The New Orleans Saints kicked off OTAs for the upcoming season this week. They are preparing and making early adjustments. The offense has a lot of new faces on staff, including OC Klint Kubiak.
The Saints offense must take strides and be more consistent than they were in 2023. They were a middling unit, and they possess too much proven talent for that to be the case again in 2024.
Carr is excited about the new Saints offense.
"This one with Klint and Janocko has just felt good, it just felt right. And for me, personally, it's something that I've watched from afar, and you're like, man, that'd be so fun to be a part of... I'm just excited."
"I'm sitting there watching the film getting excited, because like I said before, it's going to look different for our fans that have seen it a certain way for a long time. But I think it's good. Everything looks the same to the defense. Coaches do a great job making sure everything looks the same, and it's a lot of moving parts. Whoever started it and whoever has been coaching it, tip of the hat to them because they do a fantastic job of making things look alike. They could give you a playbook, but you don't know which one they're calling... And I think that that makes it really hard on the defense, and schematically for (defensive) coordinators."
-- Carr on the new offense
Carr seems rejuvenated with some more modern offensive minds in the room now. The heavy play action offense that many expect from Kubiak plays into the strengths of the veteran quarterback.
The QB will be in his third offense in three years after joining the Saints last season. There will be challenges, but the guys in charge share confidence.
Kubiak relayed confidence in Carr earlier in the offseason.
“Derek has had a really good offseason thus far. He’s putting in the work, he’s here after hours, just really studies his tail off and he’s teammates see how hard he works and brings our level of play up.” -- Kubiak
Carr named potential team MVP for Saints in 2024
I sat and stared at the Saints’ roster for longer than I want to admit, trying to figure out if Carr was indeed the right choice. I couldn’t quite pick Demario Davis or Tyrann Mathieu, two guys heading into the gloaming of their careers, terrific as both might have been last year. Chris Olave was naturally an option, but I couldn’t forget how he and Carr struggled to get on the same page at times last season, unsure how to weigh that. And in the positional hierarchy of things, quarterback trumps receiver every time.
Olave might be the better talent, but for the sake of the Saints’ success, Carr could be more important. I suspect bulking up the O-line a bit and adding Klint Kubiak as coordinator will be big boons for Carr, who actually played quite well down the stretch and might have one more big season left in him. But this was no easy pick, mind you.
-- Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Edholm's argument regarding Carr's impact is correct. He can make or break the 2024 season for New Orleans.
If he shows consistency under Kubiak, the Saints will probably return to the postseason. If he struggles to find his footing, that will be much more difficult.
Plus, Dennis Allen's role as the team's head coach hangs in the balance. You can consider him on the hot seat to enter the season, as he's been listed as a candidate for that since early in 2023. He's got to right the ship quickly, and his long-time QB in Carr must help him deliver.
We will see how Carr and Kubiak mesh as the two main cogs to make the Saints offense "go" in 2024. New Orleans is expecting a bounce back campaign to get back to the postseason. That new duo must deliver.
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