By Nick Underhill | The Advocate
Ryan Nielsen has a saying he likes to share with his players.
“Stop the run so you can have some fun.”
The Saints defensive line coach knows his players want to rush the passer. Those are the fun moments, the ones where the pass rushers can go straight after the quarterback instead of having to play the run on the way there. It has been a long time since New Orleans has lived this life.
The defense allowed 4.4 yards per carry last season, 4.1 in 2016 and 4.9 in 2015. If New Orleans hadn't played 45 percent of its defensive snaps last season with a lead of seven or more points, this would have felt like a bigger deal. But the Saints' opposition did not run very often in those situations, and even when they did and had success, it didn't stand out because New Orleans controlled the game.
The Saints can't bank on that happening again. Not against a tougher schedule, and not when the defense has big goals this season. ...
Full Story - The Advocate
