Jackson Free Press

Being right or ahead of the curve is one thing you want in this job. Sometimes though you wish you were wrong even though you are right.

Last week before the New Orleans Saints played the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, I mentioned the Saints had to do a better job against the run. Well, New Orleans did a terrible job against the Jaguars running game and in the process made Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert look like the second coming of Tom Brady.

New Orleans gave up 170 yards rushing for an average of 5.5 yards per rush. That makes it really easy for a quarterback to pass the ball when they are in second down or third down and short.

Gabbert got extra time to throw because the defense had to respect any run fake. Also, helping Jacksonville was the Saints defensive line did a piss poor job of getting off blockers to make plays.

The Jaguars offensive linemen were stuck like glue to the New Orleans defenders. I rarely saw a defensive lineman not get pushed back into the linebackers or beat a block to cause havoc before the running back got to the second level (linebackers/secondary).

New Orleans didn’t do a terrible job in the secondary only allowing 182 passing yards. Against Arizona Cardinals the Saints defense gave up 189 yards passing and against New England Patriots they gave up 188 yards passing.

In today’s NFL those are not bad passing numbers. I will be more than impressed if the Saints can keep up those passing stats on defense when the regular season starts.

The Saints have given up more rushing yards each game. They gave up 112 yards against the Cardinals, 126 yards against the Patriots and finally 170 yards against the Jaguars on the ground.

This Saturday the Saints play the Houston Texans. So far in this preseason the Texans have rushed for 179 yards against the Carolina Panthers and 119 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.

If teams can run they can set up the pass. New Orleans will have to figure out a better way to defend the rushing attack.

Some more to watch for:

Defensive Line

The Saints defensive line struggled against the offensive line of the Jaguars last time out. New Orleans had just one sack against the Jaguars and Gabbert was relativity clean all night.

Heading into this game the linebackers unit is really banged up and the defensive line will have to pick up the slack. New Orleans must get pressure from their defensive line and this unit must be very active in running stopping.

New Orleans offense Over the last few years the Saints offense has been one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL. But the New Orleans offense has struggled to get on track this preseason.

This Saturday is the final dress rehearsal before the regular season begins. It would be great to see …

Aaron Kromer will take over as New Orleans Saints head coach when Joe Vitt begins his six game suspension (begins Sept 3), starts at the beginning of the NFL season. Kromer is the offensive line and running game coach.

This is the fifth season the 45-year old coach has been with the Saints. General Manger Mickey Loomis and team owner Tom Benson tapped Kromer over offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Kromer interviewed for the St. Louis Rams job last season but the Rams hired Jeff Fisher instead. The offensive line coach has been talked about becoming the interim coach since the suspensions of Sean Payton and Vitt were announced in late March.

With Kromer taking over the job as head coach, Carmichael Jr. will be able to focus on the offense and working with Drew Brees. Spagnuolo was head coach in St. Louis but is in his first in New Orleans as Saints defensive coordinator and he can focus on installing his defense.

Vitt stated after practice today that Kromer will be next to him during the final two preseason games. New Orleans plays the Houston Texans at home on Saturday and finish the preseason at the Tennessee Titans next Thursday .

Thoughts:

I have no problems with Kromer taking over the head coaching job when the Vitt begins his suspension. He (Kromer) can lean on Carmicheal Jr. and Spagnuolo if he needs advice or talk through a situation.

Also, I like the Saints named one guy head coach and not head coach by committee. One person needs to be the guy to make the big decisions like going for two-point conversions or on-sides kick.

Instead of Kromer standing by Vitt over the final two preseason games, Kromer needs to take over and make the big decisions. He needs to get a feel for the game during game situations and not during the first game of the season against the Washington Redskins.

Kromer needs to be seen by the players as decisive and ready to make pregame and in-game decisions. I am not sure if that feeling will come across in the final two preseason games just standing next to Joe Vitt.

This might sound strange but Vitt needs to be in the coaches’ box at the top of the stadium or not even been at the stadium over the next two preseason games. Kromer needs to have the situation as close to opening day as the Saints can make it in the preseason.

The Saints only play one team with a winning record from last season (Green Bay Packers) in their first six games. New Orleans faces Washington Redskins (5-11), Carolina Panthers (6-10), Kansas City Chiefs (7-9), Green Bay (15-1), San Diego Chargers (8-8) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) over the first six games.

There are thoughts by several NFL writers that Kansas City and San Diego will be improved and Carolina will make leaps in year …