From this point forward we will be getting into position groups which I believe need to undergo varying degrees of change for the Saints to live up to their potential. This time I am going to take a look at the Saints Backfield and give my personal opinion on who should stay, who should go, and which players on the roster might have potential going forward. Grades aren’t really my thing, and frankly Andrew is much much better at it, but I will be doing my own form of a ‘roster grade’ for each position group as I go along. Now, without further ado (or rambling by yours truly) let’s get into the players.
Travaris Cadet: 10 carries for 32 yards, 38 rec. 296 yds, 1rec td
He accounted for just over 300 yards this last season and the VAST majority of it was via the passing game. He didn’t really excel at screens that much, but there were definitely times where on 3rd down the Saints would line him up in the slot and use him to pick up yards. He has always struck me as more of a pass catcher than a runner anyway and he seems to have taken on the ‘Darren Sproles’ role in the offense. The offensive part of his game actually presents some amount of limited value as he is a good pass catcher with some ‘wiggle’ who can get some YAC, but I believe the biggest reason he made the roster this last year was his versatility as a returner in addition to his pass catching ability. In that regard he proved to be basically useless as his kickoff returns always left something to be desired. The fact is that when you cheer after your returner gets to the 25… you need to find a new one. The Saints did exactly that in the off-season when they picked up Jalen Saunders (more on him when I look at WR). With his return value negated the odds of Cadet making the 53-man roster next year are very slim, but the fact that he IS versatile player who brings some value makes me not rule it out entirely. With that said I personally hope the Saints choose not to bring him back and that he is picked up by someone else (I do wish the guy a good career), but I think his roster spot could be best served by another player.
Austin Johnson: 8 carries for 22 yards, 2 rec 15 yards, 1 rec td
The Saints had two fullbacks for the year as newly signed Erik Lorig was recovering from injuries for about half the season, and right as he came back Johnson got hurt. Of the two of them I was far more impressed with Johnson. He not only seemed to give 110% on every play, but provided a lot of versatility both in the run and pass games. He was a decent protector/lead blocker, pretty much money on short yardage runs, and also very capable of catching passes out of the backfield. To me he was everything you want in a SP fullback. I don’t know what the coaches have in mind, but in my opinion Johnson needs to be back next year, and it needs to be an open competition with him and Lorig for the job that to me he won on the field (but lost via injury).
Erik Lorig: 3 carries for 4 yards, 9 rec 27 yards, 1 rec td
Speaking of Lorig, I have to say that of all the players who were hyped in the off-season he impressed me the least (some of you are currently screaming Jairus Byrd at your monitors… don’t worry we will get to him). Lorig was touted as an aggressive and physical lead blocker who also had sure hands and could pick up yards. What we got was a guy who was very hit or miss; sometimes he looked like a player every bit worth the money he was paid, but he simply didn’t seem to have the consistency that is ideal for the position. With that said, I don’t know how much of his performance was hampered by his injuries from pre-season so I cannot definitively say that he won’t live up to his billing next year. It is for that reason that I would like to see him and Austin Johnson duke it out in camp and pre-season next year to determine who the teams FB will be.
Pierre Thomas: 45 carries for 222 yards, 2 Td, 45 rec 378, 1 rec td
Thomas is the heart and soul of this team. He isn’t the only ‘glue guy’ in that locker room, but there isn’t a player (to me) who more perfectly represents the kind of guy they need on this team than PT. He plays to the whistle every single play, works his butt off, never complains about his lack of touches or inconsistent usage, and always shows a tremendous work ethic and character. On guts and tenacity alone he pulled the Saints out of what would have been their most embarrassing loss in the Payton and Brees era at home against the Bucs early in the year. Thomas never quits, and always seems to get at least 1 more yard than you think he will… as so many of us have come to say “he plays for keeps”. I don’t just want him on the team next year, he NEEDS to be there. Both as a veteran presence, and as a key contributor as the third down back, Thomas provides the kind of versatility and consistency you want/need on the game’s most crucial plays. He will never be the feature guy again, and I think that is best for him at this point, but there should be no question who the Saints will go to in key situations. Thomas just about always delivers.
Mark Ingram: 226 carries for 964 yards, 9 Td, 29 rec 145 yards
Ingram finally came through! No really, he finally got to ‘carry the load’ just as many have clamored for him to do since he was drafted. Mark ran hard, with patience, with tenacity, and as Juge so eloquently put it, he often ran decisively. I am sure that part of his success was the switch to zone blocking scheme which he was infinitely more comfortable with (which also fits his skill set). At no point this year did Ingram look particularly dominant to me, and certainly not worth a major contract, but he was mostly consistent and he did what was asked of him. Personally I think his best game of the year came against the Panthers in Carolina where he fought and clawed his way through 30 carries to break the hundred yard mark. The Saints needed every one of those yards in that game, and more importantly they needed the toughness he displayed while grinding it out against a tough defense. Myself personally I don’t think the Saints are going to resign him; I think someone is going to overpay for Ingram in the offseason, and if that is the case I honestly wish him the best of luck (provided it’s not in the division). If he doesn’t get overpaid and the Saints are able to sign him back to a reasonable contract (relative to the ‘main’ back in a platoon) then I don’t really have an issue with it. The only gripe I have with Ingram, and perhaps why I might secretly hope he gets a better offer, is that he seems to be the consummate ‘runs to daylight’ type back. Mark can make some very nice plays and certainly shows a ton of heart/passion, but I almost never see him show the ability ‘to make something out of nothing’ that great backs show. Ingram is a great role player, but I have never seen him look like a star. I think he lacks the elusiveness and ‘burst’ that a real difference maker at the position would possess, but with that said he is still absolutely worth keeping. There are only a few star backs in the league at any one time and I am more than happy to settle with a very good one.
Khiry Robinson: 76 carries for 362 yards, 3 Td, 8 rec 63 yds
Robinson and Ingram are kind of a mixed bag. They each bring certain things to the table, but each also has some attributes the other lacks. Ingram is more consistent and probably a more patient runner, but Robinson has the one thing that Mark truly lacks in my eyes…’burst’. Khiry has demonstrated an ability to accelerate rapidly into top gear and turn what would be a short gain (4-6 yards) into a much bigger one. He is by far the most elusive runner on the team with a real knack for making guys miss, and is also a legitimate threat catching the ball (something Ingram is not). If I were to sum up Khiry’s upside in a single play it would the 62 yard run he had against Dallas. Ingram has never even sniffed a run that long, and if one of the more athletic linebackers in the league (Bruce Carter I believe) hadn’t gone all out to stop him, it would have been even bigger. An even better play (and Juge’s best play of the year) was his game winning TD run against Tampa at home. The Saints gave it to him 4 plays in a row and he delivered. Robinson has had some issues with fumbles and with gaining the full trust of the coaching staff, but in the event that Ingram leaves I think Khiry can not only step up, but surpass him. There is no doubt in my mind that if Robinson had gone through some of the holes Ingram went through this year he would have had much bigger gains simply because he is a more explosive player. He does need to continue to improve in pass protection (PT is our only really solid back in that regard), but he is a more than capable pass catcher so he doesn’t give away intent the way Ingram does. To me the real question is does the coaching staff value potential big gains over consistent smaller ones. I fully expect him to be in a Saints uniform this year, but the role he will play will most likely be determined by forces out of his control. Regardless I believe that Robinson is due for a major breakout year and could be the difference maker in the backfield the Saints have wanted for so long (provided we fix the offensive line).
Positional group grade for 2014: B-
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