A new D in New Orleans
Secrets of New Orleans' early success; best and worst players from Week 3
By Khaled Elsayed | Pro Football Focus
ESPN INSIDER
It hasn't taken long for the New Orleans Saints to put last year behind them. Coach Sean Payton is back on the sidelines. QB Drew Brees looks in total control on the field. And most remarkable of all, the defense is dominating.
That's right -- a defense that finished dead last in all our rankings in 2012 is now the NFL's sixth-ranked D three weeks into the season. So with a roster featuring a number of the guys who struggled so much last year, what's caused the turnaround?
<offer style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It's not any one thing, as much as it's easy to lump it all into the brilliance of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Instead, it's a combination of factors. But two keys are that older, underachieving players have been replaced, and younger players have been put into positions to succeed.
Sometimes injuries are the only way a coach can look past what a player was and realize what he has become. In the preseason it seemed abundantly clear Will Smith was going to line up as a starting outside linebacker. This was a Will Smith who had many good years with the team, but also had become less and less productive. Last season, he was our second-lowest ranked 4-3 defensive end in the league.
But a knee injury ended Smith's season early, and the Saints were forced to turn in another direction. In their base package, that option has so far been Parys Haralson and Martez Wilson, but in their nickel they've been able to get Junior Galette rushing from the right side of the line with impressive results. The stark comparison between his productivity and that of Smith is easy to see from the numbers.
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It's hardly a surprise since Galette managed a pressure percentage of 14.6 in 2012, but with the team's hand being forced by Smith's injury, the Saints have been able to generate more pressure without having to leave their coverage unit exposed to do it.
It hasn't hurt that the Saints have been able to add at the safety position, as well. The pairing of Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper was rightly criticized in 2012; they finished as our lowest-ranked safeties last season. But the addition of rookie Kenny Vaccaro (yet to miss a snap) has freed them up to a degree, especially in the case of Jenkins. Too often used as the deep safety last year (a role he's never excelled in), Jenkins has been moved around a great deal more in 2013, with 53 of his 175 defensive snaps spent lined up defending the slot. With the added athleticism of Vaccaro and Rafael Bush, the team has more range and thus more security in the secondary, and its showing.
Then there's the front line. After a couple of years as a miscast 4-3 defensive end, Cameron Jordan is now shining as a 3-4 end. Our second-ranked player at his position -- behind onlyJ.J. Watt) -- Jordan has provided more pressure than anyone on the team and is fifth among all defenders with 17 quarterback disruptions. That's a huge turnaround for a guy who finished his sophomore season with the eighth-lowest grade of all defensive ends rushing the passer. That shift in performance from Jordan best sums up how the Saints have turned their greatest weakness (their defensive line) into their biggest strength, with rookie John Jenkins and second-year behemoth Akiem Hicks both slotting into the starting lineup with little problem.
It's that combination of coaching and personnel improvement that has worked so well for the Saints. They've used their players better by putting them in favorable situations, and they've got better personnel to execute what is expected of them. There will be tougher tests to come and it's early in the season, but right now it's an exciting time in New Orleans.
Three Up
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1. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans: +8.9
If you needed a reminder, Watt is still producing the goods after a breakout season in 2012. Last year, it was his incredible sack numbers doing the talking, but now it's his work in the run game that is taking center stage. He was on the field for 28 running snaps against the Ravens, and 17.2 percent of those saw him finish the play with a defensive stop.
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2. Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs: +8.2
Houston turned in a beastly performance on Thursday night when he went after rookie Lane Johnson like a shark sniffing blood in the water. It was the 12th-highest-graded game by a 3-4 outside linebacker in our history, as he finished the day with seven hurries and two batted passes.
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3. Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos: +6.4
Another superb performance from Manning, who tops our overall standings on the year. He was ruthless against Oakland, completing 75 percent of the 12 passes aimed over 10 yards in the air, and averaging a ridiculous 13.8 yards per attempt on the plays when he was under pressure. He's in the zone right now, and of the five incompletions he threw Monday night, four were dropped passes.
Week 3: Best-graded players
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Three Down
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1. Colin Brown, LG, Buffalo Bills: -7.5
We may sound like we're repeating ourselves here, but it was another week to forget for Brown, and he surely can't be long for a drop to the bench. The Jets worked him over all day long and beat him for nine combined sacks, hits and hurries on his 54 pass-blocking snaps. To put that into perspective: Excluding him, only 13 guards have given up nine or more sacks total through the first three weeks of the 2013 season.
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2. EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills: -6.4
It wasn't pretty, was it? He tried to do go deep but completed only 1-of-8 passes thrown over 20 yards in the air and couldn't get the job done when he was pressured. He deserves a little credit given that he faced pressure on 44.4 percent of his drop-backs, but he also had a 26.7 percent completion rate on those 15 attempts, which isn't good enough.
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3. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Philadelphia Eagles: -5.3
For all his athleticism, Kendricks leaves an awful lot of bad tape for us to find. He added three more missed tackles to his growing season total and was beaten for 69 yards into his coverage on the six balls thrown there. When unchallenged, he may flow to the ball well, but when blockers engage with him it rarely ends well for Philly.
Week 3: Worst-graded players
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Secrets of New Orleans' early success; best and worst players from Week 3
By Khaled Elsayed | Pro Football Focus
ESPN INSIDER
It hasn't taken long for the New Orleans Saints to put last year behind them. Coach Sean Payton is back on the sidelines. QB Drew Brees looks in total control on the field. And most remarkable of all, the defense is dominating.
That's right -- a defense that finished dead last in all our rankings in 2012 is now the NFL's sixth-ranked D three weeks into the season. So with a roster featuring a number of the guys who struggled so much last year, what's caused the turnaround?
<offer style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It's not any one thing, as much as it's easy to lump it all into the brilliance of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Instead, it's a combination of factors. But two keys are that older, underachieving players have been replaced, and younger players have been put into positions to succeed.
Sometimes injuries are the only way a coach can look past what a player was and realize what he has become. In the preseason it seemed abundantly clear Will Smith was going to line up as a starting outside linebacker. This was a Will Smith who had many good years with the team, but also had become less and less productive. Last season, he was our second-lowest ranked 4-3 defensive end in the league.
But a knee injury ended Smith's season early, and the Saints were forced to turn in another direction. In their base package, that option has so far been Parys Haralson and Martez Wilson, but in their nickel they've been able to get Junior Galette rushing from the right side of the line with impressive results. The stark comparison between his productivity and that of Smith is easy to see from the numbers.
| Player | Year | Pass Rushing Snaps | Pressure | Pressure % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Smith | 2012 | 551 | 37 | 6.72% |
| Junior Galette | 2013 | 79 | 12 | 15.19% |
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It's hardly a surprise since Galette managed a pressure percentage of 14.6 in 2012, but with the team's hand being forced by Smith's injury, the Saints have been able to generate more pressure without having to leave their coverage unit exposed to do it.
It hasn't hurt that the Saints have been able to add at the safety position, as well. The pairing of Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper was rightly criticized in 2012; they finished as our lowest-ranked safeties last season. But the addition of rookie Kenny Vaccaro (yet to miss a snap) has freed them up to a degree, especially in the case of Jenkins. Too often used as the deep safety last year (a role he's never excelled in), Jenkins has been moved around a great deal more in 2013, with 53 of his 175 defensive snaps spent lined up defending the slot. With the added athleticism of Vaccaro and Rafael Bush, the team has more range and thus more security in the secondary, and its showing.
Then there's the front line. After a couple of years as a miscast 4-3 defensive end, Cameron Jordan is now shining as a 3-4 end. Our second-ranked player at his position -- behind onlyJ.J. Watt) -- Jordan has provided more pressure than anyone on the team and is fifth among all defenders with 17 quarterback disruptions. That's a huge turnaround for a guy who finished his sophomore season with the eighth-lowest grade of all defensive ends rushing the passer. That shift in performance from Jordan best sums up how the Saints have turned their greatest weakness (their defensive line) into their biggest strength, with rookie John Jenkins and second-year behemoth Akiem Hicks both slotting into the starting lineup with little problem.
It's that combination of coaching and personnel improvement that has worked so well for the Saints. They've used their players better by putting them in favorable situations, and they've got better personnel to execute what is expected of them. There will be tougher tests to come and it's early in the season, but right now it's an exciting time in New Orleans.
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Watt
</center>1. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans: +8.9
If you needed a reminder, Watt is still producing the goods after a breakout season in 2012. Last year, it was his incredible sack numbers doing the talking, but now it's his work in the run game that is taking center stage. He was on the field for 28 running snaps against the Ravens, and 17.2 percent of those saw him finish the play with a defensive stop.
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Houston
</center>2. Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs: +8.2
Houston turned in a beastly performance on Thursday night when he went after rookie Lane Johnson like a shark sniffing blood in the water. It was the 12th-highest-graded game by a 3-4 outside linebacker in our history, as he finished the day with seven hurries and two batted passes.
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Manning
</center>3. Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos: +6.4
Another superb performance from Manning, who tops our overall standings on the year. He was ruthless against Oakland, completing 75 percent of the 12 passes aimed over 10 yards in the air, and averaging a ridiculous 13.8 yards per attempt on the plays when he was under pressure. He's in the zone right now, and of the five incompletions he threw Monday night, four were dropped passes.
Week 3: Best-graded players
| Rank | Name | Team | Position | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.J. Watt | HST | DE | 8.9 |
| 2 | Justin Houston | KC | OLB | 8.2 |
| 3 | Michael Johnson | CIN | DE | 7.2 |
| 4 | Darnell Dockett | ARZ | DE | 6.4 |
| 4 | Peyton Manning | DEN | QB | 6.4 |
| 6 | Jabaal Sheard | CLE | OLB | 6.3 |
| 7 | Logan Mankins | NE | LG | 6.1 |
| 8 | Charles Johnson | CAR | DE | 5.7 |
| 9 | Tyson Jackson | KC | DE | 5.7 |
| 10 | Doug Free | DAL | RT | 5.4 |
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Brown
</center>1. Colin Brown, LG, Buffalo Bills: -7.5
We may sound like we're repeating ourselves here, but it was another week to forget for Brown, and he surely can't be long for a drop to the bench. The Jets worked him over all day long and beat him for nine combined sacks, hits and hurries on his 54 pass-blocking snaps. To put that into perspective: Excluding him, only 13 guards have given up nine or more sacks total through the first three weeks of the 2013 season.
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Manuel
</center>2. EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills: -6.4
It wasn't pretty, was it? He tried to do go deep but completed only 1-of-8 passes thrown over 20 yards in the air and couldn't get the job done when he was pressured. He deserves a little credit given that he faced pressure on 44.4 percent of his drop-backs, but he also had a 26.7 percent completion rate on those 15 attempts, which isn't good enough.
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Kendricks
</center>3. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Philadelphia Eagles: -5.3
For all his athleticism, Kendricks leaves an awful lot of bad tape for us to find. He added three more missed tackles to his growing season total and was beaten for 69 yards into his coverage on the six balls thrown there. When unchallenged, he may flow to the ball well, but when blockers engage with him it rarely ends well for Philly.
Week 3: Worst-graded players
| Rank | Name | Team | Position | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colin Brown | BUF | LG | -7.5 |
| 2 | EJ Manuel | BUF | QB | -6.4 |
| 3 | Lamar Holmes | ATL | LT | -6.2 |
| 4 | Lane Johnson | PHI | RT | -5.6 |
| 5 | Tim Lelito | NO | RG | -5.5 |
| 5 | Justin Pugh | NYG | RT | -5.5 |
| 7 | Mychal Kendricks | PHI | LB | -5.3 |
| 8 | Kyle Wilson | NYJ | CB | -5.2 |
| 9 | Vladimir Ducasse | NYJ | LG | -5.1 |
| 9 | David Bakhtiari | GB | LT | -5.1 |
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