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Jameis Winston spent much of his Sunday afternoon running for cover against a dogged Carolina Panthers passing run, which kept the New Orleans Saints offensive from doing almost everything. which is productive. After the game ended with a disappointing 26-7 total, Winston and Saints coach Sean Payton identified the same problem: poor communication up front.
“I have to take responsibility for communicating with the offensive line,” said Winston. “I have to put us in better protections. Just communicate better there.
The Saints looked sloppy after a year spent playing in front of half-empty stadiums amid the pandemic. They were slow to break up the group, slow to get into position and slow to kick the ball. As Winston noted, they were also ineffective at making adjustments. A number of unblocked Panthers defenders crashed into the offensive line untouched. Block missions weren’t up to par, and the whole offense suffered. New Orleans is built for the big men in the trenches to pay race tracks for Alvin Kamara and buy time for a body of sub-par wide receivers to open up in the field. They were unable to achieve any of these goals.
“Our protection plan was not good,” Payton added. “It had nothing to do with our being understaffed.”
Payton was unwilling to accept absences from coaching staff as an excuse, but it clearly stumbled them. They took a few penalties and burned some downtime that they shouldn’t have had with cleaner lines of communication from the sideline to the press box to the pitch. Eight coaches from different positions were unable to join the team during the league’s COVID-19 protocol. Inactive rookie quarterback Ian Book has done his best to point out the staff replacements.
But not all of this blame rests on poor communication. Winston admitted he needed to make better decisions, not just in where he placed the ball (throwing a pair of misguided interceptions) but in the pre-crash adjustments he called along. line. Working with a new center in Cesar Ruiz as Erik McCoy is on the mend, he has too often misdiagnosed the pressure packs of the defense, putting himself and his teammates in a sticky situation.
The good news is that all of the coaching staff are vaccinated and should regain their strength as soon as possible. McCoy avoided a three-game stint in the injured reserve, so he should be back soon too. We will only have to hope that the offensive can pick up speed in the meantime.
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