Whether it was injury or chemistry issue, losing Keenan Lewis hurts Saints (1 Viewer)

Dan in Lafayette

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Whether it was injury or chemistry issue, losing Keenan Lewis hurts Saints

Mike Triplett -- ESPN Staff Writer



The New Orleans Saints’ decision to release Keenan Lewis isn’t a complete shock. There were signs they might be ready to turn the page, and they already have started moving on with some promising young replacements.

But there still is no way to put a positive spin on this divorce.

The Saints either didn’t think that Lewis would get healthy enough to help them on the field, or they felt like he had become a malcontent who should be removed for chemistry reasons. It probably was some combination of both.

Either way, that means the Lewis who played so well in 2013 and 2014 is never coming back. And, man, the Saints really could have used that version of Lewis to help fix their ailing defense.

MORE -- ESPN
 
Hurts our depth that's it. He wasn't going to start at corner.

No, but we're depending again on UDFAs at a critical position and Delvin Breaux is likely the only corner that has started a NFL game.

Soft up front (OL) and on the perimeter (Secondary) is bot a recipe for winning football, as we've seen for years.
 
I agree that I'm not surprised w the move, but I wish we didn't cut him. Heck, we guaranteed his salary for the next few years, so what was the downside? Worst case scenario, he becomes 100% after a few regular season weeks, and becomes a good player for us this year. Not necessarily a starter but a good player.

My big thing is, what if one of our CBs gets injured?
 
No not really. He is a user and a paycheck collecting guy who really can care less if he played or not. The Saints made him. He was a 3/4 string in Pittsburgh.
 
Say what you want, but it hurts Saints and might come back to bite them.

How does it hurt the Saints when he probably wouldn't have been 100% anytime during the season with a lingering hip injury? He's 30 years old now and he hasn't been reliable since the 2014 season. On top of that, he's already admitted to having a long-standing friction with Dennis Allen, and we really don't need that kind of drama permeating through the locker room.

This is not another Jabari Greer type situation. We'll be fine with the cornerbacks that we have. Breaux already believes PJ will be a stud and we know how good Swann can be when healthy.
 
Look, I love Lewis. He was very good when he got here. And in 2013 he was top 3 at the position. With that said he has been absent since that year and it's not because his play fell off, he has just been hurt. I'm not sure it hurts the team in 2016. It hurt in 2014 but last year and this year he has become a sideline fixture. If Swann had stayed healthy last year I'm not sure we would have noticed him missing. And this year with PJ playing as well as he has been I'm not even sure Lewis would have been a starter. I think when Swann got back on the field vs Houston the other day and picked up where he left off Lewis was in danger of not even having a spot. His attitude about leaving tells me 2 things. First it's that the hip is not better and knows that the saints weren't looking to let him go. They wanted him on IR and second they let him go as a favor. In all reality he will retire by the end of this year no matter who he plays for. Bo Jackson's career ended because of a hip. It's a bad injury especially for a speed and cutting position. So to the point, Trip this article is 2 years late.


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This one stings. We really needed him this season, which leads me to believe that the reason we cut him was his health. I really don't think that the Saints would release him because of his relationship with Dennis Allen. I wish the best for Keenan Lewis, and know that he will probably be signed pretty fast. However, I don't think he will contribute to a new team until mid season at the earliest.
 
WOW. There was a LOT of speculation in that piece
Tripplet usually doesn't do that sort of article. It's a shame

KL is recovering and has had a lot of injuries lately
If he'd have gone down in week two we're screwed
The Saints would probably make the same decision if KL and Dennis Allen were best buds
 
No, but we're depending again on UDFAs at a critical position and Delvin Breaux is likely the only corner that has started a NFL game.

Soft up front (OL) and on the perimeter (Secondary) is bot a recipe for winning football, as we've seen for years.
No they are not. The only udfa being "counted on" is Breaux. Swann, PJ Williams, and Finnegan are all former draft picks. Ken Crawley, Jimmy Pruitt, and De'vante Harris are undrafted, but whoever makes the team from that grouping is planned depth.

The Dixon twins are split, with Brandon being drafted by the Jets. Either way, they are a known quantity, and can play if needed.

As for the UDFA guys, any meaningful snaps are going to be above the original projection for them. Which is possible, and would be a good thing. Not some crisis situation as you are attempting to paint it as.
 
You simply cannot have an ailing, crippled, hope he gets fine, we only need him for a few plays per game corner back in this "NEW" nfl where passing the ball is king.

If anything him applying some pressure and getting his deal reworked before all this allowed him to be compensated handsomely. Poor guy might never be able to compete again and has that warriors heart.

It was time to put down old yeller though.
 
I appreciate all that KL has given us, but I don't think this hurts us like Trp believes. If Lewis was sound, yes. But he's not. With all due respect to Lewis, the 2013-14 version of him won't be back. And it's not because of desire or drive, it's because he can't overcome the injuries and now age is creeping up. Some positions you can cover physical drop off with smarts and experience, but not cornerback. And even if their was a little change in locker room chemistry, I think that aspect is being blown out of proportion - more media and forum drama.

I wish Lewis the best, but I applaud the Saints for this move and the timing of it.
 
WOW. There was a LOT of speculation in that piece
Tripplet usually doesn't do that sort of article. It's a shame

KL is recovering and has had a lot of injuries lately
If he'd have gone down in week two we're screwed
The Saints would probably make the same decision if KL and Dennis Allen were best buds
If KL and DA "were" best buds, KL would have bought into the decisions made by the coaching staff about his situation.

There is definitely truth to the "malcontent" aspect as it has been repeated in several articles and observed in several posts by Pop.

What the Saints are returning to is identifying these issues earlier than the past few years and dumping that issue now instead of holding out hope it will change. Specifically because we have a good, young ( but impressionable) group of players that do not need to exposed to this for the next several months.

For all the talk of him being a "local" guy, he sure didn't become that guy FOR the Saints.

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