Dan Levy

Hey everyone, know it's been a while since I posted on here. I try to catch every Saints game live but it's not always possible as a full-time coach. Being somewhat less engaged than years past with my favorite NFL team has made it so I don't always have a lot of original insight to share, but I am noticing something this season (really starting back with last season) in terms of how the Saints are evolving and climbing out of that slump that they've really toiled in more or less since bounty gate.

The first thing I have to touch on is how much more I appreciate Sean Payton as a coach now that I am going into my 8th season as a HC. I think he is hands down the best coach in the NFL. Great NFL coaches--Super Bowl winning coaches--rarely make it with a team a decade or longer in the NFL because sooner or later salary cap, free agency, coaching turnover (all your good assistants get better offers), age of your core players... everything catches up with you. Luck has a lot to do with staying power, but so does adaptability.

The Saints are not playing the same football they were playing pre-2017. The prevalent thought may be "oh they're getting back to their Super Bowl season formula." That's not *false*... but it also doesn't come close to telling the whole story.

First, on offense... their ability to play situational football is really impressive. I can't say that Drew Brees has declined as a player, but I can also tell you he is not facing the situations he faced 5 or 10 years ago. I am not saying he is not throwing as many deep balls or doing as many 5 and 7 step drop plays... I'm saying that he is not the centerpiece of the opposing team's gameplan. You see fewer inside pressures, less resources being dedicated toward disrupting the QB. Not because Brees isn't a threat. But because he isn't being used as the main driver of the offense.

There are more hot keys to the backs. The Saints are far less shy about going 60% run in a game. They aren't shy about targeting Michael Thomas an insane amount. Taysom Hill is on the field in numerous situations (I could go on and on about how Payton uses Hill and the genius involved there). At this rate, Brees could seriously play until he is 45 (although he won't). Don't get me wrong, he is still the most important player on the team. BUT he isn't being FORCED to be.

And it's not that the Saints are that much more talented or explosive than in years past. They're just more efficient. They are more multiple. They are getting more juice out of every element of the offense.

Defensively, it is still difficult to clearly state what their identity is. Their front 7 is deep and talented, and Davenport is going to be a monster once he grows mentally into the game. But their back end is worrysome and tends to be feast or famine when it comes to turnovers. PJ Williams is not a good slot CB, but he appears to be the best option they have. He has poor eye discipline and is too easily manipulated by releases and stems. It's frustrating because you can see the physical tools are there, and in that sense I understand perhaps why the Saints are sticking with him. But he is the weakest link right now on the defense, and somebody needs to step up and start creating more turnovers.

The Rams game will tell a lot about where the Saints stand, but it also isn't the end-all. The difference between a 11-5 team and a 5-11 team in the NFL is usually a few 1 score games here and there. Right now the Saints are winning those games. If they can keep closing and evolving the way they are--particularly on offense--there is no reason Brees can't get one more ring before he hangs up the cleats.