Triad of misjudgments causing Saints to languish

Ed Daniels, Sports

The scapegoats are many when assessing the Saints’ 3-4 start.

And, as it usually goes in the NFL, the top three are the head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback.

It is no different in New Orleans.

Head coach Dennis Allen did make several blunders. Among them was not playing new quarterback Derek Carr more than one series in the preseason. On a new team, especially with a new batch of receivers, Carr should have played more.

If you don’t think so, then you haven’t counted how many times someone on the Saints’ offense has uttered the word “miscommunication” this fall.

Allen also traded veteran kicker Wil Lutz to Denver for a seventh-round pick.

Last Sunday, against the Packers, Lutz booted the game-winning 52-yard field goal with under four minutes to play.

For the season, Lutz is 12 makes, one miss. That one miss was from 55 yards.

Meantime, rookie kicker Blake Grupe, who has made 16 of 20, missed the lead-changing kick against Green Bay, and missed a 29-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter at Houston.

Two subsequent Saints’ possessions against the Texans ended at the Houston 15 and Houston 24.

If Grupe made the first kick, Allen could have opted for back-to-back field goal attempts and a potential two-point victory.

Grupe may turn out to have a long and distinguished career, but a head coach who has to win this year should have kept the trusted veteran.

Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has crafted game plans that has produced back-to-back 400-yard games, but the Saints’ red zone TD percentage is 37.5, down 15 percent points from last season. Carr has thrown for 654 yards in his last two games, but he’s also attempted 105 passes to do it. His quarterback rating is 10 points lower than last season, and he’s averaging a career-low 6.3 yards per attempt.

Is Carr an above average NFL quarterback? Whether he is or isn’t, the Saints will swim or sink with him. They guaranteed him $100 million on a four-year contract.

The Saints have also had personnel decisions that have backfired.

New Orleans picked TCU running back Kendre Miller with the eighth pick of the third round.

Two running backs picked later in the same round, Tyjae Spears (Tennessee) and Devon Achane (Miami), have been far more productive early in their rookie seasons.

Before going down with a knee injury, Achane was averaging 12.1 yards per rush and scored seven touchdowns from scrimmage.

The Saints’ 2023 draft has produced one player, first-round pick Brian Bresee, who has made a significant contribution in the first seven games.

And, then there’s offensive tackle Trevor Penning, the 19th pick in the 2022 draft. Against Jacksonville, the Saints chose to move Andrus Peat to left tackle, a position he last played in 2018. Penning was on the bench.

Of the Saints’ first-round picks since 2018, only wide receiver Chris Olave appears to be a surefire hit, but even he has struggled with his new quarterback.

If you ask the hundreds of thousands of offensive coordinators and head coaches in the metro New Orleans area, Allen, Carmichael and Carr are the problems.

But, the dirty little secret is, the Saints may not be much better than they were a year ago.

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO. [email protected]