Full New Orleans Saints Report Card Heading into Week 6 Bye
The New Orleans Saints head into their Week 6 bye with a 2-3 record, and despite their slow start, the Saints are only a game back of the divisional lead in the NFC South.
After a pair of close road losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans found itself trying to claw out of an 0-2 hole to start the season. Coach Sean Payton’s club earned its first win with a triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, but it was blown out by the Dallas Cowboys seven days later on Sunday Night Football.
Last Sunday, the Saints edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in overtime and earned a crucial divisional win before their Week 6 bye.
The 2-3 start was not what was expected out of this New Orleans team from media and fans, as many had the Saints pegged as a legitimate Super Bowl contender heading into the season. With 11 games remaining, however, the Saints still have ample opportunity to make improvements in several areas.
Continue reading for the team’s full report card grades for the first five games of the 2014 season.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Saints quarterback Drew Brees is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and he holds a place at the table among the game’s greatest signal-callers.
The going has been tough for him in 2014, however, and his overall performance hasn’t measured up to his usually high standards.
For starters, his accuracy in the downfield passing game has been lacking. He's had some success in the short passing game, but when he’s tried to stretch the field vertically, Brees simply hasn’t been on point, and he’s underthrown targets on too many occasions.
His decision-making has also been suspect. In trying to avoid sacks, he’s made some bad choices with the football, particularly in last Sunday's narrow win over the Bucs. His two interceptions in the contest led to 14 Tampa Bay points, and he's already tossed six picks on the season.
The Saints have moved the football well with Brees under center, but they can’t afford for their quarterback to continue to turn the ball over in the coming weeks.
Brees has racked up yards, but his play has been a far cry from his lofty standards.
Grade: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
Of all positions on the team, the Saints' group of running backs has shined brightest this season.
Despite the fact that New Orleans dropped its first two contests, Mark Ingram enjoyed a couple of productive outings as the starter in the backfield. The former first-round pick suffered a hand injury in Week 2 at Cleveland, however, and hasn’t seen action since.
Khiry Robinson has carried the torch admirably in Ingram’s stead. The undrafted second-year back pounded out the tough yards between the tackles, including the game-winning touchdown scamper, in last week’s win.
Then there’s the always reliable Pierre Thomas. The jack-of-all trades has been one of Brees’ top targets in the passing game, but he’s also made a heavy contribution on the ground.
As a team, the Saints are second in the NFL in yards per carry, averaging 5.2 yards per pop. New Orleans ranks first in the league in rushing touchdowns, which suggests that even though Payton has been more dedicated than usual to running the ball in recent weeks, he needs to commit to it even more.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Saints wide receivers and tight ends have been serviceable this season but not spectacular.
Star tight end Jimmy Graham leads the group with 34 catches, 376 receiving yards and three scores, but an injury suffered against the Bucs has Saints fans crossing their fingers that he’ll be able to make a swift recovery.
Newcomer Brandin Cooks immediately took on a significant role in the offense, as the 2014 first-round draft pick has found a niche in New Orleans’ short to intermediate passing game. He’s also played a small role in the running game, but the fact that the speedster has reached the end zone a total of only one time in five games is a bit of surprise.
Old hand Marques Colston has been steady thus far, and he’s actually looked quicker than he did last year, when he battled a nagging injury for most of the season. The big wideout is averaging over 16 yards per catch, but he did have a costly fumble in the season-opening loss to Atlanta.
Josh Hill’s play has been a bright spot this season, as the undrafted second-year tight end has begun to emerge as a legitimate scoring threat in the Saints offense.
The 6’5” Hill provides Brees with another big target, and he’s been on a bit of a tear in recent weeks. In the past three games, he’s hauled in six balls for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and the Saints will likely continue to get him involved.
Tight end Benjamin Watson and wideout Robert Meachem have made minimal contributions to the passing game, but both players’ skills as blockers will keep them on the field for New Orleans.
The Saints receivers and tight ends haven’t overwhelmed, and there have been a couple of fumbles, but the group has delivered a satisfactory performance thus far.
Grade: C+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
New Orleans’ offensive line has been decent this season with respect to run blocking, as the Saints have been able to plug a trio of running backs into action without a drop-off in production.
The group has had issues with pass blocking, however, particularly in the middle, as Brees has been heavily pressured by opposing defensive tackles.
Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy was an especially tough assignment; he repeatedly beat Saints guard Jahri Evans throughout last week’s contest. Granted, McCoy is a difficult matchup for anyone, but things won’t be any easier for Evans and fellow Pro Bowl guard Ben Grubbs in their next outing, as they’ll be facing Detroit Lions tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
Athletic second-year man Terron Armstead is steadily improving at left tackle, and right tackle Zach Strief has gotten the job done in both the passing and running game.
At center, Jonathan Goodwin has had a tough time with injuries, but backup Tim Lelito has stepped up and performed admirably when his number has been called.
The New Orleans offensive front has had its share of struggles this season, but the group has also enjoyed stretches of dominant play. If this group can be more consistent in the coming weeks, Brees and the offense could be hard to stop.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
To put it lightly, the Saints defensive line has been a disappointment this season.
Cam Jordan tallied 12.5 sacks in 2013, and he was tapped as a budding star by several media members heading into the season, but he’s been as quiet as a mouse through five games. He has only a single sack to his credit, and he’s not shown the same burst as a pass-rusher that he exhibited last season.
If Jordan has been quiet, Akiem Hicks has been nonexistent. The young end has all the tools to be a dominant defensive lineman, but he’s not been the disruptive force he was expected to be this year, and he’s still looking for his first sack.
Nose guard Brodrick Bunkley has held his ground, for the most part, in the middle of the New Orleans defensive front, which has enabled the Saints inside linebackers to rack up tackles. This has helped to keep opposing rushing attacks largely in check, with the exception of the debacle in Dallas, when DeMarco Murray ran wild.
Overall, however, this unit hasn’t played up to its potential, and that’s been one of the biggest disappointments of the season for the Saints.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Saints rank a respectable 14th in the NFL in rushing defense, and the linebackers have been solid against the run more often than not.
Of course, Curtis Lofton and Co. were horrible against the Cowboys in a lopsided defeat, but so was nearly every other player wearing black and gold that night.
Lofton and fellow inside ‘backer David Hawthorne have done a satisfactory job filling holes, but they’ve whiffed on too many tackles in the open field, and they haven’t defended the pass well by any measure.
As for Junior Galette on the outside, his season has been a letdown up to this point. The man who rang up 12 sacks a year ago has three thus far, and while the season is still young, he’s not performed at the level that was expected of him.
Galette often disappears for long stretches of games only to resurface and remind everyone what he’s capable of. For example, he was nowhere to be found for the majority of the game last Sunday against Tampa Bay, but he threw down Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon for a late fourth-quarter safety on an exceptional inside move.
Parys Haralson has given a solid effort at the other outside ‘backer spot, but with the Saints often lined up in nickel, he doesn’t see the field as often as the others.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
When Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan sliced and diced the New Orleans defense for 448 yards in Week 1, much of the blame was placed on the Saints secondary, and rightfully so. The group turned in an awful performance that day, and it was equally terrible against the Cowboys a few weeks later.
Former starting cornerback Patrick Robinson was demoted to the bench after an awful showing at Cleveland, and Corey White has provided only a minimal improvement.
When free safety Jairus Byrd went down with a season-ending injury last week, Robinson was inserted back into the lineup to man the nickel spot, and to his credit, he demonstrated significant improvement with an interception and a pass breakup.
Keenan Lewis hasn’t performed up to the standards he set last year, when he established himself as the Saints' top cover man after coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent. Still, Lewis has outplayed everyone else in the New Orleans secondary this season, and his performance in single coverage against Cowboys star Dez Bryant was impressive.
At safety, Kenny Vaccaro has been solid against the run, but he hasn’t displayed the uncanny playmaking ability he showcased last season as a rookie.
Byrd’s replacement at free safety, Rafael Bush, hasn’t played well this season, whether it be at safety or nickel, and he’ll need to raise his game in all aspects if New Orleans is to contend in the NFC South. The same can be said for talented rookie corner Brian Dixon, who’s been picked on in coverage on several occasions.
The Saints’ lack of a pass rush up front hasn’t helped matters, but the New Orleans secondary has nonetheless been a liability thus far in 2014.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
After beating out Derek Dimke for the kicking job this preseason, Shayne Graham started off strong, but he went through a bit of a slump in Weeks 3 and 4, missing an extra point and a makable field goal. He made a nice recovery last Sunday, however, as he was perfect on all kicks, including three field goals.
The Saints kick and punt coverage units have been satisfactory, but they haven’t yet been able to get Cooks out of the blocks in the punt return game.
Punter Thomas Morstead, meanwhile, continues to deliver on a weekly basis, as he's averaging 44.9 yards per punt on the season, including a 60-yarder.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
The Saints came into the season with high expectations, and while they still have the opportunity to improve, the coaching staff must be held partially accountable for the 2-3 start.
Despite Ingram’s success on the ground, Payton was reluctant to make a stronger commitment to the running game in the first two games. This has slightly changed in the past few weeks, as the Saints have established a formidable rushing attack behind Robinson and Thomas.
Part of the reason for the Saints’ success on the ground could be attributed to favorable numbers, as teams have often lined up in nickel and dime personnel to play the pass.
Payton, to his credit, has taken more of what defenses have given in recent weeks, and the Saints have run the ball successfully as a result, but there is still a disproportionate pass-run ratio in New Orleans. The Saints passed 57 times in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, compared to only 29 running plays, despite an average yards per carry of 4.8.
On the other side of the ball, the Saints haven’t showcased the same aggressive, blitz-heavy defense they operated with a year ago. Weak coverage in the secondary has contributed to this, although Ryan did bring more pressure last game against the Bucs.
At various times in the first five games, New Orleans defenders have looked lost and out of place. Ryan and the defensive staff may deserve some of the blame for this, but the struggles appear to stem more from player mistakes than from schematic deficiencies.
The Saints demonstrated some improvement defensively against the Bucs, however, and they’ll have to continue to do so in the coming weeks as they adjust to Byrd’s absence in the secondary.
Grade: C-
Overall Grade
10 of 10
The New Orleans Saints’ sluggish start has without question been surprising.
The offense, while productive, hasn’t been as potent as it was in recent years, and untimely turnovers from the quarterback have placed pressure on the entire team.
Ryan’s defense has been poor for the majority of the young season, and the unit has put Brees and Co. under the gun to score points at a rapid pace.
New Orleans has played well enough to stay within striking distance for a playoff spot, however, and it holds a respectable 1-1 mark in divisional contests.
The Saints haven't resembled the championship-contending team many expected them to be up to this point, but they’ve shown signs of a squad capable of making adjustments.
Overall Grade: C-
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