That tandem has 5.5 of the team's seven sacks, not to mention 12 of the defense's 20 tackles for loss. Kruger had a half-sack in San Diego before suffering his back injury.
"I think he's going to step up and do well for us," Fairley said of Edebali. "He's quick off the ball. He's explosive. He's very strong. He's got long arms, so he can set edges in the run game. Really, I don't see any drop-off from him to Paul."
Trying to prove himself with just a couple of snaps per series has been a tough task for Edebali, particularly given the Saints' defensive struggles. But if his team needs him Sunday, he will be ready to go.
"I come in with a lot of confidence now," he said. "I'm just ready to go, ready to get after it and make plays."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Stephone Anthony's sophomore struggles have kept him off the field in the first quarter of the season, but the New Orleans Saints remain optimistic that the 2015 first-round pick will be a key player for the defense in the future.
Anthony, who has played just 51 snaps defensively this season and fewer than 13 in all but one game, has no problem getting where he wants to go in a hurry.
The problem is figuring out the right direction, and when that happens, Saints head coach Sean Payton sees Anthony's playing time increasing.
"I think he's going to get more snaps as we progress through this season," Payton said. "I think the key, though, is the awareness. He runs, he can hit. Man, he's eager to please. He's going to get snaps, he's going to get playing time."
Anthony says he continues to work hard.
"I'm just trying to understand plays in, plays out, just studying the playbook," Anthony said.
The New Orleans coaching staff continues to search for ways to highlight Anthony's strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
"With any of these players, you're constantly looking at, how do we get this guy going better?" Payton said. "What does he do well, and then let's ask him to do that. ... Listen, our thoughts and feelings on Steph haven't changed. I still see this guy as someone that there's a ton of things that we like."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Dannell Ellerbe, who has been trying to come back from a quadricep injury for the past six weeks, was held out of Wednesday's practice after being limited in the lead-up to the Chargers game.
The veteran linebacker has not aggravated the injury, according to Saints head coach Sean Payton.
"No setback, and I'm anxious to see what happens today," Payton said.
Ellerbe injured the quad while running before the Saints' final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.
"We're kind of pushing it and pushing it, and he's been real diligent," Payton said. "Those guys were all here the whole time during the bye rehabbing. We'll keep you posted."
New Orleans has been hit hard by injuries in the first month of the season. With that in mind, any player who's been battling an injury, even if he played against the Chargers, stuck around the area rather than getting away for the break.
"My ankle was hurting last game a little bit," strong safety Kenny Vaccaro said. "I stayed here all week, got the treatment I needed, so I'm back to 100 percent."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
A lot of the faces in Carolina's front seven look familiar to a Saints team that knows this Panthers defense all too well.
Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis still lead the charge at linebacker. Kawann Short, Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson remain up front, even if Johnson is battling an injury right now.
But the secondary has changed considerably. Two times last year, New Orleans prepared for a Carolina secondary led by the outsized personality of Josh Norman and surrounded by the veteran presences of Charles Tillman, Roman Harper and Kurt Coleman.
Only Coleman, the ballhawking free safety, is still in Charlotte.
"If you look at their team, it's a completely different team than they had last year, at least in the secondary," Saints receiver Willie Snead said. "I think that's where they're struggling right now."
Carolina's defense has been solid this season — the Panthers rank 12th in the NFL in total defense, albeit 22nd in points allowed — but far from the dominant presence that has served as head coach Ron Rivera's bedrock in three straight NFC South championships.
Part of the reason is the secondary. During the offseason, the Panthers let Norman walk to Washington rather than pay him $75 million over five years, and Carolina moved on from Tillman and Harper, who is now back in New Orleans.
Carolina replaced Norman and his supporting cast of savvy veterans with a youth movement. The Panthers drafted three cornerbacks in the 2015 draft: Samford's James Bradberry in the second round, West Virginia's Daryl Worley in the third and Oklahoma State's Zack Sanchez in the fifth.
All three now play key roles on the Panthers defense, although Bradberry, the team's new No. 1 cornerback, sat out Monday night's loss to Tampa Bay and did not practice on Wednesday with a turf toe.
"I think they're doing a really good job for us," Rivera said. "I know there are some things that we have to shore up as a defense, but having said that I think those guys are developing very nicely and really are solid young players, that have an opportunity to play in this league."
The results have been decidedly mixed so far. Carolina held Denver and Minnesota under 200 yards passing, but the Panthers have also played a slew of young or backup quarterbacks.
When Carolina faced Atlanta's Matt Ryan two weeks ago, the veteran passer lit up the Panthers for 503 passing yards, including a whopping 300 to Julio Jones.
"There is a lot more to what happened with Atlanta. I think there are a lot of people that do not understand what happened in Atlanta, other than the fact that Julio played very well," Rivera said. "I think this (past week) is a little bit more indicative of how these young guys are developing and growing."
New Orleans' vaunted passing attack will be Carolina's toughest test yet. Jones is far and away the No. 1 receiver for Atlanta; the Saints' trio of Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas has already combined for 54 catches, 733 yards and six touchdowns this season, lifting New Orleans to No. 2 in the NFL in passing.
With Bradberry still ailing, the Panthers susceptible to the pass and struggling to consistently rush the passer, the Saints' receiving corps should have an opportunity to make some big plays on Sunday.
"They've got a lot of young guys, a lot of rookies that are playing," Snead said. "Kurt Coleman is the veteran, and we just have to take advantage of the rookies. We have to attack them."
Drew Brees is still wary of the challenge Carolina presents.
Brees has played a lot of games against Rivera's Panthers. No matter who Carolina might have lost during the offseason, Brees finds himself getting ready for a knock-down, drag-out brawl against the Panthers defense.
"The scheme kind of takes care of itself. They've got a bunch of great players on that defense," Brees said. "A lot of those coaches have been there since 2011, and being a divisional opponent that we play twice a year, it's always going to be a battle."
No matter how many changes Carolina might have made to the back end of its defense.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
The man the New Orleans Saints drafted to eventually take over at right tackle has lined up just about everywhere so far — everywhere except center.
Every time Andrus Peat seems to get settled somewhere, an injury hits the offensive line and forces the Saints to shuffle the big second-year lineman somewhere else.
With Peat currently occupying the left tackle spot normally reserved for the injured Terron Armstead, the shuffling likely isn't about to stop any time soon. The Saints believe they have found the key to making the moves a little easier.
"I think the one thing we've recognized is he's much more comfortable on the left side than he is on the right side at this time," offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. "He's played both guard and tackle for us, and the one thing you notice is when he's been able to play in one spot for a period of time, like all guys, you see confidence."
For some offensive linemen, learning to play the other side of the line is a little bit like a catcher trying to make the move to second base: It's possible, but it's far from easy.
Peat had spent a lifetime at left tackle until the Saints drafted him.
"I've always played there," he said.
New Orleans briefly tried Peat at right guard during training camp, but the second-year player struggled. Finally, right before the season started, the Saints moved him back over to the left side, where he started five games as a guard and tackle as a rookie.
So far, so good. Peat, like any young offensive lineman, has had hiccups, but the offensive line was the least of the Saints' concerns through the first four weeks.
And he has been able to do it despite playing at two different positions and working with three different partners: Armstead, Senio Kelemete and Tim Lelito. A tackle-guard tandem's communication is key, and the silver lining to all of the Saints' shuffling in training camp is that nearly everybody on the line has experience working with an ever-changing range of teammates.
"I feel like everyone does a great job of communicating," Peat said. "Everyone does a good job of talking and staying on the same page."
Peat has become a much better communicator, an indicator of his growth in the offseason. Quiet by nature, he wasn't always as vocal as he needed to be as a rookie. Now, Roushar hears the second-year tackle talking plenty, both on the field and in the film room.
"He's a quiet person to begin with, but I would tell you, in the meeting room and on the field, I'm hearing him communicate more," Roushar said. "I'm hearing more and better questions in his preparation for his opponent."
Peat, like a lot of young players, still has plenty of room to improve. Offered a chance to take stock of his offensive line during the bye week, Roushar spent a couple of days in the film room evaluating every member of a group that has been hit hard by injury.
Roushar saw some technical things that Peat can do better.
"He's a unique player that can play guard and tackle at a fairly high level," Roushar said. "One of the things that jumps out at me is trying to improve his pad level, playing with better leverage, and just making his footwork more precise, whether that be run or pass. And that just comes with time."
Despite the Saints' injury situation, Peat appears to be entrenched on the left side, provided that right tackle Zach Strief remains healthy.
That fits Peat just fine.
"I've had my best games playing on the left side, so it'd be great to stay over there," he said. "But I'm willing to play wherever."
For the moment, it looks like he'll be right at home.
More like this...
- BY ROD WALKER | rwalker@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
In the old days of wrestling, this would be called a "loser leaves town" match.
And although the loser of Sunday’s game between the Saints and Carolina Panthers isn’t officially eliminated from the playoffs, a defeat sure would put an even bigger dent in what seems to be already-slim playoff hopes.
Sometime around 3 p.m. Sunday, either the Saints will be 1-4 or the Panthers will be 1-5.
“I do not think it makes or breaks the season, but it is certainly important,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “I would say that both teams would expect to be much better than what their records reflect right now.”
History tells us that teams that start that slow have a hard time bouncing back to the make the playoffs. This may not be a must-win, but it’s about as close as you can get: Only 12 teams have started 1-4 and made the postseason.
But if you’re a Saints fan looking for some good news, it happened twice last season: The Houston Texans (who started 1-5) and the Kansas City Chiefs both did it.
That’s the good news for Saints fans if they happen to lose Sunday. But the bad news is the next four weeks of the schedule.
At Kansas City. Home against Seattle. Road trip to San Francisco. Home game against Denver.
There are no gimmes on that schedule. Even home games, which just yesterday seemed like guarantees, are no longer a sure thing. These Saints have lost both of their home games this season and are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start in the Dome since 1995.
But, hey, I have some more good news. Maybe.
This is a Carolina team, just eight months removed from playing in the Super Bowl, that is reeling. The Panthers have dropped three straight after their lone win over the 49ers.
Some Panthers fans have already abandoned ship: The team returned a chunk of its allotment of tickets for Sunday's game. Perhaps they weren’t sure whether Cam Newton was going to play after he missed last week’s game with a concussion, but he is expected to return Sunday.
Which version of Newton shows up could determine the outcome. Will it be Superman, who was a near unanimous pick for league MVP honors last season? Or will it be Clark Kent, who is 27th in the league in passing yards and whose 80.2 passer rating ranks 31st?
On the other sideline, which Saints team will show up? Will it be the one that should’ve won against Oakland in Week 1? Or the Week 2 version with the stellar defense that played well enough to beat the New York Giants?
Or the one that was embarrassed in that Week 3 Monday night game against the Falcons? Or the one that gutted out a win in San Diego two weeks ago?
That win gave Saints fans some hope for a season that seemed to be headed down the drain. But now a game that early in the season looked like one worth circling on the calendar has all of a sudden become one that can make or break the season.
“The most desperate team wins," Brees said. "So, if there’s not desperation, you create desperation."
Neither of these teams needs to create it.
They spent the first few weeks of the season doing that.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
A lot of air time has been spent on sports talk shows the past two weeks speculating that the New Orleans Saints will see a more cautious version of Superman this Sunday.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is expected back Sunday, fresh off of suffering the first concussion of his pro career against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Newton has always seemed like the exception, the one quarterback capable of dishing out as much damage as a defensive linemen and remaining healthy.
But after a series of blows to the head in the season opener against Denver and the concussion at Atlanta, NFL experts have been wondering aloud for weeks if Newton will stop running through tacklers and start sliding or stepping out of bounds instead.
New Orleans is expecting to see the same old Newton on Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
"All I know is Cam Newton's a competitor, and he's one of the best in the league," Saints defensive end Kasim Edebali said. "If he's on the field, he's going to give everything he's got."
Roman Harper, who spent two seasons as Newton's teammate in Carolina, can't imagine the quarterback changing his playing style.
"When Cam's in, he's in," Harper said. "He's going to be himself. He can't help that."
Newton's numbers so far this season don't match his MVP season — he's completing 57.9 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions — but the Panthers quarterback has also faced off against Denver and Minnesota, arguably the top two defenses in the NFL.
There is potential for Newton's numbers to rise significantly, even after the 1-4 start. With Kelvin Benjamin healthy again, Newton has more than just Greg Olsen at his disposal, and the Panthers will likely get running back Jonathan Stewart back as well.
If Newton's his normal, battering-ram self, he presents the kind of challenge New Orleans hasn't faced much this season.
Despite playing a string of veteran quarterbacks to start the year, the Saints have mostly played against pocket passers.
Newton presents a unique combination of mobility and strength.
"I thought Derek Carr, he's a good athlete, I think he's pretty mobile, but Cam's a different breed," Saints strong safety Kenny Vaccaro said. "He's not just mobile; he's strong in the pocket. Sometimes it takes two d-linemen to take him down, other times it doesn't, but he can definitely extend plays. And I think this year you see him keeping his eyes downfield and making big plays."
A New Orleans pass rush that has struggled at times this season must find ways to keep Newton contained in the pocket so pressure can speed up his decisions.
When Newton's able to escape, he can extend the play clock and force the Saints' secondary to cover two or three seconds longer than they'd normally have to against a pocket passer.
"We've just got to plaster our coverage and stay with our receivers," Saints cornerback Ken Crawley said. "Play within our coverage."
Newton's strength also keeps the Panthers from taking negative plays. A successful pass rush is no longer just getting to the quarterback; like no quarterback in the league other than arguably Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, Newton is capable of shrugging off the big loss even when he's in the arms of a defender.
"You think he's going a little bit easier than he does go down, and he's able to get the ball off, throw it away or something so you don't get a sack," Saints nose tackle Tyeler Davison said.
There are no easy answers to stopping Newton anymore, but the key, in Harper's mind, is to try to make him uncomfortable, starting with the pass rush.
And once he's on the move, there's no reason to expect Newton to slide.
"You can tell guys have been getting after him a little bit; you've just got to be physical," Edebali said. "You can't treat him like a regular quarterback, you've got to treat him like a running back."
A running back who's still plenty capable of running through any tackler who isn't in the right position.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
The next level: Slowing Greg Olsen is easier said than done
Covering tight ends was one of the weak points of the New Orleans Saints defense in the past few seasons.
It might just be because the Saints haven’t come against a strong enough challenger or the games just went away from tight ends, but New Orleans has done OK defending the position so far this season. Through four games, the Saints have surrendered only 16 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown to tight ends.
That, relative to previous seasons, represents major progress. But the Saints now face a guy who can kill all the good vibes in a single afternoon: Carolina’s Greg Olsen.
The 6-foot-5 tight end has caught 33 passes for 516 yards this season and has a knack for shredding the Saints. In two games last season, he caught 17 passes for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
That’s why coach Sean Payton gushed over him this week.
“Before I even get to his skill set, you can watch him play each week and see passion,” Payton said. “I think that there’s a toughness element to him. He takes on the task of blocking the D gap or getting down the field on a post or a double move or a seam with the same enthusiasm. He’s a very good foot (speed) athlete. He’s flexible.”
For the Saints to win this game, they need to find a way to contain Olsen and force the Panthers to beat them in other ways. That task is easier said than done, but keeping their season alive might rest on being able to figure it out.
Four downs
1. Tight ends back
The Saints will receive a boost this week if tight end Josh Hill is able to return. New Orleans’ offense is at its best when it has formational flexibility but, with Hill out, the team has relied on using mostly three-receiver sets. His return should allow New Orleans to operate as designed.
2. Discipline
This game will test the discipline of the defense. With quarterback Cam Newton a constant threat to run, New Orleans needs to make sure it maintains the integrity of its defense and does not allow Newton to escape around the edges. That has been an issue in past matchups, and it’s a sure way to lose.
3. Deep passing
The Saints haven’t gotten their deep passing game going, and it was almost nonexistent in the previous game against the San Diego Chargers. This could be a good game to get it going. The Panthers have a young secondary, and two of their cornerbacks are out this week. Brandin Cooks could benefit from that.
4. Desperate times
What happens when you put two teams that need a win to keep hope alive on the same field and tell them to fight it out? That’s what we’re going to find out Sunday. At some point, it stops being early in the season, and you become what your record says you are. Neither of these teams wants to be in the NFC South basement.
Who has the edge?
When the Saints pass
Advantage: Saints
Carolina’s secondary is hurting, and the Saints should be able to take advantage.
When the Panthers pass
Advantage: Panthers
The Saints are allowing 301 passing yards per game, which is far too many.
When the Saints run
Advantage: Panthers
Carolina has one of the stingier run defenses in the NFL, which doesn’t bode well for the Saints.
When the Panthers run
Advantage: Panthers
The Panthers are one of the NFL's more dangerous running teams. We all saw what the Falcons did against the Saints.
Special teams
Advantage: Saints
New Orleans has a lot to figure out on special teams, but so does Carolina.
Injury report
Saints
Out: T Terron Armstead (knee), CB Delvin Breaux (fibula), LB Dannell Ellerbe (quad)
Questionable: DE Paul Kruger (back), TE Josh Hill (ankle), G Senio Kelemete (hamstring), LB James Laurinaitis (quad)
The Advocate says: Not many surprises or new developments for the Saints this week on the injury report.
Andrus Peat will continue to start at left tackle, and the defensive plan will remain the same with Breaux and Ellerbe out of action. The biggest question will be whether it's Tim Lelito or Kelemete at left guard.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Craig Robertson starts at middle linebacker again, regardless of whether Laurinaitis is healthy enough to play.
Panthers
Out: James Bradberry (foot), T Michael Oher (concussion), DT Paul Soliai (foot), CB Robert McClain (hamstring), DT Vernon Butler (ankle)
Questionable: DE Charles Johnson (quad), WR Kelvin Benjamin (knee), QB Cam Newton (concussion), RB Jonathan Stewart (hamstring)
The Advocate's predictions
Nick Underhill
I’ve been as inaccurate on my Saints picks as Tim Tebow trying to connect on a 20-yard out route. So, after being repeatedly burned, I’m going to try to change my fortunes by picking Carolina. All it will probably do is result in a Saints win.
Panthers 34, Saints 31
Joel A. Erickson
New Orleans nearly beat Carolina twice last season, and the Saints finally get through Sunday. Cam Newton's getting healthy and Luke Kuechly is still in charge of the defense, but the Panthers have a young secondary and problems getting to the passer.
Saints 34, Panthers 31
Scott Rabalais
The defending NFC champs are in desperate straits and may get revenge on New Orleans when they play in Charlotte. But for now, I don’t think Cam Newton is quite right, and that puts Carolina at a deficit that the Saints can play to their advantage.
Saints 27, Panthers 20
Rod Walker
The last time the Saints lost three straight at home to start the season was in 1995. After a heartbreaking loss to Oakland in the opener and that embarrassing Monday night loss to the Falcons, the Saints avoid the hat trick.
Saints 35, Panthers 31
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
Brandin Cooks isn't about to let the NFL take the bow and arrow out of his hands.
Nor should he.
For Cooks, the celebratory act of pulling back an imaginary arrow after a touchdown is a sign of reverence, a symbol of devotion that hadn't caused any problems, at least until Washington cornerback Josh Norman was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and fined $10,000 for performing a similar celebration near the sideline after an interception two weeks ago.
Cooks was surprised. His bow and arrow has never been a problem before, not even in the 2016 season opener, when he pulled back and fired twice after touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders.
Now, the NFL's competition committee has decided that simulating the act of shooting a bow and arrow represents violence.
"The key is if it's a gesture that either mimics a violent act — that's something with a firearm or a bow and arrow — or a sexually suggestive act, those are unsportsmanlike conduct," Blandino told the NFL Network last week. "That's something that officials will flag. That's direct from the competition committee and something that we're going to try to be as consistent as possible."
Norman's flag and fine represented the first time the NFL has cracked down on Cooks' signature celebration.
"I've been doing it for three years now, and there was never a complaint about it," Cooks said. "Now, all of a sudden, there is. It just reminds me that, it's almost as if they try to take so much away from us, but for something like this, that means so much to someone that has nothing to do with violence, it's frustrating. I'll definitely continue to speak my opinion about it, and if they have a problem with it, so be it."
Cooks picked up his bow and arrow from the Bible.
A devout Christian whose Twitter account is dotted with passages from the Bible, Cooks initially found himself struck by the story of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and his wife's servant, an Egyptian named Hagar. After Abraham's wife, Sarah, bore him another son, Isaac, she wanted the boy and Hagar cast out of their house, and God promised to Abraham that he would make a great nation out of Ishmael, the same promise he'd made about Isaac.
Ishmael and Hagar wandered in the wilderness after leaving Abraham, and the boy became an expert archer to provide for himself and his mother.
The story stuck with Cooks, and then he found another verse that spoke to him.
Psalms 144:6.
"Send forth lightning and scatter your enemy, and shoot your arrows and rout them," Cooks quoted. "I just remember it sticking with me for such a long time, I remember thinking, maybe I can do something with this."
The symbolism matters so much to Cooks that he calls himself "The Archer" and had a gold pendant custom-made in the offseason to wear on a gold chain around his neck.
For Cooks, the bow and arrow is equivalent to pointing to the heavens or dropping to a knee after he crosses the goal line.
"It's one of those things that keeps me honed in and keeps me humble through the success and the gifts that I've been given," Cooks said. "I think it's a pretty cool way to give God the glory in a different way, and for other people to see it and buy in."
Hard to understand why the NFL would take that away from him. A bow and arrow might be deadly, but Robin Hood and Cupid are more playful than malicious, and this is 2016. Any fan who wonders why Cooks is firing an imaginary arrow can Google the answer in a flash.
But on a deeper level, the NFL spends too much time trying to erase the personalities of its players. As much as the league wants to pretend it is populated by freakishly athletic drones, the NFL is made up of human beings, and their backgrounds, stories and inspirations draw fans to the game as much as their achievements.
Cooks, for example, has far more depth than his blinding speed. The wide receiver was available Tuesday as a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz's partnership with Uber to give away tickets to Saints games. Fans who open the Uber app and use the promo code "MBDrivesNOLA" before kickoff will be eligible to be one of 25 who select Mercedes-Benz vehicles and earn two free tickets to the Superdome.
The reason for Cooks' partnership with Mercedes-Benz? Right after he was drafted, he bought his mother a Mercedes-Benz, the car he'd always loved as a kid. The company saw the story and brought him on board.
So Cooks isn't going to let the NFL's sudden emphasis on banning archery-related imagery take away something that has become a central symbol of his faith.
"I plan to continue a form of it, but who knows what's going to happen, you know, once you're in the end zone, when so much adrenaline is going and so much excitement is going?" Cooks said. "One thing I want to make sure I don't do is hurt my team, but I'll do a form of it in such a way where hopefully I don't get flagged on it."
The fact that he has to alter his celebration at all is a shame.
No matter what the NFL says, Cooks' arrow has always been aimed in the right direction.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints have another quarterback on their roster.
The team claimed Joe Callahan, who was waived by the Packers, and cut offensive tackle Khalif Barnes to make room for the new addition.
The rookie completed 61.4 of his passes during the preseason with three touchdowns, and no interceptions for an 88.2 quarterback rating over 182 snaps.
The Packers were impressed enough with the rookie to carry him on the active roster coming out of camp. And the Saints, who had one of the higher waiver claims in the league, were obviously intrigued by what Callahan put on film.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wesley, the 6-foot-1 quarterback completed 915 of 1,420 passes for 12,852 yards and 130 touchdowns with 38 interceptions. He led the Division III school to a 33-7 record during that span.
New Orleans is currently carrying Drew Brees and Luke McCown on the 53-man roster. It waived Garrett Grayson, a 2015 third-round pick, last month and signed him to the practice squad.
Barnes has bounced off and on the roster since the end of training camp.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Losing Erik Harris will be a blow for the Saints.
The safety wasn’t logging snaps on defense, but played a team-high 99 snaps on special team before suffering a torn ACL earlier this week during practice and landing on injured reserve. His injury creates a void the team must now find a way to fill.
“We got to have people step up in new positions,” tight end Josh Hill said. “He’s a guy that came in and was playing really well. We’ll lean on each other and do what we can do to fill his role a little bit.”
The Saints brought up Brian Dixon from the practice squad, as it did prior to the last game against San Diego, to help alleviate the burden on special teams. Last season, Dixon served a core special teams player and was a standout at the gunner position on the punt team.
It’s a tough blow for a Saints team that has had some issues on special teams throughout the season. According to Football Outsiders, New Orleans currently ranks 21st in the NFL in overall special teams production.
The team struggled a little bit last year, as well, according to these special teams rankings, finishing 26th overall. However, the team finished 11th in 2014.
“In the kicking game it’s more about some of the younger guys understanding the nuances of special-teams units,” coach Sean Payton said. “Then the question is what’s the best thing this guy does in coverage, what’s the best thing he does in protection. I think we have a handful of returns, maybe more than we’ve had in a while, hopefully we can get that return game going.”
The team currently is averaging 17.7 yards per kick return, and 7.1 yards on punt returns. Both marks rank near the bottom of the league.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Sheldon Rankins will likely start making his return form injured reserve in the near future.
Coach Sean Payton was asked Friday if the rookie defensive tackle will start practicing next week, and responded by saying, "I think so, yeah."
Rankins suffered a broken fibula during training camp and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.
Under the new rules, a player does not have be designated to return at the time when he's placed on injured reserve, but each team can only bring one player back. However, the player has to spend six weeks on the shelf and then can practice for two weeks before returning.
Rankins, a first-round pick, was expected to start at defensive tackle. Since his injury, Nick Fairley has logged the majority of snaps at that position. Both players are expected to serve in the sub-rush once Rankins returns.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints will be without three starters this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee), cornerback Delvin Breaux (fibula) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (quad) have been ruled out for Sunday's game.
Andrus Peat logged the snaps at left tackle in the other games Armstead has missed. Senio Kelemete (hamstring), who is questionable, or Tim Lelito will likely start at left guard.
Defensive end Paul Kruger (back), tight end Josh Hill (ankle) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (quad) are listed as questionable. All the limited players practiced in a limited capacity, outside of Kruger, who was held out.
For Carolina, cornerback James Bradberry (foot), tackle Michael Oher (concussion), defensive tackle Paul Soliai (foot), cornerback Robert McClain (hamstring) and defensive tackle Vernon Butler (ankle) have been ruled out.
Quarterback Cam Newton (concussion) and running back Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) are among those listed as questionable.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
Sometimes it’s easy for the Saints to forget how far Willie Snead has come as a wide receiver, and how deep his understanding of the game goes.
When he showed in camp before last season, it seemed like he already had it all figured out and was ready made to make plays.
“I probably don't appreciate that as much because it just seems like when we first got him that came natural to him,” coach Sean Payton said.
That level of polish also can also make it difficult to see how much Snead has grown in the classroom and in his understanding of the game from when he had 984 receiving yards as a rookie to this season, which is where a large portion of his success comes from.
The receiver pulled in 69 passes last season and often made things look easy, but his production disguised the fact that he was trying to process a lot of information on the field, sometimes at a slower pace than he'd like.
Instead of looking at the defense and immediately knowing what adjustments to make based on the coverage, there were times when he was figuring it on the fly, and it would disrupt the timing of the offense.
That’s why he dedicated his offseason to watching film. He now feels like he gets it. The information is coming quickly, and it’s one of the reasons he ranks 11th in the NFL with 83 yards receiving per game.
It's also why he’s caught 15 of the 18 passes thrown to him this season.
“If I see it early enough, then I can adjust everything I need to do to be on the same page,” Snead said.
His quarterback agrees.
“He’s grown a tremendous amount. I think there’s a level of comfort there, a level of confidence,” Drew Brees said. “Obviously he’s worked extremely hard to get to the point where he is now. And I think he knows how much trust and confidence I have in him as well.”
New Orleans has proof of how deep Snead's understanding of the offense goes.
There are times when the Saints put a marker in their receivers’ hands and ask them to draw the rest of the passing pattern. The players almost always, of course, know what they’re being asked to do, but there are times when they are blind to what’s happening elsewhere on the field.
There aren’t many moments when Snead gets caught slipping. He almost always knows what the guys on either side of him are doing, and rates highly among the other players in the room in terms of understanding and knowing the whole offense.
“He would probably be one of the higher-graded players on offense that would be able to do that,” Payton said. “’This is what (Brandin) Cooks is doing over here, this is what Michael (Thomas is) doing, this is what I’m doing, this is what the back does.’ You’d be surprised sometimes how players just learn what they do. You’re always, as a coach, trying to teach the whole picture and how it applies.”
Snead is hopeful that his strong start to the season will carry over to Sunday when he goes against the Carolina Panthers. Many people probably forget that the receiver spent a few weeks on Carolina’s practice squad in 2014, but that experience sticks with him.
While he has the utmost respect for the organization, the fact that the Panthers gave up on him stokes his fire.
“I’m blessed and thankful for everything that’s happened thus far,” Snead said. “When I see the Panthers, I do feel some type of way about it. At the end of the day, I try to keep it humble and just play my heart out.”
And Snead says he’ll be ready to go at full speed. He missed the Atlanta game with a toe injury and was only around 80 percent during the last game against the San Diego Chargers, a contest in which he finished with one reception for 23 yards.
Coming off the open week, he says he’s up to about 95 percent and can now bear weight on his injured foot and was able to cut during practice this week.
“I wasn’t all the way there,” Snead said. “That was the first action I’ve had since the injury, just trying to put all my weight on that foot, it was discomforting at times. But I fought through it.”
Snead’s fought through a lot of things during his career. Sunday will be an opportunity to show a team he used to know how far he’s come.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Stephone Anthony is biding his time.
After playing a prominent role as the middle linebacker as rookie, Anthony was switched to strongside linebacker and has had difficulty finding his way on the field this season. He's logged just 51 snaps, including just one against the San Diego Chargers in the last game.
It's been a bit of a fall, but Anthony says he's not frustrated and focusing on getting better.
"It’s just put in the time," Anthony said. "Put in the time in the film room and at home and just get in that book a little bit more and just focus.
"Nothing is given, you earn everything you get. And whenever opportunities come, just play when the time comes."
Anthony was asked if he feels he's earned a role with how he's played this season but he declined to answer one way or the other.
"I’m not sure, man," Anthony said. "I think whatever coach asks me to do, that’s what I do."
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was asked last week why Anthony hasn't been playing, and said that the linebacker needs to have a better understanding of what the team is trying to do. He added that it's up to the coaching staff to find a way to use the former first-round pick.
"The biggest challenge is putting him in a position and asking him to do some of the things that he does well," Allen said. "One thing he can do well is run and hit, so we've got to put him in positions where he can do those things, and maybe take a little bit of the thought process out of it."
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The New Orleans Saints are still trying to get several players healthy after the bye week.
Cornerback Delvin Breaux (fibula), offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee) defensive end Paul Kruger (back), linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (quad) and safety Erik Harris (torn ACL/meniscus) did not take part in practice.
Tight end Josh Hill (high ankle sprain), guard Senio Kelemete (hamstring) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (quadricep) were all limited after missing the Chargers game due to injury.
For the Panthers, cornerback James Bradberry (foot), defensive tackle Vernon Butler (ankle), defensive end Charles Johnson (quad), tackle Michael Oher (concussion) and defensive tackle Paul Soliai (foot) did not practice.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
The New Orleans offense hasn’t been able to operate as designed through the first quarter of the season.
The Saints are a team that likes use to multiple tight ends on the field and run various route concepts with different personnel. An injury to Michael Hoomanawanui during the offseason was a blow for the offense. And a subsequent ankle injury to tight end Josh Hill has forced New Orleans to operate primarily out of three-receiver sets.
Instead of having a pair of players who are threats in the receiving game, when the Saints have deployed more than one tight end, it’s typically been Coby Fleener and Chris Manhertz, who is still developing as a route runner and has yet to be targeted. And seeing those two on the field together has been rare.
Overall, the Saints have used two or more tight ends on 41 snaps, which is one of the lowest marks in the league. New Orleans has used its three-receiver personnel on about 175 plays. That type of ratio is uncommon for this team. While the impact is obvious in the running game and limits the number of play-action opportunities, it also changes how the passing offense operates.
The good news is that Hill should be back on the field in the coming weeks.
“When you got two tight ends, and you get certain coverages with two tight ends that sometimes (you wouldn’t with three receivers),” wide receivers coach John Morton said. “We’ve probably been a little bit more 11 personnel (one tight end, three wide receivers) more than what we’re used to. But getting Josh Hill back is going to pay dividends for us because we can do a lot more things.”
It might seem like hand-wringing over nothing since the Saints offense is producing at a comparable pace in terms of yards and big plays from last season. But the team struggled, at least by New Orleans’ standards, to move the ball through the air against the San Diego Chargers (207 yards) and New York Giants (263).
There are likely several reasons behind this, some of which might be the result of how the team was defended or the quality of competition. But part of the reason might be because of the limited personnel packages available.
The Saints introduced a three-tight-end package last season after acquiring Hoomanawanui via a trade with the New England Patriots. It’s not something someone would consider a passing package, and New Orleans often used it to set it up big shots down the field since the personnel encourages teams to stack the box and defend against the run and leave a single safety deep.
New Orleans often gets looks that can be advantageous for passing while in 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers). If you look at some of the shots the Saints took down the field last season, many came with multiple tight ends on the field, and Brandin Cooks was often the beneficiary on these plays.
Against the Lions last season, he had gains of 13, 27 and 29 yards operating out of looks with two or more tight ends. He also scored a 54-yard touchdown against the Panthers, a 38-yard touchdown against the Titans and a 26-yard touchdown against the Giants from these sets.
Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown against the Raiders in Week 1? It came out of 12 personnel, with eight defenders in the box and a single-high safety.
While Cooks gets open and routinely makes big plays from other personnel groupings, and against all types of coverages, these looks help open things up for him and the other receivers. Not having it as part of the arsenal is taking something from the offense, and it has changed how the Saints dictate some matchups.
“I think it would be very normal for defenses to run certain things, three-tight-end is certainly different,” coach Sean Payton said. “If you are in your heavy, three-tight-end (package), I think there are a certain two or three ways defenses are going to play you. That would be much different than if you were in a three- or four-wide look.
“It’s just a matter of what you’re trying to accomplish with the tight ends. Are you out there trying to run the ball with some play action or are you in those sets with the mindset of throwing first?”
The other thing about not having tight ends available is that it has robbed New Orleans of some ability to disguise and surprise defenses in the passing game. The Saints don’t have a lot of plays that are run just from one specific personnel grouping. There’s overlap, and some of the concepts run within three-receiver sets can also be run with two or three tight ends on the field.
An example of this came against the Carolina Panthers during Week 13 last season. In the first quarter, the Saints ran a passing concept out of both 11 and 13 personnel. The first play, which resulted in a 14-yard touchdown to Ben Watson, had the receiver to the left running a post route, the slot receiver to the right running a post, and the outside receiver running up the sideline. Watson went up the seam.
Later in the game, the Saints ran the same route concept on the right side of the formation with Hoomanawanui, the inline tight end, running up the seam, Watson running the post, and Cooks going up the sideline. Hoomanawanui caught the ball for a gain of 19.
At the very least, not being able to switch up some of the personnel packages has taken some the guesswork out of the equation for defenses.
“But certainly your personnel, the first thing we look at cut-up wise on a team is a personnel formation page to see how they play 11, three by one, two by two, how they play 12, two tight ends, how they play 13 (three tight ends, one receiver),” Payton said. “So a lot of it is how they see you and what they feel like you are trying to do with it.”
Hill caught only 16 passes last season for 120 yards, but getting him back could, indeed, pay dividends for the offense.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The Saints worked out several players on Tuesday, including former first-round pick Bjoern Werner, according to a source.
The pass rusher was selected in the first round of the the 2013 draft and logged 6 1/2 sacks over three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He did not have a sack during the 2015 season.
He spent camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was cut prior to the season.
The Saints tried out several other players, many of which have shown the ability to rush the passer. Among them were linebacker Derek Akunne, defensive end Wes Horton, defensive end Royce LaFrance, linebacker Danny Lansanah, linebacker John Lotulelei, linebacker Dezman Moses, linebacker Andy Mulumba, linebacker Shaquille Riddick, and defensive end Greg Townsend.
Moses and LaFrance both attended Tulane. LaFrance spent some time with the Saints over the summer, while Moses spent the last four years playing for the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 3 min to read
This wasn’t what the New Orleans Saints had planned for Ken Crawley.
The team saw a promising player, one it wanted to develop, get some snaps, and use on special teams. No one expected the cornerback to be matching up with Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones in Week 3.
But football has a way of ruining plans.
Delvin Breaux broke his fibula in Week 1, and then P.J. Williams was gone a week later after suffering a concussion that landed him on injured reserve. Just like that, Crawley became a starting cornerback.
“He’s been put into a position where he’s getting a lot of playing time,” secondary coach Aaron Glenn said. “It’s unfortunate as a rookie, an undrafted rookie, to be put in that position, but I think he’s handled it well.”
Crawley has responded well to the challenge. He has played 88 percent of the defensive snaps, which ranks second behind only linebacker Craig Robertson (97) and standout pass rusher Cam Jordan (89), and he has proved to be capable.
There have been some gaffes along the way, such as a costly pass interference penalty against Atlanta. He also was in coverage and in position to make a play on a deep pass to Victor Cruz that ultimately sank the Saints against the New York Giants in Week 2.
But there have also been some highs, like in Week 3 against the Falcons. He was targeted five times while covering Jones and gave up one reception for 16 yards. While two of those incompletions were the result of bad passes by quarterback Matt Ryan, Crawley forced Jones out of bounds and broke up another pass to force incompletions.
“Man, I know this: It’s not too big for him, and I like that,” Saints coach Sean Payton said after the Atlanta game.
As success has come, Crawley has started to feel more confident.
“That’s from preparation — knowing what routes I’m expecting and just going out and playing them and having fun,” he said. “Not playing too tense out there. Just knowing my responsibility and matching those routes.”
According to The Advocate’s charting, Crawley has been targeted 25 times in coverage and has allowed 16 receptions for 188 yards with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. A good amount of those yards came in Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders, when he gave up seven receptions on eight targets for 66 yards.
There was also a breakdown in zone coverage that Crawley was part of against the San Diego Chargers that resulted in a 57-yard touchdown, but it’s not clear which party was responsible.
But he's getting better each week. His coverage is improving, and he has made some impressive plays, such as going in pursuit to force a fumble on a 40-yard reception against the New York Giants after another defensive back was beaten off the line.
“He’s improved tremendously since rookie camp from his stance, from his understanding of the game, from his confidence,” Glenn said. “There’s a big improvement from rookie camp until now.”
Crawley knows there are key areas where he can get better. He’s working to improve his ability to locate the ball and admits his technique could use improvement, such as how he breaks on the ball.
But he feels like he’s improving, and a lot of his success can be attributed to his study habits. Crawley has been putting in a lot of work in that area and hasn’t been afraid to lean on other people in the building to help him prepare for upcoming opponents.
“If I got to ask the coaches for extra, texting them at night, getting with these veteran guys,” Crawley said. “Even the rookie, De’Vante (Harris), we’ll share key notes about different receivers, and what they do, what they see about these guys and what do they think.”
The Saints will have a hard decision to make when Breaux returns. Crawley has played well on the outside, but so has Sterling Moore. Someone is going to be knocked out of the base defense.
It could make sense to have Crawley come on in nickel packages, with Moore sliding to the inside.
But having to pick and choose is a good thing. It means Crawley is making progress and playing well.
“Some of the things he’s really working on, he’s working hard to get those things down,” Glenn said. “For a guy that’s undrafted as a rookie and play against some of the competition he’s played against, he’s done a heck of a job.”
It wasn’t the plan, but something good could be emerging from the hardships the Saints have had to face because of injuries.
- BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com
- 4 min to read
Michael Thomas leads all NFL rookie wide receivers in receptions, is tied for the lead in touchdowns and is third in receiving yards.
The current trajectory would put the New Orleans Saints rookie just shy of finishing with 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, which by any standard would be a strong season for a first-year player.
And yet the Saints see a player who could be playing even better.
They see a player who could improve on his splits, how he releases off the line of scrimmage, the way he details his routes and his general technique. Those improvements have come, sometimes at a rapid pace, but once he cleans everything up, Thomas should be even more productive on Sundays.
That's a good spot for the second-round pick to be in and speaks to how much potential the team sees in him.
“Some of these guys, when they come to college, they got bad habits and stuff,” Saints wide receivers coach John Morton said. “He’s been working on that. He gets better at something every week.”
When Thomas came into the league, everyone raved about his hands. He didn’t drop many passes at Ohio State, and there were anecdotes about him doing hand yoga to stretch his mitts and make them bigger, stronger and more flexible.
The benefits of his work showed up repeatedly during training camp, when the 6-foot-3 receiver made acrobatic, one-handed catches in tight coverage. He hasn’t had to make one of those plays in a game yet, but those hands are why he has been able to pull in 21 passes for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns through four games.
Some might look at Thomas’ 10.9 yards per reception, which ranks 83rd in the NFL, and assume he lacks big-play ability or hasn’t been making much happen after the catch. But the only reason he has 21 receptions is his ability to quickly create separation at the line, get off press coverage and make catches in tight windows.
Without those skills, his numbers would be lower, and the Saints might be lacking an essential element in the passing game.
“He’s just another great playmaker that adds to our offense,” wide receiver Willie Snead said. “Me and (Brandin) Cooks and Mike T, that’s a hell of a combination. He’s getting a lot of single coverage, and he knows how to beat the one-on-one matchups.”
Sometimes these aren’t the kind of plays that make highlight reels, but Thomas’ ability to quickly create separation and make contested catches shows up every week. Against the Oakland Raiders in the season opener, he created just enough separation from cornerback D.J. Hayden with a jab step to make a contested catch for a gain of 2 yards while the pass rush was closing in on quarterback Drew Brees.
His touchdown against the San Diego Chargers last Sunday fit the same profile. A quick jab step got cornerback Pierre Desir moving the wrong way, which gave Thomas room to get open for a 5-yard reception in tight coverage. And there's the 13-yard reception he had on a slant, using the jab step again, against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford.
Sometimes it leads to bigger gains. After Thomas beat a jam from the New York Giants’ Eli Apple at the line — and again at the top of the route — he hauled in a gain of 17 yards on an in route. The play worked so well that New Orleans ran it back — and Thomas beat the jam again, picking up 23 yards.
Of Thomas’ 31 targets, 17 have come against press or man coverage. He has caught 13 of those passes, including two touchdowns. While his feet play a part in his success in this area, his hands — to get off jams and make contested catches — are what makes it work.
“He’s a pretty big receiver. He’s really strong,” Morton said. “You hear offensive linemen say they have strong hands. He has strong hands. He can get off press, and he’s physical with the DBs. There’s no question that helps him out in press coverage.”
Thomas has shown an ability to run every route. His highest-percentage route so far is the curl, which makes sense since the Saints have played some zone teams. Atlanta, for example, plays a lot of off coverage, and the curl allows him to operate underneath the coverage.
But, of the rest of his routes, the majority have been run over the middle on ins, slants and crossing routes. He has run a good amount of go, posts and corners as well, but very few out routes.
As far as where he lines up, you’d have to look hard to find the couple of times he has come out of the slot. The reason for that: Thomas excels over the middle and in traffic. Most of his damage has come on crossing routes (four catches on five targets for 31 yards), ins (5-for-8, 79 yards) and slants (7-for-11, 63 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). Thomas has also caught two curls for 17 yards.
The Saints said they want to find more ways to get the ball in Thomas’ hands. In time, that could mean more targets outside the numbers on breaking routes, where he would have more room to make things happen.
“We have to look to continue to find touches for him, but yes, I would say he has come up with some big plays when we needed him,” coach Sean Payton said. “(The San Diego) touchdown was certainly significant, being fourth down. There are always a ton of things that as a rookie receiver he needs to work on with his releases, his splits and his alignment. But he does play hard, and he does show the ability to make plays in the crowded area.”
Thomas is already off to a solid start, and he should only continue to get better. Snead sees Thomas going through the same growing pains he did last year, his first as a starter, and expects things to get easier for his teammate each week.
“I think reading coverage and seeing the whole field and not just seeing the field in front of him,” Snead said. “The more reps you get, the better you get at it, and you see more. That was what it was for me last year, and I know that’s what he’s going through, and I’m sure he’ll get better.”
If the Saints find more ways to get the ball in Thomas’ hands, and if the game continues to slow down for him, he might be able to jab step around his current pace and get on the other side of the 1,000-yard plateau.
But even if he doesn't hit that milestone, Thomas, Snead and Cooks look like they're turning into a solid combination.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 5 min to read
For the first 12 years of its existence, the NFC South was the NFL's most volatile division — a medieval squabble of warring clans trading power back and forth.
No NFC South team — not even the New Orleans Saints of Sean Payton and Drew Brees — repeated as division champion for more than a decade.
And everybody but the Atlanta Falcons made the Super Bowl at least once.
"I feel like this division has always been extremely competitive," Brees said. "Regardless of records and put those aside, when there’s a division game in the NFC South, man, it’s tough to get a win, whether you are home or on the road."
Somehow in all of that chaos, Roman Harper essentially has spent his entire career at the head of the NFC South: first in a streak of playoff performances for the Saints, then during two seasons with the Carolina Panthers as a key part of a long string of tight, hard-fought battles between the teams.
Back in New Orleans again, Harper finds himself getting ready for the next installment of the series, the latest in the kind of division battles Brees said he expects when the Saints and Panthers get together.
Nobody has more knowledge of these teams than Harper.
"There’s more than one way to skin a cat," Harper said. "Success can be bred and sought after in many different ways, and the way we did it in Carolina was so different than the way we had success here."
Off to Carolina — and back
Harper, a member of the foundational 2006 draft class that teamed with Brees to form the core of the Saints' early success under Payton, fell into Carolina's lap when New Orleans released him after the 2013 season.
But he wasn't looking for two chances a year to prove to his old team that it had made a mistake. Harper chose the Panthers for a more elemental reason.
"I needed a job," he said. "Being in the same division made it a lot easier. I know all the teams in this division, and it was an easy transition for me."
Harper headed to Carolina with a fairly narrow view of how to win in the NFL. He had spent his entire career in New Orleans under Payton; his Bill Parcells-influenced leadership style was all Harper knew.
Ron Rivera immediately started expanding Harper's horizons.
"Different head coaches — offensively, defensively minded," Harper said. "Coach Rivera’s the complete opposite of what you would think Sean Payton is, but they’re both so effective at bringing across their points."
Everything felt different — right down to the fact that the Panthers practice outside every day, a departure from the mostly indoor sessions the Saints hold during the season.
And there were a whole new set of leaders to learn, including a happy-go-lucky, exuberant, young quarterback. Harper knew plenty about Cam Newton as a player after so many battles against the Panthers in the first three years of the quarterback's career. But he didn't know much about Newton as a person.
"He’s one of the funniest guys you’ll ever meet; he’s such a loose, flowing guy, and he's always joking," Harper said. "It’s just really how great of a teammate he is and all the things he’s done for that locker room where it comes to presents and other things like that, surprising guys and taking care of guys. He’s one of the better teammates you’ll find."
Reborn and refreshed by the shift, Harper played in all 32 games of his two seasons in Charlotte, helping the Panthers win the second and third titles of an NFC South three-peat that broke the division's long-standing ban on repeat winners.
Then he came close to reliving the Super Bowl experience he had first felt after the 2009 season.
"Being on a 14-0 team is something that I’ll always remember," Harper said. "It’s the best season that I’ve been a part of, other than winning the Super Bowl. Those are the things I’ll always carry with me."
The Panthers let him go during the offseason, eager to promote Tre Boston, a safety Carolina drafted in the same offseason that it brought Harper to Charlotte, North Carolina.
For the second time in his NFL career, Harper found himself unwanted by a team he loved — only without any hard feelings.
"It was something different, and I really enjoyed it," he said. "It allowed me to grow as a person and see that I didn’t just stay in my one shell. You grow as a person and a player when you get out of your comfort zone."
A new beginning
Two years before Harper made his return to New Orleans, Rivera had predicted the veteran safety would be a Saint again at some point.
Even if neither knew it at the time.
Shortly after the Panthers signed Harper, Rivera approached his new safety with a unique kind of compliment.
"He told me, ‘Roman, you know what? I appreciate you so much and all the things you bring to this team, this locker room,' " Harper said. " 'But I feel like you’re one of those players that the Saints ... maybe you should never leave that organization. You're one of those guys.' "
Harper gets a kick out of that message now. When he got back to New Orleans, the veteran safety realized he was not returning to the same Saints team he left.
"It’s a big-time adjustment," he said. "The whole team’s different. I didn’t know many people besides Kenny (Vaccaro) and Cam (Jordan) and Mark (Ingram) and Drew, but the team had completely turned over, so I have to kind of jive back in and let people know who I am as a person, not just a jersey or all these stories you hear about Harper."
Harper, who through four games has played 107 defensive snaps and made one start in relief of an injured Vaccaro, acclimated quickly, albeit in a reduced role. But it turns out the Saints weren't the only part of the relationship that was different.
"He’s obviously in his 11th year, and I think from a leadership standpoint, he’s been on a lot of winning teams," Payton said. "I think in his next career, when that comes, that’s going to help him, because he understands and recognizes the specific attention to detail, the difficulty of playing week in and week out and winning games and the energy that takes. Certainly, he’s a lot wiser.”
Harper instantly became one of the leaders for a secondary in the middle of a youth movement, taking players aside in meetings and helping the young guys understand the game plan week to week as injuries trimmed the ranks.
This week, he has an even bigger role. As Rivera admitted earlier this week, Harper's the perfect scouting resource for Payton and company.
"Being there for two years, I know their identity, their personnel, the things they like to do, the things they believe in, so it’s a unique situation for myself," Harper said. "I’ll give (the Saints) as much information or as little as they want. I’m just here to help this team win games, and whatever that takes, whether it's lining up on the field or helping them in the classroom with some things we’ll see or face."
Back in the fray
No matter what happens Sunday, Harper is going to walk away from football some day with a healthy love for both the Saints and the Panthers.
He plans to raise his three kids in Charlotte, all while maintaining a home in the New Orleans area.
"It’s super nice," Harper said of Charlotte. "Real slow. Kids don’t grow up fast there. They’ve got some really good school systems and stuff like that in certain places. My wife loves it there. I just like it; it’s all right."
For the moment, Harper is focused on getting the Saints a win against the team that offered him a spot when he thought his career in New Orleans had ended for good. And his former team is aware of the threat he presents in a game between two one-win teams desperate to avoid the NFC South cellar.
"We have to look at some things," Rivera said. "We know Roman Harper is over there, so we have to do some things that are going to be a little bit different, obviously because of him."
The jersey might have changed, but this weekend, Harper finds himself in a place he has been so many times before.
Right in the middle of another NFC South battle.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
The New Orleans Saints brought up rookie wide receiver Jake Lampman from the practice squad and released tight end Chris Manhertz.
Lampman, a 6-foot, 205-pound undrafted free agent out of Ferris State, has been a member of the practice squad since the day after the Saints made their final cuts to 53. The rookie had one catch for 19 yards in the preseason.
New Orleans' decision to release Manhertz likely means the Saints are confident about getting back the full services of Josh Hill on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Manhertz has missed three games with a high ankle sprain.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
Kasim Edebali has spent most of his third season in the NFL doing the dirty work.
Edebali, who looked like the Saints' starter at the defensive end spot opposite Cameron Jordan until New Orleans signed Paul Kruger late in the preseason, has played 91 snaps on special teams and 82 on defense through four games.
He might have to play a bigger role Sunday. Kruger, who left the Saints' win over the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago with a back injury, is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. If Kruger can't go, Edebali would step into the starting lineup opposite Jordan.
"If your number's called, you've got to be ready," Edebali said. "Kruger came in here after preseason. He was the man up. He had to play, and he was playing. Now, no matter what happens, everyone on the D-line has to be ready to play this week."
Edebali, who had 18 tackles, five sacks and six quarterback hits in 361 snaps as a second-year player, seemed like he might be headed for a breakout year after a two-sack performance against the New England Patriots in the preseason opener.
"I think I played well, and if the coaches think I can be a starter, they'd have to have the confidence in me," Edebali said. "But it is what it is, and no matter what, I'm ready to go. I'm not a selfish guy; I want to make sure the team wins."
For a long time, Jordan has been saying Edebali just needs more snaps to show what he can do, but his limited work didn't produce big numbers in the first quarter of this season. Edebali has two tackles and a batted pass in 82 snaps, although he has produced several hurries.
His best work has come in the kicking game.
"He’s playing in rotational snaps in the sub, and he’s playing in all the special teams," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "He had an outstanding game against San Diego in the kicking game. He was the special teams game-ball winner. I think he’s been real good."
Edebali has stepped up when the Saints needed him before. During his rookie season of 2014, Edebali sacked Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers twice in a New Orleans win, and his combination of athleticism and hustle placed him second on the team in sacks last season.
Jordan and defensive tackle Nick Fairley could use some help. That tandem has 5.5 of the team's seven sacks, not to mention 12 of the defense's 20 tackles for loss. Kruger had a half-sack in San Diego before suffering his back injury.
"I think he's going to step up and do well for us," Fairley said of Edebali. "He's quick off the ball. He's explosive. He's very strong. He's got long arms, so he can set edges in the run game. Really, I don't see any drop-off from him to Paul."
Trying to prove himself with just a couple of snaps per series has been a tough task for Edebali, particularly given the Saints' defensive struggles. But if his team needs him Sunday, he will be ready to go.
"I come in with a lot of confidence now," he said. "I'm just ready to go, ready to get after it and make plays."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Stephone Anthony's sophomore struggles have kept him off the field in the first quarter of the season, but the New Orleans Saints remain optimistic that the 2015 first-round pick will be a key player for the defense in the future.
Anthony, who has played just 51 snaps defensively this season and fewer than 13 in all but one game, has no problem getting where he wants to go in a hurry.
The problem is figuring out the right direction, and when that happens, Saints head coach Sean Payton sees Anthony's playing time increasing.
"I think he's going to get more snaps as we progress through this season," Payton said. "I think the key, though, is the awareness. He runs, he can hit. Man, he's eager to please. He's going to get snaps, he's going to get playing time."
Anthony says he continues to work hard.
"I'm just trying to understand plays in, plays out, just studying the playbook," Anthony said.
The New Orleans coaching staff continues to search for ways to highlight Anthony's strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
"With any of these players, you're constantly looking at, how do we get this guy going better?" Payton said. "What does he do well, and then let's ask him to do that. ... Listen, our thoughts and feelings on Steph haven't changed. I still see this guy as someone that there's a ton of things that we like."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 1 min to read
Dannell Ellerbe, who has been trying to come back from a quadricep injury for the past six weeks, was held out of Wednesday's practice after being limited in the lead-up to the Chargers game.
The veteran linebacker has not aggravated the injury, according to Saints head coach Sean Payton.
"No setback, and I'm anxious to see what happens today," Payton said.
Ellerbe injured the quad while running before the Saints' final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.
"We're kind of pushing it and pushing it, and he's been real diligent," Payton said. "Those guys were all here the whole time during the bye rehabbing. We'll keep you posted."
New Orleans has been hit hard by injuries in the first month of the season. With that in mind, any player who's been battling an injury, even if he played against the Chargers, stuck around the area rather than getting away for the break.
"My ankle was hurting last game a little bit," strong safety Kenny Vaccaro said. "I stayed here all week, got the treatment I needed, so I'm back to 100 percent."
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
A lot of the faces in Carolina's front seven look familiar to a Saints team that knows this Panthers defense all too well.
Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis still lead the charge at linebacker. Kawann Short, Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson remain up front, even if Johnson is battling an injury right now.
But the secondary has changed considerably. Two times last year, New Orleans prepared for a Carolina secondary led by the outsized personality of Josh Norman and surrounded by the veteran presences of Charles Tillman, Roman Harper and Kurt Coleman.
Only Coleman, the ballhawking free safety, is still in Charlotte.
"If you look at their team, it's a completely different team than they had last year, at least in the secondary," Saints receiver Willie Snead said. "I think that's where they're struggling right now."
Carolina's defense has been solid this season — the Panthers rank 12th in the NFL in total defense, albeit 22nd in points allowed — but far from the dominant presence that has served as head coach Ron Rivera's bedrock in three straight NFC South championships.
Part of the reason is the secondary. During the offseason, the Panthers let Norman walk to Washington rather than pay him $75 million over five years, and Carolina moved on from Tillman and Harper, who is now back in New Orleans.
Carolina replaced Norman and his supporting cast of savvy veterans with a youth movement. The Panthers drafted three cornerbacks in the 2015 draft: Samford's James Bradberry in the second round, West Virginia's Daryl Worley in the third and Oklahoma State's Zack Sanchez in the fifth.
All three now play key roles on the Panthers defense, although Bradberry, the team's new No. 1 cornerback, sat out Monday night's loss to Tampa Bay and did not practice on Wednesday with a turf toe.
"I think they're doing a really good job for us," Rivera said. "I know there are some things that we have to shore up as a defense, but having said that I think those guys are developing very nicely and really are solid young players, that have an opportunity to play in this league."
The results have been decidedly mixed so far. Carolina held Denver and Minnesota under 200 yards passing, but the Panthers have also played a slew of young or backup quarterbacks.
When Carolina faced Atlanta's Matt Ryan two weeks ago, the veteran passer lit up the Panthers for 503 passing yards, including a whopping 300 to Julio Jones.
"There is a lot more to what happened with Atlanta. I think there are a lot of people that do not understand what happened in Atlanta, other than the fact that Julio played very well," Rivera said. "I think this (past week) is a little bit more indicative of how these young guys are developing and growing."
New Orleans' vaunted passing attack will be Carolina's toughest test yet. Jones is far and away the No. 1 receiver for Atlanta; the Saints' trio of Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas has already combined for 54 catches, 733 yards and six touchdowns this season, lifting New Orleans to No. 2 in the NFL in passing.
With Bradberry still ailing, the Panthers susceptible to the pass and struggling to consistently rush the passer, the Saints' receiving corps should have an opportunity to make some big plays on Sunday.
"They've got a lot of young guys, a lot of rookies that are playing," Snead said. "Kurt Coleman is the veteran, and we just have to take advantage of the rookies. We have to attack them."
Drew Brees is still wary of the challenge Carolina presents.
Brees has played a lot of games against Rivera's Panthers. No matter who Carolina might have lost during the offseason, Brees finds himself getting ready for a knock-down, drag-out brawl against the Panthers defense.
"The scheme kind of takes care of itself. They've got a bunch of great players on that defense," Brees said. "A lot of those coaches have been there since 2011, and being a divisional opponent that we play twice a year, it's always going to be a battle."
No matter how many changes Carolina might have made to the back end of its defense.
- BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | jerickson@theadvocate.com
- 2 min to read
The man the New Orleans Saints drafted to eventually take over at right tackle has lined up just about everywhere so far — everywhere except center.
Every time Andrus Peat seems to get settled somewhere, an injury hits the offensive line and forces the Saints to shuffle the big second-year lineman somewhere else.
With Peat currently occupying the left tackle spot normally reserved for the injured Terron Armstead, the shuffling likely isn't about to stop any time soon. The Saints believe they have found the key to making the moves a little easier.
"I think the one thing we've recognized is he's much more comfortable on the left side than he is on the right side at this time," offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. "He's played both guard and tackle for us, and the one thing you notice is when he's been able to play in one spot for a period of time, like all guys, you see confidence."
For some offensive linemen, learning to play the other side of the line is a little bit like a catcher trying to make the move to second base: It's possible, but it's far from easy.
Peat had spent a lifetime at left tackle until the Saints drafted him.
"I've always played there," he said.
New Orleans briefly tried Peat at right guard during training camp, but the second-year player struggled. Finally, right before the season started, the Saints moved him back over to the left side, where he started five games as a guard and tackle as a rookie.
So far, so good. Peat, like any young offensive lineman, has had hiccups, but the offensive line was the least of the Saints' concerns through the first four weeks.
And he has been able to do it despite playing at two different positions and working with three different partners: Armstead, Senio Kelemete and Tim Lelito. A tackle-guard tandem's communication is key, and the silver lining to all of the Saints' shuffling in training camp is that nearly everybody on the line has experience working with an ever-changing range of teammates.
"I feel like everyone does a great job of communicating," Peat said. "Everyone does a good job of talking and staying on the same page."
Peat has become a much better communicator, an indicator of his growth in the offseason. Quiet by nature, he wasn't always as vocal as he needed to be as a rookie. Now, Roushar hears the second-year tackle talking plenty, both on the field and in the film room.
"He's a quiet person to begin with, but I would tell you, in the meeting room and on the field, I'm hearing him communicate more," Roushar said. "I'm hearing more and better questions in his preparation for his opponent."
Peat, like a lot of young players, still has plenty of room to improve. Offered a chance to take stock of his offensive line during the bye week, Roushar spent a couple of days in the film room evaluating every member of a group that has been hit hard by injury.
Roushar saw some technical things that Peat can do better.
"He's a unique player that can play guard and tackle at a fairly high level," Roushar said. "One of the things that jumps out at me is trying to improve his pad level, playing with better leverage, and just making his footwork more precise, whether that be run or pass. And that just comes with time."
Despite the Saints' injury situation, Peat appears to be entrenched on the left side, provided that right tackle Zach Strief remains healthy.
That fits Peat just fine.
"I've had my best games playing on the left side, so it'd be great to stay over there," he said. "But I'm willing to play wherever."
For the moment, it looks like he'll be right at home.
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