It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints defensive unit has been the weakest link of what has become a very successful franchise since 2006. Since Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans, the offense has statistically been in the top six every year. Out of those six seasons with Payton at the helm, the offense finished the season #1 four times. The defense on the other hand, has not seen similar success. Between Week 1 in 2006 and Week 4 of this 2012 season, the defense’s average rank is #21. Even with a frequent #1 offense, that will make games tough to win.

When Steve Spagnuolo (also known as “Spags”) became the defensive coordinator this offseason, he became the 3rd coach to fill that position under Sean Payton since 2006. He was preceded by Greg Williams who coached here from 2009-2011, who was preceded by Gary Gibbs who was in New Orleans from 2006-2008. Through all three coaches, some of the core defensive players spent a good bit of time here. Charles Grant, Scott Fujita, and Tracy Porter are a few of the players who were Saints for a couple seasons during that time. Will Smith, Sedrick Ellis, Scott Shanle, Jonathan Vilma, Jabari Greer, Malcolm Jenkins, and Roman Harper are all current key players who have been in New Orleans for at least three seasons, with Patrick Robinson currently in his 3rd. The point is the core of the defense has largely remained the same.

It’s easy to blame coaches for poor team play, assuming it’s their fault, because they are in charge. Lots of times that holds true, but that can’t be said for the poor outcome of the first quarter of this season. Steve Spagnuolo simply can not and should not be the scapegoat for what has been a very poor start. Not yet, at least.

While I believe that the players are a good bit responsible for the shaky play thus far, I’m certainly not suggesting the Saints clean house. Once again, not yet, at least. It’s only fair to give Coach Spagnuolo and the players nearly a full season, before passing judgment on who deserves blame. With all do respect to each and every player, these guys are incredible athletes and are in the NFL for a reason, but New Orleans’ new defensive scheme run by Steve Spagnuolo just might not be the right fit for some guys. If the Saints are truly committed to “Spags” and letting his defense try and duplicate the success he had in New York, they are going to have to give him the keys to do what he needs to. After this season, that will include deciding who stays, who goes, and which newcomers join the black and gold through the draft and free agency.

Going position by position, let’s compare what type of player Spags typically puts on the field and the types of players New Orleans currently has.

Defensive Line

Coach Spagnuolo relies heavily on pressure from the front-4. He likes lineman who are excellent pass rushers. With the Giants, Spagnuolo had players like Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka. Not one defensive lineman on the Saints roster currently has the pass rushing ability of any of those mentioned from New York. Will Smith is probably the best pass rusher on the roster, but he is on the downside of his prime. Cam Jordan is only in his 2nd year, but run defense has mostly been his strong suit. Martez Wilson was converted to defensive end from outside linebacker this offseason, with the hope he can be molded in to a pass rush specialist. Sedrick Ellis was a top-10 draft pick, who has for the most part been disappointingly ineffective. Jordan and Wilson are still very young and probably capable of being coached up, but Smith and Ellis may not fit past this season.

Linebackers

Steve Spagnuolo likes to run a zone defense that features athletic linebackers who can cover. Playing the zone defense, linebackers generally cover the short to intermediate middle of the field. That means they will be facing lots of slants, crosses, and drags. Each of these routes sends receivers east and west across the field, moving from one linebacker’s zone to another. To be successful covering these routes, the linebackers must be good at moving laterally and keeping their heads’ on a swivel. Curtis Lofton has quietly been a very good player thus far for the Saints defense, but that’s about it. Chris Chamberlain and David Hawthorne are two players that were brought in this offseason that fit well in Spags scheme, but Chamberlain has been lost for the season to injury and Hawthorne has been banged up since preseason. The linebacker that seems to grab the spot light nearly every week, but in a negative way, is Scott Shanle. Athleticism and lateral movement are not two traits that he is known for. He misses a lot of tackles on skill players and is mostly incompetent in coverage. Shanle would have most likely been an all-pro backer in the 80s or earlier, when the NFL was more smash-mouth and all about strength. Unfortunately for him, today’s game is built around speed and athleticism.

Secondary

As in just about any defense, the secondary is expected to be able to cover. Coach Spagnuolo has typically liked to line up corner-backs who are strong and physical. Corey Webster and Aaron Ross both had success under Spags, with both of them being capable of pressing a receiver, jamming them, and throwing them off of their routes. Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson are not the strong, physical type. Greer has been pretty good in coverage during his time in New Orleans, while Robinson is still learning with each game that passes. Rookie Corey White has looked to be the most physical corner-back on the Saints’ roster, but he has a long way to go before being a true impact player. Corner blitzes are also a favorite of Spagnuolo, which is better fit for a strong and physical corner-back who will have an easier time fighting his way to the QB.

At safety, coverage skills are an absolute must. In the zone defense, safeties are many times the last line of defense, playing over the top. Gibril Wilson, Kenny Phillips, and James Butler all had success at safety, coming up with interceptions in New York. Malcolm Jenkins has shown flashes of great free-safety ability, but he’s also struggled at times as well. Fortunately for the future of Spags’ defense, Jenkins has been better as a zone defender, than a man-to-man defender. Roman Harper on the other hand, does not possess much in coverage skills. He is great in blitzing and run defense, but has been unsuccessful in covering wide-receivers, tight-ends, or even running-backs. He is a very aggressive player, who bites far too easily on first moves and pump fakes, leaving himself susceptible to big plays. Harper is an excellent player who fit very well in Greg Williams’ defense. The scheme run by Steve Spagnuolo, though, is one in which Roman will mostly struggle in.

Conclusion

The reason I decided to write this article, is because I’ve seen entirely too many tweets, facebook statuses, and comments saying, “Fire Spagnuolo!”, “This new defensive coordinator sucks!”, and “Why did we bring this guy to New Orleans?” It takes time people. The Giants gave up 80 points in their first two games of 2007, which was Spagnuolo’s first year and the year they ended up winning the Super Bowl. Numerous former players for Spags’ defense in New York said that it took them nearly up to 10 weeks in to the season before they truly bought in to the system.

It will also take time for New Orleans and Spagnuolo to find the right personnel for him to correctly run his system. Looking back to this off-season, the Saints spent most of their money in free agency on offense. Re-signing Drew Brees and Marques Colston were priorities, as was filling the void left by Carl Nicks with Ben Grubbs. The Saints were also without a 1st or 2nd round selection in the NFL draft. In all fairness, they did use their first selection of the draft on defense, picking DT Akiem Hicks in the 3rd round. Hicks himself has shown flashes of brilliance in his little time on the field, but like most 3rd round draft picks he will take time to develop. The Saints will have a 1st and hopefully a 2nd round draft pick in the 2013 draft, which you can expect them to start trying to find the right defensive players for this scheme to work.

The best way I can describe the early season struggles for New Orleans’ new defense under Coach Spagnuolo is by asking a simple question…

Can you put together a jigsaw puzzle, without the right pieces? The answer is obviously “no” and that, in Lehman’s terms, is why the defense has been unsuccessful thus far.