The 2016 is now over as the Saints disappointingly ended with a 7-9 record for the third year in a row. Instead of wasting my time watching teams who I hate (meaning everyone NOT the Saints) I’ll be looking at each position group for the Saints and grading them player by player based on my own notes throughout the season, and also rewatching the games… because the pain just wasn’t enough the first time.
Next up are the Corners:
Unit Grade: D-
Sterling Moore: Moore can be graded on one of two scales, as a starting cornerback in the NFL, or as an off the street backup thrust into a starting position. As a starter he is a mild failure at best, but if you consider that he was a free agent taken off of the street and thrust into a starting role after injuries devastated the Saints cornerback position, it becomes a slightly different story.
Moore wasn’t truly awful, nor was he particularly good, but for the most part he was at least competent. Under the circumstances Moore gave the Saints a decent veteran player they could rely on not to be a disaster, and his ability to provide them with that was a huge part of why the defense did in fact show improvement throughout the season. If you were to ask any GM, any Coach worth having, and most fans if they would want to have Sterling Moore as their starting corner they would tell you no in uncertain fashion. However, the other side of that equation is that he is competent enough to be an excellent ‘break glass in case of emergency’ corner. He doesn’t have the ability or the skillset to be a high level starter, but he was a decent tackler, a leader in the secondary, and consistently had a great effort in coverage. It’s hard to ask for more under the circumstances.
Player Grade: B
Ken Crawley: Crawley came to the Saints as an undrafted free agent rookie, and he looked like one. Crawley was the definition of ‘up and down’ throughout the year. On one play he would display text book perfect coverage and would deflect a pass or force an incompletion, and on the next play he would commit an awful penalty or play entirely the wrong coverage allowing a big play. Crawley has all the tools to be a quality pro for the Saints. He’s tenacious, has shown flashes of great coverage ability, is a good tackler, plays physical, and doesn’t let mistakes get him down. In a lot of ways Ken Crawley is the perfect mascot for the Saints defense in 2016, he’s shown potential to become pretty good, but also could be a total disaster. There were moments throughout the year like a pass broken up against Julio Jones where Crawley did everything you could ask, but that wasn’t his calling card.
What Crawley was most known for (and what drove many fans nuts) was the ‘almost play’. Crawley’s best ‘almost’ play of the year came against Victor Cruz in the game versus the Giants. Crawley had perfect coverage and a great opportunity to intercept Manning’s pass and change the game in favor of the Saints, but he didn’t get his head turned around in time and Cruz made a game breaking play instead of Crawley. What is most encouraging about him is also most frustrating, he is talented enough to make the plays he needs to, but he hasn’t learned how to make them consistently. His value to the team will be determined by his ability to make that leap… or not.
Player Grade: C+
Delvin Breaux: Oh what a difference a year makes. At the end of last year fans and film watchers alike were gushing about the emergence of Delvin Breaux and what an awesome story he was. Fast forward a year and Breaux had a very different season. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t show the same skill set and physical abilities that had many fans (myself included) saying he could be a star, but Breaux also went through a season plagued by injuries that affected him physically and mentally.
Cornerback is a position that has an extraordinary mental toll, and a few mistakes ESPECIALLY when they come in situations where the player expects themselves to succeed, can cause greater issues down the road. Corners have arguably the hardest job in football outside of the QB, and especially in today’s NFL and the absolute worst thing that can happen to them outside of having their confidence shaken is a lower leg injury. Pain is one thing and can be endured, but an injury that affects function is entirely different. Breaux suffered a broken leg, and it was clear that even after coming back he never truly felt comfortable on the leg. Delvin ended the season on IR and what was supposed to be a coming out party as a star turned into an injured and disappointing year of ‘what could have been’.
Player Grade: D+/INCOMPLETE
B.W. Webb: Like Moore, Webb can be graded based on the duel criteria of being a starting level corner in the NFL as well as a guy ‘fresh off the couch’. The difference between the two of them is that outside of a VERY small group of plays Webb was largely awful. He constantly gave way too much cushion, failed to close properly, gave up big plays, and generally showed exactly why he was on the couch in the first place. He should be given credit for making some solid plays and having good effort for a player who isn’t very good, and was picked up off the street. However, Saints fans should desperately hope that B.W. Webb is nowhere near training camp next season. Not because of who he is as a person, a teammate, a friend, or anything else other than the fact….he just kind of stinks as a corner.
Webb should great tenacity, but very little ability in his time in New Orleans, and what the Saints desperately need is ability in a young defense that is trying to grow together. I wish him the best of luck, just no in New Orleans.
Player Grade: F
PJ Williams: Williams looked like exactly what I hoped he would be through five and a half games. He looked like a tenacious, confident, and effective number 2 corner that the Saints could invest in. Unfortunately 4 of those five games happened in the preseason and Williams suffered a devastating concussion in week 2. The hit came on a freak play and was both frightening and unfortunate. Williams still has all the ability in the world, but while his concussion (and especially the manor in which it happened) has no impact on his likelihood to get injured again, the impact of that concussion is unknown. It is entirely possible that Williams could have suffered long term damage, and while I love him as a prospect and want him to be a difference maker for the Saints…I truly hope he puts his health first.
Player Grade: Incomplete
De’Vante Harris: He blocked his own man during a punt and gave the Falcons the ball back. The end.
Player Grade: F
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