Two clear themes have dominated the first 10 games for the 2023 Saints defense: Slow starts and a lack of pressure, or at least pressure that results in sacks.
Remedying that second part will go a long way, former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said on WWL this week, and ramping up the blitz would be a good place to start.
Listen to the full breakdown from Scott Shanle in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"I’m kind of sick of seeing a three-man rush," Shanle told WWL's Bobby Hebert. "I don’t want to see any more three-man rush. I want to see some heat. I want to see some five-man pressure."
The Saints have sent additional rushers on 22.7% of opponent dropbacks, a figure that ranks No. 21 in the NFL. The argument against increased pressure would be the Saints' 18 takeaways, which ranks toward the top of the league. But when those takeaways don't appear, which they didn't in a frustrating Week 10 loss to the Vikings, the issues become apparent. The Saints have logged just 25 QB knockdowns this season, a figure that ranks No. 27 in the NFL. The Saints' 18 sacks is third from the bottom among NFL teams.
"When you can speed up a quarterback and disrupt him and get him off his timing game, that’s how you play winning football," Shanle said. "And I don’t think we did that enough last week against Dobbs, bringing five and six. And when we did bring five and six guys, he didn’t do anything. So I think we need to get back to pressuring."
The Saints also need to be able to generate more pressure with their four-man front, which has had success in stretches this season, but has lacked consistency. The failure to get quarterbacks to the ground has loomed large over the past five games, where the Saints have allowed 10 touchdowns on 13 red zone trips. The Vikings scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to close out the first half, effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Saints went out and signed veteran pass-rushers Jason Pierre-Paul to the practice squad with an eye on increasing that production, with the former Giants and Bucs standout getting in his first day of practice on Wednesday.
"There’s two things in the NFL that you can never have enough of, and that’s guys who can rush the passer, and that’s guys who can cover," Shanle said. "If you can find good guys who can cover sitting on their couch, which you really can’t, or you can find guys who can get after the passer, you’ve got to sign them. ... Jason gives you a NASCAR package where him and Granderson and Cam come in on third down and they’re rushing all together and that’s what his role is. And I think that’s a positive signing, so I think if Jason gives you anything, it’s definitely a need, because guys have not been winning enough 1-on-1."
The Saints (5-5) visit the Falcons (4-6) in Week 10 for a pivotal divisional clash, with the winner overtaking the NFC South lead.
