Who Dat Nation Mailbag: Your Saints Questions Answered

Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) celebrates his game winning touchdown with wide receiver Kenny Stills (84) in overtime of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Buccaneers 37-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It’s nice to see your questions fill up our Facebook and Twitter, and I appreciate you taking the time to ask them. The bye week is a perfect time for you to submit your questions for the Who Dat Nation mailbag!

Josh B. – When are they going to hit Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks down the field?

I wish I knew the answer to that Josh. As you are aware of, it’s based on several factors: Play calling, Protection, and Read Progression. Drew Brees did not connect on his deep shots down the field last week, and we’re sitting here questioning Drew’s arm strength. I believe the Saints like Brandin Cooks best in open space, because he’s very elusive. As for Kenny Stills, he was targeted three times against the Bucs, but only connected once with Drew. It begs the question as to why we aren’t seeing Joe Morgan dress for this team, and only going with four wide receivers. I like that to change a bit with the recent Jimmy Graham news, but at least Brees is trying. He’s just not succeeding.

David T. – What’s the deal with Jimmy Graham?

I assume that you are talking about his injury. The exact extent of what’s going is unknown. What we do know is that Graham exited and they took x-rays. The Saints might have played it safe by keeping Graham out of the game, and sources state the injury is not to be feared serious. If Jimmy went out hurt, you know it was for a reason, as he plays through a lot. Let’s just hope the bye week is enough time for him to heal, and we’ll get more information next week.

Furieux Black Gold – What’s the status on Corey White & P. Rob? Any chances they will start SJB on game day against the Lions?

Just assume that we’re going to roll with White and Robinson until otherwise noted. You have to remember the Jean-Baptiste is a project, and while we may have our specific frustrations with Robinson and White for one reason or another, they are the guys that will play in the secondary. Robinson earned a positive mark with his interception. If the Saints decide to not dress all of their safeties against the Lions, then there’s a possibility for SJB to play against the Lions, but I don’t see him starting anytime soon. I do feel you in some aspects, like what have we got to lose?

Furieux Black Gold – What is wrong with Cameron Jordan, Akiem Hicks, and Glenn Foster this season?

When you are coming off of a 12.5 sack season, you better believe that teams are going to game plan accordingly. Jordan has drawn a bunch of double teams, and he has gotten pressure on the quarterback, but the quarterbacks have also been smart enough to get rid of the ball faster. You saw this benefit Junior Galette last week on the safety sack, when Jordan’s double team allowed Galette to move inside free to the quarterback.

As for Hicks, I just don’t see much penetration. I think some of this could be because Brodrick Bunkley has been anchoring the inside. If John Jenkins can draw more double teams, then I think Hicks can have some added success. 

As for Foster, he played in only 18 snaps against the Bucs. He needs something to help find his groove, but that can be said about the entire Saints defense right now.

Furieux Black Gold – When are they going to fix that Kick Return unit? Is Shayne Graham still going to be the starting FG kicker?

Any notion that Graham wouldn’t kick for the Saints was quickly dismissed out of the door when Matt Praeter was picked up by the Lions. If the Saints didn’t feel good about their kicking situation, they might have made a serious play for him. The facts are this. Graham is 7/8 on field goals this year, with the one missed extra point. It’s hard to take away a guy’s job based on a miss and a bad kick. I’ve always said that the team needs to address this position, and stop putting a band-aid on things.

I don’t think we are going to see a drastic change on the kick return unit, as the job will stay Travaris Cadet’s. Cadet took it out three times for 76 yards (25.3 average) against the Bucs, and had a long of 29. Cooks took his for 12 yards (the safety punt return). In all fairness, we won’t risk our top draft pick returning kicks, especially in an NFL where kick returns aren’t nearly as prominent as they once were.

Arlene S. – Why isn’t Joe Morgan on the field?

That’s been a bit of a head scratcher myself, Arlene. I honestly start to wonder if he’s completely healthy, although the reports are that he is 100%. We know that Morgan is a speed guy, and he’s more than capable to help out. When you assemble your roster of starting guys for Sunday, there’s 46 that are active. I remember the days when we would have 5-6 wide receivers active, and now I’m struggling to figure out why we have four. Morgan will get his chance to shine in the near future, the more important question is if he’s ready to answer the call when given the chance.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, and as always, feel free to drop more when you want!