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Saints HC explains why he's optimistic about offensive shift

Dennis Allen. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Allen explains why he's optimistic about Saints offensive shift

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 2/21/24

One thing is already certain in New Orleans during the early stages of the 2024 NFL offseason. The Saints offense will look much different after head coach Dennis Allen overhauled the staff on that side of the ball.

Last week, the team officially hired Klint Kubiak as its offensive coordinator and rounded out the staff with multiple other hires. Kubiak served as 49ers offensive passing game specialist in 2023,

During an appearance on NFL Network's "The NFL Report" with Steve Wyche and James Palmer, Allen revealed his reasoning behind the moves.

"I feel like this is the best scheme that gives your players the best chance to have success that's going on in the National Football League right now," said Allen.

The Saints finished a disappointing 9-8 in 2023 despite playing one of the league's easiest schedules. Inconsistencies on offense were a huge reason for the underperformance, but there are signs that New Orleans could be more dangerous in 2024.

The Saints were one of five teams to finish in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense and the only one to fail to make the playoffs.

They went 4-1 over their final five games, outscoring their opponents 145-72. That uptick in production coincided with the Saints using more play-action.

By early October, New Orleans was last in the league in using play-action despite Carr performing well out of those sets. The offense also failed to consistently use pre-snap motion, contributing to the stagnant start.

The idyllic version of Carr appeared when the team expanded its use of those concepts against the Giants in Week 15.

Per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, Carr was 11 of 15 for 97 yards when the Saints used motion, including a first-quarter touchdown to wide receiver Keith Kirkwood. Carr was also 6 of 8 for 53 yards on play-action attempts in that game.

According to ESPN's Seth Walder, the 49ers finished the season ranked third in motion rate (37.7 percent) while the Saints were 26th (14.3 percent).

Final motion report for the 2023 season!

In 2017 NFL teams put a man in motion at the snap 4% of the time, on average. In 2023 the average was 22%!

Data via @ESPNStatsInfo video tracking team. pic.twitter.com/Ar67rJ9yWE
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 16, 2024

That simple tactic, which alters defensive alignments and allows quarterbacks to identify coverages, is common practice in today's NFL, and it's finally time New Orleans caught up.

Finding the correct offensive scheme is a promising start to the Saints' offseason, but the organization must bring in the right players to get the most out of the system.

To that end, the Saints have already begun to figure out their 2024 draft strategy.

"We had a chance to get the offensive coaching staff in here over the weekend and really sit down with the scouts and with the people in the draft room," Allen told Wyche and Palmer.

New Orleans has questions at offensive tackle with 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning benched in 2023 and Ryan Ramczyk dealing with a knee injury that could be career-ending.

Improving the offensive line will be a determining factor in whether the Saints make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. They have a young, talented group of wideouts, led by Chris Olave and also including Rashid Shaheed, who finished second on the team with 719 receiving yards in 2023. That unit also includes A.T. Perry, who led the team averaging 20.5 yards per reception.

Running backs Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams had down years, but both could rebound with a better offensive line and more creativity in the running scheme.

Allen is 16-18 in two seasons as Saints head coach and needs a playoff appearance to lower his seat's temperature.

It's easy to see what made Kubiak attractive. His system should translate well in New Orleans, perhaps even into a postseason berth. If not, it's a near certainty more drastic changes will be necessary for the Saints next year.

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