Undisciplined

David Rainey • October 3, 2022

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       Let me be as blunt as I possibly can.  Right now, the New Orleans Saints are a BAD football team.  Not an alright football team.  Not an average football team.  A straight up, bottom-tier football team.  To be honest, at first glance it doesn’t make sense.  This is and has been one of the most loaded rosters in the NFL for years.  Of course, the weakest position group on the team is the most important, quarterback. But all we need from the position is average quarterback play, and this roster should be able to win 8 or 9 games just based off talent. 


However, to this point, we’ve struggled to even get average quarterback play.  On top of that, we’ve dealt with injuries to key players like Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Marcus Maye, Paulson Adebo, Adrus Peat, and Jameis Winston.  While I think the struggles at quarterback and injuries have contributed to the 1-3 start, they aren’t the biggest issues, in my opinion.  What’s the biggest issue then?  Well, the Saints are a poorly coached football team.

You might place the blame on bad quarterback play or lack of pass rush or some other lacking area, but from my perspective, poor coaching in the biggest issue for this team.  From the head coach to the offensive coordinator, to special team’s coaches, we’ve seen a poorly coached team all around.  Week after week, we see the Saints shoot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties, untimely fumbles, or an awful mental lapse. It seems like every time we get momentum, we find a way to cause another self-inflicted wound. For example, we’re driving down the field against the Bucs and Mark Ingram fumbles in the red zone.  Or, how about the seemingly countless false starts to put ourselves in 2nd or 3rd and long situations?  Or, how about today against the Vikings when the defense makes a stop, but special teams allow the Vikings to convert a fake punt?  Again, just poor coaching all around.

The most concerning area to me are the penalties.  It’s hard to get the offense going, regardless of who is at quarterback, when you’re constantly playing behind the sticks.  You can’t get in a rhythm with your play calling when you’re consistently in those positions.  An undisciplined team is a direct result of a poorly run program by the head coach.  Why are the penalties the most concerning to me over all other areas? Because undisciplined teams are a pattern with Dennis Allen run football teams. 

As everyone knows, Dennis Allen had a previous head coaching stint with the Raiders from 2012-2014 that didn’t go so well.  As it stands right now, the Saints are the 2nd most penalized team on a per game basis with 8 per game through 4 weeks.  What is concerning to me, is that I don’t know that the issue will ever get fixed under Dennis Allen, because teams under his leadership have always been undisciplined.

In 2012, the Raiders were the 6th most penalized team with 6.8 penalties per game.  2013 was even worse with the Raiders ending the season as the 4th most penalized team with 7.3 penalties per game.  They again had 7.3 penalties per game in Dennis Allen’s final season as head coach in 2014 and finished as the 9thmost penalized team.  So, when we look at those numbers, it’s reasonable to be concerned that we won’t see improvement this year or maybe even any year in the future. 

I want to be clear; I’m not calling for Dennis Allen to be fired already or anything like that.  However, if he can’t run a disciplined program in his second attempt as a head coach, then he shouldn’t be a head coach for long.  And, if he doesn’t get this team to stop hurting themselves immediately, the season will be over quickly. 

I’m not completely giving up hope on the season yet, because as I mentioned earlier, this roster is incredibly talented.  They very well could turn things around and go on a run.  Dennis Allen has at least kept his defense on par with previous seasons, and we at least saw improvements from the pass rush and the offense today.  So, maybe there’s still some reason for hope.  But Dennis Allen and the rest of his staff need to get it together quickly, because they are running out time.

*All stats courtesy of teamrankings.com*



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Tight End Room Outlook: Revamped and Ready To Roll

By Kaden Arkeder • July 4, 2026
The tight end room has some fresh blood and they look poised to be more impactful heading into next season. With the new arrivals of Noah Fant and third round draft pick Oscar Delp the offense will have the ability to play more in multiple tight end sets to create mismatches for the defense. Multiple tight end sets should allow the Saints to improve the run game and conversely the play action game. Playing in tight end heavy sets was something they were unable to do more of last year due to injuries and lack of talent at the tight end position. Mainstay and the only returning starting caliber player is Juwan Johnson. Johnson had a good year last year as one of the few reliable targets in the passing game aside from Chris Olave. Johnson is looking to build on a solid year where he had 77 receptions for 889 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns. He was a security blanket when Rattler was starting and had quite a few big plays when Shough took over as the starting quarterback. With Shough coming into the season as the presumed starter I expect their connection to be even better next season. Someone hoping to have a better connection with a new QB is Noah Fant. Fant was a first round pick back in 2019 with the Broncos but has never quite lived up to his draft status. Fant will be playing on his third team in three years as he seeks to be a quality rotational piece in the offense and find stability for his career here in New Orleans. Fant should be utilized more in the passing game than in the running game but should be able to hold his own when called upon to do his part on run downs. Fant has been on a statistical decline since his time with Denver as his best receiving season came in at 68/670/4 back in 2021. Although his stats have been declining Fant still has plenty to offer with his athleticism and should produce more given a better opportunity. After Fant in the depth chart should be Oscar Delp who could be the x-factor of the tight end room after being selected in the third round of the draft this year. Delp brings a versatile option to the offense as he can lineup in various spots and handle the rigors of blocking in the run game. Delp’s calling card in college was his elite athleticism which jumps off the screen when you watch his tape. He has the ability to turn a five yard catch into an explosive play with how quickly he can get to top speed. Delp is an adequate, willing blocker where like most new tight ends in the league has room to improve in the blocking area of his game. With his versatility and athleticism I believe Delp will play a pivotal role in the offense this upcoming season. With Delp presumed to round out the depth chart at tight end the remaining tight ends will be competing for spots on the practice squad or spots on another team. This group includes Cody Hardy, Treyton Welch, Moliki Matavao, and Zaire Mitchell-Paden. We’ve seen Welch and Matavao from last season fill in admirably after some injuries but are best served as bench options at this point in time in their development. This group of roster hopefuls should hopefully provide some good competition from one another as we progress through training camp and preseason here shortly. Overall this group has a lot more promise heading into this season as it did last year. By getting younger and more athletic the tight ends will play a more prominent role in Kellen Moore’s offense. Whether it’s Juwan building on last season or Fant having a bounce back year or Delp proving to be revelation, the team is going to have plenty of options to choose from to attack the defense. Exactly what this team needed after not having enough last season.

Even the Restless can sit still

By Garrison Giddens • June 24, 2026
Why Pelicans fans should be grateful for a boring day 1 of draft night. 
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