Rob Ryan’s poor defensive game plan earned him a spot on the Sinners list.
Image by scott mecum (Flickr: Rob Ryan) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Saints Offensive Grades
Passing: A-
Sunday was the cleanest game that the offense has played this year. That was 100% thanks to the passing offense, because the rushing attack was, again, non-existent. Luke McCown did all the Saints could ask for and more, completing 81.5% of his passes to go along with 310 yards. What kept this grade from being an “A+” or “A” were two factors. First, they turned the ball over twice. Ben Watson fumbled after making a reception and then the McCown interception to pretty much end the game. Second, the passing offense was unable to get in to the end-zone. McCown’s interception and the not getting in to the end-zone factor were really just a yard short of not being relevant. To grade perfectly, the part of the offense needs to get in to the end-zone at least once and not turn the ball over. Honestly, it wasn’t the interception that kept the grade from even being an “A”. It was the Watson fumble that I felt was really crushing. It came on the heels of Carolina taking a 17-16 lead, with New Orleans moving the ball. Even if the Saints would have stalled out and punted, the field goal that the Panthers got off of the turnover are what made the difference in the game. Take away those three points and McCown wouldn’t even have had to take the shot to the end-zone on that second to last drive. The Panthers used their final timeout earlier in the quarter, which means the Saints could have run the clock down and kicked the potential game winning field goal. McCown’s interception was certainly very costly, but if Watson hadn’t fumbled that ball, things could have been much different.
Rushing: D
It was another day full of struggles for the rushing attack. Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson combined for just under a 3.0 yards per carry average and the team simply could not establish anything on the ground. The offensive line failed to open many holes, leaving the Saints one dimensional. Sean Payton handled it well, though. He used the short passing attack as an extension of the run game like he used to do, which helped them move the ball. Nevertheless, the line simply has to do a better job of creating opportunities for Ingram and Robinson, because being one dimensional will not always be as easy as they made it look on Sunday.
The Saints
Luke McCown: As I mentioned before, I was thoroughly impressed with the play from McCown. Considering he has more years in the NFL as he does starts, he looked prepared, confident, and decisive. I must say that while I was always on the side for keeping him over Ryan Griffin, I truly did not expect this. It had been four years since he started a game and he made it look like it was just four days. Like I said, even his interception wasn’t that bad of a throw. If you watch the replay, you can see that it was definitely a little under-thrown, because Brandin Cooks had to turn around and try to reach back, but it was simply just a great play by Josh Morgan to make a fully extended catch to pick it off. With the time left on the clock and how much the defense struggled to stop Cam Newton, it’s hard to say that if McCown’s pass was a yard deeper they would have won the game, but it certainly would have put a lot of pressure on Carolina. Early reports are that Drew Brees may be back for Sunday night’s game against Dallas, but I can say with confidence that if McCown gets the nod again, I’ll still be picking the Saints to win.
Brandin Cooks: He didn’t light up the scoreboard, but his 7 receptions for 79 yards were good enough to lead the team by a significant margin. It wasn’t just the numbers, though. Cooks came up big every time McCown looked his way, even converting a few big third downs in pressure situations. I’m sure some may blame him for not doing more to prevent the interception, but there’s no way you can put that on him. Cooks played very well and proved that he can produce no matter who is playing quarterback.
The Sinners
Marques Colston: It’s been nothing short of a roller coaster start to the season for Colston as he’s now greatly struggled in Weeks 1 and 3, while performing well in Week 2. He again had multiple drops, a few of which were on the drive at the end of the game when the Saints had their last true chance to make their comeback. We could be seeing the end for Colston, but hopefully he can produce more good than bad on his way out.
Ben Watson: There’s not a whole lot to say here after having said most of it a few paragraphs earlier. His fumble was very costly for New Orleans, even affecting McCown’s interception. We’ve come to expect more out of the veteran and I truly believe that he’ll take the measures to prevent something like that from happening again.
Saints Defensive Grades
Passing: F
Whether it was the pass rush or the coverage, the pass defense was flat out atrocious. Cam Newton had all day to throw, scramble, or even set up a picnic. The way the defensive plays were called on Sunday, you would have thought that they were going up against Aaron Rodgers with a full set of receivers. They played zone coverage throughout the game and Newton absolutely picked it apart, having all of the time in the world. Sean Payton mentioned that they went heavy with the zone play calling due to the threat of the read-option from the Panthers, but I still don’t quite understand why they decided to lean on something that wasn’t working. What was there to lose? Even if Rob Ryan would have swapped to man coverage and they had issues defending the read option, oh well. It could not have gotten any worse.
Rushing: B
The run defense seemed to follow up on their strong second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. They held Jonathan Stewart to just 3.7 yards per carry. Granted, the Panthers were moving the ball so easily through the air that they never really had to rely on the ground game, but the Saints still did a very nice job of slowing them down when they did.
The Saints
Kenny Vaccaro: With a pretty bad all-around performance from the Saints defense, it’s hard to really find much of a silver lining. Vaccaro actually had a solid game, though. He was tied for the team lead in tackles with nine of them and seemed to be in on almost every play. After a poor season last year full of missed tackles and over-aggressiveness, he’s looked like the player we saw during his rookie year so far.
The Sinners
Brandon Browner: It was a rough game for Browner. The soft zone defense didn’t necessarily help his play style, but he struggled regardless. Browner is a big, strong cornerback that lacks the speed to to run with some of the faster receivers in the league. He needs to be able to use his size and strength to jam receivers off of the line and throw off their timing with their quarterback. With Rob Ryan choosing to play him off of the line of scrimmage, it was obvious just how much Browner’s success relies on his ability to jam receivers off of the snap.
Rob Ryan: Just another awful game plan. He played his defense really soft against the Cardinals, but that’s understandable considering their receiving core. The soft zone coverage that be put on the field against the Panthers was straight up confusing…and I don’t mean confusing for the Carolina offense. He also chose to barely blitz Newton, trying to make the quarterback beat the team with his arm. Typically, I’d take my chances with forcing Newton to make good throws, but when receivers are finding gaping holes in the middle of the secondary, it’s not very hard. It would take a lot for me to publicly call for a coaches job in one of my articles, but I do believe that if this is the type of production that his defense provides, it may not bode well for him. We must keep in mind that he’s been without Keenan Lewis, Jairus Byrd, and Dannell Ellerbe, but I still do not believe he’s come up with the best game plans to put his team in the best positions so far. Hopefully those players return soon and can help the situation.
Special Teams Grade: A
The special teams game was nearly perfect. The one mistake was a botched hold by Luke McCown that costed the team an extra point. It was wet and rainy, but that’s still no excuse. Aside from that, Thomas Morstead’s two punts were solid, Zach Hocker hit his one field goal attempt, and most importantly, Marcus Murphy had a 74 yard punt return for a touchdown. Special team touchdowns like that are a huge boost for any team, but are even more of a blessing for offenses that are struggling to put points on the board.
That’ll do it for Week 3 coverage. Later this week, we’ll start looking forward to Sunday night’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. They come to New Orleans with a record of 2-1 for a prime time game on Sunday Night Football. See you guys soon.
