Luke McCown: If Saints pass rush catches fire, New Orleans can win NFC South
Former Saints QB Luke McCown explains why an elite pass rush is the key to winning the NFC South, breaking down how Chase Young, the secondary additions, and the division's vulnerable quarterbacks create the perfect recipe for defensive dominance.
Video Transcript
Looking at the NFC South, I want you to, to fill in the blank for me.
If the Saints do X- Yeah they will win the NFC South.
What does it- Yep have to be?
Number one, be the dominant defense i- in the run and the pass.
Now, they, the last two years have kind of been notching their way up inside- Mm-hmm that top 10 as a total defense, right?
And we talked about that.
But what's gonna make them different is this pass rush, and if it catches fire, like it's going to be special.
So, because you have, Bryce Young, who's not necessarily a mobile quarterback, he's a smaller guy.
If you can create push in the middle of the pocket, and contain the edges, it's gonna make it hard for him, right?
Baker Mayfield's had some injury issues.
He started the season last year on fire, and then as his body kind of got beat up, in the later half of the, of the year, you saw the kind of wheels come off for the Bucs.
You've, you've really got two, I don't want to call them injury laden, 'cause that's unfair, but quarterbacks in Atlanta that- Mm-hmm you know, Penix is coming off a knee, Tua's had his issues, right?
And so how's, how are they gonna transition into So I think if this pass rush comes alive, and, and really becomes everything that they can be, and that means Cam on third down, if that's all he's relegated to.
That means Chase Young playing a full season.
He had 10 sacks in, in only 12 games last year.
Mm-hmm.
That's Carl Granderson, who maybe hasn't quite lived up to everything that they signed him to.
You know, like, I think averaging about five sacks over the last three years.
That's, that's, gosh, Jonah Sinker being the star now at 6'1", 10-10.
Yeah.
Now you can play, you can play in the nickel and not give up anything in the run, because you've got a linebacker type body that can cover in the nickel, right?
You've got Kool-Aid McKinstry in his third year.
You've got, Reed and Blackmon that, that are in there, coming back in their, second and third years for the Saints.
I, I mean there's And then you've got, Emerson as a, as an- Yeah addition, who's had a great camp.
Mm-hmm.
Big physical recei- corner that can lock down receivers, right?
And so I think that, those pieces outside of that, Kayden Ellis has taken double D spot as kind of the voice on the defense.
You know, and so I think all of that allows this Saints pass rush to be what they can be.
Like, you're not gonna have to worry about the back end.
Make the quarterback hold the ball.
Let's go get him, right?
Mm-hmm.
And so I think, i- if, if that defense will continue to climb the ranks, if they'll go, they went from 19 two years ago, to nine last year.
If they can creep up inside the top five, watch out.
