There's been plenty of inefficiencies on offense for the New Orleans Saints this season. Injuries and penalties haven't helped the effectiveness of play calling and talent.

That being said, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. has had his warts this year.

He was under the wing of former HC Sean Payton for over a decade. Now, the Saints offense and its play calling belongs to him. At times, he's made puzzling decisions. There was no bigger example of that than early in the game versus the Cleveland Browns last weekend.

Cleveland is known for its horrendous run defense. It is one of the worst in recent years in the NFL.

Yet, Carmichael didn't take advantage of that with Saints' utility weapon Taysom Hill at first.

Hill didn't touch the ball in the first quarter. Fans and media members alike were confused by that decision. In fact, Taysom didn't get a carry until late in the second quarter against one of the worst run defenses in recent years.

There's really no excuse for that, but Carmichael Jr. did attempt to explain it. 

Pete Carmichael was asked why Taysom Hill didnt get a carry until late in the first half vs Browns. He said they wanted to put out different personnel groupings first to see what the Browns adjustments were and what they were showing defensively before starting to call Hill runs

— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) December 29, 2022

Carmichael Jr. and the Saints learned about the Browns' personnel groupings during their film watch before the game.

Even if they wanted to be patient with using Hill, waiting nearly an entire half before his first touch makes zero sense. The Saints offense is much more efficient when Hill is used often and effectively.

Shying away from him early on only made life more difficult for the Saints. They got down to an early deficit, and this game was known to be a low scoring affair.

Luckily, they did make the comeback to secure the victory in the second half.

Regardless, not using Hill early in the game may have costed them points in the first half. The defensive shutout in the second half may not have been necessary if they used one of their best weapons on offense more often early in the game.

If Carmichael Jr. is being truthful about this reasoning, that should be a bit scary for Saints fans. That sort of conservative play calling will cost you games at the NFL level.

Get the ball into your best players' hands when they have a favorable matchup. Don't put yourself behind the eight-ball. It is that simple.

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