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Tyrann Mathieu Said What Saints Fans Are Thinking About This 2-5 Season
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- Tyrann Mathieu Said What Saints Fans Are Thinking About This 2-5 Season
Sometimes it takes somebody who has been inside the building to say what everybody outside the building has been thinking.
Former New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu didn't exactly hold back when discussing the Saints' current 2-5 season. And coming from a Louisiana native who wore the Black and Gold and understands exactly what Saints football means to this fan base, his comments should carry some weight.
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Mathieu questioned whether this Saints team is really giving everything it has for head coach Kellen Moore.
"I'm hesitant to say it in this manner, but I don't think those boys are playing as hard as they can for Kellen Moore," Mathieu said. "I really don't see it."
That's a strong statement.
But after watching seven games, can Saints fans completely disagree with him?
The Record Isn't the Biggest Problem
Being 2-5 is obviously disappointing, but the record itself isn't what bothers me the most.
It's how the Saints have gotten there.
New Orleans has been competitive enough to make you believe something better is possible. Three of the Saints' five losses have come by one score, including the 16-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Paris.
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That's what makes this season so frustrating.
This isn't a team getting blown off the field every Sunday. It's a team that continues to leave opportunities sitting there.
The Saints have also been outscored 44-6 in the first quarter and 90-53 during the first half this season. Yet they've outscored opponents 109-104 after halftime and in overtime.
To me, that says something.
Why does this team repeatedly have to get punched in the mouth before responding?
Mathieu Went Straight at the Offensive Line
Mathieu's harshest criticism came when discussing the offensive line and New Orleans' embarrassing rushing performance against Pittsburgh.
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The Saints ran the football 17 times for just 18 yards. That's 1.1 yards per carry.
Mathieu brought up the pay cuts he took during his time in New Orleans and questioned the return the Saints have received from their investment in the offensive line.
He summed up the rushing performance pretty simply: "That's not a recipe for success."
He's right. You can't ask Tyler Shough to carry the offense when the defense knows exactly what's coming.
A young quarterback needs some kind of running game. He needs manageable third downs. He needs play-action opportunities. Most importantly, he needs an offensive line that gives him enough time to develop confidence instead of spending every Sunday worrying about pressure.
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Against Pittsburgh, Shough still completed 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown, but the Saints couldn't complement him with anything resembling a consistent ground attack.
That's putting too much weight on your quarterback.
Is This Really About Kellen Moore?
This is where Mathieu's comments become bigger than one bad performance. If players aren't responding to Moore, the Saints have to figure out why.
I'm not ready to put everything on the head coach. Players have responsibilities too. Offensive linemen have to block. Receivers have to get open. Defenders have to tackle. Everybody has a job.
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But coaching is also about getting 53 players to believe in what you're building.
When a former player watches from the outside and questions the effort he's seeing, that deserves attention, especially when the results on the field aren't giving you much evidence to argue otherwise.
Moore has said the bye week will be used to evaluate everything, from scheme and fundamentals to the team's slow starts.
Good. Because everything should be evaluated at 2-5. This should be an accountability week.
Coaches need to look at themselves. Players need to look at themselves. The front office needs to evaluate what this roster actually is instead of what everyone hoped it would become.
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Because the Saints aren't completely buried. There are still 10 games remaining. But "we still have time" can quickly become "maybe next season."
My Two Pennies
Tyrann Mathieu isn't some random television analyst throwing rocks at the Saints from a studio. He's played in that locker room. He's worn that fleur-de-lis. He understands the expectations surrounding this organization.
That doesn't automatically make every observation correct, but his comments shouldn't simply be dismissed either.
The Saints are 2-5, and at some point potential has to turn into production.
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I don't need to see perfect football after the bye week. I need to see urgency and consistency. I need to see an offensive line playing angry. I need to see players flying around like every possession matters. And I need to see Kellen Moore put his players in positions where they can actually succeed.
Because Mathieu's biggest criticism wasn't really about the Saints losing. It was about whether they're playing hard enough to win. For a team sitting at 2-5, that's a much bigger problem.
