It feels like I type this same sentence every week, but it just keeps being true: The New Orleans Saints have a lot of questions to answer as they head up to face the Patriots in a Week 5 showdown that feels massive for both scuffling teams.
The major difference for the Saints is that, even with a less-than-perfect showing against the Bucs, very few of those questions are on defense. That’s why for this edition of my three things to watch column, I’ll be focusing exclusively on an offense that has gone 7 quarters without finding the end zone.
There have been common themes with every player I’ve heard from in the locker room this week. The first is consistency. There just hasn’t been enough of it thus far, and that’s been a major talking point this week. Consistency in preparation. Consistency on the practice field. Consistency on game days. It doesn’t sound like something that a pro football team should have to reinforce a month into the season, but regardless, the message seems to be resonating.
Another thing I’ve heard all week: The offense is close, despite how far off things have appeared. Small details and execution breakdowns have led to big derailments. Players are confident in the scheme and the play-caller, at least based on what they've said publicly. The problem is that to this point, those are just words. It’s the results that count, and the Saints have a chance to either change or play directly into the narrative that’s been surrounding them to this point in the season.
The final point is urgency, and that's something you'll hear all around the NFL when things aren't going to plan.
With all that in mind, here are the three things I’m watching the most closely – and a bit of lagniappe – ahead of the Saints’ showdown with the Pats in Foxborough
THE GAME | Saints (2-2) at Patriots (1-3)
- When: Noon, Sunday, Oct. 8
- Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- TV: CBS
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: Fans First Take - with Steve Geller & Charlie Long, 8-10 a.m.; Countdown to Kickoff with Steve Geller & Bobby Hebert, 10 a.m.-noon
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1. CAN PETE PROVE ‘EM WRONG?
I won’t often turn the spotlight to the sideline in this way. The coaches aren’t the ones missing opportunities on the field. Quarterback Derek Carr was quick to point to film review after an offensively challenged loss to the Bucs, where there was a lot of “that was on me” situations from the players. There is certainly a level of these struggles that can be remedied with better play on the field, no question.
When things don’t go well, the offensive coordinator and play-calling is always going to land in the crosshairs first. Sometimes it’s just the easy way out. In this case there’s just way too much evidence to look the other way.
Let me be clear: Pete Carmichael has forgotten more about the game of football than I could ever hope to learn. He was a major piece in one of the greatest eras of offensive football the NFL has ever seen. But without Sean Payton to lean on any more, it’s fair to wonder if he’s behind the curve. Look around the league and take account of all the intriguing, innovative schemes (the Kyle Shanahan tree is a good example). That said, you can look around and also find offenses mired in the same type of slump the Saints have started in. Should they all jump ship after 4 weeks of football?
Carmichael conceded this week the team should be incorporating more motion into the offense. Opportunities need to be created for Chris Olave downfield. Alvin Kamara needs to be emphasized, but with more ingenuity than we saw in Week 4. Things just can’t be as predicable as they’ve felt thus far.
All that said, count me in the camp that still believes Pete can get this thing turned around. Maybe I’m too close to the project, but players aren’t standing there and lying through their teeth about their faith in their OC and play-caller, Carr in particular. What Pete can’t do is stand there and say he knows he has to better – which, whoa buddy did he say that a lot this week – but not actually self-scout and improve.
It’s got to start at some point, because the critics will only get louder. Maybe a Massachusetts homecoming is where that happens.
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2. ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
As Derek Carr said this week: The NFL is a people business. It’s a whole lot easier to treat an NFL roster like pieces on a chessboard than to consider each, individual person as exactly that. There are emotions. There’s frustration. That boiled over in a less-than-productive way for Chris Olave in Week 4.
It was noticeable and even was discussed on the broadcast. Olave himself admitted that his emotions got the better of him, and he had close friends take up the subject with him this week. He vowed to be better, and head coach Dennis Allen said it’s important to remember that despite his outsized role in this offensive attack, Olave is still a young player and there are a lot of learning experiences along the way.
I bring this up because a level of simmering frustration isn’t a problem in the NFL, as long as the locker room’s culture is strong enough to harness it in positive ways. Everything is a test, and I’m now watching Olave to see if he can turn that adversity into heightened focus and production.
That’s one of the reasons I think Olave sharing a locker room with Michael Thomas is a very positive thing for the young player. Even on his calmest day, Thomas’ persona is a fire raging somewhere near the surface. He stood up in the locker room after the loss to the Bucs and delivered a message to his teammates that what happened on the Superdome turf last Sunday isn’t what this team does. Don't get used to it.
I think Olave will be just fine, and he'll take Mike's message to heart. I’ll be watching him closely this week during what I expect to be a big day (assuming he’s not the player Bill Belichick decides to “take away” as we’ve all heard so much about).
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3. IS THE OL FOR REAL?
Through the first three weeks of the season it was a near-constant question: How can this offense hope to put up points if it can’t protect the quarterback?
Well, they did the job in Week 4. The offense still didn’t get going. That said, if there are more days like that for this OL group, it’s only a matter of time. Trevor Penning looks like a completely different player than his hair-on-fire performance in Week 1, and Cesar Ruiz should be getting back into action this week, having cleared the concussion protocol. I’m a bit concerned at the other guard spot with Andrus Peat working back from a concussion and James Hurst landing on the injury report late in the week (ankle).
The Patriots scheme is always well devised, but their front isn’t exactly the most daunting the Saints will face this year. It sure would be nice to see this group impose its will. Can we come out of a game talking about run-blocking rather than pass protection? I know Alvin Kamara agrees. Get the run game going and make life a lot easier everywhere else.
Sounds simple, right?
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LAGNIAPPE
OK, this isn’t technically offense, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching Rashid Shaheed in the return game the past few weeks – particularly punt returns. He tells me things are slowing down for him a bit and he’s feeling more confident back there. You can see it. Now, on kick returns? I’d love to see this team start accepting touchbacks as a more than acceptable fate. Too many drives have started shy of the 25 for my liking (and I know Dennis Allen isn’t a fan of that, either). … The tight ends have been virtually absent in the passing game. Juwan Johnson won’t be on the field this week, but it looks like Foster Moreau will be. Is it too much to ask for he and Jimmy Graham to get some opportunities? One of the reasons 10 yards has felt so far away is it seems like it’s either chunk play or bust. There seem to have been several opportunities for the 6-7 dude to box out a smaller defender at the sticks and keep the drive moving. He’s got one target through four games. I asked Derek Carr this week and he said that’s just how it goes sometimes. Well, the way it’s gone hasn’t gotten anyone very far. More targets for the big dudes couldn’t hurt. … The Saints waived Tony Jones Jr. this week. I expect him to land on the practice squad, but to me that’s less a statement about Tony as it is about rookie Kendre Miller. Clearly this team trusts him enough that when they needed to make the numbers work with depth issues at other positions, they opted to stick with him as the lone backup RB. This was the same type of situation where the Saints found themselves down to just TJJ in Week 2. Regardless, I expect to see his workload continue to build this week and beyond.
