The New Orleans Saints have fallen on hard times over the past two weeks, with a pair of difficult losses, but there are some reinforcements expected back this week.
Both Cesar Ruiz (concussion) and Paulson Adebo (hamstring) are expected to make their return to practice on Wednesday, barring any setbacks. Saints head coach Dennis Allen relayed that news on WWL Radio's Saints Coaches Show this week. Ruiz has been out since he suffered a head injury in the first half against the Packers, and Adebo hasn't practice since suffering his injury late in the week leading up to the matchup with Green Bay.
Listen to the full interview with Dennis Allen in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"Certainly we’ve got a ways to go before we get there, but yea, I think the injury news on those guys was positive going into today,” Allen told WWL Radio's Mike Hoss and Bobby Hebert.
Ruiz's return in particular would help bolster a unit that's seen significant shuffling in his absence. James Hurst shifted from LG to RG, with Andrus Peat taking over against the Packers. The Saints maintained that alignment to start against the Bucs, but were forced to shift against when Peat went out with a concussion of his own. His status will be another to monitor this week.
The Saints turned next to Max Garcia at RG, necessitating a shift back to LG for Hurst. Despite that, Allen said the protection in Week 4 showed marked improvement. Derek Carr was sacked twice in the game after the offense allowed 12 sacks over the first three weeks.
Isaac Yiadom has taken the bulk of the outside corner snaps in Adebo's place and has performed well despite being targeted relentlessly across from Marshon Lattimore. His interception at the goal line appeared to be a momentum-swinging moment late in the first half of a close game, but the Saints fumbled on the very next play. The Bucs went at him again and this time Trey Palmer beat him on a fade for a score.
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The Saints will also have health questions surrounding safeties Jordan Howden, who missed the game, and Lonnie Johnson, who went out midway with a hamstring issue. They are already without Marcus Maye for one more game due to suspension. Tight end Juwan Johnson was also a late scratch after aggravating a calf injury during warmups. Johnson's absence left the Saints with Jimmy Graham and Taysom Hill as the only active tight ends, with Foster Moreau missing his second consecutive game with an ankle issue.
"That’s part of pro football," Allen said. "You have the same thing that goes on if you have an injury. If that injury happened on the first play of the game, you probably even have less time to really make those adjustments. So certainly it had an effect on us, but yet we’ve got to be able to overcome that.”
In the end, Allen and the rest of the team -- particularly on offense -- know the results have to be better. At 2-2 the Saints are still positioned well to compete for the NFC South title, but that will require better performances in all phases, starting in Week 5 against the Patriots.
"I don’t think it’s time for anybody to hit the panic button," Allen said. "But yet, we know that there’s a sense of urgency that we have to be better. I think everybody in this building understands that we have to be better. Obviously it starts with me, goes through the assistant coaches and on down to the players.”
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MORE FROM DENNIS ALLEN
On Derek Carr's shoulder
“He was a little sore today, he told me that he felt better on this Monday as opposed to where he felt last Monday. So that was a good sign. I don’t know that that sped the clock up in his head. That’s probably a question that he would have to answer.
"I do think that there might have been a couple of throws that I felt like that he missed that typically he wouldn’t miss, and so I don’t know if that was a factor in that or not. But look, I don’t think that that was a major factor in the game. I think just our ability, really on both sides of the ball, when you really look at it, situational football is what that game really boiled down to. We had obviously a 7-3 game with 41 seconds to go in the half and we really just gotta punch the ball off the goal line to be able to take a couple of knees and get into halftime at 7-3. We have the fumble, which turns into 7 points for them. Red zone they were able to score touchdowns, we had to kick field goals. We didn’t do a good enough job of converting on third down and we allowed 53% third down conversions. That was really what the game boiled down to.”
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On third down failures
“To me, that was the tale of the game. The first touchdown drive they converted four third downs. A couple of third down conversions in the game came off quarterback scrambles. We got him to check the ball down in the red area and we missed a couple of tackles, which then led to a touchdown. … We busted a coverage there at the end of the game that allowed for an explosive to lead to the final touchdown of the game, and so, yea, that’s not acceptable. It’s not our standard, and we’ll be better at that.”
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On Bryan Bresee's development
"I think he’s been active inside for us. He brings an athletic element inside and he’s got the ability to win quick. He had the sack in the game and then had a nice tackle for loss on an inside movement. So I think he’s doing some really good things. Obviously there’s still some things he’s got to improve on. His pad level, I think, has got to get better and some of his fundamentals and technique, but certainly I think he’s made some impact plays for us.”