Criticism Around Saints Young Star Is Out Of Control

The ongoing conversation around New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is taking into account everything but the broader, and unfortunate, truth.

Everyone loves a simple solution for a complex problem. Unfortunately, such conveniences are rarely allotted in the NFL. For the New Orleans Saints offense, that is no exception. Quarterback Derek Carr and the long list of talented players around him have not produced so far this season the way that anyone expected they would. Themselves included. But the reasons why are plentiful rather than singular. 

Among those reasons, one has been getting a ton of relentless traction: wide receiver Chris Olave's effort. And while there are certainly warranted expectations for improvements there, it is far less a concern than many are making it out to be. Especially when the criticism is being hyper-localized to a single route that one former NFL quarterback said is rarely targeted.

Oct 15, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) runs out of bounds during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Olave currently leads New Orleans in targets, catches, receiving yards and even yards from scrimmage. Recently a narrative has arisen which claims Olave to be "Brandin Cooks 2.0." The reference is related to a former Saints first-round wide receiver who was trade to the New England Patriots the offseason after his "closed mouths don't get fed" comments and other displays of frustration that rubbed the Saints organization the wrong way.

Olave should not be bundled into that conversation at all. Cooks' behavior was considered disruptive and stemmed from feeling that he was underutilized in the offense. Olave has not been underutilized, nor has he been disruptive or snide in his media dealings or with the team. A perfect example to that point is that his teammate and fellow wide receiver Michael Thomas even took to social media himself to defend Olave.

Keep in mind that Thomas was the player than effectively made it possible for New Orleans to move on from Cooks years ago. Meanwhile Olave is the player many suggested would push Thomas out, yet here he is defending the young player. While many would rather draw a line of division, the Saints tend to disappoint by showing unity.

Sep 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts with wide receiver Chris Olave (12) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Have their been effort concerns around Olave so far this season? Sure. Have there been throws that Carr has missed? Yes. Have their been other issues in play-calling, play design and execution? Absolutely. 

There is no one single issue for this offense and this Olave conversation is often being leveraged with the fervor of being the lone solution that would fix the Saints offense. It is not and it will not be. Olave has not been core of the unit's inability to score in the red zone, for instance. New Orleans is much better served focusing on the larger issues: the offense and their system as a whole.

Several things can be true at once. The route on the third and 5 clear out should have been run with more urgency. The decision to either throw the ball away or target Olave downfield instead of target the out run by Taysom Hill was a bad one. The Saints' offense consistently taking deep shots on the perimeter in third and manageable situations could be a culture and scheme issue. Perhaps if the team found more ways on offense to be creative and less predictable in key situations, the frustrations and effort concerns would most certainly dissipate. 

Allen addressed the play in his day-after conference call with New Orleans media. While he did call into question Olave not "running the route the way it needs to be run." He also mentioned that Carr "thought there was a good chance to get a one-on-one shot" with Olave down the sideline. While Allen did not elaborate on whether or not the decision to take that shot was a good or bad choice, this response illustrates some of the list of issues the team has faced so far this season.

Oct 19, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen walks the sideline before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Poor communication, questionab decision-making, on-field frustration and the occasional lack of effort. Every bit can be true and every bit can be solved. And therein lies the crux of frustration for so many fans. The challenges this incredibly talent unit still faces after seven games look and sound so fixable. But the truth often falls somewhere between the extremes. 

Many are trying to pin one person with the whole responsibility on a play with so many working parts and others are even using the play as an illustration of all of the team's struggles. It simply is not that. While trying to find one reason for an issue is nice, comfortable and would put a bow on things, the truth is that the Saints offense is just bad right now and not executing or designed the way it should be to find success. And the Saints know it.

After the Thursday Night Football loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carr discussed the team's struggles and cut straight to the chase. "Look it sucks right now," he said. "We're finding everything that suck right now. We're going to point it out, we're going to call it out and we're going to try to work on that to get better as leaders." 

When they manage to do that, the Olave conversation very likely will not even be remembered by season's end. However the question is less about "when" and more about "if" they can indeed manage to salvage their offense. And the fact that this is how the Saints offense is being discussed is the collective concern made of many problems. Bandying about fault on one play will not adequately address that.