Week 1 thoughts

[SWATcha]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:22 AM, JMG5 said:

The offensive line needs to show, at least, some minor improvement. 

I'm hoping it's just part of the "getting back into the swing of things" process. This is still preseason basically. There were a lot of teams that looked a lot worse. I just want to see more creativity out of Carmichael. If you know your line isn't getting push, and the pass protection isn't holding up so well on the day. Figure out the plays that will work. Toss the game script out the window and come up with a new one on the fly.

[Raves]

On 9/12/2023 at 11:22 AM, JMG5 said:

The offensive line needs to show, at least, some minor improvement. 

I mean I think that's a given considering how they played vs Tennessee, but I think part of their showing was related to being against a really good DL.  So that's a mixed bag all on it's own as it means they looked that bad vs a really good DL so they'll struggle making any kind of postseason run, but it also means that they'll be able to rack up more wins by potentially performing a lot better vs average DLs

[tyler735]

Thought there were a lot of positives to take away from Week 1. Obviously some negatives as well, but overall a good start to the season. As others have mentioned our OL (Penning especially) were not quite up to par. There's clearly going to be a learning curve with Penning as he barely played as a rookie and was considered raw as a prospect, so hopefully he catches on quickly as the season progresses. Thought Carr had a solid first outing. Had a couple iffy throws, but was also under a ton of pressure and came through in the clutch at the end of the game to seal the win. The defense looks like they can be a top 5/top 10 unit this season. 

On offense the stars of the show were clearly our WR core. If we can keep Thomas, Olave, and Shaheed healthy, they are going to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Thomas showed he can clearly still do what he's always done making tough contested catches. Olave looked as smooth as ever consistently getting open. Shaheed however appears to be another diamond in the rough this team has struck gold on. I could definitely see him becoming a 1,000+ yard receiver for us. He has the explosive ability to take the top off defenses, and is surprisingly refined in the smaller nuances of route running. His catch rate both last year and to start this year has been incredible. At 82.5% for his career. It's even more impressive when you factor in how deep he is usually targeted on his targets. The only target he "didn't catch" in week 1 was the questionable call with his knee being called out of bounds in the endzone on what looked to be a touchdown catch. As of right now he only has 1 drop in his Saints career. Long story short, he probably is the Saints player I'm most excited to watch develop over the next few years. 

[JMG5]

4 hours ago, tyler735 said:

Thought there were a lot of positives to take away from Week 1. Obviously some negatives as well, but overall a good start to the season. As others have mentioned our OL (Penning especially) were not quite up to par. There's clearly going to be a learning curve with Penning as he barely played as a rookie and was considered raw as a prospect, so hopefully he catches on quickly as the season progresses. Thought Carr had a solid first outing. Had a couple iffy throws, but was also under a ton of pressure and came through in the clutch at the end of the game to seal the win. The defense looks like they can be a top 5/top 10 unit this season. 

On offense the stars of the show were clearly our WR core. If we can keep Thomas, Olave, and Shaheed healthy, they are going to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Thomas showed he can clearly still do what he's always done making tough contested catches. Olave looked as smooth as ever consistently getting open. Shaheed however appears to be another diamond in the rough this team has struck gold on. I could definitely see him becoming a 1,000+ yard receiver for us. He has the explosive ability to take the top off defenses, and is surprisingly refined in the smaller nuances of route running. His catch rate both last year and to start this year has been incredible. At 82.5% for his career. It's even more impressive when you factor in how deep he is usually targeted on his targets. The only target he "didn't catch" in week 1 was the questionable call with his knee being called out of bounds in the endzone on what looked to be a touchdown catch. As of right now he only has 1 drop in his Saints career. Long story short, he probably is the Saints player I'm most excited to watch develop over the next few years. 

It's nice having speed on offense again.