Drew and the offense (1 Viewer)

[SaintStephen1]

No doubt Drew is struggling with his accuracy this year which IMHO is due to lack of reps because of no OTAs and sitting out numerous training camp practices. But looking at the drives in the Raiders’ game, offense scored on 3 of 4 drives in first half with Brees’ terrible int being the only non score drive. In the second half the first drive was botched with 3 major penalties on plays where Saints had good production. Second drive was unsuccessful. Third was TD and fourth was 48 yards with clock expired at end of game.
The real problem was the lack of possessions caused by the defense allowing so many long drives by the Raiders.
All that being said, there is no question Drew has been more hesitant and that has affected his accuracy, but that will improve. I really don’t think it’s an arm strength issue. Sure he’s dumping it off a lot, but he’s done that for the last three years as opponents have schemed to force that.
In summary, I don’t think it’s time to panic over the offense. Expect Brees to improve and the interior of the line gels with more experience. We’ve seen now that Kamara is back healthy and Taquan can be a threat. I am more concerned about the D and whether Allen can fix the third down defense as I express in my other thread.

 

[jasonsw]

No doubt Drew is struggling with his accuracy this year which IMHO is due to lack of reps because of no OTAs and sitting out numerous training camp practices. But looking at the drives in the Raiders’ game, offense scored on 3 of 4 drives in first half with Brees’ terrible int being the only non score drive. In the second half the first drive was botched with 3 major penalties on plays where Saints had good production. Second drive was unsuccessful. Third was TD and fourth was 48 yards with clock expired at end of game.
The real problem was the lack of possessions caused by the defense allowing so many long drives by the Raiders.
All that being said, there is no question Drew has been more hesitant and that has affected his accuracy, but that will improve. I really don’t think it’s an arm strength issue. Sure he’s dumping it off a lot, but he’s done that for the last three years as opponents have schemed to force that.
In summary, I don’t think it’s time to panic over the offense. Expect Brees to improve and the interior of the line gels with more experience. We’ve seen now that Kamara is back healthy and Taquan can be a threat. I am more concerned about the D and whether Allen can fix the third down defense as I express in my other thread.

Your post is spot on. Drew is a creature of habit getting numerous reps is key to his timing and precision down. More than any QB ever Drew relies on timing. Passing for 300 yards without MT is a good start.

If the team can clean up its penalties it'll make a big difference. Hopefully the Raiders game was an excellent teaching point and serves to remind the Saints that when you are a talented team every opponent is up for you.

 

[Stalwart385]

No doubt Drew is struggling with his accuracy this year which IMHO is due to lack of reps because of no OTAs and sitting out numerous training camp practices. But looking at the drives in the Raiders’ game, offense scored on 3 of 4 drives in first half with Brees’ terrible int being the only non score drive. In the second half the first drive was botched with 3 major penalties on plays where Saints had good production. Second drive was unsuccessful. Third was TD and fourth was 48 yards with clock expired at end of game.
The real problem was the lack of possessions caused by the defense allowing so many long drives by the Raiders.
All that being said, there is no question Drew has been more hesitant and that has affected his accuracy, but that will improve. I really don’t think it’s an arm strength issue. Sure he’s dumping it off a lot, but he’s done that for the last three years as opponents have schemed to force that.
In summary, I don’t think it’s time to panic over the offense. Expect Brees to improve and the interior of the line gels with more experience. We’ve seen now that Kamara is back healthy and Taquan can be a threat. I am more concerned about the D and whether Allen can fix the third down defense as I express in my other thread.

I agree, the only thing I feel different about is the timing of things. I think the offense could take longer to get back to top shape. They'll be productive but losing Mike and putting guys in new positions along with the slow start for Sanders may take a while. Also, throw in the o-line shuffling. It might not get fixed before Thomas gets back and 100%. Drew needs to improve, he doesn't need to throw it 30+ yards but he needs to get his timing down and he needs to be more accurate.

On defense, I think they can turn things around more quickly. I say that because I don't expect Jordan to keep putting up goose eggs in the passing game. I don't expect Lattimore to keep getting burnt and miss tackles. Those two guys alone playing as we expect makes a big difference. The only lingering issue could be communication with M.Jenkins, J.Jenkins and the rest of the DBs. Janoris has played well though, minus the penalty. Malcolm is a concern but I'm not giving up on him and we have some players behind him worst case.

TLDR, I think the defense was the bigger issue that game but the offense may be a more lingering issue.

 

[Stalwart385]

Your post is spot on. Drew is a creature of habit getting numerous reps is key to his timing and precision down. More than any QB ever Drew relies on timing. Passing for 300 yards without MT is a good start.

If the team can clean up its penalties it'll make a big difference. Hopefully the Raiders game was an excellent teaching point and serves to remind the Saints that when you are a talented team every opponent is up for you.

Yes, I forgot to mention those penalties. That has to stop.