Announcement AMA with TCUDan, June 24 (Starting NOW) (1 Viewer)

[TCUDan]

We'll keep it on the same thread this time. See you guys then.

 

[Covington Saint]

What influences do you foresee Dennis Allen having on Pete Carmichael Jr minus Sean Payton on the offensive side of the ball?

 

[RaginCajun83]

What do you see as strengths and weaknesses of Pennings game and do you see him as a day one starting tackle?

 

[Bartyboy]

When Penning eventually starts do you think Hurst would be better at right guard or worse than Ruiz?

 

[ndcc]

If Ruiz is NOT a lost cause, what gives you hope that Maronne & Strief can/will turn him around.

 

[sfidc3]

Is the Saints 3rd RB (or potentially 2nd with MI aging) on the roster currently? Or do you expect the Saints to make a move to acquire him?

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

Hello Dan,

More of a legal question than a football question…

Marcus Maye was charged with a DUI and later charged with driving with a suspended license. Any idea as to potential league suspensions and how do you think this will affect the progress of the secondary?

Thanks!

 

[TCUDan]

Alright, let's kick it off. Going to go back and answer the questions already posted. Keep em coming!

 

[TCUDan]

What influences do you foresee Dennis Allen having on Pete Carmichael Jr minus Sean Payton on the offensive side of the ball?

I wouldn't expect too much if any influence in terms of scheme or play calling, or really offensive gameplan other than at the macro-level. I expect DA will be pretty hands-off and let Carmichael do his thing (he'll of course want to be in the loop, as any head coach would).

The most influence will probably be in terms of game management. Going for it on 4th down, going for 2. Hurry-up situations and time-out usage. This will be the first time in 16 years the Saints have had a head coach who is not the offensive play-caller making those decisions.

 

[TCUDan]

See more

Can a healthy Taysom Hill be a starting tailback?

Eh... physically, sure. But running the ball as RB is a little different than running it as a QB. I think Hill is better used in the 11-man run game... if you line him up as a RB and handing the ball to him in inside zone, you're kind of giving away the game. There are definitely better options.

I could see him getitng situational carries or specially designed plays (or, say, dive or trap touches as an H-back/fullback). But I wouldn't slot him in as a regular rotational tailback.

 

[TCUDan]

What do you see as strengths and weaknesses of Pennings game and do you see him as a day one starting tackle?

His strengths are definitely power and aggression, especially in the run game. His weakness is just as obvious: pass pro. It's not an athletic issue, he has all the size and athletiicism to get the job done. It's just a lack of coaching from when he was in college. He doesn't have a quick punch and is a little bit sloppy in his base and his anchor. It's the worst thing about him on film... let's a lot of pass-rushers get into his pads and initiate contact, which would get him killed at the NFL level (obviously if not corrected).

The good news is he seems to really, really understand the fundamentals. He has a conceptual grasp of pass pro. This means he will pick up more quickly, but both the needed time and reps (especially live game reps) are unavoidable.

In terms of him being the day-1 starting LT, I mean... it's definitely possible. I wouldn't be surprised nor worried if he wasn't though. Terron Armstead also wasn't the starting LT day-1 and he turned out pretty good. Plus, Hurst held his own last year, and he's gonna fight to be a starter. Penning's gonna have to earn it, and I think he will be a starter at some point this season.

 

[TCUDan]

When Penning eventually starts do you think Hurst would be better at right guard or worse than Ruiz?

Hard to say... I really want to see how Ruiz performs in camp and the preseason. I still want him to be a solid starting RG. He brings more to the table athletically than Hurst, but it's nice to have a guy who can push these young OLmen at mulitple positions.

 

[TCUDan]

If Ruiz is NOT a lost cause, what gives you hope that Maronne & Strief can/will turn him around.

3 OL questions in a row .

I don't think he's a lost cause. He has great athleticism for the position... some guys are just late bloomers. If anyone can light a fire under him, it's Doug Maronne.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Thanks again for hosting these, much appreciated

Regarding teams in our situation:

A long term head coach leaves and a long term coordinator takes over

Is there a protocol for contact?

In our case does Dennis Allen call up Sean Payton to ask advice on this or that, ask about game planning, or how to handle this player or that player, or this situation or that situation?

Is it appropriate for Sean to call Dennis just to offer advice or ask how things are going? How's Cam Jordan doing? What's Kamara's mindset right now? How is Michael Thomas looking and getting along with everyone? How is Taysom adjusting?

Is it out of bounds for Sean to call the players directly?

Or is it cold turkey? no contact, "it's your team, these are your players, these are your problems, I'm not the coach anymore"

 

[TCUDan]

Is the Saints 3rd RB (or potentially 2nd with MI aging) on the roster currently? Or do you expect the Saints to make a move to acquire him?

I like Abram Smith a lot and think he could eventually be a Chris Ivory-type of RB. But I don't know if he's there yet, and that's a big gamble to put on an undrafted rookie (though I like him better than the other RBs on the roster not named Ingram or Kamara). With Kamara likely to face at least a 6-game suspension (*apparently*... I only know as much as you guys), I would be completely shocked if the Saints don't bring in another RB, and wouldn't be surprised if they traded for one.

I was disappointed David Johnson didn't work out. I thought he'd be a pretty good fit.