With starting quarterback Derek Carr expected to miss at least the next two games, the New Orleans Saints will need to turn to rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler or second-year pro Jake Haener for some crucial games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. Our Saints Insiders — Times-Picayune Saints beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras and columnists Jeff Duncan and Rod Walker — examine the issue and give their opinions on whom the Saints should choose. There's also discussion...
Oct 09, 2024•44 min
The New Orleans Saints have lost two games in a row by razor-thin margins. The Kansas City Chiefs have made a habit of winning close games in their 4-0 start (not to mention the whole "back-to-back Super Bowl champion thing"). So can the Saints find a way to change that narrative and win on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium? One thing is for sure: It'd be the biggest win in the Dennis Allen era. Our Saints Insider crew of Jeff Duncan, Luke Johnson, Matthew Paras and Zach Ewing gets you ...
Oct 04, 2024•39 min
The New Orleans Saints have the NFL record for point differential without having a winning record through four games. Are they just unlucky, or is poor execution in close games a repeated problem? And what about help from the outside? Several reports have the Saints listed as one of star receiver Davante Adams' preferred trade destinations. Should the Saints do the deal? Could they get him? What would it cost? Our Saints Insiders — Jeff Duncan, Rod Walker, Matthew Paras and Zach Ewing — tackle t...
Oct 02, 2024•45 min
The New Orleans Saints travel to face the Atlanta Falcons in a game that will help decide the course of the NFC South. It'll also decide who takes the lead in an all-time series that's tied 55-55, and of course it'll decide the latest bragging rights between two fierce rivals. The game is full of interesting matchups that are made more complicated by injury concerns on both sides. Our Saints Insiders — beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras, columnist Rod Walker and host Zach Ewing — break ...
Sep 27, 2024•44 min
Our Saints Insiders are back after New Orleans' first loss of the season, a 15-12 setback to the Philadelphia Eagles. Beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras and columnists Jeff Duncan and Rod Walker break down: • The loss of Erik McCoy and how much it costs the Saints going forward • What the Saints will do to replace McCoy • Cam Jordan's reduced snap count • Was the Eagles loss an aberration or a sign of concern? #saints #whodat #eagles #falcons #nfl #nflweek4...
Sep 25, 2024•40 min
Everything has gone right for the New Orleans Saints through two weeks of the NFL season. Now they return home to face the Philadelphia Eagles, with a crowd that will have the Superdome rocking like it hasn't in years. But is it all too much? Too much hype, too much success too fast? Our Saints Insider crew of Times-Picayune beat writers Matthew Paras and Luke Johnson, columnist Jeff Duncan and host Zach Ewing break down the matchup from all perspectives, give our keys to the games and finally o...
Sep 20, 2024•41 min
The New Orleans Saints have two emphatic victories in two weeks of the NFL season. Our Saints Insider team of beat writer Luke Johnson, columnists Rod Walker and Jeff Duncan and host Zach Ewing takes stock of how much they've risen in the NFC ranks, what they expect going forward and more. Included in this episode: • Explaining why the Saints' offense has been unstoppable • Giving the O-line its flowers • Ticket prices for Eagles game skyrocketing • Adjustments opponents will start to make • Jus...
Sep 18, 2024•37 min
The New Orleans Saints impressed in their Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers, but now the going gets significantly more difficult. The Saints travel to AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys, who also opened with an easy win, theirs against the Cleveland Browns. Our Saints Insider crew of Rod Walker, Matthew Paras, Luke Johnson and host Zach Ewing breaks down the game from every angle, including an injury report, statistics, trends, keys to the game, and finally, our predictions for ...
Sep 13, 2024•41 min
The New Orleans Saints looked great in their Week 1 rout of the Carolina Panthers. But now comes a much a bigger challenge: A date with the Dallas Cowboys, who also had a resounding Week 1 victory and haven't lost a home regular season game since the 2021 season. Adding to the Saints' obstacles is Hurricane Francine, which is barreling down on New Orleans on Wednesday and affecting both practice times and the personal lives of players and coaches. Our Saints Insiders — Luke Johnson, Jeff Duncan,...
Sep 11, 2024•35 min
The New Orleans Saints open up the 2024 season on Sunday at the Superdome against the Carolina Panthers. We'll finally get to see Klint Kubiak's new offense in action, an invigorated pass rush and the start of a season that is pivotal to the future of the Saints franchise. Our Saints Insiders — Luke Johnson, Jeff Duncan, Matthew Paras and Zach Ewing — break down the game in all facets and then give their Week 1 predictions. Will the Saints get a much-needed win against Carolina? Or can the Panth...
Sep 06, 2024•37 min
What if it all goes right for the New Orleans Saints? How good could their 2024 season be? And on the flip side, what if it all goes wrong? Our Saints Insiders of Jeff Duncan, Rod Walker, Matthew Paras and Zach Ewing discuss those questions, as well as whether the Saints did enough this offseason to supplement their offensive line. Finally, we make our NFL picks for the upcoming season: Storyline to watch, surprise team, disappointing team and our pick to play in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX i...
Sep 04, 2024•46 min
It's only nine days until the New Orleans Saints kick off the 2024 season against the Carolina Panthers, and we're not here to be meek. In this episode of the Saints Insider podcast, Times-Picayune columnists Jeff Duncan and Rod Walker, beat writer Luke Johnson and host Zach Ewing give their BOLD predictions for the 2024 Saints, featuring: • Taysom Hill, Taysom Hill and more Taysom Hill • Chase Young will have HOW many sacks? • What happens with Marshon Lattimore? • A bizarre prediction for the ...
Aug 30, 2024•50 min
The New Orleans Saints have their initial 53-man active roster set for the 2024 season. Our Saints columnists Jeff Duncan and Rod Walker break down who made the cut — and some of the more surprising names who didn't, and how this could all change before the first game Sept. 8.
Aug 28, 2024•43 min
The New Orleans Saints finish up their preseason schedule Sunday at home against the Tennessee Titans, and so it's the final time for players to impress the coaching staff to make the 53-man roster. Our Saints Insider crew of Luke Johnson, Matthew Paras, Rod Walker and host Zach Ewing breaks down what to watch for in the Titans game, touching on: • The plan at quarterback • The competition for the final starting spot at safety • Could the Saints really go with Charlie Smyth at kicker? • Final ro...
Aug 23, 2024•37 min
The New Orleans Saints are back in town and wrapping up training camp this week before their final preseason game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Our Saints Insider crew of Jeff Duncan, Luke Johnson, Matthew Paras and host Zach Ewing go through some reasons for optimism and reasons for pessimism they've gained through camp — good new for the Saints and bad news for the Saints. We cover: • Pass rush • Offensive line • Taysom Hill • Depth at running back and wide receiver • New offensive sche...
Aug 21, 2024•58 min
The New Orleans Saints received a double dose of bad news Thursday during and after their most recent training camp practice, with rookie offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga leaving practice with a back injury and Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons, whom the Saints courted in free agency, signed instead with the Saints' hated rival and the NFC South favorites, the Atlanta Falcons. All of that provides a backdrop to preseason game No. 2, which sees the Saints travel to face the San Francisco 49ers. Saints...
Aug 16, 2024•28 min
On today's episode of Saints Insider, we play a game called "Buy or Sell?" Our experts, beat writer Matthew Paras and columnist Jeff Duncan, come to you live from Southern California, where the Saints are holding training camp, to answer whether they're BUYING or SELLING each of the following: • Cam Jordan pass rushing from the inside • The Saints replacing Trevor Penning at right tackle • Whether the safety rotation needs Justin Simmons • If the offense will start the regular season slow #saint...
Aug 14, 2024•21 min
The New Orleans Saints play their first preseason game of 2024 on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals, but much of the talk the past couple of days at training camp has centered on free-agent safety Justin Simmons, who is visiting the team and may sign a contract to bolster the Saints' secondary. Times-Picayune beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras break down the chances Simmons signs with New Orleans, what he would bring to the team and much more on this episode of Saints Insider, incl...
Aug 08, 2024•42 min
The New Orleans Saints have an off day from training camp Tuesday, so the Saints Insiders are here to break down what's been going on in Southern California. In this episode, Times-Picayune beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras break down: • How Spencer Rattler is making the backup QB battle a real competition • Why Chris Olave might turn into a national star in Year 3 • Whether the offensive line is improving • How concerned they are about the rash of Saints camp injuries #saints #saintsn...
Aug 06, 2024•30 min
Eight practices into New Orleans Saints training camp, we can start to make some conclusions about what we've seen. The Times-Picayune's Saints Insiders Luke Johnson and Rod Walker are here to do just that, talking about the under-the-radar players they've been most impressed with, the backup quarterback battle between Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener and the most intriguing storylines from camp thus far. Live from Southern California, it's the Saints Insider. #saints #saintsnation #nfl #nfltrain...
Aug 05, 2024•34 min
Times-Picayune beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras record the latest Saints Insider episode live from Southern California, where the New Orleans Saints have wrapped up their first week of training camp, including three practices in full pads. So what have we learned? Is the defensive line dominant, or the offensive line just that bad? Who has stood out, and what's the latest on camp injuries? #saints #nfl #nfloffseason #saintsnation
Aug 01, 2024•35 min
The New Orleans Saints head off to Irvine, California, for three weeks of training camp starting Wednesday. Before our Saints Insider crew follows them west, we're here to preview the camp, including: • Whether going away for camp is an advantage • Top position battles to watch • Klint Kubiak's offensive install • Dennis Allen is trying to change his ways • How much has the defense slipped? • Alvin Kamara's contract situation, offensive line, final free agents and more #saints #nfl #nfloffseason...
Jul 22, 2024•40 min
With training camps opening across the NFL next week, we spent one of our last offseason podcasts looking at the season ahead, specifically at the NFC playoff picture. Each of our Saints Insiders — Jeff Duncan, Rod Walker, Matthew Paras and host Zach Ewing — ranked the NFC teams, 1 through 16. We then tallied up the votes and divvied the teams into tiers: Pretenders, long shots, contenders and favorites. Who do we have representing the NFC for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans? And who could the sur...
Jul 17, 2024•55 min
The New Orleans Saints have several players entering the 2024 season in a contract year, i.e., the final year of their current contract. They range from role players to possible stars on one-year prove-it deals. Given their usual salary cap restraints, the Saints will have to make tough decisions on these six players, and in turn the players could earn huge paydays — or a ticket out of town — based on their performance in 2024. Our Saints Insider crew of Luke Johnson, Jeff Duncan, Matthew Paras ...
Jul 12, 2024•51 min
The Saints Insider podcast is back with a look at various offseason NFL power rankings that have been published across the country — most of them placing the New Orleans Saints in the bottom quarter of the league. Add that to a recent ESPN story that ranks the Saints' talent under the age of 25 as the third-worst in the NFL, and you have an emerging pattern: Not many around the country think the Saints can accomplish much in 2024. Are they being underrated, or is those dire projections accurate?...
Jul 09, 2024•32 min
No matter how you define "breakout" — from a bench player to start, a starter to a standout, a standout to a Pro Bowler — every team has players it hopes will take a big step in their career. That's certainly true for the 2024 New Orleans Saints, who have one of the NFL's oldest rosters and need young players to improve. In today's episode, our Saints Insider staff of Luke Johnson, Jeff Duncan, Matthew Paras and host Zach Ewing talk about six candidates to be the Saints' 2024 breakouts. See who ...
Jul 02, 2024•54 min
This isn't a list of the best New Orleans Saints players, or the most talented or most valuable. It's a list of the most important for the Saints' 2024 fortunes. We had three Saints Insiders — beat writers Matthew Paras and Luke Johnson and columnist Jeff Duncan — rank their top 10 "most important Saints," then made a composite ranking. On this episode of Saints Insider, those three, along with host Zach Ewing, give their thoughts on each of these Saints and why they could make or break the Blac...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Various sportsbooks have set over/under totals for various New Orleans Saints' players statistics in the 2024 season. Our Saints Insider team of beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras and host Zach Ewing take a crack at some of them here, including: • Derek Carr over/under 3,450.5 yards and 21.5 touchdowns • Alvin Kamara o/u 650.5 yards, 6.5 touchdowns • Chris Olave o/u 1,125.5 yards • Chase Young o/u 7 sacks • Saints o/u 7.5 wins Let us know what you think in the comments. #saints #nfl #nf...
Jun 21, 2024•50 min
With mandatory minicamp in the rearview mirror and training camp in California up next, our Saints Insiders of Jeff Duncan, Luke Johnson, Matthew Paras and host Zach Ewing take a swing at projecting New Orleans' 53-man roster when the regular season begins in less than three months. Who wins the big battles at wide receiver and linebacker? Any surprise cuts or additions? And who of the past two draft classes could be at risk. We discuss it all on this week's Saints Insider. #saints #nfl #nfloffs...
Jun 19, 2024•53 min
Star running back Alvin Kamara left the final practice of New Orleans Saints minicamp on Thursday, a move sources say was part of a contract dispute. Our Saints Insider team of Jeff Duncan, Rod Walker and host Luke Johnson breaks down the dispute, taking a look at Kamara's perspective, the Saints' perspective and everything in between. We also give our takes on Juwan Johnson's injury and what it means for the Saints and our final takeaways from minicamp. #saints #nfl #nfloffseason...
Jun 15, 2024•48 min
