There were high expectations for the New Orleans Saints coming into the 2022 NFL season. Yes, their future hall of fame head coach stepped away from football for at least the year, but they banked on their continuity, reloaded their offense and addressed new holes in defense. Unfortunately, their offseason excitement has not yet translated to on-field success. A disappointing 1-3 start brought upon by self-inflicted wounds like turnovers and penalties could go a long way in damaging any team’s confidence. But there’s something different about the Saints and how they’ve responded. Instead of panic, there’s a confidence, a sense of urgency about the locker room.
“We beat ourselves,” linebacker Pete Werner said. “But you can tell that we are capable of doing great things. And we’ve got a really talented group. We’ve just got to find a way to not really shoot ourselves in the foot.” As we’ve spoken to Saints players and coaches throughout the week, one of the consistent themes has been their self-awareness. There’s been no deflecting of issues, no delirium in regard to where the shortcomings have been to open the season, no denial at all around the team’s struggles. That’s encouraging to see. A unit unwilling to accept their own contributions to their lack of success won’t be in a position to fix anything, let alone key misgivings like turnovers and penalties.
