Saints find one surprising name on elite list
There wasn't much to be impressed with for the New Orleans Saints when it came to the 2022 season. The offense wasn't as good as we expected it to be, and there was constant talk about a quarterback change. Not to mention the three different guys who played valuable snaps at the position all season […]
There wasn't much to be impressed with for the New Orleans Saints when it came to the 2022 season. The offense wasn't as good as we expected it to be, and there was constant talk about a quarterback change. Not to mention the three different guys who played valuable snaps at the position all season too.
Then there was the defense, which started terribly. Sure, it got much better. But, it's safe to say they didn't get anywhere near to what we know they could be. Oh, and the injuries derailed this team too.
It was a bit of a surprise, really. Yeah, no Sean Payton, and no Drew Brees for the second straight season, but we still felt that maybe this team could make the playoffs. Even in the division they were in with the record they had, they were close.
But the one thing that is really surprising, is the fact that there are people out there that think Tyrann Mathieu is a top 60 player this last season. Pro Football Focus seems to think so.
They do their annual list after the season ranking players, and this time Sam Monson did the top 101 players of the year, and Mathieu came in at 60.
"The New Orleans defense underachieved in 2022, but there were impressive individual performances within the unit, and Tyrann Mathieu was one of them. In coverage, Mathieu had four pass breakups to go along with three interceptions, and he lined up all over the Saints' secondary."
As much as I love that the Saints got some kind of recognition, well, some type of positive recognition, this one isn't it. I know, how often will someone come on here and say that a player isn't deserving of a high ranking?
But, if you watched Mathieu this season, or if you just had eyes, you knew he wasn't great, frankly, he wasn't good. His coverage wasn't great by any measure. and, when it was time for him to be matched up against an elite receiver, he was burnt all game. See Week 6 for details.
As I said, I love the positivity, but you could have put another Saints player on the list like Chris Olave.
To read the rest of the PFF list click here.
Featured Image Via Cara Owsley / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
