The point made repeatedly across the Saints' locker room this week: Texans QB C.J. Stroud is playing well, and not just for a rookie. He's playing well for an NFL quarterback of any age.
Some version of that statement was made by more than half-dozen different players and coaches ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Texans.
I get it. Stroud is probably going to be the NFL's rookie of the year. I still don't care. This is a Saints defense more than capable of making life hell on a rookie, even a top-end one. That's what I expect to see this week, and the Saints are now back to full strength in the secondary to make it happen.
Stroud is yet to throw a pick. What better time for his first than against Ohio State south? Works for me. The Saints are 11-3 against rookie quarterbacks since Dennis Allen took over as defensive coordinator in New Orleans. That doesn't happen by accident.
THE GAME | Saints (3-2) at Texans (2-3)
- When: Noon, Sunday, Oct. 15
- Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
- TV: FOX
- 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-noon
With all that in mind, here are my top three things to watch for the Week 6 showdown at NRG Stadium.
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1. BATMAN & ROBIN
So, about that making a rookie look like a rookie thing? One way to do that is by forcing a young player to doubt his own eyes. That's a lot easier to do when a defense has personnel that it knows well and trusts.
The Saints are thrilled with Jordan Howden's play thus far, as they should be, but there's no denying that throwing a rookie into the fire early in the season the way they had to was at least somewhat limiting. Howden will still have a role, but the return of Marcus Maye should make this Saints defense even more stout. More importantly: He can make it more complicated.
Joe Woods told me this week that Maye and Mathieu just have their own way of doing things. It works, so he's not going to question it. That's a byproduct of two guys who know and understand each other after a year each in the same system. Woods compared them to Batman and Robin in the secondary (and Tyrann tells me he's Batman).
Now, the Saints defense isn't installing new things each and every week, particularly in the secondary. They have core principles that they believe in and make minor adjustments here or there. The nuance comes in the look a QB is seeing pre-snap or post-snap. Sometimes they'll line up showing middle open and roll into a cover-1 late, forcing the QB to react (or better yet, not realize it and throw into the teeth of the coverage). You could do the opposite. Bluff pressure. Sit on a route. You get the idea.
The Saints are comfortable playing any of Mathieu, Maye and Howden at strong, free or in the dime role. If you keep an eye on them throughout the game, I expect you'll see them moving around quite a bit back there and giving a lot of different looks pre and post-snap. Stroud is still a rookie. Force him to prove he's as far ahead of the curve as he seems to be.
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2. TAYSOM THE (actual) QUARTERBACK
I've said this a few times, but one of the things that bothers me about Taysom Hill's role is that even when he's lining up as a quarterback, he's rarely actually playing quarterback. There's a balance you need to strike with him to keep defenses honest, and I'm not sure the Saints have done enough of it.
There have been signs, though. On one red zone snap against the Patriots the Saints had Alvin Kamara cheat out in motion and the design called for Taysom to sell a pump fake, then look downfield where Keith Kirkwood was bluffing a block, then releasing upfield. The idea was to bait the defender into breaking on the pump fake to try to avoid the WR's block and defend Kamara. If he did that, the ball would go behind him to the wide open receiver.
It didn't work. But that's the beauty of this type of design, because it still turned into a 12-yard scramble. Too often it seems like the Saints are happy to settle with the 3 yards and a cloud of dust game plan, but it erases the athletic-guy-in-space part of Taysom's game. I don't need Taysom in there going through a 3-man progression. I want a simple read just like the one above. If it's not there, don't overthink it. Pull the ball down and do what you do best.
It's something that will force defenses to be honest. If and when they sell out, we get it Taysom passing highlight. QB power will always be there. But I think there's another level to the Taysom offense that hasn't been reached so far. I'm hoping we continue to see more of that this week and beyond.
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3. PATIENCE WITH PENNING?
The smoke has been there all week when it comes to a potential shuffle along the offensive line. Trevor Penning has struggled, there's no doubt about that. Still, that was always kind of the idea. It's an occupational hazard of turning to a young, untested player at a key position.
Pass protection was a major, major issue early in the season, but things have settled down the past three weeks. Penning has made clear strides in that regard, but there's also been a lot of help being sent his way in the form of tight ends and running backs either chipping or staying in entirely. It could certainly be pointed to as one of the roadblocks to getting the TE group more involved in the passing game, something OC Pete Carmichael told us this week he's eager to change.
Head coach Dennis Allen also pointed to the last two weeks and said they were probably the best of the season for the OL.
So exactly how long is the leash? How long will the patience last? Is he the best option right now?
We might get the answer to those questions this week, based on the setup during the media viewing portions of practice. James Hurst has been repping at left tackle, a position he manned for most of the 2022 season.
Personally, I see Andrus Peat is your best option at left guard right now, though he's working out of the concussion protocol and is now managing a hamstring issue that cropped up late in the week. It's unclear whether he'd be available at all. If he is, or you turn to Max Garcia in that role, the question becomes: Are you better off, right now, with Penning or Hurst at left tackle. There's an easy argument to be made that the floor is higher with the veteran, though the ceiling falls considerably. Is this Saints team focused on the now, or are they content with playing the long game?
The change would help this team be more consistent (a buzzword for this week) in the run game. It would also likely help this team avoid being so predictable in terms of how it protects and which side it's running to.
But what would that do to the confidence of a young player who has shown improvement and should be your long-term plan at left tackle? You'd hope he'd have thick enough skin to handle a demotion, but there's no way to know for sure. A chance to guard also doesn't feel likely, considering it's a spot he's never played before and where run blocking is even more important. Penning heading to the bench would mean jumbo reps and special teams work.
If it's me, I'm sticking with Penning in the rotation, but with the understanding that the question is very much on the table. The curve has to accelerate, particularly in run-blocking. You have two games to play in a 5-day span. After that you have a 10-day layoff where a shuffle would be easier to execute. Personally, I'd stick with the young guy now and revisit things after Week 7.
We'll see what the Saints decide on Sunday.
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LAGNIAPPE
We've seen Chris Olave have a pair of less-than-stellar outings in a row. He did catch his first touchdown of the season against the Patriots, but he had at least three opportunities for big plays go awry. One clanked off his hands. One he couldn't stay inbounds. One his own knee knocked the ball out in the end zone. He's still a young player, but the consistency has to be better. Hopefully that starts this week. ... We've seen the confidence grow quickly both from Kendre Miller and from the coaching staff in the rookie. So how does that manifest going forward? I'd love to see him continue to be worked into the screen game. Alvin Kamara is at his best when he's part of a 1-2 punch. I want to see that keep building this week. ... Tanoh Kpassagnon has been a weapon in the pass-rush this year, particularly when you get into passing situations and combine his speed with rookie Bryan Bresee. Getting his size and long arms in a QB's face is a pretty obvious advantage. Stop the run first, then I want to see Tanoh keep eating. ... Derek Carr is still yet to have one of those games where he reminds you that he's the starting QB here for a reason. His shoulder is healthy now. I think this might be the week. ... Alvin Kamara breaks tackles with the best of them, and the Texans are one of the worst tackling teams in the league (at least in terms of missed tackle rates), that could be a good sign for a big-time AK day.
