New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley wasn’t interested in letting Troy Aikman’s Monday-night criticism hang in the air.
On Thursday, Staley pushed back hard on the ESPN analyst’s remarks during the Saints’ 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, saying the comments were false and that they got under his skin. Aikman had said near the end of the third quarter, with New Orleans trailing 24-10, that Staley didn’t have “any answers and I think he knew that when we talked to him.” Aikman also said he didn’t hear Staley say that directly in production interviews, but came away thinking the Saints were headed for a “matchup issue” because of injuries on defense.
Staley’s response was blunt.
“I did hear about those comments and I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Staley said. “It was a tough night for us, and certainly I’m responsible; I’m calling the defense.
But we’ve got a great group of guys and no one defended that runner (Bijan Robinson) better last year than us. … We’ve got the right guys to bounce back.”
He added that Aikman’s words bothered him “because they’re not true.”
The Saints were without linebacker Kaden Elliss (calf), defensive end Carl Granderson (ankle) and defensive end Anfernee Jennings (knee), and Staley said he wasn’t going to lean on that as an excuse. Still, those absences could have mattered in a night when Atlanta ran for 205 yards and five touchdowns.
Staley called the defensive performance “very uncharacteristic” and pointed to a fourth-down penalty as the moment things started slipping away. That flag gave the Falcons another chance, and Atlanta used it to build a 14-0 lead.
“We never got our rhythm back as a defense and that’s what stood out to me,” Staley said.
He also said Robinson’s 59-yard touchdown run landed like a jolt for the Saints because plays like that were largely absent against them last season. Once that happened, Staley said, the breakdowns started to pile up.
“On a lot of plays that didn’t go right that night, you’ll see guys just trying to force the issue too much,” Staley said.
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Shough felt the effect in real time, facing pressure on nearly half of his dropbacks as the pocket kept shrinking around him. When a run game cannot force defenses to back off, the hits pile up, the timing gets rushed and the margin for error disappears. For the Saints, improving that ground attack is not just about staying on schedule, it is about giving Shough a chance to stay upright long enough to develop and keep the offense functional. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger concern on the practice field may be the collection of other absences around him, including Alvin Kamara sitting out with a back issue and several other Saints missing work ahead of Sunday. Chris Olave was back on the sideline but only resting, which is at least a healthier kind of quiet for New Orleans, though the offense still has a few moving parts to monitor as the week goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Shough Knows Saints Fans Have Every Reason To Be Frustrated
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Even with the annoyance around the Saints right now, Shough was focused on what comes next and on making sure the environment stays a help rather than a hurdle. He stressed how important that energy can be at home, which gives New Orleans a straightforward challenge heading into the next stretch: give the fan base something better to react to and keep the Dome engaged when the Saints need it most. [Read more 🡒]