Scouting the Saints

[shabazz]

One thing that makes the NFL so fun is the reality that every opponent each week is a new challenge. What happened last week does not guarantee the same performance - good or bad - will happen every week.

So this week we face the Saints, fresh off their thumping of the hapless Carolina Panthers in their opener. Last year the saints were 9-8, barely missing the playoffs by losing the NFC South to Tampa Bay. This year the saints start their third season under head coach Dennis Allen, who has a 16-18 record as HC in NO. Allen’s seat is considered warm going into year 3. An interesting side note about Allen is he is from the Dallas area, attending LD Bell High School in Hurst and later Texas A&M.

The saints are attempting to rebuild after the departures of future HOF QB Drew Brees (2020) and probable HOF HC Sean Payton (2021). Their talent cupboard is neither full nor empty. In 2023 the 9-8 saints were 14th in total offense and 13th in total defense.

ALL TIME RECORD VS SAINTS: Cowboys lead all time series 18-13.

• This has been a streaky series. Cowboys won the first 7 games and the saints won 6 in a row in the early 2000s.
• Since 1998, the saints are 8-4 against Dallas.
• The Cowboys won the last matchup in 2021 played in NO, 27-17.

SAINTS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS

• He’s not great, but Saints QB Derek Carr is good. He’s 73-87 all time as a starter, mostly for the raiders who had mostly bad teams when Carr was there. Carr’s last start against us was in 2021 when he was with raiders' beating us 36-33 on Turkey Day. He threw for 373 yards that day so he can sling it around. And Carr was 19-23 in the Panthers game showing good accuracy.
• RB Alvin Kamara is 29, older than Zeke, but has shown he has enough in the tank to still be above average. He rushed for 85 yards last week and is still an excellent receiver out of the backfield.
• PR/KR Rashid Shaheed is an outstanding punt and kick returner. He was a pro bowler last year and is a real weapon in the return game.
• Rookie LT Taliese Fuaga saints rookie LT has a bright future and had a great game against the panthers.
• LB Willie Gay, Jr- has a SB ring with KC and has been a solid LB in NO.

WEAKNESSES

• Both sides of the ball they are above average but not spectacular. Offensively, their OL is young and has several new members.
• Their secondary has injuries- S Tyrann Matthews and CB Marshawn Lattimore are hurt and may not play. Both are older and not nearly as effective as years past.
• They have had some problems last year with K Blake Grupe who is back this year after being 30-37 on FGs last year. He started off this year going 4-4 so has improved to start the year.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a game the Cowboys should win. We have a talent advantage on both sides of the ball. I expect the saints to keep it close in the first half but I think the Cowboys shou,d wear them down.

As you said, Kamara is 29 but that boy still got game. He still averaged 4 yards per carry last year and was 5 per carry last week, albeit against the Panthers

Key is to stop the run and EARN the right to pin their ears back and start a trackmeet to the Qb. Last week's performance was a thing of beauty by our defense.......but I know it's just 1 of 17

 

[Mark]

McKay had one of the funniest lines ever spoken by an NFL coach after his early TB Bucs team had lost like their 20th straight game…

When asked by a reporter what Coach McKay thought about his team’s execution, he deadpanned, “I’m in favor of it.” One of the funniest Coach moments in NFL history.

Brilliant response, it was!

 

[Ranching]

One thing that makes the NFL so fun is the reality that every opponent each week is a new challenge. What happened last week does not guarantee the same performance - good or bad - will happen every week.

So this week we face the Saints, fresh off their thumping of the hapless Carolina Panthers in their opener. Last year the saints were 9-8, barely missing the playoffs by losing the NFC South to Tampa Bay. This year the saints start their third season under head coach Dennis Allen, who has a 16-18 record as HC in NO. Allen’s seat is considered warm going into year 3. An interesting side note about Allen is he is from the Dallas area, attending LD Bell High School in Hurst and later Texas A&M.

The saints are attempting to rebuild after the departures of future HOF QB Drew Brees (2020) and probable HOF HC Sean Payton (2021). Their talent cupboard is neither full nor empty. In 2023 the 9-8 saints were 14th in total offense and 13th in total defense.

ALL TIME RECORD VS SAINTS: Cowboys lead all time series 18-13.

• This has been a streaky series. Cowboys won the first 7 games and the saints won 6 in a row in the early 2000s.
• Since 1998, the saints are 8-4 against Dallas.
• The Cowboys won the last matchup in 2021 played in NO, 27-17.

SAINTS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS

• He’s not great, but Saints QB Derek Carr is good. He’s 73-87 all time as a starter, mostly for the raiders who had mostly bad teams when Carr was there. Carr’s last start against us was in 2021 when he was with raiders' beating us 36-33 on Turkey Day. He threw for 373 yards that day so he can sling it around. And Carr was 19-23 in the Panthers game showing good accuracy.
• RB Alvin Kamara is 29, older than Zeke, but has shown he has enough in the tank to still be above average. He rushed for 85 yards last week and is still an excellent receiver out of the backfield.
• PR/KR Rashid Shaheed is an outstanding punt and kick returner. He was a pro bowler last year and is a real weapon in the return game.
• Rookie LT Taliese Fuaga saints rookie LT has a bright future and had a great game against the panthers.
• LB Willie Gay, Jr- has a SB ring with KC and has been a solid LB in NO.

WEAKNESSES

• Both sides of the ball they are above average but not spectacular. Offensively, their OL is young and has several new members.
• Their secondary has injuries- S Tyrann Matthews and CB Marshawn Lattimore are hurt and may not play. Both are older and not nearly as effective as years past.
• They have had some problems last year with K Blake Grupe who is back this year after being 30-37 on FGs last year. He started off this year going 4-4 so has improved to start the year.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a game the Cowboys should win. We have a talent advantage on both sides of the ball. I expect the saints to keep it close in the first half but I think the Cowboys shou,d wear them down.

Good write up, but I'm waiting for Jerry to talk about the game, before I make my prediction.

 

[Bobhaze]

Good write up, but I'm waiting for Jerry to talk about the game, before I make my prediction.

Let me know if you can make any sense of it, lol.

 

[Creeper]

The Cowboys are not a team that can overlook anyone. The Cleveland team they faced was undermanned on offense. Keep in mind the Cowboys had only 49 yards in offense in the 2nd half against the Browns, and 265 yards overall.

This is their opening home game so we should expect them to be fired up, but just when you expect this team to be good, they have a way of showing their ugly side.

 

[Bullflop]

Remember when the Saints were so bad, their fans would go to the games with bags over their heads!! LOL

That part of their history was hard to forget -- it's when folks were calling them the "Aints" instead of the Saints!

 

[beware_d-ware]

The Saints are the very definition of NFL purgatory. They went all-in on the end of Brees' career, which is a move I agree with. Strike while that iron is hot. They built a winner and came within the world's most BS pass interference penalty of making a Super Bowl.

Then Brees retired, and they just kept going all-in. $140M for Derek Carr? Trading away an entire draft for Chris Olave? Those are win-now moves being when the Saints no longer have a winning roster.

Because dudes like Carr, Olave, and Kamara are pretty decent football players, the Saints are too good to just bottom out. But because they were eye-wateringly expensive, the Saints don't have the ammo to build anything better than a .500 roster around them. They're just kind of trapped until those contracts roll off their books.

I think we are easily the more talented team - if you think the Cowboys have a "studs and scrubs" roster building philosophy, just look at the other guys - and we should take care of business on Sunday. New Orleans will probably flail around in a weak NFC South, finish 6-11, and mortgage their future next offseason to go draft a guard.

 

[AsthmaField]

Imagine placing Parsons on the inside of the LT Taliese Fuaga , and blitzing Overshown late in the snap count to the outside of the LT.

One of the comments by Broaddus and Voch is the Saints are under center 61% of their snaps. If this is the case, Carr will be retreating from the center, back turned, with two premier speedsters challenging his rookie LT.

The collision would be epic.

That’s because those Shanahan offenses use so much play action passes.

If you can get the run game going, play action is a pain in the *** to play against.

 

[Whirlwin]

If we get to Carr and harass him all game like we did vs Watson, then we walk away with another win.

I see two interceptions

 

[CCBoy]

That’s because those Shanahan offenses use so much play action passes.

If you can get the run game going, play action is a pain in the *** to play against.

If the Dallas interior line dominates Demario Davis at linebacker the offense will be piling up scores.

 

[CCBoy]

Good write up, but I'm waiting for Jerry to talk about the game, before I make my prediction.

Let both Dallas guards take on Davis at linebacker.

 

[Typhus]

I see two interceptions

This Zimm defense with these players will translate into increased turn overs.
Quinn may not have been everything, but he did bring in studs like Overshown, too bad he never got to use him, but this defense looks really fast now with Overshown in the lineup.

 

[Typhus]

Let both Dallas guards take on Davis at linebacker.

You just nailed the Saints Achilles heel my friend, I was looking at the same total exposure.
Saints can be exposed early and often maybe we get to see our RBs taking advantage.

 

[Filaphill]

Remember when the Saints were so bad, their fans would go to the games with bags over their heads!! LOL

In the late 70's early 80's? OK Boomer. Most people now remember the Saints for being a very good franchise for the past 20 years, also in that time span they were a much better franchise than the Cowboys.

 

[Typhus]

I remember those early Tampa Bay years!!! They were a mess!!! I felt so sorry for them and their fans!!! LOL

Those early TB jerseys were painful to look at, even worse for the player that had to wear them.

 

[Coogiguy03]

If we get to Carr and harass him all game like we did vs Watson, then we walk away with another win.

If! I can respect that!

 

[Coogiguy03]

I'd love to see their rookie LT get Parsons this week and see how good he really is

Or see how good Micah is against him!

 

[maryquality]

In the late 70's early 80's? OK Boomer. Most people now remember the Saints for being a very good franchise for the past 20 years, also in that time span they were a much better franchise than the Cowboys.

Well of course the Saints are a better team now. My comment was in response to a post about Archie Manning running for his life. And FYI, I am NOT a boomer.

 

[gtb1943]

Well of course the Saints are a better team now. My comment was in response to a post about Archie Manning running for his life. And FYI, I am NOT a boomer.

Archie Manning was the classic case of a great talent who was doomed to play for the worst franchise in the NFL. Now maybe he would not have been great elsewhere, but you will never know. by the time he escaped he was a shell of his former talent.

David Carr was another. Sacked 250 times in five years and took almost as many QB hits as well. Never had a chance to show what he could do. by the time he was able to leave, he was shell shocked.

 

[Cowboys5217]

Can't look past NO at the gauntlet coming up. Not a must win, but can't just lay an egg like AZ last year or the doubt will creep back in all season.

Well, gee, you would think I'm psychic or have a crystal ball.

Nope, I just use one metric to know if things will be different: Did Jerry step down and hire a proper GM? If the answer is "no" then I already know how the season will turn out.

Nothing's changed. This season already looks like a carbon copy of last year.