This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns are on the road as they take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. To help preview a few topics from the Saints’ perspective, we reached out to Nic Jennings from Canal Street Chronicles and exchanged five questions with him.
Chris: “It must be frustrating that Jordyn Tyson hasn’t been able to play this season yet, but tell us about Tyler Shough — are fans behind him as the team’s long-term future QB?”
Nic: “It certainly has been frustrating that we haven’t seen Jordyn
Tyson on the field yet, but this was the timeline that made the most sense given his hamstring issue and injury history. Some fans will argue that the Saints should have pursued more immediate help by selecting someone like Caleb Downs or an offensive lineman, but Tyson will bring a different dynamic to this offense once he is able to make his season debut. Hopefully, that comes this week against Cleveland.
Get ready for game day with SB Nation’s new app!
SB Nation’s NEW game chat feature in the app is perfect for keeping the latest Browns game-day conversations and updates at your fingertips.
- Fewer ads
- Seamlessly jump between communities and conversations
- Faster commenting and posting experience!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
As for Tyler Shough, absolutely. Shough is the real deal and his teammates rally behind him. He’s been one of the three consistent bright spots for the Saints this season, along with Chris Olave and Chase Young.
Shough showed a lot of promise in his limited starts as a rookie, then attacked the offseason and blew expectations out of the water. He’s carried that same momentum into this season. His ball placement, ability to stretch the field with his arm, poise in the pocket and ability to extend plays with his legs give the Saints a dimension offensively that they haven’t really had. And most importantly, he has that clutch gene. He’s shown he can make plays when the Saints need them most.
I do think there are still things he can improve on. The offense has developed a habit of starting slowly, and while I’d put more of that on Kellen Moore, Shough still plays a role in getting the offense into a rhythm. Though to Shough’s credit the Saints have a putrid rushing attack, which hasn’t eased the pressure on Shough and the passing game one bit.
But overall, I’ve seen more than enough to believe he can be the long-term answer in New Orleans.”
Chris: “What do you view as the Saints’ biggest weakness on defense right now?”
Nic: “The Saints’ biggest weakness on defense has to be the interior of the defensive front, which has led to an inability to consistently stop the run.
New Orleans is tied for fourth in yards per carry allowed at 4.8, while allowing the second-most rushing touchdowns in the league with 11. They’ve also allowed the second-most rushing first downs with 62, while having the highest rushing first-down percentage allowed in the league at 30.5%.
Outside of that, stopping vertical threats at tight end continues to be the Saints’ kryptonite like it has in years past, so expect Harold Fannin Jr. to be licking his chops at the opportunity to face the New Orleans defense.”
Chris: “Which of the Saints’ draft picks has the best chance of making an impact in Week 9?”
Nic: “Well, if Tyson is able to suit up, I’d bank on him being the guy to stand out. Like I previously mentioned, the dude is a game changer who will add a different dimension to the Saints’ passing game.
If not Tyson, I’d put my money on sixth-rounder Barion Brown making a difference. He’s started to heat up recently in the return game and showed New Orleans throughout the offseason that he can be a receiving threat as well. He’s already had some standout moments in the passing game during the regular season and has even been effective as a ball carrier. He’s a playmaker that opposing defenses have to account for whenever he’s on the field, and he’s been getting involved more and more by the week. I don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon.”
Chris: “Tell us about one player who Browns fans may not have heard of, but who could have an impact on this Sunday’s game.”
Nic: “On offense, it has to be Devaughn Vele.
After the Saints invested a fourth-round pick in him last year to pry him away from Denver, Vele has come in and become the contested-catch slot receiver the Saints have been searching for since Michael Thomas.
He’s quickly become one of Tyler Shough’s favorite targets and has become the go-to guy on third-and-long situations. He and Juwan Johnson have also been quite lethal in the red zone.
Vele is a guy I expect to keep garnering more and more attention as the season progresses. For a six-foot-foot receiver to be able to move the way he does and have that type of body control, it’s truly remarkable.
On defense, keep an eye on second-year defensive back Jonas Sanker. He consistently finds his way to the football and has been impressive in his first year starting in the slot. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against the Vikings and had another return for a touchdown in Week 1 against the Lions that was called back after Jared Goff apparently “intended” to throw the football forward. Expect Sanker to be flying all over the field on Sunday.”
Chris: “The Browns are underdogs against the Saints on Sunday (Browns +3 as of this question, per FanDuel). Who would you pick to win the game?”
Nic: “This is a must-win game for New Orleans if it wants any hope of turning its season around.
Coming off their bye week, the Saints have had time to put their issues under the microscope and address them. Kellen Moore’s seat has never been hotter, so I expect the Black and Gold to come out prepared and ready to show their home crowd that there is still reason to believe in this football team.
I’ll take the Saints, 23-12.”
Thanks again to Nic for taking the time to answer my questions.
