Saints Film Study: Position By Position Breakdown of Week 1

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January 29, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Hawaiian hostesses Chelsea Hardin (far left) and Mahina Garcia (far right) pose with Team Rice defensive end Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints (94) during 2016 Pro Bowl photo day at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line

The Saints struggled all preseason with generating pressure on the QB. They brought in Paul Kruger late in the offseason to fix this. It’s only one game in, but it’s clear: the D-line is still broken. Yes, Dennis Allen went with a game plan that limited the impact of the line with 3-man fronts. But when the Raiders lost their only two RTs to injuries in the first half, we all expected the line to finally generate some pass rush. Nothing. Cam Jordan and Fairley each had a few pressures to their name, and Edebali finished with a single pressure. Besides that, not one defensive lineman had a QB hurry, pressure, or hit, much less a sack.

Jordan has simply been disappointing so far, although the preseason may be a bad measure of his performance. It’s a strange thing for Saints fans, who have come to expect Jordan’s consistent performance week in and week out. In the 3-man fronts, Jordan moved around a lot, but failed to take advantage of any matchup. With Breaux injured, Jordan is far and away the Saints’ best defender. He needs to start playing like it.

Nick Fairley and Tyler Davison both put in uninspired performances as well. We’ve heard a lot of talk about Davison throughout camp, and he flashed that speed and aggression a few times in the preseason. But now is the time to step up. He faced a lot of double teams on Sunday, but failed to generate a single pressure in 37 snaps. Fairley saw the field a bit more than Davison, and was at least getting penetration. But his penetration was typically the result of manipulation from the Raiders’ O-line, opening up gap for the Raiders’ backs. If the Saints are going to have any kind of success against the Giants, these two will need to improve.

Paul Kruger played his first game as a Saint, and maybe deserves some slack for that reason. But the veteran was woefully ineffective in his 39 snaps. We’ll see how he plays going forward, but if this game is any indication the Browns may have been right to cut him.

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