New Orleans Saints 2014 Defensive Grades
Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Dri Archer (13) is tackled by New Orleans Saints linebacker David Hawthorne (57), linebacker Curtis Lofton (50), and linebacker Junior Galette (93) during the second half at Heinz Field. The Saints won the game, 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
The secondary got almost all of the negative attention from fans, analysts and reporters during the season, but it was the linebacker group that truly struggled the most. The only exception to this was Curtis Lofton. Lofton becomes only the second player on the defense who will receive an A grade from us here at the Believer.
In the Saints defense the linebacker position is the one that is required to do the least amount of work, and in return they are expected to run as an effective and efficient unit. To the dismay of all in Who Dat Nation, this is not how things played out in 2014. The Saints used a myriad of fronts that ranged from nickel and 3 safety sets to heavy line formations. The linebacking unit was simply the weakest units as a whole.
There are only four players I’m able to grade as linebackers receiving enough snaps. This shows that the Saints coaching staff simply did not feel confident in the players they had for the position. Players like Todd Davis, Kyle Knox, Ronald Powell and others saw only special teams duty or limited snaps. Injury can’t be to blame either as the Saints didn’t have a single LB finish the year on injured reserve.
Starters:
MLB. New Orleans Saints. CURTIS LOFTON. A-. Lofton had one heck of a year last season. His 145 tackles were his most as a Saint and only two behind his career high. In the run game, he was a dominant force in the run game. While he has never been known for his coverage skills this too improved from previous years with the Saints. It is unfortunate that Lofton’s best year with the team comes when almost everyone around him struggled. The greatest attribute Lofton possesses is consistency. While players like David Hawthorne showed up and dominate specific games, Lofton excelled at a high level consistently. You can’t ask for more than that for the middle of your defense.
MLB. New Orleans Saints. DAVID HAWTHORNE. D+. Hawthorne was the polar opposite of Lofton in terms of consistency. The Pittsburgh game and the Chicago were arguably two of the best games of Hawthorne’s entire career, but there where too many games this year where he was out of position or simply just not making the play. Hawthorne is a talented backer, but that talent doesn’t translate to the field in terms of results as often as it should.
Haralson is the only linebacker the Saints have (assuming we continue to count Galette as a lineman) who is best suited for playing outside. His success comes from the strong side of the line as he focuses primarily on stopping the run. Haralson came in last year as a short term replacement and now has finished his second season. He turns 31 in 9 days and it is doubtful there is much left in his tank. His stats weren’t worse (or better) than last year’s, but he had a problem drawing yellow hankies this season.. SOLB. New Orleans Saints. PARYS HARALSON. C-
Reserves: (Players who saw limited snaps/playing time)
MLB. New Orleans Saints. RAMON HUMBER. F. Humber saw significant amounts of playing time this season which isn’t a good sign considering he is a perennial back up. Humber saw 448 snaps this season compared to 146 in 2013. He had more run stuffs last season with fewer snaps, and while he could still stay with the team as a serviceable “breather” option, he should not be seeing over 400 snaps starting in a season.
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