Saints fans shouldn't use the preseason to judge the team’s new offense

It doesn’t take an expert to realize the New Orleans Saints struggled getting their offense going in recent years. That same thing has already started in the 2024 preseason. In the first preseason game, a win over the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans’ top offense opened with two lackluster drives. While that could normally be cause for concern, this year differs from others since the Saints are installing a new offensive system. Because of this, fans shouldn’t worry about a slow start offensively— to a certain extent.

It is important to note there is a time and place for fans to start asking questions and getting nervous. It is pivotal the team shows improvement on a week-to-week basis. If the offense looks stagnant and doesn’t seem to be improving, then it would warrant questions. Hopefully, the offense doesn’t get to that point and keeps getting better the further they go in the season.

Saints offense may take some time to get rolling

The first, and most obvious, factor that will impact the offense's success early is that they are installing an entirely new system. It takes significantly more than one training camp and three preseason games to make an offense run efficiently, especially if it's new. Klint Kubiak’s offensive system has tons of potential, but it does have a lot of nuances that will take time for the players to learn. Some miscommunications early on can be expected.

Another factor is the strength of the Saints schedule early in the year. New Orleans has a daunting first seven weeks, facing teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs. It’s not going to be easy to have spectacular offensive performances against high quality opponents. Although it may not look good at the moment, going up against that tough competition should strengthen the team for the end of the year.

The final factor is the amount of changes there are on the coaching staff. The only returning positional coach on the offensive side is Clancy Barone, the tight ends coach. This means it will take time for the communication to be set up between coaches and players. It would be easier if the Saints had an offensive minded head coach but they unfortunately don’t. The coaches will need to streamline communications between themselves and the players if the offense wants to succeed early on.

The Saints offense has tons of potential going into 2024, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be ready right away. Fans shouldn’t overreact to a slow start offensively in the system. It may be tough to trust the coaching staff but that needs to be done. The offense being installed as fast as possible is paramount to the team’s success.

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