The New Orleans Saints are on the winning track after a win over the Falcons, but that came after a 7-game losing streak that matched the team's longest since 1999.
So what was the biggest culprit? NFL analyst Mark Schlereth, who was the color commentator for the Saints' win over the Panthers in Week 1, told WWL Radio this week what he believes to have been the main culprit.
"When you look at the downfall of the New Orleans Saints this year and it’s really their offensive line that got decimated by injuries. [Erik] McCoy is where it started and then obviously, you know, you guys’ starting right guard got injured," Schlereth told Mike Detillier. "So there’s been issues up front and listen, I don’t care how “skilled you are,” how many good wide receivers you have. If you can’t control the line of scrimmage, you do not win in the National Football League."
Listen to the full interview with Mark Schlereth in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Both of those injuries occurred in Week 3 after a 2-0 start to the season and had a clear impact. RG Cesar Ruiz finished the game, but didn't play again until Week 8 due to a knee injury. McCoy's groin injury required surgery and a trip to IR, though he is expected to return in Week 11 against the Browns.
Lucas Patrick, who started the season at left guard, has also missed time with multiple injuries, creating a revolving door at the interior line positions. Veteran Connor McGovern was signed off the Jets' practice squad ahead of Week 5 and has started the last five games at center. He was waived this week in advance of McCoy's return. The Saints' impressive run game to start the season was rendered inert, and to make matters worse the Saints had to play three games without starting QB Derek Carr, turning to rookie Spencer Rattler who had predictable struggles as he adjusted to the NFL.
"One of the big things [defenses] try to do is isolate the center in pass protection, because a lot of times the center is not a very good pass protector and his job is harder because you’ve got to snap the ball. So that’s one of those places where teams will take advantage, especially when you bring in a backup center and you see it time and time again throughout the National Football League. It’s just smart football, is what it is," Schlereth continued. "And so that has really been one of the big downfalls, seven straight losses to the New Orleans Saints. To me more than anything it’s they lost players on their offensive front, on their offensive line. In the first two weeks of the season, man, they were protecting their quarterback, they were running the snot out of the ball. Then all of a sudden people started getting hurt and the result is they can’t win and that’s a big issue with, you know, just with the NFL in general and McCoy is one of those guys that — he’s just a damn good player.”
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MORE FROM SCHLERETH
On Darren Rizzi taking over as interim head coach
"Rizzi is one of those guys that I always seek him out on the field on Sunday and just pick his brain about special teams, just pick his brain about football and it’s really interesting that he becomes the interim head coach, because ultimately I think one of the things that probably goes — it’s an unfair assessment, or it’s just unfair, special teams coaches are really, really good, specifically because they have their fingers on everybody. Like, they have involvement with everybody on the football team. There’s not a guy on the team that they don’t have some type of relationship with, that that guy doesn’t do something on special teams. Everybody does, and so it’s really interesting, you know, to see all the success that a guy like John Harbaugh has had, and to see Rizzi get that opportunity and he’s always so gracious with his time and his knowledge and when I called Game 1 of the season, Carolina-New Orleans Saints, I probably spent 20 minutes with him hashing out the new kickoff rule, because he was one of the main …. guys who developed it and so just he’s a great dude. I’m so excited for him to have that success. It’s awesome, and, you know, obviously it’s fun to win.”
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On NFL teams focusing on skill positions rather than building lines
"You don’t build a team from the outside in, you build it from the inside out, and you get so excited about the weapons. I just know this, if you don’t block people, none of those weapons can actually produce. ... You realize that it takes 10 other guys to do their job exceptionally well for a wide receiver to sniff a football, and so we are so twisted -- and I think it’s fantasy football that has twisted us -- like, we are so twisted as fans about what wins in the NFL and we all think it’s wide receivers. How wide receivers have duped America to believe that they’re so important is beyond me. In a sport that’s completely dependent, they’re the most dependent player in the National Football League. Everybody else has to do their job for them to have success and it baffles me that America thinks we’re one receiver away from winning a championship. There is no team that has ever been one receiver away from winning jack squat, and so we keep feeling into the narrative. We keep falling into this belief. We have general managers that buy into this bologna. It is garbage, absolute garbage."
