New Orleans Saints Need to Address Defensive Issues During Week 6 Bye

Many experts predicted that the New Orleans Saints would be a Super Bowl-caliber team in 2014, yet they enter Week 6 with a 2-3 record and plenty of skepticism from experts and fans alike.

New Orleans fans had high hopes for the 2014 season after the Saints managed to add free safety Jairus Byrd and rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks in the offseason while retaining All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham.

Now, the team enters its Week 6 bye in third place in the NFC South despite leading the league in total offense. Numerous experts and fans have called out defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who has been unable to get any production out of a defense that was in the top five in 2013.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith put it perfectly when he called out Ryan and the Saints defense after giving up over 30 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Although the Saints offense has struggled, the team's three losses can all be somewhat attributed to the defense, so what will Ryan do during the Saints' Week 6 bye to help jump-start a defense that has looked horrendous in its first five games?

Ryan's first step will be finding a safety who can fill in for the aforementioned Byrd, who tore a lateral meniscus in his knee and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Rafael Bush will likely be that fill-in player. Byrd's injury completely took the Saints by surprise, as he and Kenny Vaccaro were supposed to rival Seattle's safety tandem as one of the best in the league.

Although it is disappointing that Byrd is out for the season, this change will actually help Vaccaro, who struggled in the first three weeks alternating between strong safety and free safety alongside Byrd. With Bush at free safety, Vaccaro will be able to spend a large majority of his time at strong safety, his natural position.

The next step for Ryan will be creating pressure from his pass-rushers. Defensive end Cameron Jordan and linebacker Junior Galette combined for 24.5 sacks in 2013, yet the edge-rushing duo has only accumulated four sacks through the first five games.

Ryan needs to create blitzes that give his edge-rushers opportunities to sack opposing quarterbacks. If he can utilize his edge-rushing tandem to pressure quarterbacks, his secondary will have more opportunities to be aggressive and force turnovers.

Most importantly, Ryan will need to get his defensive line to stop the run. Dallas running back DeMarco Murray tore through the Saints defense with ease back in Week 4, accumulating 149 yards and two touchdowns.

Other than Murray, the Saints have not faced an elite—or even above-average—running back. However, this will quickly change when the Saints face running backs such as Eddie Lacy, Frank Gore and Matt Forte after their bye.

Above all else, Ryan needs to address the issue of stopping the run. The Saints' mediocre run defense got by against Atlanta, Cleveland and Tampa Bay, but the team's weakness up front will soon be exposed if Ryan cannot address this issue during the team's bye week.

With incredible offensive play and solid special teams play by the Saints thus far, Ryan's ability or inability to improve the Saints defense will dictate the team's success, and an inability to address the team's defensive issues could possibly prevent one of the most talented teams in the league from returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since New Orleans won it back in 2009.

It's worth mentioning that the Sean Payton-led Saints have won 18 straight home outings. This team has shown more home dominance than any other NFC team—including the Seahawks.

Saints fans should feel optimistic heading into the bye week. Ryan's defense has nowhere to go but up, and although New Orleans just lost one of its top defenders, Ryan should be able to fix his defense's problems during the team's off week.

The Saints, although 2-3, are just one game behind first-place Carolina in the struggling NFC South. If Ryan is able to get production from his defense, the team could easily turn around and win eight more games this season.