‘It’s unacceptable, I expect change’: Saints looking to rectify scoring woes

METAIRIE, La. – New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara thought the offense could be “scary” two months ago.

The potential of the Saints’ young wide receivers, addition of quarterback Derek Carr and signing of Jamaal Williams, the league’s rushing touchdown leader in 2022, had the team excited about the possibilities of the season.

But four games have come and gone, the offense hasn’t shown much, and even Kamara’s season debut last week didn’t jolt things.

The Saints (2-2) have yet to reach 21 points this season, and they haven’t done so since a 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11 of last season with Andy Dalton running the show.

Whether Carr can help the offense generate points remains to be seen, especially as he tries to play through a shoulder injury sustained in Week 3.

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“I think anytime you have a new quarterback and he’s in a new scheme, I think there’s a growing process that grows along with that,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “It’s not happening as fast as I would like. … That speed has to be accelerated.”

Carr enters Week 5 ranked 26th in passer rating (80.1), sixth in allowed sacks (13), 28th in touchdowns (2) and 25th in yards (763).

Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has received criticism for the slow start, but Allen said he does not plan to make any major in-house changes, including playcalling, citing he thinks it “would be ridiculous.”

“We won’t make any coaching changes,” Allen said. “I’ve never seen that to be the right answer, particularly when you’re four games into the season. And yet, we have to be better. I understand everybody’s frustration and believe me, everybody in this building is frustrated with it.”

Carr said if the players are aware of the criticism directed at Carmichael, he hasn’t seen it.

“From the inside, we don’t feel any of that … pressure or any of that angst or anxiety from Pete or towards Pete,” Carr said. “We have such a veteran group that guys have been through it a little bit, and we came in ready to work.”

The Saints had only two seasons where they were not in the top 10 in scoring offense in quarterback Drew Brees’ 15 years running the show (12th in 2007, 11th in 2010), and they fell out of the top 10 in yards (12th) only in his final season (2020) before he retired. They have not been able to crack the top half of the league in either category since.

After they failed to score a touchdown in a 26-9 home loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, one of Brees’ former top targets, wide receiver Michael Thomas, had a message for his teammates.

“Don’t get used to this,” he told them.

The Saints have not scored an offensive touchdown in the last seven quarters, have only four offensive touchdowns this season and average 15.5 points per game (which is only better than three teams and includes a kick return touchdown). It’s the lowest average since the 2005 team finished 31st at 14.7.

“That’s absolutely not Saints football, but I’m never discouraged,” Thomas said. “It’s really early in the season.”

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The Saints’ four offensive touchdowns are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cincinnati Bengals, with three, are the only team with less offensive touchdowns than the Saints through four games.

“We’ve got to find ways to score points,” Allen said. “I think everybody knows that.”

Between scheme and execution, Allen admitted that the team knows the problems at hand, but he said they have to “identify the cure” as well.

They haven’t run the ball well (ranking 25th), rank in the bottom half of the league in pass block win rate and ranked last in the league last week averaging 5.8 yards per completion.

Carr admitted the short-passing offense seen last week isn’t the kind of identity the Saints want.

“I don’t think any of us want that, especially with the guys that we have in our room,” Carr said after the loss to the Buccaneers.

Carr’s spirits weren’t dampened Wednesday, though, noting that he came out of the Buccaneers game feeling fine and was able to throw in the first practice of the week. He said it’s a long season with plenty of time to improve.

“We’re 2-2, one game out of first in our division, and we’re only four games in,” Carr said. “It’s not at all where we want to be, not what we expected, but it’s what we’ve earned and I’m looking forward to earning some more.”

Carr said he has been through tougher times than this, notably when the Raiders started 0-10 his rookie season. Allen, who was the coach of the Raiders at the time, was fired four games into the season and the team finished 3-9 under interim coach Tony Sparano.

“This is not that,” Carr said.

The Saints now face a two-game road stretch with the New England Patriots up first, one of the few offenses that have struggled more than the Saints at this point.

The Patriots scored only three points in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week and rank 29th in offensive points (13.3).

Allen said he knows both teams will be ready to bounce back.

“We’re not going to sit here and act like the sky is falling and the season is over,” Allen said. “Do we have to get better? Fricking-a right we do. And we need to do it quickly.”

And if it’s up to Thomas, the team won’t be adding to their tally of games without scoring touchdowns anytime soon.

“I’ll say this to you: It’s coming,” Thomas said. “At the end of the day, it’s non-negotiable, as players. … I looked those men in the face [and said] it’s unacceptable. I expect change, and I know change is on the way.”