May 22, 2025 • 18 mins
Erin Summers breaks down the first week of OTAs and talks with offensive line coach Brendan Nugent on first round pick Kelvin Banks Jr and what Nugent wants to see from the offensive line throughout the offseason.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presently by Seacake.
You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters and writers did cover
the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints
Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
First week of OTAs took place this week Tuesday through Thursday.
As was with the off season programming. So far, the
players have seemed really energized by the work. Head coach
Kellen Moore said that it's all been by design.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, Yeah, I think we're really conscious of being really
efficient and the workloads that go into this, and so
Ted Rath is one of the best in the business.
I truly think he's the best from a sports performer standpoint,
and so certainly he's a guy that I'll lean on
with connection to the training staff. And so we've had
longer days and so this day was kind of a
fast day. This is our third day in a row
that we're really conscious of being reallyffishing with these guys
(01:02):
on and off the field, get them to, you know,
still still go for it. We limited some of the
space and so allows our guys to recover in a
really good way that you know, coming off of this
four day weekend, we'll be able to attack it again.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
A lot of focus during this teaching period is on
the quarterback room. More announced Thursday that second year quarterback
Jake Hayner suffered an injury and will be limited going forward.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Just kind of one of those things that happens. Obviously
I do everything I can to make sure those things
don't happen. But this first time I've ever had a
you know, soft tissue deal, you know, pop up, So
just trying to monitor it. It's not going to be
something that keeps me out for camp or anything like that. Unfortunately,
be down, you know for OTA's which obviously is you
know sucks, but you know, I'm not going to sit
(01:44):
here and feel sorry for myself. Get better, do the rehab,
go through the process, and you know, be ready to
go for camp.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What can you do to stay ready and stay in
it and be a part of the quarterback room without
being able to be on the field.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing a new offense,
new system, new terminology, is be here early, get my
treatment done, don't miss meetings, and then you know, just
take the mental reps when I can. When I'm on
the field and watching and just be around for the guests.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
What stood out to you so far about Kellen Moore's offense.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
It's very similar to what I ran in college, which
is a good thing, and that's a positive note that
I'm taking Kirby his brother and the same thing. Very
similar concepts, a little different terminology, but protections are you know,
very similar concepts, very similar. So it's all the stuff
that's helped get me here. So I feel confident with it,
and you know, I'll be you know, excited to run it.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
For training camp.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Hayna had taken some first team reps prior to his injury,
as did rookie Tyler Schuck and second year quarterback Spencer
Rattler will be Rattler and Schuck going forward, who split
those first team reps until Hayner is healthy. After practice
on Thursday, Chuck spoke about getting comfortable with the players
around him and his progress.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
So far good. It's been really good, just getting to
know everybody, get in chemistry with the guys. I think
it's been the biggest thing is you got new faces.
Obviously you're building the new instaus every single day, So
been feeling really good about that. Starting to just kind
of connect with the guys even more.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
And you're rotating in and out with Spencer right now,
with the ones hainer before. But how has that been,
trying to get acclimated to different groups of guys.
Speaker 6 (03:17):
It's been good. I mean, as part of it, you
got to go in there and operate. You got to
taste of that in mini camp. You got brand new faces, expectations,
you got to go out there and perform. And I
love it. And I think you just see the level
of play here with Alba and Sheet and the kind
of veterannus that we have at all line. It's really
really cool to come in and operate. I feel a
lot more prepared, you know, being kind of an older
(03:37):
rookie coming in, you know, not being as nervous to
develop those relationships, but knowing that's my whole job is
to continue to earn my role and do everything I can.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
While we are intrigued with the quarterback room, we also
want to know what this Kellen Moore offense is going
to look like. All three quarterbacks gave some insight into
the Kellen Moore scheme and how quarterback friendly it is.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Yeah, I mean I think it's very key be friendly
in the sense where he's gonna get his quarterback completions early.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I think in the RPO scheme, the RPR scheme, being
able to get early completions, you know, to the skilled
players early is a part of his game. If you
go only to turn the tape on, there's a lot
of easy completions to get into a rhythm right off
the bat. And then I think they do a good
job of you know, talking to their passers, understanding when
to take the shots, you know, when they present themselves,
(04:26):
and really understanding the why behind it. But then look,
it's a pure progression system, just like a lot of
the systems now in the NFL. But like I said,
I think the one thing that differential differentiates this system
is there's the bubbles, there's the RPOs, the quick throws.
Some of those things you don't really you know, take
into account. But as a passer, it feels really good
(04:48):
to get into a rhythm early, to be able to
get some of those explosive plays by not having to
throw it thirty forty yards down the field. So I
think those are the things that you know, can help
separate it and incorporate be another extension of the run game.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
I would say there's gonna be answers for most everything
that you're gonna see, you know, whether they're finding different
ways that scheme up runs or get into different passes,
or take loads off of certain people. The quarterback, the line.
I think he does a really good job of complimenting
each position and allowing everybody to go out there and
play fast while still giving you a toolbox. And I
(05:21):
think I think where I've had the most success in
my career is having that toolbox, but ultimately letting your
talent go go.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
Sean feel great. I think we play fast, play with
tempo RPOs. QB is gonna be able to use his
legs like you've seen what he's done with QBS in
the past. You know, I don't want to give away
too much, but it's been it's been great, man. I
think the receivers, the tight ends, the running backs, everybody's
gelling well with this offense and O line as well.
I mean, like I said, it feel smooth, feels good
(05:46):
out there right now. Obviously got to install more, but
you know, we're pretty deep into the playbook and it
feels good.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
More as stated since he became the head coach how
important line play is. He's reiterated that constantly, saying you
got to build from the inside out. Set it again
on Thursday, taking a look at that line and how
it's been configured so far, we have seen first round
pick Calvin Banks Junior moving from both sides, right tackle,
left tackle, and in spent a lot of time at
(06:13):
left tackle this week while Tali sa Puaga was at right.
Trevor Penning has been working in at left guard. More said,
Penning absolutely has the skill set to play guard, and
the goal is to build continuity on the line throughout
the off season.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I think one thing with the offensive line is that
group has to be really, really interconnected, and so much
of it is verbal, but so much of it's nonverbal.
Those guys are in combinations and working together more than
probably any other group in this entire game. You know,
the right tackle on the right guard spend so many
times in combination blocks and they have to be perfectly
(06:48):
aligned and hit it at the same time and have
these you know, verbal communication, but at times there's non
verbal communications. So the more time these guys spend time
together jelling, communicating, being on the same page is a huge,
huge advantage for any offense in this league.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I sat down with offensive line coach Brendan Nugent to
dive further into how the OL is progressing, goals for
the off season, and Nugent's return to New Orleans. Coach,
thanks for joining me on the New Orleans Saints podcast.
It's second time around for you, looking around the building,
the people here. What's different?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Uh, cafeteria that's different, that's probably the biggest change, But
a lot of stuff is the same.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You know.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Obviously it's a first class facility, so it's nice to
know what you're kind of walking into, and you know,
knowing a lot of the people, familiar faces, how things operate,
you know, that always helps for you.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
What do you bring that's different this time? And you've
had some years away, gone a couple of different places.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Sure, that's uh, you know, it's what I tell the
players all the time too, Like I'm always learning as
a coach too, So you know, been gone three years,
experience some different situations, different organizations, been around different coaches,
picked up a few different things, you know, from technique standpoint,
drill standpoint, even from a scheme standpoint about how we're
coaching stuff, so always evolve and always trying to stay
you know, chase chasing the edges always and you know,
(08:03):
stay ahead of the game. And so probably there's a
few things a few of the guys who have been
were with me before have noticed. They've said, oh, we
didn't do that before. It was like, yeah, just something
we've learned over the time. So it's been good.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, it's funny. I was talking to Caesar Ruiz at
the Golf Classic on Monday and he brought up having
played with you before, and he's like, oh, that's my guy,
and so you have familiarity with a lot of the
guys on the line, but how have you seen some
of them like Ruiz and McCoy grow.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Well, it's it's been awesome to watch from afar. You know,
I had those two guys when they were young, you know,
Caesar just in his rookie year, Eric for a couple
of years, but you know from Afar, you know, you
see him in film study throughout the league and just
watching those guys get better and better each year each game.
You know, it's kind of it was exciting for me
to come back and it was like, man, there's and
still feel like there was more to get out of them, right,
And that's kind of like the greatest greatest thing we
(08:49):
do is we can get these guys just a little
bit better and playing a little bit better, and that's
you know, especially when they're playing well to begin with.
So that was that was exciting for me coming back,
having the familiarity, knowing how they had progressed, and can't
wait to help him progress even more.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Why did you want to come back here?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
A couple of reasons. One, we love this area, you know,
we're here, my younger two kids were born here, you know,
we spent seven years here, fell in love with the place.
And then, probably more importantly, it's the organization. I know,
it's a great organization. It's people I know. And then
I believe in Kellen. You know, I've got the opportunity
to work with him for the year. You know, I
believe in how he views it, how he goes about it,
what he's about And so that was a big, big
(09:25):
factor in saying, Hey, yes, let's let's come on back.
Let's do this thing with Kellen and an organization and
a place that we know and love.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So Coach Moore said that, and he said this many
times before the draft, that you build it from the
inside out. And he's really big on the line put
any pressure on you, how do you approach that.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
I'll take it. I'll take any first round pick you
want to give me, I'll take right. I don't do
it as pressure, right, Like, everybody's got to put five
guys out there, and you know, we talk about it
as an organization here, right, it doesn't really matter how
you were acquired, what round, free agency, whatever, Right, we're
going to find the five best guys. So building it
from the inside out. I love that because that is
(10:03):
how the game is won. But I don't feel any
pressure with it. I just feel like, yeah, because we
need to. If you can't do it up front, then
nothing else on the outside matters. So we need to
be able to handle things up front, and I'm all
for it.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You have a couple first round picks now on that line,
most recently with Kelvin Banks. He's moved a couple different positions.
What have you seen from him that you've liked so far?
Speaker 5 (10:24):
It's everything we kind of learned about him in the
pre draft process, kind of at an organization, you know,
it's kind of as advertised, right. He's smart, he's got
great character, he's tough, he understands football, understands a big picture, right,
and then he's a really good athlete and really good
football player who still has potential to even get even better.
And he works at it right, He's not afraid to
try stuff, not afraid to keep working and grinding through it.
(10:45):
So it's been good, and you know that's the fun
part for us is trying to find the best combination
of those five you know that's going to give us
the best chance to win.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Last year we saw it's Holly, I say, log up
flip sides and he did very well. Trapper Pennies moved
around a little bit. At what point do you need
to feel comfortable with where people are?
Speaker 5 (11:03):
I would say sooner than later. You know, were's still
in May right now, so we kind of have a
little bit of flexibility to kind of try some different
combinations and move guys. But I think, you know, ultimately,
just having done this for a lot of years now,
the sooner we can get those five guys, and especially
the guards and the tackles working next to each other
because they developed that rapport and that relationship, so it'll
(11:23):
happen sooner than later. But we're still have some flexibility
with just where we are in the in the off
season right now to work with some of those things.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
With the quarterback room and that being up in the air,
not knowing who the starter is going to be. There's
chemistry that has to be developed there with the line
as well. What do you talk to your alignment about
and how they can approach that so things are easier
for whoever is back there.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Sure you know it's at the end of the day,
the quarterbacks in general, right, Like we say, everything runs
through the line, but he's the general out there. So
you know, the way we go about it is, hey man,
we got to learn all of these guys. We have
to learn their nuances, their cadences, right, and that's all
us to figure it out, right how whoever, however that unfolds,
we got to be ready to go with any of them.
And so that's not you know, obviously them like they'll
(12:08):
work to all try and be similar with cadences and
how they call plays, but everybody's different. But that's on
us as a unit to be able to figure out
all those guys and be ready to roll with however
that shakes out in that room.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
When you were here last as the offensive line coach,
one hundred and thirty one sacks, surrendered first in the
NFL and tied for the most rushing touchdown, So the
line was really working. Then how do we get back
to that?
Speaker 5 (12:33):
Just hard work, you know, it's it's a combination of Look,
it's at some point changes and have a ble in
this business. You can just look at my career over
the past four years and see that. But you know
it's again you just come in and callan said it.
You know, it's a blank slate. Everybody's got a blank slate.
And so now we just slowly build this thing up
right from the ground floor and then we just get
(12:54):
back to playing Saints football like we know it is
and that we have the talent to do. Now, we
just got to make sure we put it all together.
And it's just, you know, it's an old cliche, but
it's just one day at a time and just hard
work and keep getting better and better and better, and
then all of a sudden things just start going and
then they click and now we're rolling and running all right.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
So you were a linebacker how did you end up
coaching the line?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
So about twenty two years ago. Now I think my
math might be off. I had coached high school ball
for one year. Back in my high school, I coached
linebackers and quarterbacks, and then I got a job offer
at the University of Iowa, and it was kind of
working with the offense, but a lot with the O line,
and so I kind of learned a little bit there.
(13:37):
And then throughout the course of the years I was
in college, I coached pretty much every position on offense
except quarterbacks exclusively. And then when I got to the
NFL thirteen fourteen years ago, whatever it was, the job
was with the O line, and I've been there ever since.
So I kind of got a background in it, you know,
my first college job, and then kind of always kept learning,
always intrigued by it, and you know, worked with tackles
(13:59):
and tight ends and difference spots, and then you know,
just since I've been in the NFL, I've kind of
learned from the ground floor up in the old line room,
and it's I'm passionate about it. So I love doing it.
I love being in that room with those guys.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
How much does it help having somebody like Jaria Evans then,
who did play the position at extremely high level right
there alongside you.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Oh, it's great. Like I've said this before to other people,
like I've learned more about this position from players than
I have truly from other coaches who have coached it right.
And it's like I said earlier, like I'm always learning.
I'm an open book. I want to know, Hey, Jari,
how'd you do this? So having somebody like that who's
about to be a Hall of Fame player right about
to be in the Hall of Fame as a guard
(14:37):
like that, is just to rely on that and have
that in the room and say, you know, how do
you see it from a player's perspective, Joh, how did
you do this right? It's invaluable.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
This is the first stage of OTAs. What's the next
few weeks look like as we progress towards mandatory mini
campus What you would like to see from the line?
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Sure, you know, it's the way we're kind of structured here.
You know, it's a lot of emphasis on individual drills.
For us, it's an old line, not a lot of
team more of a walkthrough tempo team setting at the end,
which for us is great because we can really boil
it down to like the nuts and bolts, Like we
could start slow and truly progress through the fundamentals and
not have to dive crazily into scheme early, so we
(15:17):
could really like, hey, make sure our fundamentals are on points.
So over the next couple of weeks, even leading into
mandatory mini camp, we'll just keep building, you know, slowly
on those fundamentals, make sure we got them right before
we go on to the next one, and then as
we intertwine the scheme with it, it all kind of
makes sense. So it's just all building towards training camp.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And then when we get the pads on.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
When we get the pads on, we're rolling. Hopefully we've
created enough of a base here in the offseason fundamentally right,
we won't abandon them, and training camp will still work them,
but it'll be more of an emphasis on, all, right,
let's make sure our fundamentals are on point, and then
dive into the scheme and how we're doing stuff in
the specific techniques and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
With Eric McCoy and the way that he's just anchored
this line for so long, has knowledge of the game,
how valuable is he with the youth that you still
do have there.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
Great Eric is a vital piece for that, right. You know,
he's unquestionably the leader in that room. You know, he
was strussed in the starting position his rookie year, so
he's seen a lot of football from a lot of
different perspectives. So he understands the game and he communicates outstanding,
and he can get to make sure everybody's on the
same page at all times, right, And that's valuable, especially
(16:22):
right when you have a young group like you said,
where he could just make get everybody on the same page,
and it's just tomming presence, especially when he's out there.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well, we're looking forward to the rest of OTAs and
to see how this line shapes out. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Establishing that chemistry with the line and quarterback will be important.
The chemistry between the quarterback and the wide receivers will
also be key. And the best play that I saw
during the open portion of OTAs on Thursdays was from
rookie Tyler Schuck. He pump faked it, threw it down
the right sideline to Rashid Shiheed about fifty yards. Rashid
(16:58):
is fast. Shuck got the timing right and the connection
was perfect.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah, yeah, we just had a little double move on.
You know, we're building through the installs, so naturally, you know,
shorter based plays right in the beginning. We'll start kind
of get into more exotic ones. But yeah, it's been
good to develop dot Camra Street with the guys like
Sheet and He's you saw him go out there and
go make the play, so he's he's got some some
big playability.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I think our receiver room's got excellent people, excellent talented players.
They all work their tail off, and I think they're
really really good communicators. And so you know, Ceo Sheed,
you know, even the guys who've been you know, Cooks,
he's been in this league for a long time, Dante's
been in this league, said, you know, there's a bunch
of guys. You know, a bunch of guys. I can
go on and on. It's a really good group. And
(17:43):
I think that quarterback room, that receiver room spend a
lot of time together, which is ultimately what you want.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Lots of good work to build off of. Already, as
the Saints put the first set of OTAs behind them,
those three practices. They'll have those four days off this
weekend for the holiday weekend to rest, recovers, spend some
time with some family, give tribute to the Memorial Holiday,
and we'll be back next week with another open date
on Thursday, where we'll have another Saints podcast to break
(18:11):
down everything that happened, what's being said, and what's being
worked on. Thanks so much for joining me on this
edition of the New Orleans Saints Podcast.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints Podcast presented
by Seat Geek. Join us three times per week on
New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or
you can download the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you
next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast
presented by Seat Geek
Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presently by Seacake.
You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters and writers did cover
the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints
Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
First week of OTAs took place this week Tuesday through Thursday.
As was with the off season programming. So far, the
players have seemed really energized by the work. Head coach
Kellen Moore said that it's all been by design.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, Yeah, I think we're really conscious of being really
efficient and the workloads that go into this, and so
Ted Rath is one of the best in the business.
I truly think he's the best from a sports performer standpoint,
and so certainly he's a guy that I'll lean on
with connection to the training staff. And so we've had
longer days and so this day was kind of a
fast day. This is our third day in a row
that we're really conscious of being reallyffishing with these guys
(01:02):
on and off the field, get them to, you know,
still still go for it. We limited some of the
space and so allows our guys to recover in a
really good way that you know, coming off of this
four day weekend, we'll be able to attack it again.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
A lot of focus during this teaching period is on
the quarterback room. More announced Thursday that second year quarterback
Jake Hayner suffered an injury and will be limited going forward.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Just kind of one of those things that happens. Obviously
I do everything I can to make sure those things
don't happen. But this first time I've ever had a
you know, soft tissue deal, you know, pop up, So
just trying to monitor it. It's not going to be
something that keeps me out for camp or anything like that. Unfortunately,
be down, you know for OTA's which obviously is you
know sucks, but you know, I'm not going to sit
(01:44):
here and feel sorry for myself. Get better, do the rehab,
go through the process, and you know, be ready to
go for camp.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
What can you do to stay ready and stay in
it and be a part of the quarterback room without
being able to be on the field.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing a new offense,
new system, new terminology, is be here early, get my
treatment done, don't miss meetings, and then you know, just
take the mental reps when I can. When I'm on
the field and watching and just be around for the guests.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
What stood out to you so far about Kellen Moore's offense.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
It's very similar to what I ran in college, which
is a good thing, and that's a positive note that
I'm taking Kirby his brother and the same thing. Very
similar concepts, a little different terminology, but protections are you know,
very similar concepts, very similar. So it's all the stuff
that's helped get me here. So I feel confident with it,
and you know, I'll be you know, excited to run it.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
For training camp.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Hayna had taken some first team reps prior to his injury,
as did rookie Tyler Schuck and second year quarterback Spencer
Rattler will be Rattler and Schuck going forward, who split
those first team reps until Hayner is healthy. After practice
on Thursday, Chuck spoke about getting comfortable with the players
around him and his progress.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
So far good. It's been really good, just getting to
know everybody, get in chemistry with the guys. I think
it's been the biggest thing is you got new faces.
Obviously you're building the new instaus every single day, So
been feeling really good about that. Starting to just kind
of connect with the guys even more.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
And you're rotating in and out with Spencer right now,
with the ones hainer before. But how has that been,
trying to get acclimated to different groups of guys.
Speaker 6 (03:17):
It's been good. I mean, as part of it, you
got to go in there and operate. You got to
taste of that in mini camp. You got brand new faces, expectations,
you got to go out there and perform. And I
love it. And I think you just see the level
of play here with Alba and Sheet and the kind
of veterannus that we have at all line. It's really
really cool to come in and operate. I feel a
lot more prepared, you know, being kind of an older
(03:37):
rookie coming in, you know, not being as nervous to
develop those relationships, but knowing that's my whole job is
to continue to earn my role and do everything I can.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
While we are intrigued with the quarterback room, we also
want to know what this Kellen Moore offense is going
to look like. All three quarterbacks gave some insight into
the Kellen Moore scheme and how quarterback friendly it is.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Yeah, I mean I think it's very key be friendly
in the sense where he's gonna get his quarterback completions early.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I think in the RPO scheme, the RPR scheme, being
able to get early completions, you know, to the skilled
players early is a part of his game. If you
go only to turn the tape on, there's a lot
of easy completions to get into a rhythm right off
the bat. And then I think they do a good
job of you know, talking to their passers, understanding when
to take the shots, you know, when they present themselves,
(04:26):
and really understanding the why behind it. But then look,
it's a pure progression system, just like a lot of
the systems now in the NFL. But like I said,
I think the one thing that differential differentiates this system
is there's the bubbles, there's the RPOs, the quick throws.
Some of those things you don't really you know, take
into account. But as a passer, it feels really good
(04:48):
to get into a rhythm early, to be able to
get some of those explosive plays by not having to
throw it thirty forty yards down the field. So I
think those are the things that you know, can help
separate it and incorporate be another extension of the run game.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
I would say there's gonna be answers for most everything
that you're gonna see, you know, whether they're finding different
ways that scheme up runs or get into different passes,
or take loads off of certain people. The quarterback, the line.
I think he does a really good job of complimenting
each position and allowing everybody to go out there and
play fast while still giving you a toolbox. And I
(05:21):
think I think where I've had the most success in
my career is having that toolbox, but ultimately letting your
talent go go.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
Sean feel great. I think we play fast, play with
tempo RPOs. QB is gonna be able to use his
legs like you've seen what he's done with QBS in
the past. You know, I don't want to give away
too much, but it's been it's been great, man. I
think the receivers, the tight ends, the running backs, everybody's
gelling well with this offense and O line as well.
I mean, like I said, it feel smooth, feels good
(05:46):
out there right now. Obviously got to install more, but
you know, we're pretty deep into the playbook and it
feels good.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
More as stated since he became the head coach how
important line play is. He's reiterated that constantly, saying you
got to build from the inside out. Set it again
on Thursday, taking a look at that line and how
it's been configured so far, we have seen first round
pick Calvin Banks Junior moving from both sides, right tackle,
left tackle, and in spent a lot of time at
(06:13):
left tackle this week while Tali sa Puaga was at right.
Trevor Penning has been working in at left guard. More said,
Penning absolutely has the skill set to play guard, and
the goal is to build continuity on the line throughout
the off season.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I think one thing with the offensive line is that
group has to be really, really interconnected, and so much
of it is verbal, but so much of it's nonverbal.
Those guys are in combinations and working together more than
probably any other group in this entire game. You know,
the right tackle on the right guard spend so many
times in combination blocks and they have to be perfectly
(06:48):
aligned and hit it at the same time and have
these you know, verbal communication, but at times there's non
verbal communications. So the more time these guys spend time
together jelling, communicating, being on the same page is a huge,
huge advantage for any offense in this league.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I sat down with offensive line coach Brendan Nugent to
dive further into how the OL is progressing, goals for
the off season, and Nugent's return to New Orleans. Coach,
thanks for joining me on the New Orleans Saints podcast.
It's second time around for you, looking around the building,
the people here. What's different?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Uh, cafeteria that's different, that's probably the biggest change, But
a lot of stuff is the same.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You know.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Obviously it's a first class facility, so it's nice to
know what you're kind of walking into, and you know,
knowing a lot of the people, familiar faces, how things operate,
you know, that always helps for you.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
What do you bring that's different this time? And you've
had some years away, gone a couple of different places.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Sure, that's uh, you know, it's what I tell the
players all the time too, Like I'm always learning as
a coach too, So you know, been gone three years,
experience some different situations, different organizations, been around different coaches,
picked up a few different things, you know, from technique standpoint,
drill standpoint, even from a scheme standpoint about how we're
coaching stuff, so always evolve and always trying to stay
you know, chase chasing the edges always and you know,
(08:03):
stay ahead of the game. And so probably there's a
few things a few of the guys who have been
were with me before have noticed. They've said, oh, we
didn't do that before. It was like, yeah, just something
we've learned over the time. So it's been good.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, it's funny. I was talking to Caesar Ruiz at
the Golf Classic on Monday and he brought up having
played with you before, and he's like, oh, that's my guy,
and so you have familiarity with a lot of the
guys on the line, but how have you seen some
of them like Ruiz and McCoy grow.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Well, it's it's been awesome to watch from afar. You know,
I had those two guys when they were young, you know,
Caesar just in his rookie year, Eric for a couple
of years, but you know from Afar, you know, you
see him in film study throughout the league and just
watching those guys get better and better each year each game.
You know, it's kind of it was exciting for me
to come back and it was like, man, there's and
still feel like there was more to get out of them, right,
And that's kind of like the greatest greatest thing we
(08:49):
do is we can get these guys just a little
bit better and playing a little bit better, and that's
you know, especially when they're playing well to begin with.
So that was that was exciting for me coming back,
having the familiarity, knowing how they had progressed, and can't
wait to help him progress even more.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Why did you want to come back here?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
A couple of reasons. One, we love this area, you know,
we're here, my younger two kids were born here, you know,
we spent seven years here, fell in love with the place.
And then, probably more importantly, it's the organization. I know,
it's a great organization. It's people I know. And then
I believe in Kellen. You know, I've got the opportunity
to work with him for the year. You know, I
believe in how he views it, how he goes about it,
what he's about And so that was a big, big
(09:25):
factor in saying, Hey, yes, let's let's come on back.
Let's do this thing with Kellen and an organization and
a place that we know and love.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So Coach Moore said that, and he said this many
times before the draft, that you build it from the
inside out. And he's really big on the line put
any pressure on you, how do you approach that.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
I'll take it. I'll take any first round pick you
want to give me, I'll take right. I don't do
it as pressure, right, Like, everybody's got to put five
guys out there, and you know, we talk about it
as an organization here, right, it doesn't really matter how
you were acquired, what round, free agency, whatever, Right, we're
going to find the five best guys. So building it
from the inside out. I love that because that is
(10:03):
how the game is won. But I don't feel any
pressure with it. I just feel like, yeah, because we
need to. If you can't do it up front, then
nothing else on the outside matters. So we need to
be able to handle things up front, and I'm all
for it.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You have a couple first round picks now on that line,
most recently with Kelvin Banks. He's moved a couple different positions.
What have you seen from him that you've liked so far?
Speaker 5 (10:24):
It's everything we kind of learned about him in the
pre draft process, kind of at an organization, you know,
it's kind of as advertised, right. He's smart, he's got
great character, he's tough, he understands football, understands a big picture, right,
and then he's a really good athlete and really good
football player who still has potential to even get even better.
And he works at it right, He's not afraid to
try stuff, not afraid to keep working and grinding through it.
(10:45):
So it's been good, and you know that's the fun
part for us is trying to find the best combination
of those five you know that's going to give us
the best chance to win.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Last year we saw it's Holly, I say, log up
flip sides and he did very well. Trapper Pennies moved
around a little bit. At what point do you need
to feel comfortable with where people are?
Speaker 5 (11:03):
I would say sooner than later. You know, were's still
in May right now, so we kind of have a
little bit of flexibility to kind of try some different
combinations and move guys. But I think, you know, ultimately,
just having done this for a lot of years now,
the sooner we can get those five guys, and especially
the guards and the tackles working next to each other
because they developed that rapport and that relationship, so it'll
(11:23):
happen sooner than later. But we're still have some flexibility
with just where we are in the in the off
season right now to work with some of those things.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
With the quarterback room and that being up in the air,
not knowing who the starter is going to be. There's
chemistry that has to be developed there with the line
as well. What do you talk to your alignment about
and how they can approach that so things are easier
for whoever is back there.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Sure you know it's at the end of the day,
the quarterbacks in general, right, Like we say, everything runs
through the line, but he's the general out there. So
you know, the way we go about it is, hey man,
we got to learn all of these guys. We have
to learn their nuances, their cadences, right, and that's all
us to figure it out, right how whoever, however that unfolds,
we got to be ready to go with any of them.
And so that's not you know, obviously them like they'll
(12:08):
work to all try and be similar with cadences and
how they call plays, but everybody's different. But that's on
us as a unit to be able to figure out
all those guys and be ready to roll with however
that shakes out in that room.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
When you were here last as the offensive line coach,
one hundred and thirty one sacks, surrendered first in the
NFL and tied for the most rushing touchdown, So the
line was really working. Then how do we get back
to that?
Speaker 5 (12:33):
Just hard work, you know, it's it's a combination of Look,
it's at some point changes and have a ble in
this business. You can just look at my career over
the past four years and see that. But you know
it's again you just come in and callan said it.
You know, it's a blank slate. Everybody's got a blank slate.
And so now we just slowly build this thing up
right from the ground floor and then we just get
(12:54):
back to playing Saints football like we know it is
and that we have the talent to do. Now, we
just got to make sure we put it all together.
And it's just, you know, it's an old cliche, but
it's just one day at a time and just hard
work and keep getting better and better and better, and
then all of a sudden things just start going and
then they click and now we're rolling and running all right.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
So you were a linebacker how did you end up
coaching the line?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
So about twenty two years ago. Now I think my
math might be off. I had coached high school ball
for one year. Back in my high school, I coached
linebackers and quarterbacks, and then I got a job offer
at the University of Iowa, and it was kind of
working with the offense, but a lot with the O line,
and so I kind of learned a little bit there.
(13:37):
And then throughout the course of the years I was
in college, I coached pretty much every position on offense
except quarterbacks exclusively. And then when I got to the
NFL thirteen fourteen years ago, whatever it was, the job
was with the O line, and I've been there ever since.
So I kind of got a background in it, you know,
my first college job, and then kind of always kept learning,
always intrigued by it, and you know, worked with tackles
(13:59):
and tight ends and difference spots, and then you know,
just since I've been in the NFL, I've kind of
learned from the ground floor up in the old line room,
and it's I'm passionate about it. So I love doing it.
I love being in that room with those guys.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
How much does it help having somebody like Jaria Evans then,
who did play the position at extremely high level right
there alongside you.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Oh, it's great. Like I've said this before to other people,
like I've learned more about this position from players than
I have truly from other coaches who have coached it right.
And it's like I said earlier, like I'm always learning.
I'm an open book. I want to know, Hey, Jari,
how'd you do this? So having somebody like that who's
about to be a Hall of Fame player right about
to be in the Hall of Fame as a guard
(14:37):
like that, is just to rely on that and have
that in the room and say, you know, how do
you see it from a player's perspective, Joh, how did
you do this right? It's invaluable.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
This is the first stage of OTAs. What's the next
few weeks look like as we progress towards mandatory mini
campus What you would like to see from the line?
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Sure, you know, it's the way we're kind of structured here.
You know, it's a lot of emphasis on individual drills.
For us, it's an old line, not a lot of
team more of a walkthrough tempo team setting at the end,
which for us is great because we can really boil
it down to like the nuts and bolts, Like we
could start slow and truly progress through the fundamentals and
not have to dive crazily into scheme early, so we
(15:17):
could really like, hey, make sure our fundamentals are on points.
So over the next couple of weeks, even leading into
mandatory mini camp, we'll just keep building, you know, slowly
on those fundamentals, make sure we got them right before
we go on to the next one, and then as
we intertwine the scheme with it, it all kind of
makes sense. So it's just all building towards training camp.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And then when we get the pads on.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
When we get the pads on, we're rolling. Hopefully we've
created enough of a base here in the offseason fundamentally right,
we won't abandon them, and training camp will still work them,
but it'll be more of an emphasis on, all, right,
let's make sure our fundamentals are on point, and then
dive into the scheme and how we're doing stuff in
the specific techniques and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
With Eric McCoy and the way that he's just anchored
this line for so long, has knowledge of the game,
how valuable is he with the youth that you still
do have there.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
Great Eric is a vital piece for that, right. You know,
he's unquestionably the leader in that room. You know, he
was strussed in the starting position his rookie year, so
he's seen a lot of football from a lot of
different perspectives. So he understands the game and he communicates outstanding,
and he can get to make sure everybody's on the
same page at all times, right, And that's valuable, especially
(16:22):
right when you have a young group like you said,
where he could just make get everybody on the same page,
and it's just tomming presence, especially when he's out there.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well, we're looking forward to the rest of OTAs and
to see how this line shapes out. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Establishing that chemistry with the line and quarterback will be important.
The chemistry between the quarterback and the wide receivers will
also be key. And the best play that I saw
during the open portion of OTAs on Thursdays was from
rookie Tyler Schuck. He pump faked it, threw it down
the right sideline to Rashid Shiheed about fifty yards. Rashid
(16:58):
is fast. Shuck got the timing right and the connection
was perfect.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah, yeah, we just had a little double move on.
You know, we're building through the installs, so naturally, you know,
shorter based plays right in the beginning. We'll start kind
of get into more exotic ones. But yeah, it's been
good to develop dot Camra Street with the guys like
Sheet and He's you saw him go out there and
go make the play, so he's he's got some some
big playability.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I think our receiver room's got excellent people, excellent talented players.
They all work their tail off, and I think they're
really really good communicators. And so you know, Ceo Sheed,
you know, even the guys who've been you know, Cooks,
he's been in this league for a long time, Dante's
been in this league, said, you know, there's a bunch
of guys. You know, a bunch of guys. I can
go on and on. It's a really good group. And
(17:43):
I think that quarterback room, that receiver room spend a
lot of time together, which is ultimately what you want.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Lots of good work to build off of. Already, as
the Saints put the first set of OTAs behind them,
those three practices. They'll have those four days off this
weekend for the holiday weekend to rest, recovers, spend some
time with some family, give tribute to the Memorial Holiday,
and we'll be back next week with another open date
on Thursday, where we'll have another Saints podcast to break
(18:11):
down everything that happened, what's being said, and what's being
worked on. Thanks so much for joining me on this
edition of the New Orleans Saints Podcast.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints Podcast presented
by Seat Geek. Join us three times per week on
New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or
you can download the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you
next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast
presented by Seat Geek
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