The Carolina Panthers fired their defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero despite sitting at the top of the NFC South. Guess being the best in a bad division isn’t a reason to be content. The New Orleans Saints should look up from the bottom of that same division and take some notes.
In addition to firing Evero, the Panthers also fired defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. Carolina is the sixth-worst scoring defense in the league and bottom 10 in total yards allowed. Their particular weakness has been stopping the pass, which explains moving on from Cooley as well.
One could argue injuries have impacted the cornerback room to a point of throwing expectations out the window. As if Jaycee Horn being on injured reserve wasn't bad enough, the Panthers two best corners after him entered the game on injured reserve, and they're fourth best corner landed on IR after Thursday Night Football. That clearly isn't an excuse for the Panthers, and that should be the lesson for the Saints.
Saints need to learn from the Panthers and stop accepting where they are
The Panthers firing their defensive coordinator, puts a bigger spotlight on the lack of urgency in New Orleans. The Saints don’t need to match the Panthers by firing Brandon Staley. They need to match the Panthers by finding the same sense of urgency that Carolina has.
The Saints feel like a team that knows the division is still within reach, and that's good enough. The goal shouldn't be winning an NFC South that may take 9 victories to win. The goal should be elevating the standard and being an actual competitive team in the conference
In the face of injuries, the Panthers decided the standard wasn't being upheld. There's multiple places that sentiment holds true for Saints. The standard isn't being met in the run game, along the defensive line and at an individual level.
Why is Daniel Carlson still on this team? He's been one of the most inefficient kickers in the league this year. He has the third worst field goal percentage in the league, and the two kickers under Carlson are searching for work now.
Carlson's 66.7 field goal percentage is worse than Charlie Smyth's 75% from last year. Smyth is still on the practice squad, so the team could theoretically make the move to him at any time. The option is there, but the Saints refuse to make the call.
It's hard to find the rationale in keeping Carlson around, and the decision is the most clear form that consequences don't exist for the Saints. The standard is a statement but not something to live by, and that's the issue.
If the Saints can't hold a kicker responsible, how can they make a call to fix the running game. The run game coordinator is safe. There will be no consequences for the poor play in the interior defensive line.
The Panthers understood the urgency after a two game losing streak. The Saints lost three games in a row, and they were just a couple of plays away. The Saints need to take some pointers from their divisional foe on how to showcase urgency and hold up a standard.
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