TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals are expected to hand it to the New Orleans Saints this weekend.
Viewed as 6.5-point favorites on the road, things could get ugly fast in the Big Easy.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, however, isn’t focused on what the lines or predictions are saying.
He’s going off his own track record against the Saints’ coaches and players.
And one coach in particular — first-year Saints head coach Kellen Moore — has certainly had the former defensive coordinator’s number in their previous stops.
During their two years in the NFC East — Moore the OC of the Dallas Cowboys and Gannon the DC of the Philadelphia Eagles — it was largely a one-sided affair, and that’s putting it lightly.
Across four divisional games, Dallas ripped off at least 40 points in all but one matchup on its way to a 3-1 mark against Philadelphia. That includes a 51-point shellacking in 2021.
Lopsided might even be an understatement.
“If you go back and look at my track record against him, it’s not good, truthfully,” Gannon said Wednesday.
“He’s very creative. It makes it really hard on the defense how he calls the game. … And not just because he’s got good players — take that out of it. Schematically, he’s hard to defend. … He’s always been ahead of me. We got our work cut out for it. … I got a high opinion of Kellen.”
Same coach, very different setting
But while Moore’s resume against Gannon should be considered heading into Week 1, take it with a very big grain of salt.
In the games where Moore’s offense took it to Gannon’s defense, the former OC had one heck of a supporting cast.
Among the biggest names Moore had in Dallas:
– Dak Prescott
– CeeDee Lamb
– Amari Cooper
– Ezekiel Elliott
– Tony Pollard
That’s a whole lot of 1,000-yard seasons and touchdowns.
Mix in Moore’s scheme, and that’s the making of a potent offense, as seen by Dallas’ top offensive mark in 2021.
In his first year with the Saints? There’s a serious talent dropoff.
A look at the expected playmakers for New Orleans:
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– Spencer Rattler
– Alvin Kamara
– Chris Olave
– Rashid Shaheed
Olave and Kamara mark the biggest offensive weapons for the Saints in 2025.
But after ripping off a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in 2022-23, Olave appeared in just eight games due to concussions last year. Given he’s had multiple as a pro, that’s going to be an area to monitor.
Kamara, meanwhile, is among the top dual-threat running backs in the game with at least 1,160 scrimmage yards in each of his eight NFL seasons in New Orleans.
Beyond those names, though, there’s a lot of unproven talent.
Shaheed has had his flashes but has dealt with his own injuries and inconsistencies.
And while Rattler won the starting job from another Arizona native in Tyler Shough, there’s still plenty to clean up for the second-year pro. He has just six starts under his belt and a TD-INT ratio of 4-5.
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his moments, especially when things break down, according to defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.
“He knows where to go with the ball,” the DC added. “When it’s not there, he is elusive and can get out of trouble and can extend a run or extend a throw. I’m impressed.”
Still, there’s a clear discrepancy in talent when evaluating Moore’s previous stops compared to where he is now.
Gannon also isn’t going to call the defense on Sunday. Just because Rallis hails from the Gannon tree of coaching doesn’t mean it’s going to be an exact blueprint of what Moore’s already seen.
Yes, Moore’s playcalling and offensive scheme deserve their flowers given his track record.
The roster that the Cardinals are facing on Sunday? Not so much. These two teams are in very different places under their current regimes. The foundation is laid in Arizona. New Orleans has a ways to go.
So, if Gannon can’t get back in the win column this week, something seriously went sideways.
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/yY9ldM3
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