Welcome everyone to another edition of #4Downs!
1st Down: More Things Change, More They Stay the Same
The Saints defense may have a new sheriff in town, but the defense still looks as bad as they had throughout the season. You know it’s bad when Jairus Byrd was the one defensive player who did anything worthwhile. Mind you, I did not expect to see a completely different defense after one week of transitioning from one coordinator to another. But I wanted to see some semblance of progression from this defense.
2nd Down: Kai Forbath Silver Lining of Bad Game
For the first time in 155 games, the Saints were unable to get into the endzone. But the former Washington Redskin performed well, making both of his field goals. Making a 57-yarder is a good sign that he might be the ideal kicker for the Saints for the time being.
3rd Down: Offensive Line Exposes Brees
Drew Brees has had issues over the last two seasons. From an oblique strain messing up his throwing motion to a shoulder injury that put him on the bench earlier this year, the veteran QB’s age might be catching up to him. But the biggest issue this team has had during this time frame is protecting Brees. Getting rid of Jimmy Graham was a start, but with the incredibly lopsided matchup with Zach Strief going up against one of the best defensive players in the league in JJ Watt shows a lot of ineptitude when it comes to setting the lineup for the team. Having Brees under pressure messes up how he plays the game. And it will continue to become a major issue for this team unless something is changed.
4th Down: Time to Clean House?
Perhaps it’s time to blow up the system that’s in place right now. Sean Payton’s offense has stayed very vanilla over the years and teams are finally figuring out how to stop it. But the Saints biggest problem is the draft. They’ve gotten burned on quite a few picks over the last few years outside of players like Cam Jordan and Brandin Cooks. There’s a lot of things that should happen after the season, but will the Saints do so? Maybe.
-Clint Domingue
