Tough Changes after 0-3 start bring desired results for Saints - Holder (1 Viewer)

[crosswatt]

Wait, has Anthony been benched?

He was moved to strong side linebacker, which is a position that they aren't utilizing very much right now. Officially no, but essentially yes. He has also had a leg injury that is further limiting his snap counts, so it isn't a completely performance based demotion.

 

[crosswatt]

It's literally impossible to imagine Ellerbre on the field in any capacity.

He literally played just this past Sunday.

 

[natedog]

Argh, I like the moves the franchise is making, but it just really makes you wonder how great of a dynasty this franchise would have been if we could have just picked up solid players on defense. We either have fan base names that fall short of their FA contract, or defensive players taken way to high in the draft that don't work out. And every year I fall for it. . . this year was JL, when everyone else figured he was washed up.

The only stellar pick I can recall on defense is Cam Jordan, or maybe guys like Malcolm Jenkins and Tracy Porter, but they weren't retained for whatever reason. Then you see guys like Robertson and Stupar play at a very high level considering their pedigree. Then it just really makes you wonder if the right players are earning their starting positions in training camp.

Obviously all the injuries don't help any of it, but it really makes you start thinking about trading back anytime possible when you are about to select a defensive player in the draft if you are this FO. Or just don't pull the trigger when it comes to those couple first days of FA.

 

[St.Dan]

Signed, Mark Fields.

P.S. Winfred Tubbs says hello

 

[bobad]

Had a bad feeling about Laurenitis since the day we signed him.

I think Ingram will still be the no 1 RB, but I think Hightower will get more carries even when Ingram is playing well.

Don't sleep on Hightower, don't sleep on the Stupar. They are absolute ballers.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

P.S. Winfred Tubbs says hello

Oh man @ Winfred Tubbs. Haven't seen that name since Quaterback Club 99' dayz

 

[diehardfan]

Hightower should be the starting RB.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

Hightower should be the starting RB.

Hightower deserves more carries and I could see him starting off as the primary ball carrier at the beginning of this game but I don't think he should replace Ingram long term.

Drew said it best. They can run every package with Ingram out there with no limitation and what people didn't see was Hightower struggled with the blitz pick up on a few snaps.

Hightower like Ivory and others are better RB's than Ingram but this team/offense isn't friendly to just pure runners. You've gotta be able to do a little bit of everything to not be a role player.

 

[BillA]

I thought Anthony played pretty well at inside LB last year. I don't understand why they signed Laurenitis and moved Anthony outside.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I thought Anthony played pretty well at inside LB last year. I don't understand why they signed Laurenitis and moved Anthony outside.

Going to do my best to address this without going into detail.


Your MLB is expected to be the QB of your defense. At any time did it appear last year that Anthony could go *** for tat with Drew Brees pre-snap? Would you say that he is anywhere close to being the level of player to the D that Drew is to the O as far as command/detail?

If you can't give a definitive Yes..well now you understand he didn't play as well as you'd think outside of Stats which don't actually do justice in any one way. What Drew does on the field goes beyond his Yards/TD's. They are a solid indicator but its deeper..and it was deeper than his 100+ Tckl outing as a rookie which is what people normally think of when they say "I Thought he played pretty well" Drew might only throw for 250 yards in a game but he'll get us in and out of the correct plays. There in lies the problem with Anthony's play last year....at times we weren't sound in getting into the right plays or alignments. Anybody can make a tackle after the ball is snapped...but can you make sure the D is aligned to the strength of the O. Can you determine what routes to expect based on Down and Distance and formation so you aren't "trying to cover everything" as SP put it when discussing Anthony at one point?

 

[SaintKenn]

From what I saw with Anthony, he was making a lot of tackles from behind, meaning he would misdiagnose the play and his speed allowed him to catch the runner, some good and some bad. To be a good mlb, you have to see where the play is going immediately and jump in there to make the stop. He's a good tackler but his field vision is lacking, thus the move to SLB where you don't have to discern as much as to where the play is heading. His sideline to sideline speed is a huge asset but I think his poor field vision hampers it to the point of him being a liability on the field. I don't know if vision is something that you can really develop, you either have it or you don't.

 

[humbrah]

Going to do my best to address this without going into detail.


Your MLB is expected to be the QB of your defense. At any time did it appear last year that Anthony could go *** for tat with Drew Brees pre-snap? Would you say that he is anywhere close to being the level of player to the D that Drew is to the O as far as command/detail?

If you can't give a definitive Yes..well now you understand he didn't play as well as you'd think outside of Stats which don't actually do justice in any one way. What Drew does on the field goes beyond his Yards/TD's. They are a solid indicator but its deeper..and it was deeper than his 100+ Tckl outing as a rookie which is what people normally think of when they say "I Thought he played pretty well" Drew might only throw for 250 yards in a game but he'll get us in and out of the correct plays. There in lies the problem with Anthony's play last year....at times we weren't sound in getting into the right plays or alignments. Anybody can make a tackle after the ball is snapped...but can you make sure the D is aligned to the strength of the O. Can you determine what routes to expect based on Down and Distance and formation so you aren't "trying to cover everything" as SP put it when discussing Anthony at one point?

so what exactly could he have done better? in regards to him keeping his status as MLB. not challenging you. just asking. and he aint a bust though right?

 

[OldSaintFan]

I disagree with you statement about Humber.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

From what I saw with Anthony, he was making a lot of tackles from behind, meaning he would misdiagnose the play and his speed allowed him to catch the runner, some good and some bad. To be a good mlb, you have to see where the play is going immediately and jump in there to make the stop. He's a good tackler but his field vision is lacking, thus the move to SLB where you don't have to discern as much as to where the play is heading. His sideline to sideline speed is a huge asset but I think his poor field vision hampers it to the point of him being a liability on the field. I don't know if vision is something that you can really develop, you either have it or you don't.

Exactly.

so what exactly could he have done better? in regards to him keeping his status as MLB. not challenging you. just asking. and he aint a bust though right?

See all quotes below.

Asked what Anthony can do to gain a bigger role, Payton declined to provide any details.

"He's working at the Sam, and he dual trains at the Mike as well," he said.

Sean Payton provides few details on Saints LB Stephone Anthony's minimal role | NOLA.com

Anthony says he continues to work hard.

"I'm just trying to understand plays in, plays out, just studying the playbook," Anthony said.

The New Orleans coaching staff continues to search for ways to highlight Anthony's strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

"With any of these players, you're constantly looking at, how do we get this guy going better?" Payton said. "What does he do well, and then let's ask him to do that. ... Listen, our thoughts and feelings on Steph haven't changed. I still see this guy as someone that there's a ton of things that we like."

Sean Payton says Stephone Anthony's snaps will increase as season progresses | Saints | theadvocate.com

It would be easy to blame the Saints’ coaches for moving Anthony away from his natural position of middle linebacker, where he seemed to play fairly well as a rookie last season with 112 tackles, a sack, an interception and two forced fumbles.

But it also seems pretty obvious that something wasn’t working there, especially when it came to Anthony’s responsibility of wearing the communication headset, calling out signals and making adjustments on the field

He repeatedly said Wednesday that he is eager to do “whatever the coaches ask me to do ... and do it the best way I can.”

When asked if he has struggled with assignment and alignment issues this season, Anthony said, “Not necessarily. I think just overall knowledge as far as what the other team is doing on first/second down, third down, just understanding the game overall.”

Saints must find a way to get LB Stephone Anthony 'going better' - New Orleans Saints Blog- ESPN


For your reading pleasure. Still trying to find the exact SP quote. When I do I'll update but these quotes kind of tell you from Anthony and the coaches on what the issue is/was to date.


Here's a quote I don't ever remember seeing.

FOX’s Jennifer Hale reported that veteran Michael Mauti will replace Laurinaitis, with Anthony playing on third downs. Hale reported that Anthony -- a first-round pick in 2015 -- is “on notice” and that the team wants faster decisions and reactions from him. Veterans Craig Robertson and Nate Stupar will likely start at the outside-linebacker spots

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-orlean...nch-james-laurinaitis-missing-first-game-ever


This quote maybe speaks to an incorrect evaluation of what they thought he was capable of. Expectation vs Reality if you will

Payton said that a quarterback/signal-caller is "obviously one of the things we felt we needed."

Anthony (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) handled that role as a rookie last year. But while he had an impressive debut season with 112 tackles, Payton suggested that Anthony and the defense might be more effective if he's relieved of that duty.

"That's a lot on the plate for a rookie, a first-year player, when he's getting signals, making the calls, doing all of that. And I think that's one of the things that obviously Laurinaitis is very comfortable at," Payton said. "So we'll look at that [switch for Anthony]. And if we're moving him to Sam, what type of Sam is he? Is he off the ball or on the ball? And the comment I made is we've gotta be flexible enough to adapt what we're doing defensively or offensively with the signing of a player."

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-orlean...for-saints-lbs-stephone-anthony-hauoli-kikaha


Finally found it 11 articles in

"Tomorrow will be important," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "Snaps where he's playing the Sam (strongside) and yet he can kick inside on some of the nickel snaps ... Obviously he's got the ability and I think he's a real good tackler and a physical player and the key for him is letting it all calm down and sort through what he's seeing and what he's expecting so he's not defending every possible play each snap, and I think the reps are going to help him."

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/08/saints_stephone_anthony_to_get.html



Now i can get back to work lol.

 

[MissippiWhoDat]

LB is the most translatable defensive position in football. If you select a 1st round LB it's with the expectation that he will start and be good year one. Anthony shouldn't have been selected at that spot. Kendricks was the better LB. it was a bad pick...and we are seeing the results. Don't hold your breath on Anthony becoming anything more than a serviceable LB. If he was to become good, he would have already been good by now. The truth sucks...but it is what it is. The search continues.

Still haven't given up on Anthony yet, but I agree we should've gone Kendricks/McKinney instead. I think lb is one of the harder positions to adjust from college to pro. IMHO, Instincts and awareness matter more there than any other d position. Especially mlb when your the qb of d. I think mauti just has the edge on him in the awareness and instincts right now, plus Sam doesn't get much time when you have 2 good free safeties and a ss that can play ss,will and nickel back.