The Saints have a glaring issue that should definitely be fixed this season
Fans of the New Orleans Saints know one issue from last season all too well. The offense seemingly refused to take chances on first down. Their play-calling was predictable, and it costed them in a major way in the duration of an entire season. Now, you can say that they were so conservative due to […]
Fans of the New Orleans Saints know one issue from last season all too well. The offense seemingly refused to take chances on first down. Their play-calling was predictable, and it costed them in a major way in the duration of an entire season. Now, you can say that they were so conservative due to their lack of trust in their banged-up offensive line and struggles from their quarterbacks.
That being said, they have too much talent at skill positions to be so "vanilla" on early downs again this year. Their early down pass rate in the first half last season was the fourth-lowest in the NFL. The only teams behind them were the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Commanders.
Those offenses around New Orleans were anemic from a scoring perspective last season. With an improvement at QB, the Saints need to make sure that they are in the top half of the league in this statistic in 2023.
Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. must make adjustments in this make-or-break year for him in New Orleans. If they don't make improvements on offense, they'll need to find a new OC. If that occurs, the Saints had a very disappointing season as a whole, most likely.
Trust Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and the other weapons on offense going forward. You have drafted talent at WR, RB, and OL in recent years and made a massive move at QB. Don't let that go to waste.
© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
