Coming out of the bye week, the New Orleans Saints made a big move, firing their run-game coordinator T.J. Paganetti. Although it is a substantial move, it's one that isn't surprising after the Saints 18-rushing yard performance in Paris. Furthermore, the change might not even have a huge impact on the run game.
Through seven games this season, the Saints rank 28th in rush yards per game with 86 and 30th in yards per carry with 3.5. However, it's not necessarily the fault of the running backs, as their 0.8 yards before contact indicates that the rushing issue stems from the offensive line rather than the halfbacks. It's also something that's not new, as since the start of last season the Saints have been last in runs of 10+ (29) and 20+ (two) yards.
Something had to give, and that something just happened to be Paganetti. However, that's not to say that he was unqualified, because his role in the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory will say otherwise. He had a good track record and just wasn't able to get anything going on the ground in New Orleans.
The Saints' O-line puts the teams rushing issues on them
Paganetti's own players spoke highly of him, with Saints center Erik McCoy calling him a "hell of a coach." The team captain even said that the firing indicts the players as well for not executing the scheme well enough, saying that there's not just one scapegoat. To McCoy, it's a team-wide issue that's spread across the players and staff.
Starting left guard David Edwards, who's only been in New Orleans for a few months, also said he wished the players did a better job for Paganetti. He was emphasizing that "there's an execution part" to a successful run game. That's two starting offensive linemen for the Saints that shift the blame off of the coach and on to them.
The praise for the former Saints coach doesn't stop there either, with future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce chiming in. "I don’t comment on things like this often, but T.J. is an outstanding coach. He brought a ton of value for us in Philadelphia and was a big part of our success up front. One of my favorite coaches from my time with the Eagles," he said on social media. "He’s extremely knowledgeable and driven and always worked his *** off to put the players in positions to succeed."
Taking over for Paganetti will be offensive line coach Brendan Nugent. The leader of the group of guys taking fault, he was another name that some in the Who Dat Nation wanted to let go. Nugent will have to show that he can get something better on the field against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday
Add us as a preferred source on Google