Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions on the New Orleans Saints

The next edition of 'Behind Enemy Lines' previews Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints

On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) will look to rebound from a heartbreaking road loss against the Carolina Panthers, against a formidable New Orleans Saints team who is sitting at 4-1.

In efforts to gather intel on the opposition, we sat down with David Grubb, host of Hard in the Paint with David Grubb on sports 1280 (WODT) New Orleans, for our first edition of our Behind Enemy Lines series.

1. How has Teddy Bridgewater asserted himself in the locker room after a few weeks as team’s top signal-caller?

Grubb: Teddy never really had to assert himself with this team. He is one of the most respected players in the locker room, and has been so since last season. 

The place where he has asserted himself is in the quarterbacks room. He’s been vocal with Coach Sean Payton about finding plays that work better for him, and how he plays the game. His routine is different that Drew Brees’ and so that adjustment has been made. But otherwise, he hasn’t changed, and that’s been a good thing.

2. Last week, Marshon Lattimore blanked Bucs’ star receiver Mike Evans. From your vantage point, was that a testament to the player that Lattimore is, or was it a product of Winston’s inefficiencies? Who do you envision him drawing in coverage on Sunday?

Grubb: Lattimore got off to a slow start this season, as did the entire defense, but these last two weeks he has eliminated Amari Cooper and Mike Evans. The same Amari Cooper who put up 200-plus yards on a very good Packers defense this past Sunday. Mike Evans only had two targets against the Saints. 

The defensive pass rush has helped, but Lattimore is playing much more like the Defensive Rookie of the Year that he was, and he has been exceptional. He was lined up on Evans for nearly every play he was on the field but there was nowhere for him to even get open. He's not completely back, but he's getting there.

3. Michael Thomas seems to improve in some facet of his game each season. Can you talk a bit about how instrumental wide receivers coach Ronald Curry has been in his development?

Grubb: I was fortunate enough to see Ronald Curry play college football at North Carolina, and he was one of the most phenomenal athletes at that level. But when you look at how his NFL career turned out, he didn't carve out some very productive years as a receiver due to his athleticism. He learned the craft of running precise routes and he understood how to read the field as a quarterback. 

What he and Thomas have is a bond as mentor-mentee rather than coach-player. Thomas is an emotional player; he seems almost about to explode right before any game. Curry helps him harness that and focus on the bigger picture. I think he's a great resource to Curtis Johnson in that regard. He knows his stuff, but most importantly he communicates that knowledge well.

4. The Saints are allowing an average of 108.4 rushing yards/game to the opposition, but managed to hold Ezekiel Elliott to just 35 yards in Week 4. What do you attribute that to, and is that something you anticipate will determine the outcome?

Grubb: Over the first four weeks of the season, the Saints improved their rushing yardage allowed each game. It's no coincidence that the defensive line kept getting healthier during that time. Having Sheldon Rankins return, and then Marcus Davenport increasing his workload each week gave the front more depth. David Onyemata and Malcolm Brown have been better than I expected. It isn't smoke and mirrors either. 

Some teams have great run defense numbers (Tampa Bay) because it is so easy to pass on them, but if you take away Russell Wilson's 406 yard game, the Saints are allowing on 217.25 passing yards per game, which would be ninth best in the NFL. Add to that, they haven't allowed any back to rush for 100 yards in over two seasons. Watching DeMario Davis move sideline to sideline is amazing, he should be a bigger name among standout linebackers. Give a lot of credit to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as well. He's done a very good job

5. If you had to pick one player who has to come up big on defense in order for the Saints to stave off a resilient Jacksonville team, who would it be?

Grubb: It has to be Marcus Davenport. Cam Jordan gets so much attention that for the Saints to be successful, they have to have someone else generate pressure on the quarterback. 

When Davenport is on, the Saints only have to rush four, allowing the linebackers to remain free to attack the run or the pass. He's put a lick on the quarterback 10 times in the last four games with three sacks. With Jacksonville's passing game rolling, the Saints have to put pressure on Gardner Minshew. Davenport has to show up big.