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May 26, 2024By Ed Daniels, Sports
Now that the hoopla over the NFL schedule release has subsided, I had to ask myself this question.Against one of the easiest schedules in the league (again), why are the Saints tied for the ninth-best team in the NFC?
Are they on a par with the Minnesota Vikings, who, like the Saints, have a Las Vegas win total of 7.5?
And, who, unlike the Saints, will start a rookie at quarterback?
Is it that bad?
San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, the Rams and Chicago all have a higher season win “total” in the NFC.
Yes, the Bears, who have lost 35 games over the last three seasons and will start a rookie at quarterback, have a higher win total than the Saints.
The Jets, at 9.5, are expected to win two more games than the Saints.
The Saints have so many questions. Why is a team that has invested so much money and first-round picks on offensive linemen, so poor in that area?
Why were the Saints, who have invested so heavily in the defensive line, tied for fifth-worst in the NFL in quarterback sacks with 34?
How did the Saints, who were eighth in the NFL in points allowed, and ninth in the NFL – yes ninth – in the NFL in points scored, not make the playoffs last season?
How did the Saints score 25 points more than Houston and 31 points more than the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and still win only nine games?
The Saints are a conundrum.
And, there’s more. In a league that had 66 different quarterbacks start a game in 2023, the Saints’ quarterback started all 17 games, and, yet, New Orleans missed the playoffs.
Maybe the answer is, as coaches say, in the details.
- If the game-winning field against Green Bay was made instead of missed.
- If the litany of red zone failures at Houston had not happened and the Saints had cashed in a host of opportunities.
- If in a tie game in the fourth quarter against Jacksonville, a tackle had been made on a Jaguars receiver streaking across the middle on a crossing route.
Maybe new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is the answer.
Kubiak, in his first interview with media, was low-key.
He has, according to a source, been that way in his first offseason on Airline Drive.
Maybe he is one of those guys who underpromises and over-delivers.
On Airline Drive, this is an organization that needs to deliver.
The last real quality win was a 38-3 stomping of Green Bay to kick off the 2021 season.
Late in the 2022 season, the Saints won at Philadelphia, but the Eagles played without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Early in the 2024 season, the Saints will have ample opportunity to deliver quality wins. It’ll either be that or it will be another year when collectively New Orleans asks, “Why aren’t the Saints better?”
Ed Daniels is the sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].
