Saints Training Camp Day 16 Notes and Observations: Defense

The Saints and Chargers got together for their first joint practice on Thursday, as I focused solely on the defense during Day 16.

Ross Jackson | Aug 17, 2023

Saints Training Camp Day 16 Notes and Observations: Defense /

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New Orleans Saints

COSTA MESA -- With the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers squaring off for their first of two joint practices, both of the teams' offenses and defenses were split up on separate field. While John Hendrix covered all things attendance and offense, here are our takeaways and notes from a strong defensive showing by New Orleans.

TRAINING CAMP RECAPS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | What We've Learned | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 Offense

Saints Training Camp Notes and Observations from Day 16: Defense

1-ON-1 DETAILS

The rotation of pass-catching weapons looked to provide formidable competition for the Saints' defensive backs early. But as the reps went on, the tide started to turn in the defense's favor. The Chargers used a rotation of Justin Herbert and Easton Stick at quarterback. There were 30 total reps. 19 were won by the Chargers offense while 9 were taken by the Saints' defense. The rest were stalemates or flags.

After winning only 1 of the first 16 reps, New Orleans defenders bounced back winning 8 of the final 14.:

Mike Williams vs. Paulson Adebo (Hertbert) Complete, right side intermediate
Joshua Palmer vs. Marshon Lattimore (Herbert) Complete, slant
Gerald Everett vs. Marcus Maye (Herbert) Complete, short area middle
Keenan Allen vs. Bradley Roby (Herbert) Complete, deep right sideline.
Keelan Doss vs. Alontae Taylor (Herbert) Complete, downfield on the right sideline after a double move left Taylor behind.
Stone Smartt vs. Ugo Amadi (Stick), Complete, tight coverage by Amadi in the intermediate middle.
Tre' McKitty vs. Tyrann Mathieu (Stick) Incomplete, McKitty slipped on the route after a physical contest by Mathieu.
John Hightower vs. Anthony Johnson (Stick) Incomplete, overthrown down the left sideline.
Keenan Allen vs. Marshon Lattimore (Herbert) Complete, intermediate middle
Donald Parham Jr. vs. Jonathan Abram (Herbert) Complete, good coverage by Abram, but could not break up the pass.
Joshua Palmer vs. Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Herbert) Complete, flag on the play for defensive pass interference.
Quentin Johnson vs. Isaac Yiadom (Herbert) Incomplete, flag for defensive pass interference on crossing route.
Terrell Bynum vs. Troy Pride Jr. (Stick) Complete
Hunter Kampmoyer vs. Tyrann Mathieu (Stick) Complete, middle intermediate
Deruis Davis vs. Bradley Roby (Stick) Complete, fantastic route run by Davis on left sideline to the intermediate area.
John Hightower vs. Adrian Frye (Stick) Complete, Double move down the right sideline beat Frye.
Keelan Doss vs. Jordan Howden (Herbert) Complete, good coverage by Howden almost got a hand in to break up the pass.
Pokey Wilson vs. Anthony Johnson (Herbert) Incomplete, Johnson in good position down left sideline.
Michael Ezeike vs. J.T. Gray (Stick) Incomplete, great coverage by Gray, extended the rep and stuck with the out of structure work.
Quentin Johnson vs. Paulson Adebo (Herbert) Incomplete, pass break-up after a physical intermediate contest.
Terrell Bynum vs. Troy Pride Jr. (Stick) Complete
Zander Horvath vs. Smoke Monday (Stick) Incomplete, pass broken up underneath on a hitch.
Gerald Everett vs. Jonathan Abram (Herbert) Complete
Milton Wright vs. Anthony Johnson (Herbert) Incomplete, pass break-up
John Hightower vs. Adrian Frye (Herbert) Incomplete, Frye stayed glued to Hightower down the left sideline, ball bounced off of his inside shoulder.
Keelan Doss vs. Ugo Amadi (Stick) Incomplete, pass break up
Tre' McKitty vs. Marcus Maye (Herbert) Complete, middle intermediate area, Maye fell on the rep.
Quentin Johnston vs. Alontae Taylor (Herbert) Incomplete, pass broken up by Taylor in the shallow area, jump ball.
Keelan Doss vs. Troy Pride Jr. (Herbert) Complete, right sideline downfield. Flag on the play for defensive pass interference.
Hunter Kampmoyer vs. Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Stick) Complete

7-ON-7 DETAILS

Justin Herbert (3/4)

Defensive personnel: Tyrann Mathieu, Marshon Lattimore, Zack Baun, Marcus Maye, Pete Werner, Nephi Sewell, Alontae Taylor. Bradley Roby rotated in for Baun.

Herbert kicked off the competition going 3/4 with all three completions going to star wideout Allen. The elite route runner won his first rep marched up with Lattimore on an underneath crosser. Get ready to read the word “underneath” a ton as it was the focus of work for the Charger’s offense. Herbert went back to Allen immediately when he drew a mismatch with linebacker Pete Werner, again underneath. Herbert’s only incompletion for this series was a pass break up by Taylor, who had a strong day. This one came while guarding Palmer. To wrap up the series, Herbert found Allen matched up with Roby in which Allen made an incredible diving one-handed catch.

Easton Stick (2/2)

Defensive personnel: Lonnie Johnson Jr. Isaac Yiadom, Zack Baun, D'Marco Jackson, Jonathan Abram, Ugo Amadi, and Paulson Adebo.

Both of Stick's passes were completed to wideout Keelan Doss who was impressive on Thursday. For the first, he was wide open in the middle of the field, the second was with Adebo is solid coverage on the left sideline.

Justin Herbert (2/4)

The Saints' defense started to turn things around here for the most part. The first rep was a pass break up by Werner who was defending Everett downfield on the right sideline. Herbert then completed one of his many passes to Allen underneath, this time with Werner also in coverage. McKitty found a pocket underneath, but Taylor was in good coverage making a diving attempt at the ball, which was slightly off the mark. Herbert finished this series with a check down to Allen with Lattimore in coverage.

Easton Stick (1/2)

Stick connected first with McKitty underneath with Baun defending. He then missed on a pass to Elijah Dotson with Jackson closing in. The pass was too high and unable to be wrangled in.

TEAM DETAILS

I have Herbert going 21/28 with a touchdown throughout team drills and Stick going 5/9 with a touchdown and interception. The Chargers also gave rookie quarterback Max Duggan a drive. He went 2/5 during his series.

First team defense: Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Maye, Pete Werner, Jaylon Smith, Zack Baun, Alontae Taylor, Cam Jordan, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd and Carl Granderson. Roby and Sewell also rotated in for nickel looks. Malcolm Roach and Bryan Bresee rotated in at defensive interior.

Second team defense: Lonnie Johnson Jr. Isaac Yiadom, Ryan Connelly Nephi Sewell, D'Marco Jackson, Jonathan Abram, Paulson Adebo, Payton Turner, Bryan Bresee, Malcolm Roach and Tanoh Kpassagnon. We saw Isaiah Foskey, Jaylon Smith, Ugo Amadi and Smoke Monday rotating in. Kpassagnon took a couple of interior snaps.

The Saints also deployed an interesting 3-2-6 dime look which added Jordan Howden in the mix among the defensive backs group.

TEAM DRILL NO. 1 (HERBERT 4/5, STICK 0/1): Herbert kicked things off with a screen pass to the right side to Williams. Taylor, who took over first team reps at CB2 as the rotation between he and Adebo continues, was in good position to make a quick stop. Herbert went back to Williams on a hitch to the left side with Lattimore in coverage. The next two plays were runs to the left side, one of which resulting in a great tackle for a loss by linebacker Zack Baun.

Stick's first possession was short lived and did not require him to throw the ball. Instead Elijah Dotson ran to the left for what would have been a short gain. Then, Isaiah Spiller ran with no where to go.

Herbert got back to the field and went right back to his favorite target. He connected with Allen while Taylor in coverage. It was a leaping catch on the left sideline, another highlight moment for the wideout. The two connected again on the next play on a screen in the right flat, Mathieu collapsed quickly on the play. Herbert then targeted Palmer deep down the right sideline, but Taylor was able to break it up. Palmer initially got behind the young corner, but Taylor stayed calm and recovered in time to play Palmer's hands and knock the ball out. Kelley then ran to the right side of the formation with Sewell knifing in for what would have been no gain.

Stick finally went to the air only for Roach, who had an excellent day, to knock it down at the line of scrimmage. Bresee was also in the area. Spiller then ran to the right where he was met by Smith who read the play flow well.

TEAM DRILL NO. 2 (HERBERT 5/5, STICK 2/2): These reps took place against the Saints' dime deployment. After some field goal work, Herbert had himself a field day in the short area of the field. He first handed off three straight times to running backs Austin Ekeler and Elijah Dotson. The first two would have gone for no gain with stops by Maye and Sewell respectively. Dotson's run had a good hole on the left side and would have been a big run. Herbert then found Allen yet again with Werner in coverage (a look the Chargers forced quite often). The catch was made in stride over the middle and turned into what would have been a big catch and run, likely for a touchdown.

When the second-team units took the field next, they started with a run by Dotson with nowhere to go. The Saints clogged up the middle of the line extremely well. Stick then throw a swing pass to Doss where Adebo was waiting to make a stop at the line of scrimmage. Another interesting wrinkle on this play was that Smith rushed the passer from the second level. One of the few times we have seen him blitz since joining the team.

Herbert completed a pass to Palmer on a comeback from the left side of the field with Lattimore in coverage. Then, the Saints notched their first takeaway of the day. The Chargers ran Kelley to the left where he was met by Sewell and Lattimore. Either the linebacker or corner punched the ball out after standing up the runner. The fumble was recovered by Lattimore and returned for a touchdown. A big highlight moment for the Saints' defense. Herbert then completed three-straight passes to Spiller in the right flats (Baun in coverage), a wide open Williams after an offsides or neutral zone infraction call, and then to Bynum in the flats. Abram was in great position to make the immediate stop on the final pass.

Stick got just one more snap in this series. He placed a beautiful touch pass over Lonnie Johnson Jr.'s head in the middle of the field that was caught by Bynum.

TEAM DRILL NO. 3 (HERBERT 6/7, STICK 1/1): The Saints were back to their usual nickel look for this series. These drills were run with down markers and distances. Herbert started off on First and 10 with a completion to Williams underneath with Maye in coverage. His Second and long attempt then went to Allen on a quick out with Mathieu hanging over the top. On Third down, Herbert connected with Williams again with Roby in coverage. The corner was called for defensive pass interference as well, which would have resulted in a fresh set of downs anyway.

New Orleans then forced what would have turned into a Fourth and long situation for the Chargers. One even head coach Brandon Staley would have likely declined to attempt. First, Lattimore broke up a pass attempt to Allen on the left sideline. He dove in from over the top to keep the pass from being caught. Herbert immediately went back to Allen underneath on a comeback in the middle of the field. He was immediately stopped by Jackson. Herbert then gunned a quick out to Palmer, but Taylor made sure the receiver could not turn up field to pick up the first down, knocking him to the ground. The Fourth and 1 attempt came up fruitless due to a holding call on the offense. Had the play stood, the offense would have converted on an option pitch from Herbert to Kelley.

After forcing the punt, Stick and the second-team made their attempt, but the defense took this one over.

Stick completes to Dotson in the flats with Smith in coverage, Jordan took some snaps with this unit and immediately notched a pressure on this rep.
Shepherd bursted through the interior of the offensive line for what would have been a sack.
Roach followed this up with another sack from the inside.
Kelley ran up the middle, stopped short by Sewell.
Spiller ran mid-right and Abram immediately filled the gap with a great run fit.
Austen Pleasants, who was playing left tackle for this rep jumped for a false start.
Payton Turner got into the backfield for another sack to close this series.

TEAM DRILL NO. 4 (HERBERT 0/5, STICK 1/2): This drill was run in the red zone with the New Orleans defense winning both series. Mostly because of the continued high-level of play by their front 7.

Herbert's first pass was batted at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Khalen Saunders. Saunders did not wait long to get involved making a nice stop in the middle of the field but the run advanced the ball to the 12-yard line. The teams reset to a First and 10 from that spot for their game situation. Herbert was flushed out by Jordan and chased out of bounds at the 7. On the ensuing Second and 5, Herbert took a shot to the back of the end zone to Allen but Sewell was in excellent coverage in the middle of the field and knocked it away.

The Chargers started the next series with Kelley running to the right but was immediately caught for a tackle for a loss by Turner who made the play off the backside of the playflow. Turner showed right back up with his second sack of the day, but the teams continued to play through for the Third and 5 simulation. Stick targeted Hightower, but the ball fellow incomplete with Jackson in coverage. We will count both the sack and incompletion here.

The next series for Herbert started as a First and goal from the 8. Herbert went first to Williams down the seam with Sewell and Lattimore in coverage. No dice as the pass was incomplete. The Chargers then ran another option to the right side for a short game on Second and goal. Herbert pitched the ball back to Kelley for a gain of four. On third down, the Saints defensive line got great pressure, forcing a throwaway by the quarterback. Granderson and Jordan among those in the backfield. Herbert then had another pass broken up at the line while trying to connect with Williams in the end zone. It was safety Marcus Maye that got a hand up to force the end of this series.

It was a quick two-play touchdown series for Stick this time. The first play was a tackle for a loss by Roach. Los Angeles tried to run Dotson up the middle, but there was no where to go with big No. 97 came barreling through. However, on the next play Stick found a wide open Smartt in the middle of the field just beyond the goal line.

TEAM DRILL NO. 5 (HERBERT 6/6, STICK 1/4, DUGGAN 2/5): The Saints showed a bit more of the dime defense for this series as the scenario was a hurry up end of game simulation.

Herbert went to old reliable again to open this series with four-straight quick passes to Allen, Williams, Ekeler and Palmer. He then completed a fifth pass to the middle of the field to Parham Jr. Los Angeles then went for a run with Ekeler, but rookie safety Jordan Howden did not let it get far. Herbert again connected on another quick out to Johnston with Lattimore in coverage, forcing a Third and 6 with the clock ticking. The Chargers elected to go for a 47-yard field goal with doinked off the crossbar. However, the Saints had called timeout to ice kicker Dustin Hopkins, so he was set to get another chance. As Hopkins kicked the second attempt, the wind pushed back and forced the kick short. Despite the Chargers moving well, they came up empty again against the Saints' first-team defense.

The Saints' second-team defense followed suit forcing a quick possession against Stick. First, an incomplete attempt to Kelley on an out with Abram in coverage. Then, defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon got into the backfield for a sack. The team again played throw for another incomplete pass. Stick then connected with Hightower with Amadi in coverage, forcing a fourth down. On the fourth down play, Stick was sacked by rookie defensive end Isaiah Foskey, as they played through, Jackson ended up picking off the pass on the left sideline. A four-and-out no matter how your slice it.

Duggan's reps were led off with a pair of runs to the left. He then targeted wideout Pokey Wilson only for it to be broken up by Frye. After another run up the middle, Frye added another pass break-up on a pass attempt to receiver Derius Davis. Defensive lineman Prince Emili added a sack before another missed connection between Duggan and Davis, who was flagged for illegal contact. The next play looked like another sack for the defense, this time by Connelly, but the ensuing pass was completed to Doss on a crossover over the middle in the intermediate area. Running back Aaron Shampklin ran left with a stop by Connelly and finally Duggan completed a pass on a quick out to Smartt. The pass was almost cut underneath by defensive end Kyle Phillips.

GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

The Saints' field goal defense unit included Zack Baun, J.T. Gray, Ty Summers, Bryan Bresee, Malcolm Roach, Payton Turner, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Carl Granderson, Ryan Connelly, Jonathan Abram and Isaac Yiadom.
Joe Woods was on fire all day today from the sideline.
Dennis Allen was working exclusively with the defense today.
The most impressive part of today's defensive showing was the front seven. Both the defensive line and linebackers continuously made plays today.
Officials were in attendance today, and it's the first Saints practice we've had it.
I'll be handling the offense tomorrow, while John Hendrix will be with the offense. We expect both sides to be better than today after watching film and making adjustments.
Linebacker Demario Davis was again out with the team during stretch like he was at the Saints facility on Tuesday. This time, however, he participated in some of the walk-through before not participating in drills. Great to see him back around with the team and doing the mental reps.
Alontae Taylor did a lot of good things today to help narrow the gap between he and Paulson Adebo for the second cornerback spot.
The Saints' defensive line may have lost some talent over the offseason, but their additions have been fantastic. As the No. 24 ranked run defense last year, there is a lot of reason to believe they will be much better here in 2023.

Published Aug 17, 2023

ROSS JACKSON