The Problem is not just Rob Ryan -- Mike Detillier (1 Viewer)

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The Problem is not just Rob Ryan

By Mike Detillier

The firing of New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan should not have come to anyone's surprise after the Saints were thrashed by the Washington Redskins 47-14.

I am not a believer that changing coaches in a season makes much of a difference, but in this case Saints head coach Sean Payton had no choice and Payton didn't hire former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator and Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen to ride in the back of a float at Mardi Gras time.

Allen was defensive coordinator in waiting.

But the blame for the only team in NFL history to give up four touchdowns and zero pass interceptions to 3 straight quarterbacks has much more to do with talent.

The Saints have wasted many draft choices and choice free agent signee money on players who don't fit in this scheme and for guys who simply can't play in the NFL.

The Saints are an offensively built team and that is what won this team a Super Bowl title in 2009 and put them in the NFC Championship game in 2006.

The big cog is obviously quarterback Drew Brees. He is the best football player to ever wear the black and gold and continues to be an elite player despite not having a stout rushing attack, a very leaky offensive line and no "go-to" wide receiver.

In that run from 2006 to 2009 Brees was blessed with better overall offensive talent around him and also on defense.

Head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis made the decision to go "heavy" money wise to outbid the Miami Dolphins for Brees, but Payton inherited a pretty strong nucleus also on offense in wide receivers Lance Moore and Devery Henderson, offensive tackles Jammal Brown and Jon Stinchcomb, fullback Mike Karney and halfback Deuce McAllister.

The 2006 draft brought the Saints halfback Reggie Bush, offensive guard Jahri Evans, offensive tackle Zach Strief and wide receiver Marques Colston.

A 2006 draft day trade gave the Saints the services of offensive center Jeff Faine from the Cleveland Browns and they also signed veteran free agent offensive center/guard Jonathan Goodwin from the New York Jets.

There has been nothing like that personnel infusion since.

In 2007 the Saints used their first round pick on wide receiver Robert Meachem and they used a fourth round pick on offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod and the Saints picked up versatile halfback Pierre Thomas as an undrafted free agent signee.

In 2008 the Saints went defensive heavy come draft time, but they drafted one of the best offensive guards in the NFL at one time in Carl Nicks and after the draft the Saints traded second and fifth round picks to the New York Giants in exchange for tight end Jeremy Shockey.

In 2009 the Saints dealt off a future sixth round to the New England Patriots for tight end David Thomas.

That build-up on offense helped the team go to two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl title.

Those Saints teams were built to score and they averaged scoring 28 points per game in that time frame.

Those heady offensive days are gone and with the new collective bargaining agreement in place and less practice time in building up rapport with wide receivers/tight ends and quarterbacks the Saints are just an above average offensive team despite the statistics that maybe would signal it a different way.

The problem is just not a lack of talent on defense, but also on offense too.

The issue with this team today is what happened in the post-celebration days of the New Orleans Saints.

From 2010 thru 2014 the Saints have just 3 players left on defense with Cam Jordan, John Jenkins and safety Kenny Vaccaro.

And only one significant veteran free agent signee on defense in cornerback Keenan Lewis, who has been hurt all season long.

Offensively what they have left via the NFL draft from 2010-2014 are halfback Mark Ingram, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and offensive tackle Terron Armstead.

The Saints were stripped of 2 second round picks in the BountyGate affair, but this team also gave up a first and a second round pick to the New England Patriots for halfback Mark Ingram and dealt first and third round picks to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Ingram and Cooks are good players, but certainly not elite players at their respective positions.

I have always thought that the friction between Payton and Rob Ryan had little to do with philosophy or scheme, but all to do with input on personnel.

Ryan was the catalyst to sign veteran free agents in Victor Butler, Anthony Spencer, Champ Bailey, Kenyon Coleman, Chris Carr and to draft cornerback Stanley Jean Baptiste in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
You got nothing out of those players out on the football field. And Ryan lobbied hard for cornerback Brandon Browner and he is not a good personnel fit for this Saints team.

Browner is still a good player with a team with a pass rush like he had in Seattle and New England, but on this Saints team with very little pass rush his inability to match up speed/quickness wise is a liability on defense.

Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis were the key pieces to add former Buffalo Bills free safety Jairus Byrd to the lineup and because of injury and hesitant play the results have been a disaster for the money the team shelled out.

Now who will take the blame? The New Orleans Saints did a good job adding to the lineup in the 2015 NFL draft and signing CFL cornerback Delvin Breaux, but there are bigger issues to overcome over the next couple of years to rebuild this team offensively and defensively.

Next season the Saints need new starters at both offensive guard spots, a tall "go-to" wide receiver, a young tight end and that's just on offense. On defense they need speed pass rushers at defensive end and outside linebacker, another defensive tackle, a quality starting inside linebacker to team up with a good young player in Stephone Anthony and you need an alpha-dog leader at free safety. All those personnel holes to fill can't be blamed on Rob Ryan. The poor defensive play can be looked at as his baby, but who takes the blame for the many personnel misfires. Some will say it was the fault of the scouting department, but Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis had significant say on those free agent signees and early round selections too.

The big question mark will be if Sean Payton decides to stay around for the rebuilding process or does he leave to try and pump football life in another NFL team.

The ball is in Sean Payton's court...


The Firestorm in Baton Rouge

The back to back losses to Alabama and Arkansas lit the flame hot in Baton Rouge for head coach Les Miles, but the 38-17 loss to Ole Miss now has it a full fledged inferno. There is no doubt a lot of this media "insider" stuff is coming directly from Tiger athletic director Joe Alleva, but he is hearing the discontent from the money folks involved with LSU.

The job of the athletic director is to help piece together a quality product on different sports, but in today's world his or her's main job is to raise money for the athletic department. Years ago athletic directors were former coaches and they had great patience with winning coaches with tenure when they went through a bad stretch.

That isn't the case anymore. Most athletic directors, like NFL general managers, come with money management or business degrees.

Coaches take money out of the athletic coffers to increase their own salary, the salary of their assistants and for new facilities. If you stumble and lose and that money flow is slowed down, you are history.

It's a changing world like the business world we all live in.

In today's world many of the CEO's and top management people are much younger than in the world of our dads and grandfathers.

Today many of the top executives and richest donors to schools are in their 30's and 40's, not in their 60's or 70's. Those younger executives and innovators in worlds that our Moms and Dads and grandparents could never envision make money very quickly and they show their influence in a quicker manner, if they put their money in a project or program. In yesteryear the executive and CEO's came up through the ranks due to success and tenure.

Not today. It is finding a niche and quickly building up money and in a fast manner.

They don't have as much patience anymore and want success quicker than years ago and past success and tenure mean very little.

In our world today there are very few second acts, if a coach hits a pothole time out on the field. It's about change and change fast and money most of the time is not a major issue.

Years ago a coach would be told to get rid of coaches and coordinators and change quickly, but not today. It is about changing the head coach and his philosophy.

I really think the Tigers win their final regular season game against Texas A&M and finish up 8-3, but I wonder if the die has already been cast and the decision to make a change has already been made.

Miles has had great success at LSU and won a national championship and been to a second in which he lost to Alabama, but right now that might not be enough.

Miles has always believed in winning in what he calls "big boy" games and winning in a physical manner versus the big boy teams.

Over the last three years Miles' LSU Tigers teams against Ole Miss, Arkansas and Alabama have posted a 2-7 mark and the big number is 0-3 versus Nick Saban and the Tide.

Wow, between the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers, the next two months shall be interesting to cover these two dramatically developing situations.



Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDetillier
 

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