The injuries cannot be overstated enough (1 Viewer)

[blackadder]

There is a deep rooted problem on the Defensive side of the ball.

Year after year after year.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

When you take an already bottom feeding defense and add the insane amount of injured starters, there really isn't anything that can be done.

Kikaha coming off his third ACL tear should not be viewed as someone who can contribute as a starter moving forward. The Saints need to do everything in their power to draft or acquire a true franchise type pass rusher in the offseason. Myles Garrett and others will generate lots of buzz as potential draft choices.

Rankins does not have a long injury history, but with him being a first round draft choice and already having a fairly significant lower body injury early in his career, the Saints should keep all options open in regards to how they manage the defensive tackle position moving forward. Jonathan Allen is one of the top draft prospects for 2017.

Ellerbe will flash when healthy, but like Kikaha, he also has an extensive injury history and is no longer a definite keeper for the future. The Saints could look to bring in someone through free agency who has less wear and tear.

Breaux has battled far worse than the current injury he is nursing. However, he'll also soon be 27. Far from old, but the Saints could definitely use a lockdown corner to compliment a pass rush that has hampered the defense for the better part of the last few seasons. Marlon Humphrey, Jalen Tabor, and Tre'Davious White are future corner prospects.

The injury bug has derailed the Saints start this season and most believe it is going to be a struggle to reach 7 wins. I see many Saints fans who have given up altogether. Not only on this season, but on what Payton, Brees, and Loomis can do for the franchise. Is the Super Bowl window closed? I don't believe so. But I also recognize that the Saints are not as close to being contenders as many of us believed prior to the start of the 2016 season. Even with a healthy Rankins and Kikaha, there are no guarantees that there would be enough added pressure to put the Saints into NFC title contention.

There is no easy solution for this season or next. It's easy to want to clean house after multiple losing seasons and I will not begrudge anyone who wants changes made. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I believe Payton and Brees can make one more push with the right offseason and better luck with injuries.

I think you're hitting on something important, which is not just that the injuries are affecting the on-field product right now, but they should/must inform our plans going forward.

I love Breaux - but he's had a broken neck and a broken leg. Cannot just assume he will plug back in and stay healthy for the next 4-5 years. As of now, we still need a CB1 (assuming we can salvage a CB2 out of current crop of nobodies)

Kikaha had torn the same ACL 2X before we even got him. Now its a third. Have to assume he is done. Still need a pass rushing DE

Rankins will hopefully have half a season to show us something, but its not like we are overrun with DL depth. Need DTs - more than one.

Ellerbe..... I can't even... our LB corps is consistently one of the worst in the league, both from talent standpoint and execution.


Every hole on defense we thought we had filled is basically still there. DT, DE, LB, CB, S. Our rebuild completion date has been pushed off at least one more year into the future. Once that date extends beyond Drew's likely expiration date (2018?) its time to blow the entire thing up.

 

[bradman1965]

On the other hand, check who's healthy, and ask yourself, why are they not making plays, especially up front? Why is there no pass rush? Cam's healthy. Fairley's healthy. Kruger's healthy.

There was a lot of push last night just lack of discipline and guys trying to do to much and make a game changing play when it looked like that's what it was going to take to win the game. Defense works when you can "do your job", Ryan was able to escape but there was pressure.

 

[nolafan33]

Injuries can only excuse so much. An inability to get lined up properly and executing assignments. That shouldn't be effected by injuries.

 

[SystemShock]

you're missing the point entirely.

Lewis was cut because he wasn't healthy. but he was clearly going to start on the other side of Breaux had he been ready. So regardless of when he got cut, you're down a starter.

Which leads to Williams. So when he gets hurt, you're down 2 starters on defense, which leads to the horrendous Ken Crawley. But you're ok because Breaux will shut down half the field, right?

Nope because then Breaux breaks his leg in the first game. So now you're down 3 starters at CB, forcing you to sign guys off the street and play UDFAs way way way more than you should or hoped.

Ellerbe is super annoying, and at this point, needs to be released. However, multiple people said he was our best defender in camp and I can almost guarantee you that he'll be starting over Anthony when he returns. Which will be good because Anthony is terrible.

Rankins is a rookie, and we don't know how well he's going to do, but he was going to start. then he gets hurt and Davison, who is an excellent rotational guy, gets hurt leading you to start Jenkins. Was anyone shocked that he got absolutely gashed on the ground as soon as Jenkins had to play a major role.

players get worse, the further you get down the depth chart. that's how it works.

Oh, I get the point you are trying to make.

The point I am trying to make, is that you don't lose something you really never had to begin with. Players who haven't even played in the NFL, and players with known histories of injury who can't make it to the field, they cannot be relied upon, and this is something the coaching staff should be aware of.

If you look at the box score, the Falcons passed for only 250 yards, but rushed for 217. Are the injuries in the backfield directly correlated to 217 yards rushing? Is Tyeler Davison so good that if he's out of the line up, no one can stop the run?

 

[bclemms]

Our LB talent is horrible. It's always horrible. Horrible LB's make for horrible defense. Every season we ignore our LB's. This season we intentionally downgraded the MLB position, signed all new OLB's and the result is the same.

Craig Robertson is an animal. Everyone else is horrible. Ellerbe is a machine, nobody in the league can match his injury to tackle ratio.

Our LB's are better than last season but here is the sad part. As messed up as our secondary is, the Falcons preferred to attack our LB's despite Julio lining up in man coverage against an UDFA rookie.

 

[blackadder]

As messed up as our secondary is, the Falcons preferred to attack our LB's despite Julio lining up in man coverage against an UDFA rookie.

Ouch.

Let that sink in.

 

[You]

New england has injuries/players out and it doesn't seem to matter.

Our injuries wouldn't either had we not whiffed on so many draft picks

 

[Da Living Saint]

As messed up as our secondary is, the Falcons preferred to attack our LB's despite Julio lining up in man coverage against an UDFA rookie.

except that this isn't true.

Julio led the Falcons in targets.

 

[bclemms]

except that this isn't true.

Julio led the Falcons in targets.

And they had 12 targets to backs and TE's. Then they had 14 designed outside runs, runs designed exclusively to attack our LB core.

 

[SystemShock]

Ellerbe is a machine, nobody in the league can match his injury to tackle ratio.

I should not have read that while taking a sip of my Coke Zero

 

[Bill]

I should not have read that while taking a sip of my Coke Zero

That was my favorite line as well.

It's been the only smile I've been able to muster since that 1st quarter muffed punt.

 

[Swimmer]

Right!

When I saw that Davison and Vacarro were added to the long list of players out this week my expectations for tonight dropped from "We can win this", to "I hope that we can outscore them". Davison and Vacarro are two very important cogs in this defense.

Besides having no Davison or Vacarro, there is no Breaux, P.J. Williams, Ellerbe, Wilson, Lewis, Kikaha, Rankins, or Swann on defense.

No Sneed or Armstead on offense.

Two undrafted rookie free agents and a guy signed off the streets starting at CB.

You cannot ignore so many unfortunate injuries. There should be no finger pointing otherwise. It's just a very unfortunate situation. No one is to blame.

Well said.

The only finger poiting should be at you for posing with that rubber fish

 

[2009ring]

You guys forgetting this defense, even without Breaux and a few other, held the Giants to 2 field goals all game?

When the players start dropping like flies like they continued to do this week, it's like marching a pre-season defense out there comprised mostly of bubble guys who may or may not make the team or PS.

 

[catothagreat]

The injuries have really hampered us, decimated us even. As much as it pains me to see my beloved Saints loose, i'm still gonna root hard every week and hope for a great off season. Who Dat!!!!!