Analysis Week 4 AMA: Saints/Falcons Postgame (Ask Me Anything) (10 Viewers)

[TCUDan]

Hey everyone, I'm working on an article about where the Saints are 4-games into the season, but in the interim I'm here to answer your questions. So fire away!

 

[limeyjohn]

Good morning
Why are we struggling so much to get to the quarterback?
Particularly against depleted offensive lines

 

[fishing4food]

Good Morning from North Dakota TCU Dan

A few weeks ago you stated that Olave and Shaheed could carry the load for the receivers this year. I'm starting to see that Shaheed only has the ability to take the top off the defense with his speed but is lacking in the short possession game. I think Olave needs some help and Tipton is not being worked into the lineup much. Your thoughts on the spreading the wealth more among the receivers? Also, why is A.T. Perry not with the receivers on Sunday? Is he just a fill in now if someone gets hurt?

 

[Rouxble]

You mentioned last week that Hill is a crucial part of the offense, but it appears that he will have trouble staying healthy with the increased workload we are asking him to handle. If he is the piece that makes the offense go, how should Kubiak adjust without Hill? Particularly with a banged up OL.

 

[ShortFuzed9]

Hey everyone, I'm working on an article about where the Saints are 4-games into the season, but in the interim I'm here to answer your questions. So fire away!

Brother I hope you and the family are healthy and well. My question is at the TE position Why do you think the TEs Juwan Johnson or Foster Moreau havent been featured at points in the passing game?

 

[saint_drago]

Brother I hope you and the family are healthy and well. My question is at the TE position Why do you think the TEs Juwan Johnson or Foster Moreau havent been featured at points in the passing game?

Yeah that's what I'm wondering. We're not seeing much short over the middle passes for TEs. Or check down, dump off type passes. AK seems like the only check down. When Carr tries to throw over the middle the passes are getting knocked down.

 

[MarylandWHODAT]

Good morning! Where are the players mentally right now? Coming off of two big wins and suffering two heartbreaking losses is a roller coaster of emotions. Not to mention injuries.

How are the players physically, emotionally and mentally?

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

Good Morning from North Dakota TCU Dan

A few weeks ago you stated that Olave and Shaheed could carry the load for the receivers this year. I'm starting to see that Shaheed only has the ability to take the top off the defense with his speed but is lacking in the short possession game. I think Olave needs some help and Tipton is not being worked into the lineup much. Your thoughts on the spreading the wealth more among the receivers? Also, why is A.T. Perry not with the receivers on Sunday? Is he just a fill in now if someone gets hurt?

Shaheed caught 8 passes for 83 yards last week. He was all possession against the Falcons.

 

[fishing4food]

Shaheed caught 8 passes for 83 yards last week. He was all possession against the Falcons.

How many of those catches were for first downs? Not to argue but I'm not impressed with Saheed in the short game. I would like to see Tipton get more touches.

 

[Turfie]

How concerned are you regarding our #3 WR position?

After Shaheed and Olave all of our other WRs have caught a total of 5 passes for 26 yards.

 

[SWJJ]

How much blame for the last 2 losses should be attributed to Derek Carr? Dennis Allen's playcalling?

 

[TCUDan]

Good morning
Why are we struggling so much to get to the quarterback?
Particularly against depleted offensive lines

I think it's a few things - one being that teams genuinely are running and operating out of play-action/max protect more, particularly on early downs, and defenses are kinda falling into that ebb and flow (not firing out of the blocks as hard on 1st/2nd down).

Third down bothers me more. I always appreciated the way DA schemed for pressure generation, but this year--so far--it seems to be far less pressure scheming and more coverage scheming. I think I saw 2, MAYBE 3, pressures in the first half (5 or more defenders rushing the QB). One was Tyrann Mathieu on a delayed blitz and the other was Pete Werner. There was also very little going on with the DL, pass rush game-wise, and in general guys just aren't challenging the opposing OLs schematically or technically.

This could be due to a change in philosophy. Focusing on limiting big plays vs. being aggressive and getting after the QB. The 3rd down stuff is by far the most frustrating.

 

[TCUDan]

Good Morning from North Dakota TCU Dan

A few weeks ago you stated that Olave and Shaheed could carry the load for the receivers this year. I'm starting to see that Shaheed only has the ability to take the top off the defense with his speed but is lacking in the short possession game. I think Olave needs some help and Tipton is not being worked into the lineup much. Your thoughts on the spreading the wealth more among the receivers? Also, why is A.T. Perry not with the receivers on Sunday? Is he just a fill in now if someone gets hurt?

I wouldn't totally agree with this assessment. I know Shaheed didn't reel in some really difficult 50/50 balls against the Eagles, but last game he had 8 catches, and all were short or intermediate throws and 3 or 4 were really low balls that he trapped and kept off the turf. He also made a terrific 1 handed grab in the end zone but the pass was too high for him to be able to get his feet down.

He's not the complete route runner that Olave is but I think it's a complete misnomer that he's nothing but a deep ball threat. He runs pretty crisp underneath routes and he plucks the ball pretty effortlessly and is able to reel in low balls and contort his body at different angles. A large part of the 0 catches in the Eagles game was just how he was used, but for an UDFA in his 3rd year, I think he's doing pretty well and is a legit #2 WR.

Of course there is still plenty of room to improve (I won't even get into that bonehead muffed punt... what an uncharacteristically stupid and costly play). As for AT Perry, my guess is he hasn't earned a larger role, and Mason Tipton getting the most #3 snaps tell me that he's who the coaches have confidence in. I'd like for them to scheme for him a little more but right now a lot of those screens and end arounds are all going to Shaheed, for obvious reasons.

Last but not least: opportunities. Through the first 4 weeks the Saints are well over 60% run. If it seems like there aren't enough balls to go around--it's simply b/c there aren't. More opportunities in the passing game will mean more catches for everyone.

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

How many of those catches were for first downs? Not to argue but I'm not impressed with Saheed in the short game. I would like to see Tipton get more touches.

He averaged 10 yards per reception so...most of em?

 

[TCUDan]

You mentioned last week that Hill is a crucial part of the offense, but it appears that he will have trouble staying healthy with the increased workload we are asking him to handle. If he is the piece that makes the offense go, how should Kubiak adjust without Hill? Particularly with a banged up OL.

It's such a frustrating situation. Hill has always been somewhat injury prone, but he deserves/the team needs him to have his expanded role. I said in my last article that he is one of--if not THE--most important player on the offense, right up there with Kamara and Olave. While there was rightly a lot of angst about Erik McCoy going down, losing Hill is like losing a starter at 3 different positions and the one player who really changes the way defenses gameplan.

It's like facing a team with a Mike Vick or a Lamar Jackson--only this player isn't your QB...

... most of the time.

It's not just what Hill does, it's what he CAN do. When he's on the field you can't ID if the Saints are in 11, 12, or 21 personnel, b/c it's all and none of those things. We saw this on the first drive with Kubiak getting away from the compressed sets (FINALLY... maybe he read my last article?) and right away Hill was split out to the numbers, and he wasn't matched up on a LB. They kept the CB on him, which means Olave was on a LB, and it allowed him to catch the ball underneath and run for a first down after the catch.

The Saints also keep teams out of those heavy/okie fronts that the Eagles dominated us with. And still Hill blocks like a FB/TE, runs the ball like a RB, catches like a WR, and can throw it like a QB.

So yeah... losing him is huge and I think it's gonna be an issue throughout the season. You could obviously rotate him more or put him in fewer in-line blocking situations where can get caught under a pile of bodies. Without him... you're playing base football, and you're just gonna have to rotate players in (a FB is now a FB, a TE is a TE, etc.) and play without that extra edge.

It's no coincidence (and correct me if I'm wrong)--the Saints have scored points on every drive that Hill has been on the field. And without him--as we saw Sunday and the week before, this team has been a low-output offense.