The following article is entirely the fault of two men, so if you find it irrelevent, insane, or totally off base… blame Andrew Juge and Nick Underhill. The following tweet started it all, and it got me to thinking about not only the matter at hand (the Saints guard position), but the potential for the offense as a whole (obviously way too early for this…but who cares I’m looking anyway).
@AndrewJuge Correct. But again, my issue is w/ people saying they prioritize guard over tackle. I don’t buy that to be true.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) May 10, 2016
On the one hand we have Andrew valiantly defending the position held by most Saints fans, the bloggers and the twitter acolytes alike, that the Saints value the guard position more than most teams. On the other hand you have The Advocate’s own Nick Underhill taking the position that the Saints don’t put a higher priority on that position over the rest of the line, but simply happened to get some REALLY good players there. It was an entertaining debate to say the least.
The interesting thing from my own perspective though was the fact that I think they both are correct here. The Saints DO benefit more from having premier (or at least above average) guard play than some teams do. However, Nick is also right that Brees just passed for 10k yards the past two years with mediocre guard play at best. So what gives? Does it matter or doesn’t it? The biggest answer in my opinion is that when it comes to the offensive line the unit matters more than the individual and if I’m being honest I thought there was more of a decline in the run blocking department last year than pass protection. The pass protection was spotty, but mostly acceptable (except against Houston). But the run blocking was never consistent and in my humble opinion that had a lot to do with decline of former Saint Jahri Evans. The run game isn’t only important from a scheme stand point, but it also helps the offensive linemen when they are able to ‘get downhill’ and establish a rhythm of their own against the pass rushers.
This helps tire out the defense, re-energize the ‘big boys’, and ALSO helps create balance so that it is more difficult for teams to pin their ears back and attack the QB. If you add to that the fact that the Saints offense simply didn’t have the same kind of function it had in the past and you begin to see why Brees was hit so much. In the past the Saints had Darren Sproles, Reggie, or even PT. A back who could catch passes and causes mismatches on their own, it was a quick out for Brees when he sniffed out a blitz. However, even though he showed tremendous growth in that regard, Ingram doesn’t bring that same element (especially with how defenses plan for him). Adding to that the fact that the only receiver they had who could consistently win on his own was the diminutive Brandin Cooks who was constantly double teamed and Brees wasn’t able to use one of the best ways to beat pressure….get rid of the ball.
That takes us directly to why I believe this year’s offense has the potential to resemble the record breaking offense of 2011 much more than the impressive but never terrifying offense of 2015. I do have to first make the statement that this ONLY applies if the Saints are able to get at least average level play from their guards, but if they can, the league could be in for its worst nightmare returning.
The Saints offense under Payton and Brees has always relied on three things: balance, options, versatility.
Balance:
The Saints offense is always at its best when they are able to establish a consistent run game. The ability to do any kind of play, at anytime, out of any formation is one of the keys to unleashing Payton’s offense. It also has the added benefit of keeping Drew upright and minimizing hits on him while also tiring out the defense and making it that much easier for him to break them on play-action-passes. Even though they were, are, and will always be a passing offense the Saints first and biggest priority is to have the ability to run the football. So long as that threat is real the rest of the offense functions as intended.
While I’m not positive Lelito will be able to step up and become a legitimate starting guard for the Saints, one thing I do know is that he is very good in the run blocking department. As some of you may have heard on this week’s Happy Hour Podcast (with Tim Lelito as a special guest) he has already figured out that he needs to improve a lot in pass blocking and is working tirelessly to do so. I definitely think he deserves a chance to prove he can do it, but lets go beyond just the guards for a minute and look at the rest of the line. Presumably Peat, Unger, and Armstead will be the other three starters next season, and one thing all three of them have in common is they are excellent run blockers.
Options:
Something that the Saints offenses had in its prime was ‘options’, and what I mean by that was the ability to attack a defense in multiple ways, on multiple levels, with multiple people. Sean Payton is widely considered a savant when it comes to offensive football, and it is well deserved as he has an incredible ability to scheme players open and to attack defenses in innovative ways. The best way to do that though is to have multiple pieces that you can move around…options.
The Saints will have more options this coming year than they have had since that 2011 season in my opinion. Ingram and perhaps Spiller provide a dynamic pair of options in the backfield. The Saints will now have Hooman and Fleener at tight end, Cooks, Snead, Thomas at receiver, and of course the maestro himself Drew Brees to pick his spots. What makes this group of players such a great set up for Brees and Payton is that they are ALL viable options, and they all bring something to the table. Some art catalysts like Cooks, and others will be opportunists like Hooman, but the fact is that when you give Brees an array of options you are also forcing the defense to account for each of those options as well. It really comes down to something as simple as increasing the number of variables, because more variables means more mistakes by the defense, and that is always the goal of an offense in the NFL. Force the defense to make mistakes and capitalize on them.
Versatility:
Now at last we come to the big one, this is the one key cog in the Payton machine that makes the WHOLE thing work. And it applies to absolutely every position on the field. This whole thing burst into my head when I was watching Andrew and Nick debate, and one of the things it made me realize is that outside of their dominance Jahri and Carl were also very versatile linemen. The Saints still possess that element in Terron Armstead and perhaps Andrus peat, but more than anything I believe the versatility of the skill positions is going to be what keeps drew upright and the offense at an elite level.
It’s the ability of Cooks to blow the top off of a defense, but also to run a quick slant or a comeback route to pick up a first down, It’s snead being deceptively effective after the catch even though he’s only supposed to be a possession receiver. It’s Ingram proving he’s a true ‘triple threat’ back who can run, catch, and block. And it’s also new addition Michael Thomas having the ability (predicted at least) to attack a defense down the field, but to also work the short and intermediate areas. What this gives Brees and Payton is the ability to move pieces around and build a complex offense that remains simple at its core, but is deadly in its execution. It also gives Brees the ability to get rid of the ball quickly when needed (something that was less available the last few years), and also to give the illusion of a quick strike and to then attack down the field.
The Saints use their versatility to create balance, and that balance gives them more options, and those options break the defense. To bring this full circle I AM a little concerned about the guard position for the Saints, but only up to the point where I hope they are able to be adequate. They don’t need dominance up the middle this year (although they could have it on the edges to compensate) because it is very likely that they won’t need nearly the same amount of extended plays to wreak havoc on the defenses. The array of options it looks like the Saints could have this year will give them the ability to be multiple without stretching themselves thin, they gain an advantage on almost any defense without having to reveal a weakness and THAT to me is the goal Sean Payton is always striving for. To limit his vulnerabilities and in the act of doing so INCREASE those of his opponent. If the Saints can do that then a year similar to 2011 isn’t just a dream, its a possibility, but it’s fair to say that all of that depends on the Saints guards ability to be adequate. The rest of the pieces are already in place.
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