Saints According to Frelund's numbers Lattimore a liability (2 Viewers)

[Blessedog]

Will agree that Lattimore needs to step up his game but let’s face it. As I always reiterate. A secondary is only as good as the pass rush.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh but he's giving up a perfect passer rating. With that same pass rush, there's no CB on the team giving up a perfect rating. He's been bad and quite frankly the team should consider benching him. Yeah, we'll give up some in man coverage(assumption) but our zone concepts will most certainly improve. I'm not advocating for him either way but all options should be on the table for our former DROY.

 

[Igordão]

It is hard to call him a liability when the rest of the secondary is worse than him, but he is so far from the elite player some in this board think he is and that he has the talent to become.

He is playing very badly right now and the only reason he has not given up even more yards and receptions is because other players on defense are even worse than him, so they are an easier target for opposing QBs.

 

[JvilleJoe]

You just have to watch the games to see that Lattimore has been inconsistent this year. Clearly he is not playing to his potential, even considering that he is not the only guy on defense playing poorly. If he is to be a true shut down corner, one of the best in the NFL, then he needs to start playing like it week to week.

 

[Domeination]

Or...hear me out...we can play coverage schemes in which our players excel. I've seen a lot of busted plays this year that feel flat out like the result of our players not feeling comfortable in their role.

I would like to see more press man, especially for Lattimore, b/c that's what he excels at. However, if DA is going to run the zone defenses he's been running, the players need to learn how to play in those coverages. There has been a lack of discipline with DBs not keeping their eyes in the right place or taking the wrong man in their zone, and that needs to get fixed. I'm a big believer in simplicity and think DA tries to get too complicated, which slows down the players and backfires. We seem to go through this every year.

 

[Eman5805]

That is a terrible take by you. 3 completions for 50 yards is a TON. DeAndre Hopkins who leads all receivers this season is averaging 12.8 yards per reception. Lattimore is allowing a horrendous 16.7 yards per reception.

NFL Offense Receiving Stat Leaders, 2023 Regular Season - ESPN

ESPN is the place for NFL stats! Discover the Offense Receiving stat leaders of the 2023 NFL Regular Season.

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Only FIVE players out of the TOP FIFTY receivers average more than 16.7 yards per reception.

When Lattimore is thrown at, he gives up huge plays. That is, by all meanings of the word, a liability.

Like most things in discourse...the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[sammymvpknight]

Lattimore is phenomenal... until a QB throws in his direction? Sorry...that doesn't check the box logically. Does anyone remember his rookie season...when QB's had a higher throwing the ball into the dirt than throwing the ball in Lattimore's direction? How can anyone say that he hasn't dropped off considerably since that time? It's befuddling.

 

[demented]

It's not befuddling. He wasn't exclusively assigned to the other teams #1 and we had a pass rush. If you give a QB 6 seconds to survey the field on every play, he's going to watch the 1 on 1 match up with his best receiver and complete long double move routes to him consistently. Most team's double the best receiver(hi/low) and assign their best CB to erase the #2 option. Instead we assign our safeties to water the grass or something.

 

[Stalwart385]

He hasn't been good this year, but I'm not big on stats like this. The majority of DB play is what happens when he isn't being thrown at. I haven't notice him completly blow coverages or anything. He's just been a step behind guys, when he's usually plastered. He can't use his ball skills if there is seperation. Hopefully he tightens up.

 

[Saint Droopy]

He hasn't played well lately but he has potential. I think that's what's so frustrating about him. He can go on a stretch where he is lockdown, and takes receivers completely out of the game. And then he'll go through a stretch where he can't cover anyone. His problem is consistency... just needs to focus every week and stay true to his technique.

I can't disagree with Freelund's analysis.

 

[Saint Spud]

Or...hear me out...we can play coverage schemes in which our players excel. I've seen a lot of busted plays this year that feel flat out like the result of our players not feeling comfortable in their role.

This.

Its pretty simple: we have two of the better (best?) man CBs in the game. Certainly as a tandem.

But we also have a ton of safeties and nickels who are good-great in coverage at their respective positions. But two of the players who get the most snaps have played half a season or less with the team (Jenkins and Jenkins).

So instead of playing to our obvious strengths (man) we play way too much zone. We’re trying to confuse the offense, but instead we end up confusing ourselves.

You could make a case that these are “growing pains” as a unit and this D could peak and be really nasty by the end of the year. But what if it doesn’t gel in time? Is it worth the risk?

 

[Deucewildin]

I think her analysis is flawed. She said that Lattimore has given up a perfect passer rating on the times he has been targeted. She glosses over that Lattimore, typically covering the no. 1 receiver, has only been targeted 19 times this year and only given up 15 catches, i.e., 3 catches a game for 250 yards (50 yards a game). So on the other 35 pass plays each game, the qb is not throwing Lattimore's way, which is often (granted not always) due to good coverage. Using her exact stats, I could say that Lattimore is holding each team's no. 1 receiver to 3 catches (and 50 yards) a game.

The problem is Lattimore hasn’t followed anyone all season so he’s not covering #1s I’ve seen him get beat by #3 and #4s a lot this year! Hold players accountable he’s #1 lockdown teams are suppose to fear him or at least respect him they are playing with him licking their chops like he’s a rookie starting his first game

 

[Noble Saint]

Lattimore is phenomenal... until a QB throws in his direction? Sorry...that doesn't check the box logically. Does anyone remember his rookie season...when QB's had a higher throwing the ball into the dirt than throwing the ball in Lattimore's direction? How can anyone say that he hasn't dropped off considerably since that time? It's befuddling.

Well, a couple of the huge plays he has been blamed for that skew the stats the most, it looked to me like safety confusion where Lat had outside and underneath coverage expecting safety help. Almost forcing the receiver to run a post route where there ended up being no one thanks to the free safety jumping a middle crossing route and the other side not rotating back by design.

Or maybe I’m clueless.

 

[Igordão]

This.

Its pretty simple: we have two of the better (best?) man CBs in the game. Certainly as a tandem.

But we also have a ton of safeties and nickels who are good-great in coverage at their respective positions. But two of the players who get the most snaps have played half a season or less with the team (Jenkins and Jenkins).

So instead of playing to our obvious strengths (man) we play way too much zone. We’re trying to confuse the offense, but instead we end up confusing ourselves.

You could make a case that these are “growing pains” as a unit and this D could peak and be really nasty by the end of the year. But what if it doesn’t gel in time? Is it worth the risk?

Every team plays a mix of man and zone nowadays. If you don't mix things up any average QB will eat your secondary alive.

 

[AGW85]

Lattimore is phenomenal... until a QB throws in his direction? Sorry...that doesn't check the box logically. Does anyone remember his rookie season...when QB's had a higher throwing the ball into the dirt than throwing the ball in Lattimore's direction? How can anyone say that he hasn't dropped off considerably since that time? It's befuddling.

No one is arguing that Lattimore has been playing great, right? Everyone acknowledges his play has declined. I thought the issue was that Frelund's article didn't appropriately capture the unevenness (i.e., the good and bad) of Latt's play.

Sure, he's giving up a 158.3 passer rating, but it's on a relatively small number of catches and yards. He's playing worse than his rookie year, but he's not as bad as PJ or Ken Crawley (or, God forbid, Devante Harris...)

 

[JRead2]

I didn't need analytics to figure that out. I watch the games.