The biggest question that surrounds the New Orleans Saints is whether or not Rob Ryan can make a difference with the defense. We know what to expect from the offense, but the key to this team putting themselves back in Super Bowl contention, is the defense. The 2009 Championship season proved that they don’t even have to be great. With Drew Brees and company putting up lots of points, a middle of the road defense could quite possibly insert the Saints as one of the Super Bowl favorites. Easier said than done, of course.
Steve Spagnuolo’s stint with the Saints didn’t last very long, as he was fired shortly after Sean Payton returned, following a record breaking season as the worst defense ever. I still believe that Spags was fighting an insurmountable uphill battle, as the Saints defensive personnel was not exactly perfect for his scheme. That didn’t matter to Coach Payton, as he fired Spagnuolo within days of his return. He didn’t waste time sending a message to his team and staff that performing like they did in 2012 would not be accepted.
Cam Jordan and the defense will look to put Matt Ryan on his back come Sunday afternoon.
The Saints have since moved on to Rob Ryan, the former Raiders, Browns, and Cowboys Defensive Coordinator. Ryan runs a very aggressive 3-4 scheme that strives on an active pass rush and blitzes from all over. Aside from the fact that his defense is a 3-4, the principles are very much the same as Greg Williams’ defense. He likes to try and get after the quarterback and force turnovers. Ryan will also kick off his time in New Orleans fighting an uphill battle, as he tries to place his inherited personnel in the right positions, while also dealing with key injuries. We’ve already seen the losses of Will Smith, Kenyon Coleman, and Victor Butler for the season. Johnathan Vilma is also out for nearly half the season as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.
A lot of guys will need to step up big, as this defense looks to make a significant turnaround and help the Saints get back to the playoffs.
Pass Defense
The Saints pass defense comes in to 2013 after finishing 31st in the NFL. They return all of their major components of their secondary, while adding two new ones. Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper both return as starting safeties, while Jabari Greer is back at corner-back. The two new faces are free agent Keenan Lewis and rookie Kenny Vaccaro. Lewis came from a very good Pittsburgh Steelers defense and started all 16 games for them last year. Vaccaro is the rookie first round draft pick out of Texas, who can line up almost anywhere in the secondary. Starting tomorrow, you’ll see him line up at both safety positions and at times drop down in to the slot in nickel situations. He’s the spark plug this defense has been needing and will certainly make his share of big plays, hopefully giving the entire unit a much needed lift.
With the outside linebackers being the key component of a 3-4 defense, New Orleans opens the year with it’s biggest question marks surrounding that position. Victor Butler was a free agent signed from Dallas, who was supposed to be instrumental in helping the Saints players convert to this new scheme. He unfortunately tore his ACL in OTAs and will be out for likely all of this season. Although his transition to outside linebacker was not going too smoothly, Will Smith tore his ACL in the team’s third preseason game in Houston. Junior Galette and Martez Wilson have both been dealing with their own minor injuries this preseason and did not see any playing time, though both are expected to play tomorrow.
Atlanta’s passing attack returns at full strength coming in to this year. Third year stud Julio Jones is the most explosive player in their arsenal that also includes veterans Roddy White and Tony Gonzales. The freshly extended Matt Ryan leads the way at quarterback, coming off of a large contract extension signed this off season. Jones, White, and Gonzales are Ryan’s main receivers, but the addition of Steven Jackson provides a legitimate every down threat out of the backfield, much different from years past when Michael Turner lined up at running-back. This offense is very potent and has the ability to move the ball up and down the field on just about anyone in the NFL, finishing 6th in passing offense in 2012.
This game has all the makings of a shootout, as it usually is. The Falcons high flying offense will put Rob Ryan’s defense up to an early test tomorrow. As mentioned in the offensive preview, Tony Gonzales usually has good games against the Saints. He, like Jimmy Graham, is almost impossible to cover. In the first meeting between these two teams last season, Gonzales caught two touchdowns while having a defender providing exceptional coverage. He’s a great athlete, plain and simple. I expect the Falcons to look to get him involved early and often. Roddy White has been dealing with an ankle sprain all preseason, so it will be interesting to see just how effective he can be. The Saints will certainly need to be careful with Julio Jones, because he has the ability to get behind the secondary in a split second. Look for the Saints to try and limit the big plays, while they wait for their chance to get to Matt Ryan.
Rush Defense
While the New Orleans Saints pass defense finished second to last in 2012, the rush defense was even worse. They finished dead last in the NFL giving up an average of 147.6 yards per game. Once you look at the numbers, it’s easy to see how this team broke records and became the worst defense in the history of the NFL. Cam Jordan, Akiem Hicks, and Brodrick Bunkley all return to the Saints starting defensive line in 2013. It’s tough to draw comparisons to last year with the scheme change, but if the third preseason game against Houston was any indication, things may not be much different this year. Ben Tate gashed the Saints in what will hopefully be an infrequent occurrence. Keep an eye out for middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, who led the team in tackles in 2012.
Atlanta’s rush offense will look significantly different in 2013. Michael Turner is out and Steven Jackson is in. Jackson is a nine year veteran who is putting on a jersey that is not one of the St. Louis Rams for the first time in his career. While being primarily a power runner, Jackson has good quickness and great hands out of the backfield. In a way, he’s a combination of Michael Turner and Jaquizz Rodgers’ skill-sets. As mentioned, he is a nine year veteran and has hit the dreaded age of 30 for a running-back. He’s very talented, but it remains to be seen just how much gas he has left in the tank. Jackson will also be running behind a very shaky offensive line who struggled at times this preseason.
Saints fans should really hope that their preseason game against the Texans was not a sign of things to come. I don’t think that it’ll be that bad, but I can’t necessarily say that it will be much better. I will say that the rush defense will largely depend on what the Saints offense is able to do on the other side of the ball. As mentioned in the offensive preview, New Orleans’ ability to run the ball and control the clock will greatly affect the defense. If they are successful in doing that, and I expect they will be, the defense will have more time to rest on the sidelines. If they find themselves on the field for more than half the game, Atlanta will easily be able to wear them down gash them in the running game. All in all, I am very excited to see what this new defense as a whole can put together.
Players to Watch
Kenny Vaccaro
I’ve been a huge fan of Vaccaro since first watching some of his tape when it became apparent that he was a possible draft selection for the Saints this offseason. My favorite thing about him, is his ability to be everywhere. At times, it feels like there are two of him on the field. I’ve said before and I’ll continue to say that I believe a player like him will be extremely important in giving this defense a lift. This guy is without a doubt ready to make his regular season debut and you can bet that he is even more excited about the fact that he gets to do it in the Superdome against the Saints bitter rival. Look for him to come out swinging and make some nice plays.
Junior Galette
Junior continues to be a player that improves with every game he plays. He is now playing a more natural position as a 3-4 linebacker. He is incredibly athletic and has the speed to provide a constant threat in the pass rush. Someone on the Saints defense will need to step up and put pressure on Matt Ryan and he’s the best candidate to do so.
Cam Jordan
Along with Galette, Jordan is now playing his natural position as the defense moves to a 3-4. He was a 3-4 defensive end at Cal and that was a big part of why he worked his way to being a first round pick. Jordan had a very good season last year in the 4-3, totaling eight sacks in his second year. 3-4 ends aren’t typically sack producers, but he certainly has the ability to get in to the backfield. Where I think he will be more important, is in the running game. He has a similar skill-set as Will Smith, who has always been a better run stopping defensive end, than a pass rusher. Jordan will need to hold his own when Atlanta runs to his side or even on the opposite side in pursuit, helping make the Falcons offense a bit one-dimensional.
Roman Harper
Harper is an interesting player, because of what we saw him do this preseason. At times, he dropped down near the line of scrimmage. He occasionally did the same last season, but they would leave Malcolm Jenkins as a single-high safety. With the addition of Vaccaro, the Saints can afford to drop Harper down to a nickle/outside linebacker hybrid, while Vaccaro and Malcolm Jenkins stay two deep over the top. The Saints can choose to do this in both run and pass situations. Harper excels in rush defense, but getting him closer to the line of scrimmage with less space to cover in pass defense could mask one of his greatest weaknesses.
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