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The New Orleans Saints need to go for “upside” at quarterback

By Justin Dunbar

Aug 9, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis (left) talks with Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis (left) talks with Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

Mobile Quarterbacks Are Hard To Sack

We like to think of Drew Brees as someone who protected his offensive line but is that necessarily the case.

Something else that was apparent from my research is that it takes much longer to sack a more mobile quarterback than one who isn’t a rushing treat. This makes a lot of sense, as mobile quarterbacks are more likely to elude instant pressure and make something out of nothing.

When a pass rusher beats the offensive lineman quickly, Brees, or other pocket passers, are going to be sacked. This is why New Orleans had a lot of success sacking Tom Brady but struggled to convert pressure to sacks against Patrick Mahomes.

We like to think of mobile quarterbacks as putting more pressure on the offensive line since they escape outside the pocket more often, but when it comes to allowing sacks, I’ll take my chances with a quarterback who can escape pressure.

Now, there isn’t much of a correlation or predictiveness in sack prevention in general, yet I’d rather side with the quarterback who is more difficult to sack. This could make offensive line play even more replaceable, according to Josh Hermseyer of Five Thirty-Eight:

As you can see, the correlation between passing success and pass-block win rate isn’t substantial.

Why would this be the case? Well, pass-block win rate refers to avoiding instant pressure, and with the growth of mobile quarterbacks, it’s easier now than ever for them to escape said pressure.

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