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What to Watch for -- Saints Training Camp 2016
By Mike Detillier
The 2016 training camp for the New Orleans Saints is right around the football corner and here are my observations on the “Watch” items during camp and in the preseason.
Finding a Pass Rush
When the 2015 NFL season ended the biggest need for the New Orleans Saints was to find a top edge pass rusher to compliment Cam Jordan.
Well, it is still the biggest need on the 2016 version of the New Orleans Saints.
What the Saints added this offseason to give them an edge rusher was signing journeyman veteran defensive end Daryl Tapp. The 11-year veteran has started just 4 games over the past 6 seasons in the NFL and over the past 3 seasons Tapp has recorded 3 ½ quarterback sacks.
At this stage they are hoping Tapp fills in as a role player defensively along the same lines of another veteran signee in safety Roman Harper.
The signing of Tapp is not likely to put fear in any opposing offense.
The loss of Hau’oli Kikaha to a torn ACL during the offseason workout sessions really put a dent into a position that is crying out for a signature player. What you have now on the roster are three “maybe” players in Obum Gwachum, Kasim Edebali and a player with potential in Davis Tull, if he can stay healthy.
Cam Jordan is the only “front seven” player the Saints have on the defensive roster at this time that would be a surefire “impact” player on any of the other 31 teams.
In the NFL it is all about having a signature player at the quarterback spot and defensive people who can put the opposing quarterback on his back and influence a throw.
Right now, the Saints have just one part of that winning combination. Expect to be in shootout games each week without that constant edge pressure.
Stopping the Run
In any level of football you better stop the run first or teams will just keeping pounding away at you. It doesn’t matter when you get the yardage you have to be able to slam the rushing door shut when needed.
For all the talk of a lack of a pass rush and it certainly was not there, what it masked was the fact that the Saints gave up a whopping 4.9 yards per rush to opposing running backs.
That is unacceptable at any level of football.
The good news is that the Saints really put forth a great effort to aid their run defense. The Saints signed talented, but mercurial defensive tackle Nick Fairley in free agency, they used their first round pick on a very talented young interior player in Sheldon Rankins and also brought in an alpha-dog leader in James Laurinaitis who has great instincts to make plays versus the run at middle linebacker.
The Saints also brought in a “future” player in David Onyemata from Manitoba College in Canada via the draft. He is a work in progress in 2016, but the Saints may have really hit a football “gusher” in the very athletic and smart defensive tackle from Nigeria.
Throw in a tough, blue-collar performer in Tyeler Davison and a good defensive tackle in John Jenkins, if and that is a big IF, he stays healthy and is in good shape, and this club looks to be very solid at defensive tackle. In a matter of fact, it may be the strongest area talent wise on the team defensively in 2016.
Another player to watch is middle linebacker turned “strongside” backer in Stephone Anthony. Anthony has the size and athletic tools to develop into a very good starting linebacker at the NFL level and he excelled in getting to the ballcarrier in 2015. He became the first Saints’ rookie since Rickey Jackson back in 1981 to record more than a 100 tackles in season.
But now Anthony is learning a new position and trying to better his coverage skills. Even the former Clemson linebacker told me that he was surprised on how fast tight ends could get to him at the NFL level in the passing game. Anthony has to improve his overall coverage skills to become that complete linebacker, but his ability as a sure openfield tackler versus the run is a big plus for a defense that needs help in that area.
Hopefully the additions and the development of young players will mean they can stop the run better in 2016 than in 2015. If not, it will be a very long season.
Protecting Brees
The biggest key to the 2016 season for the Saints is protecting Drew Brees. If the Saints have any chance to attain a winning record it is all in the hands of Brees and protecting him from a fierce rush from the interior.
A couple of years back versus the New York Jets, the Jets coaching staff came up with a gameplan to blow up the launch pad of Brees from the middle and every opposing team since that midseason game in 2013 has used that approach.
Brees’ football brilliance, accuracy and quick release has gotten this team out of a host of jams when teams have come full-force right up the middle, but the Saints don’t have anything near what they had in 2009 and 2011 when Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, the two best guards in the NFL at that time, were on the roster.
Terron Armstead is one of the best left tackles in the game and is locked up for many years to come. Right now Armstead would get you more in a trade than any other player on the current New Orleans Saints roster. Armstead is a star player at the left tackle spot and he is an offensive building block for the future.
Center Max Unger is a tremendous run blocker and a good pass protector. When Unger is healthy he is one of the best in the business.
Right tackle Zach Strief is solid, but we all know he is probably playing his last season in the Black and Gold, and he has lost some of his quickness to lock up opposing speed defenders coming off the edge. But Strief is the best you have on the roster today at right tackle.
The issue is at the two guard spots.
2015 first round pick Andrus Peat will be the most watched player in training camp and the preseason. The Saints used an early first round pick on the mammoth Stanford lineman, but he was out of football shape and seemed stiff as a board during his rookie season. The Saints wanted him to be their starting right tackle, but right now he is not a better player than Strief, so he was kicked inside to right guard.
His development will be watched very closely.
The other starting spot will be fought between two journeyman players in Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete. Watching both, Kelemete is the better player.
Don’t be surprised to see the Saints call out for a veteran offensive guard once the preseason starts. If still in football shape, remember no team has signed Jahri Evans once the Saints released him.
Replacing Marques Colston
Marques Colston goes down as the best wide receiver to ever wear the Black and Gold. But the Saints are not bare at wide receiver.
Brandin Cooks is a speed-merchant with good hands and the ability to spread the field deep. He also can take a short pass and giddy-up fast downfield after the catch.
Willie Snead has developed into a very good slot receiver who Drew Brees trusts and he always seems to be open. In so many ways Snead reminds us all of what Lance Moore was for so many seasons for the Saints.
But the player to watch for is rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas. The Saints used their second round pick on the Ohio State standout and he has been the rookie star during the offseason training workouts due to his sure hands, great length and most importantly he has quickly gotten on the same football page with Drew Brees. His size will be used to the maximum in short yardage and redzone plays.
Since Brees arrived in 2006 I have never heard him talk up a rookie offensive player like he has Thomas. That is saying something.
For all the talk in the offseason about the potential of Brandon Coleman from Saints executives it is clear he is still more potential than production as a player. Coleman has great size (6-6, 225), long arms and he has a bit of a pull-away skillset to his game. His problem is that he takes his eyes off the ball at the final moment before he catches it and he will drop an easy catch. It was the same issue that plagued him at Rutgers. People will say he has poor hands, but that is not the case. It is all about concentration and focus. Already Michael Thomas has whizzed by Coleman on the depth chart.
One player who caught everyone’s attention in the offseason training sessions was second year wide receiver R.J. Harris. The 6-0, 200 pound end from New Hampshire really upgraded his route-running skills, his ability to get separation downfield and he is now on the same football page as Drew Brees. Harris is sure-handed and he plays with an air of confidence about him. He has a legitimate chance to make the final 53-man squad in 2016.
The Saints signed veteran wide receiver Vincent Brown after he had disappointing stints with the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. The former 3rd-round pick in 2011 from San Diego State looked impressive in the Saints offseason workouts, but in many ways he reminds me of an “All-Practice” player who looks great in the sessions, but he can’t translate that ability to game action.
The Saints are still on the prowl for another wide receiver to add to the lineup.
Ingram and Spiller
Head coach Sean Payton heavily influenced Saints general manager Mickey Loomis to deal back into the 1st round in 2011 for halfback Mark Ingram. The Saints gave up a first and second round pick to the New England Patriots to acquire the 2009 Heisman Trophy winning halfback from Alabama.
In spurts Ingram has really played well for the Saints, but injuries seem to chip away at his game on a yearly basis. Last season Ingram rushed for 769 yards, averaged 4.6 yards per rush and scored 6 rushing touchdowns. He also had a career high 50 catches for 405 yards before he suffered a shoulder injury in mid-November that ended his season.
The Saints are the BYU of the NFL and they set up the run with the pass. Payton would like a lead-dog back like he had in Deuce McAllister back in 2006 to carry the rushing load and he wants a back to be his finisher late in games eating up valuable clock when the Saints have the lead. Ingram has the ability to be that type of back, but he needs to stay healthy.
Another feature Payton wants in his backs is to catch the ball well coming out of the backfield and Ingram has worked hard to upgrade that part of his game. Playing through minor hurts and staying healthy is a key for a player the Saints signed to a four-year contract extension worth $16 million dollars in March of 2015.
On the other hand is C.J. Spiller.
Spiller was a very good all-purpose back at Clemson and during his time with the Buffalo Bills. He had great speed and quickness, good rushing instincts and he was sure-handed coming out of the backfield. Spiller was a nightmare to match up against downfield one-on-one. The signing looked like a great fit for a player who was playing in some mighty cold conditions in Buffalo to head back to the South and play 8 games in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, and on a fast track.
Well that was not the case for Spiller in New Orleans.
That speedy all-purpose back really never showed up for the Saints in 2015 after signing a four-year contract worth $18 million dollars. Other than an 80-yard catch and run to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime the speedy Spiller was a non-factor and many rumors evolved about his ability to pick up the Saints offense, his toughness to run between the tackles and knee issues.
In one of our weekly segments for the television show ‘Saints on the Bayou’ we saw Spiller touch the ball 7 times in a game and six of his seven touches of the ball he ran out of bounds without getting touched.
In an offense that highlighted the edge running and pass catching skills of Reggie Bush and then Darren Sproles, the former Clemson star back never seemed to get a grasp of that same spot.
Sean Payton is not a coach overflowing with patience and the heat is on Spiller to fill that valuable role that has become a huge void for the team since the Saints made a very unwise decision to deal the valuable Sproles to the Philadelphia Eagles because he was making too much money.
While not as physically gifted late last season, Payton did find a runner with heart and toughness in Tim Hightower and they were smart to bring him back to the team.
The ball is in the court of C.J. Spiller.
What’s happening with Byrd
Ever since signing a record setting 6-year deal for $56 million dollars the Jarius Byrd we saw in Buffalo has never appeared in New Orleans.
The three-time All-Pro free safety was plagued by back and knee injuries in 2014 and he played in only 4 games.
Again last season Byrd was nicked up during the season and while he played in 13 games he was no impact defender on the field. Many times on film you could see Byrd playing centerfield and rarely moving away from his spot yards away from the action. He seemed to avoid contact on a consistent basis and many times he looked like a bullfighter throwing his football cape around the opponent instead of making an aggressive move toward the ballcarrier.
When you spend $56 million dollars on a player and then use a second round choice on a player that plays the same spot two years later the high-priced player might be in a little trouble.
The Saints do have the best starting cornerback combination they have ever had in Keenan Lewis and Delvin Breaux, who I think is the best cornerback to ever play for the Saints. Kenny Vaccaro seems much more comfortable playing closer to the line of scrimmage in Dennis Allen’s defense than in Rob Ryan’s complicated set of defenses, but Byrd is the wildcard with no answers.
Second round pick Vonn Bell from Ohio State is a very good match-up safety in the coverage part of the game, and while he is no “knockout” hitter, he will come up the seam to make a play in run defense.
The Saints coaching staff has already raved about his intelligence and his ability to cover the slot receiver, but he is a rookie and he will make some 1st year mental mistakes.
And the Saints may have found another football gem from the Canadian Football League in linebacker turned free safety in Erik Harris. To be honest, I can’t remember another 6-3, 225 pound free safety to play for the Saints. Harris has great size, very long arms, quick feet, he has good instincts in getting to the ballcarrier in run defense and a knack for being in the right spot in pass defense.
Maybe just maybe football lightning has struck twice from the Canadian Football League for the Saints.
Like Spiller, Byrd has been a major disappointment and this is a repeat but, also like Spiller, he is testing the patience of his head coach.
The Placekicking Spot
Well in Sean Payton’s timeframe with the New Orleans Saints he has had 10 different placekickers since 2006. I have always written for kickers that you better rent not buy when you win the placekicking spot for the Black and Gold.
In camp the Saints have former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Connor Barth challenging the incumbent in Kai Forbath. Forbath hit on 9 of 13 field goal attempts with the Saints in 2015 and two game winners. But that percentage of 69.2% won’t cut it with Payton and the Saints staff.
Barth hit on 23 of his 28 field goal attempts with the Buccaneers. That 82.1% accuracy is better than Forbath’s, but it was not good enough for the Bucs and they released him. The Bucs used a second round selection in the 2016 NFL draft to select Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo.
During the training camp sessions Forbath was the more accurate kicker, but this battle will be won during the preseason games.
For another training camp the battle for the kicking spot is wide open and whoever wins the battle, they better not buy, but rent in the Big Easy.
Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDetillier