The Saints have, on paper, one of the most potent groups of skill position players in the NFL. With diverse talent at receiver, an experienced tight end room, and dynamic backs, the offense is not lacking playmakers. Looking at the box scores, however, one would see a group in need of a major overhaul. The offense has now scored 21 or fewer points in ten games. In today’s game, it’s a stat that’s hard to fathom. Given the talent in the unit, it seems nearly impossible. Yet, heading into a crucial Week 5 matchup, it’s hard to focus on anything other than the Saints offensive struggles.
In a recent interview, Alvin Kamara was clear in his belief on the unsatisfactory performance of the offense. In his words, the Saints need to have “tough conversations” about how to fix the struggles going forward. Kamara’s interview with NewOrleans.Football was extremely telling on why the offense has played so poorly thus far. Where does Kamara feel are the biggest pain points for this offense, and more importantly, how will the group respond and improve going forward?
The Biggest Factors of the Saints Offensive Struggles
Play Calling
For a unit with so much firepower, it’s incredible how hard they’ve made playing offense look. There have been moments of scattered brilliance, but never once has it felt like a smooth, cohesive operation as a collective unit. Execution certainly has been lacking at times, and ultimately players put points on the board. But have the Saints put their players in the best position to overcome these offensive struggles? Definitely not. Poor play calling from offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has been one of the biggest culprits.
Without directly throwing Carmichael under the bus, Kamara strongly implied a major disconnect between playmakers and play callers. “When the play is called, we go out there and run what’s called”, Kamara said. As simple as it sounds to ‘get the ball into your playmakers hands’, it’s just not happening right now in this offense. Part of this is on Derek Carr making better decisions. Part of this is on the offensive line holding up longer in protection. But right now, plays simply haven’t been designed well enough to maximize this group’s potential. Situational play calling, especially, has been highly problematic. Whether it be questionable deep shots on third and short, pass concepts with multiple receivers ending up in the same area of the field, or just baffling designs, the Saints are making it unnecessarily difficult to sustain drives.
No comment pic.twitter.com/lkhaKYEaSa
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) October 2, 2023
Simply calling for “better play calling” is a meaningless declaration. There is no quick fix to such a situation. The frustration among Kamara and fellow members of the offense is clear. They know the amount of talent they have in the group. They can’t understand why performance isn’t at the level they’re capable of. Chris Olave, who ended last week’s contest with just one catch, expressed visible frustration on multiple occasions. If the players continue to feel like their talent is not being fully realized, far bigger problems may arise beyond simply a lack of points. Realistically, the Saints have two options to start working towards a solution. They either commit to Carmichael or take swift action and find someone else to do the job. Regardless, change needs to happen fast and needs to happen now.
Getting With the Times
For as maligned as Carmichael has been lately, it’s easy to forget he’s held his current role for nearly 15 years. As offensive coordinator since 2009 and with the team in some capacity since 2006, Carmichael has been part of some of the greatest offenses in team (and league) history. Ironically, the sustained success and longevity under Carmichael may be contributing to the Saints current offensive struggles.
The Saints preference for continuity is no secret. For over a decade under Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and Carmichael, the Saints consistently generated elite offenses. They knew what worked, and played to the strengths of their personnel as good as anyone. When Payton stepped out, the Saints believed they had all the pieces in-house to keep the train rolling. Carmichael had been entrenched in the system and could keep the offense humming without missing a beat. Through just over a year in the post-Payton era, it’s fairly obvious things haven’t played out as planned.
It’s not as if the ‘Sean Payton’ system is some kind of archaic, played-out offense that can’t work in today’s NFL. But what made Payton’s offense great was his constant evolution. Much of the fundamentals of his designs never changed, but he always knew when to throw in slight nuances that kept the offense one step ahead. With Carmichael leading the charge, things just seem stale. Kamara flat-out acknowledged some of the Saints tendencies on offense now as “predictable”. “This league… is about evolving…when we get to use some of those… revolutionized looks, we have good success.” Kamara even brought up Carr’s desire to implement more of these diverse looks to help counter the Saints offensive struggles.
This is probably a more useful motion chart.
Motion at the snap rate on designed run plays (x) by motion at the snap rate on designed pass plays.
Data via @ESPNStatsInfo. pic.twitter.com/PHLqlEBRSY
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 26, 2023
The Saints know they don’t have a game-altering, franchise-level quarterback in Carr. For them to achieve offensive success, they will need to rely on their playmakers. With the current group, this shouldn’t be an issue. Look at offenses like that of the Dolphins or the 49ers. Tua Tagovailoa and Brock Purdy are capable and talented quarterbacks, but both certainly benefit from their surrounding system. These offenses are highly reliant on speed, misdirection, and motion to get defenders out of place and further highlight the abilities of their playmakers. Even basic play-action concepts, which Carr has executed well in the past, have been inexplicably absent. While much of the fix here ties back in to general playcalling issues, there must be a concerted effort placed on specifically ensuring this offense is at the least doing all it can to keep up with the rest of the league.
Self-Inflicted Wounds Causing The Saints Offensive Struggles
To say the Saints are beating themselves wouldn’t be an entirely fair indictment on the offensive struggles. It’s not as if they’ve been rolling on drives and had them cut short due to ill-timed drops or turnovers. For the most part, the drives never even get going in the first place. Offensive holding calls have been somewhat problematic so far, as the team is tied for second most in the league. And for this offense, a ten-yard penalty is essentially a drive killer. But as a whole, there has actually been an improvement in the penalty department compared to 2022. In the traditional sense, there seem to be far bigger concerns than a lack of offensive discipline. According to Kamara, the self-inflicted wounds are actually quite simple.
Kamara believes that the Saints just need to go into games knowing what they like, and run those plays. If it sounds obvious, it’s because it is. “My mindset is, we got something we like? Make them stop it.” He feels as if the Saints have figured out the formula for what they do well, but for whatever reason haven’t gone back to what’s been working. Of course, much of this all ties back into issues with play calling.
It’s impossible to definitely say where the root issue is in the struggles the offense is facing. From game-planning, to in game play calling, to execution, there are opportunities for improvement in each area. As discussed, there won’t be one immediate fix-all solution. But on the surface, things may not need to be so overcomplicated. Get Olave, Shaheed, and Kamara in motion. Let Carr find a rhythm in the short passing game and utilize the tight ends. Let Michael Thomas feast on slant routes. Taysom Hill generating six yards a carry? Run him until the defense proves they can consistently stop him. Obviously there is more that goes into these decisions. But like Kamara said, “it sounds so simple, but it really is that simple”.
The Saints are already looking up in the division, and are in danger of wasting a super-bowl caliber defense. The good news for Carmichael and the Saints offense? It’s hard to perform much worse than what they’ve shown so far. Members of the offense have made it clear: they have the pieces in place. Fans, coaches, and players know where things stand right now. The talk has been loud, the criticism has been high. How will this offense respond?
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Main Photo: Matthew Hinton – USA Today Sports
