Steve Spagnuolo says there’s no magic fix for the Saints’ defense

AP

The Saints’ secondary was lit up by Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Sunday night, and New Orleans is giving up 475 yards a game in total offense, the worst in the NFL by more than 50 yards a game. So something needs to get fixed with the Saints’ defense in a hurry.

Unfortunately, Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo says there are no quick fixes.

We’re not going to wave a magic wand and change everything,” Spagnuolo said. “We just get better at what we’re doing.”

Spagnuolo said he has never experienced a defense this bad and therefore isn’t quite sure where to start fixing it.

“It’s uncharted territory,” he said. “I’m not used to this, because I’ve been blessed to be at places where we’ve played pretty good defense and we’re not doing that right now. Yet, I can’t really put my finger on it. But we will. We’ll figure it out.”

Even if he does figure it out, with the Saints at 2-5 and already five games behind the Falcons in the NFC South, Spagnuolo may be figuring it out too late.

36 responses to “Steve Spagnuolo says there’s no magic fix for the Saints’ defense

  1. Hmm…. I wish Jim Haslett would make the same admission for my sorry skins D. Bottom line, it’s called lack of talent, which the skins and saints D lacks. Cam will have a field day this Sunday.

  2. Hey, maybe they could put bounties on the other team’s star players and try to knock them out of the game… Oh wait, never mind.

  3. This guy has done nothing but suck for the past three years. If his defense is too complicated or not suited for his players, he needs to adjust his defense. It’s still his fault. If I’m a Saints fan and I hear this guy talking about magic wands, I’m rolling my eyes.

  4. They have pieces there. And while they weren’t that good of a D last year, they’ve played better than this years which has brought in better players. Curtis Lofton, Broderick Bunkley (although he’s injured), and LeRoy Hill should have improved this defense that already had Sedrick Ellis, Will Smith and Malcolm Jenkins.

    But at the same time for Spags, he didn’t make the Rams’ D look that good or really improve them either…

  5. Spags says he doesn’t know how to fix it. Isn’t it HIS job to know. Greg williams won a super bowl with that same defense and finished second in turnovers in the league that year. Now spags is crying that he doesn’t know what to do. If i said that at work i’d get fired and so would you! ha Ha. Spags is a joke! When coach Payton gets back his first act will be to fire Spags and a few others i’m sure! Geaux Saints!

  6. “Spagnuolo said he has never experienced a defense this bad and therefore isn’t quite sure where to start fixing it.”

    It’s called the NFL draft.

  7. ijr213 says:
    Oct 30, 2012 9:32 AM
    They have pieces there…
    ————————————————–

    They have plenty of pieces… of crap.
    Spags is just trying not to hurt his players feelings. What he’s trying to avoid saying is, “I used all the same schemes in NY and it worked great! I guess my schemes aren’t so genius, they still only work with good players like I used to have.”

  8. It’s NOT Spags’ fault. The personnel is dreadful. No pass rush to even help with a awful secondary. Secondary couldn’t cover a paper bag. There are a few bright spots. Lofton, Hicks, and hopefully Jordan will pan out. The Play Jenkins made on Vincent Jackson showed me something. So Jenkins can stay. But almost everyone else Get rid of em. Starting with Will Smith and Sed Ellis!!

  9. The Saints D wasn’t very good 2 of the 3 years Greg Williams was there too. 23rd in ’09 and 24th in ’11. Yes it’s a lot worse now, but two totally different systems with somewhat similar results tells that they just don’t have a ton of talent on that side of the ball.

  10. Without cash incentives, their defense has nothing to play for anymore. Thanks a lot, Roger..

  11. Wow…things are REALLY bad when the defensive coordinator admits he doesn’t know what to do about HIS defense being worst in the league! This guy should be fired…not just because the defense stinks but because he doesn’t know why or how to correct it. Halfway through the season and he’s completely clueless.

  12. Isn’t this the same guy who was a “rising star” and a “genius” just a few years ago when he had good players as the Giants’ DC?

    Thought so. Just another coach who’s a product of his players and not vice versa.

  13. Hmmmmmm…The system Spags uses worked wonders in Philly and NY. Oh wait those teams had tons of talent. No matter how hard you try you can’t coach up crap!

  14. They just don’t know how to draft on defense. We could find a #1 reciever in the last round of every draft but whiff every time on defense in the first second and third.

  15. I did not see anything he did for the Rams when he was the HC. I was amazed that Payton brought this guy aboard as a DC.

    Honestly, I saw this one coming. I do not know who to pick this Sunday (Saints vs Philly). Both are terrible thus far.

  16. Start blitzing people. The Saints drafted for man-to-man coverage and blitzing while Williams was DC and now Spags is surprised that they are not effective at zone and a 4 man rush?

    Really???

  17. It’s strange how once the cash incentives are gone the defense is the worse in the NFL….
    It’s strange how once the cheating stopped the Patriots haven’t won anything…

  18. lezbehonestppl says:
    Oct 30, 2012 9:52 AM
    Without cash incentives, their defense has nothing to play for anymore. Thanks a lot, Roger..
    =======================
    This defense’s ineptness has more to do with a lack of talent rather than a lack of ‘cash incentives’..

  19. Spags is a great defensive mind and for any defense to be good you have to have the talent on a team first and foremost !!! I don’t care who the “D” coordinator is if they want to spend all the money on offense something’s gotta give!!!!!

  20. It’s gotta be tough to coach up a defense that just doesn’t have much talent. Still, saying publicly that you don’t really know what to do about it may not be the wisest approach.

  21. maybe instead of giving all that money to one guy (brees) they could have added some talent to there D.

    —————————-

    Drew’s cap hit was pretty easy this season. His deal created cap room. Saints added three linebackers, drafted a DT, and added a handful of players on D. The team lacks a head coach that’s necessary from day one to create that urgency to perform.

  22. Yeah, that’s a bad answer. The defense was not nearly this bad last season. They picked up a couple of players at linebacker this offseason that are improvements by most accounts. No one expected them to be a shutdown defense. All they need to be is a defense that gets off of the field a few times per game. If Spags can’t get them at least to that point, he has to go.

  23. The Saints miss Greg Williams more..this team looks uninspired on D…For all the negatives gossiped about Greg, his teams played better D even w less talent.

    Coachs job is also to to motivate plus scheming, which is likely missing in NO.

  24. This year doesn’t matter it’s a lost season thanks to Goodell. I know the players won’t blame it on that but I will. When you lose your head coach for a whole season AND the interim coach for the start of the season you lose consistency at the leadership role and that’s devastating in a league where the margin for error is razor thin.
    They definitely need to bring in a defensive guru who can evaluate talent as well as coach. Half of the problem is that they have been missing on free agents and draft picks on the defensive side of the ball.

    It’s amazing how a team can find so many diamonds in the rough on offense yet can’t find one difference maker on D.

  25. mazblast says:
    Oct 30, 2012 10:04 AM
    Isn’t this the same guy who was a “rising star” and a “genius” just a few years ago when he had good players as the Giants’ DC?

    Thought so. Just another coach who’s a product of his players and not vice versa.

    ___________________________________

    You read my mind. Has anyone’s star fallen faster than this guy’s over the last few seasons?

  26. The saints may have lost a couple pieces but most of it is intact from the 3 previous years so If he is trying to say lack of talent he is highly mistaken. He stinks as a def coordinator. And has stunk for a while. Besides the Super Bowl team in NY he had was intact before his coaching skills really sunk on there. So he doesn’t know where to start. Well I do. SPAGS you got to go your terrible and any other def coordinator would be better the you. So take the blame and shut your mouth. And if your defense wasn’t so complicated maybe the last 3 teams would have caught on but nope u stink

  27. I was checking out the power rankings looking for the Saints but my mouse battery died before I could scroll that far down!

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