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@MikeTriplett I'd this finally the year we #RushDat & go #30Carries at the minimal a game? SP won't tip his hat but we're free to speculate?
— Mickey-Nomics 101 (@SaintCapricorn) June 12, 2015@MikeTriplett: I know this is a popular theory, and it makes some sense based on the Saints’ offseason moves (they shipped out Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills while investing in center Max Unger and running backs Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller). But I genuinely believe Sean Payton when he says there won’t be any drastic or major change in the offensive philosophy this year.
Maybe the Saints will take baby steps in that direction because Drew Brees is 36 years old and he’s been sacked more than ever during the past two seasons. But the focus mostly will be on running the ball better, not necessarily more often. The Saints are still going to rely on what they do best to move the chains – and that’s still throwing the ball.
Last year, for all of the Saints’ woes, they still led the NFL in completion percentage (69.2) and third-down efficiency (48.3-percent conversion rate) while ranking second in the NFL in pass attempts (41.2 per game).
I think the only way they’ll get past 30 carries per game is if they’re running out the clock on opponents consistently, the way they did in 2009 (when they averaged 29.3 carries). But I’d be very surprised to see them shift to a run-first team intent on “establishing the run” early in games. Not as long as Payton and Brees are behind the controls.
The Saints have had a top-four passing offense in each of the past nine years. They’re not gonna throw that away to focus on an area where they’re just average.
@MikeTriplett Anthony, Kikaha, Williams: After Week 17, who do we look back on as having had the biggest positive impact on the season?
— Joshua Benton (@jbenton) June 12, 2015@MikeTriplett: To me, this probably boils down to playing time. If first-round draft pick Stephone Anthony wins the job as the Saints’ “Mike” linebacker, that’s a huge full-time job that includes calling out the signals as quarterback of the defense. If he proves worthy of that role, he’ll be the answer to this question. But if the Saints want to stick with veteran inside linebackers David Hawthorne and Dannell Ellerbe, Anthony’s snaps could be limited.
Second-round pick Hau'oli Kikaha, meanwhile, will likely make a bigger impact in smaller doses as a rotational pass-rusher – even if he doesn’t come anywhere near the eye-popping 19 sacks he had last year at Washington. Kikaha will be especially important if top pass-rusher Junior Galette is sidelined for most or all of this season with a pec injury.
Third-round cornerback P.J. Williams could be equally important if he wins the nickel corner job and plays more than 50 percent of New Orleans’ snaps. That’s a very crowded battle right now, though, so he’s the darkhorse of the three.
@MikeTriplett How is the Offensive Line shapping up after these first weeks of training?
— Adriano (@Fara_Adriano) June 12, 2015@MikeTriplett: That’s one of the most important questions of the offseason for the Saints – and one of the hardest to answer this time of year, as they’re not practicing in pads or doing any live contract drills yet.
Offensive tackle Zach Strief pointed out earlier this week that the Saints hardly ever run the ball during OTAs, “because there’s no reason. It’s bad work for everyone up front and you get in bad habits.”
We’ll really start to get our answers when we see them in preseason games and the more physical team and individual drills in training camp. I always love watching the one-on-one pass protection drills in particular.
As for the newcomers, I wrote earlier this week about how center Max Unger is getting adjusted to some minor technique changes, etc. – and how his ability to adjust is key to validating the Graham trade. And rookie offensive tackle Andrus Peat just joined the veterans last week because of Stanford’s extended academic year, so he’ll need some time to catch up. But his agility for his massive size quickly impressed his coaches in rookie camp.
