Two big questions for the Saints offense 🤔

Two big questions for the Saints offense 🤔

Good morning, and welcome to the Saturday, May 25 edition of the Saints Insider newsletter. Before you dig into that Memorial Day weekend barbecue, let's take some time to consider two of the biggest questions the Saints offense is trying to answer, shall we?

Question No. 1: Can the running game get going?

I enjoyed Matt Paras' thoughtful piece on the Saints running game, both in where it lacked last season and how the new regime is trying to unlock it.

New Orleans had one of the NFL's least effective rushing attacks last season, especially when you take Taysom Hill's non-traditional runs out of the equation. Rather than revamp their backfield, the Saints are hoping their change in scheme can bring about positive results.

I'll let offensive line coach John Benton take over the idea from here: “I hate to say it this way, but we use the illusion of complexity. We use the same things over and over, show a million different formations and ideas. You can’t tell if it’s run or pass.”

Question No. 2: Which Derek Carr are the Saints getting?

If you go only by statistics, Derek Carr and the Saints offense were solid last season. Of course, statistics don't tell the full story. There were pretty drastic swings between the good and bad for the Saints offense in 2023, which is why there's almost an entirely new coaching staff in place.

Carr is still here, though, and he has felt energized by the Saints new approach.

Unsurprisingly, the early reviews have been positive from both Carr and his new coaches, who have been impressed by the quarterback's diligence when it comes to understanding the intricacies of the new offensive system.

“Derek has had a really good offseason thus far,” offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said. “He’s putting in the work, he’s here after hours, he just really studied his tail off. His teammates see how hard he works, and he brings their level of play up as well.”

Moment of zen

Now that we've got that big picture stuff out of the way, please enjoy this short video of Saints rookies trying to figure out how to eat crawfish.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers,

Luke Johnson