During the Week 11 win over the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints fans saw something they haven’t seen all season: Cam Jordan playing a ton of snaps. The veteran defensive end is undoubtedly a franchise legend, dominating the league for a decade, but he had a reduced role this season.
Early in the year, former Saints head coach Dennis Allen annocued Jordan would have a reduced role this year, and that proved true, with the veteran defensive end having four games with 20 or less snaps before Allen was fired.
On Sunday, against the Browns, Jordan had 48 snaps, the most he’s had in a game this season. A week ago, Jordan had 42 snaps. His increased role aligning with Darren Rizzi becoming interim head coach isn’t a coincidence. It’s actually one of the money examples of Rizzi making a conscious effort to lean on the core veterans that have carried New Orleans throughout the last decade.
Darren Rizzi is betting on the Saints veterans, and it’s paying off
Cam Jordan wasn’t the only core veteran with a bigger role on Sunday; Taysom Hill was the star of the game. The versatile weapon carried the ball seven times for 138 yards and three touchdowns, caught eight passes for 50 yards, and completed 1-of-2 passes for 18 yards. He also returned a kick for 42 yards.
This wasn’t just a flow of the game situation; the Saints made it clear they entered the game with the plan to get Hill more involved. This comes one week after Alvin Kamara, who has been the focal point of New Orleans’ offense, was made captain by Rizzi.
The interim head coach isn’t hiding his cards. The Saints have some talented veterans, and Rizzi isn’t afraid to lean on them. He’s leaning on them on the field, but also in how the team operates day to day, communicating with the veterans to understand what the team needs most.
It’s a simple strategy that makes a ton of sense. New Orleans has a core of veterans who have dominated the league throughout their caareers, and they’re expensive. Rizzi isn’t letting their presence or experience go to waste. So far, it has resulted in two wins and a culture resurgence for the franchise. With everything, surprisingly, still in reach for the Saints, it’ll be interesting to see how far this approach can take the team.