Defending Jalen Hurts: Saints may Need to Adjust In-Game

There aren’t many books in the Jalen Hurts library, giving the New Orleans Saints very little to check out. There are just 59 snaps to be precise.

Maybe somehow, some way, that works in Hurts’ advantage when the rookie quarterback lines up against this defense from the Bayou that leads the NFL.

The Saints’ defense got a break when it played the Denver Broncos a couple of weeks ago, facing a practice squad wide receiver behind center after COID-19 relegated the regular cast of all three Broncos quarterbacks to the bench.

Still, it is very, very good, but they have yet to see a real mobile QB like Hurts.

“When you’re the team playing the first game, your library of film is reduced,” said Saints coach Sean Payton about Hurts earlier in the week on a conference call with Eagles media.

“But I will say there is a lot of RPO, one-back, QB-type scheme that’s in the offense. And with Carson (Wentz), even, he’s someone who has that athleticism where he’s outside the pocket off a play-action. I think you still start with defending the offense that you’re seeing. Then you’re trying to look back on all the film on Jalen, just relative to his running, his throwing on the run, and you make do as best you can.”

Hurts got his first touchdown career touchdown pass and first career interception out of the way in about a quarter-and-a-half’s work last week against the Green Bay Packers, after replacing Wentz.

“He hasn’t seen all the looks as a rookie, so you see a little bit of vulnerability or chance to make plays (as a defense),” said former Eagles safety and current Saints safety Malcom Jenkins, “but at the same time we haven’t seen it as well. We don’t have much tape on him, so we don’t know how much the offense is going to change.”

Jenkins said the Saints have been preparing for both the run and the pass then see how the game unfolds.

“Are we going to see a lot more quarterback runs, are there going to changes to the passing game?" he said. “We’re going to have a little bit of an open-ended plan knowing that we’re going to make adjustments throughout the game to see what’s going on. So, it’s give or take (as to whether Hurts or the New Orleans defense has the advantage).”

The Saints will want to keep Hurts in the pocket for starters, and they have the talent on the defensive line to do it, led by end Trey Hendrickson with 10.5 sacks and Cam Jordan and David Onyemata with six each.

“They have a lot of great players, fast, physical football team, and they play very hard,” said Hurts. “We’re playing against a great defense this week and we have to do what we can on this side to control the controllables, control our effort, control our execution, control our mindset and go into it the right way to play a hard-fought game.”

If Hurts hits the Saints with something unexpected, and they very well could, given the lack of any sort of a library of film available, Payton echoed what Jenkins said about making adjustments in-game.

“You start by defending,” said the Saints coach. “Your plan defensively is to obviously fit the schemes to the quarterback designed runs. You have to have obviously good eyes, and the play-action and all the things that come off of it.

“I think, without having seen Jalen a lot on film in their offense, you’re projecting some of it. There are some things obviously that Philadelphia has done that are RPO driven, and I’m sure that would fit when the switch is made. We have to be heads-up and be able to adjust quickly once the game starts.”

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