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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/defaultedup on 2024-07-13 02:44:48+00:00.
Steve Spagnuolo’s stint with Kansas City, coupled with his SB 42 gameplan, has elevated him to the level of all-time great coordinator and arguably the most important non-head coach in the league. So WTF happened in 2012? That season, his only with the Saints, his defense gave up 7,042 yards—the most in NFL history—and 454 points (actually good enough for second worst that year: Jerry Gray’s Titans surrendered 471). They had the 32nd ranked run defense (147.6 yards per game) AND the 31st ranked pass defense (292.6 yards per game). The Buccaneers, by contrast, the only team to finish with a worse ranked passing defense (297.4 yards per game), nevertheless boasted the league’s top ranked run defense (82.5 yards per game), a franchise record. Just look at the contrast between Spagnuolo’s 2012 defense and the 2011/2013 Saints under Gregg Williams and Rob Ryan, respectively:
- 2011: 21.1 points per game (13th), 368.4 yards per game (24th), 108.6 rushing yards per game (12th), 259.8 passing yards per game (30th)
- 2013: 19.0 points per game (4th), 305.7 yards per game (4th) 111.6 rushing yards per game,(19th), 194.1 passing yards per game (2nd)
The lone pass defense better than the Saints in 2013? The 2013 Seahawks, who surrendered only 172(!) passing yards per game.
Some of the stat lines surrendered by the 2012 Saints defense:
- Week 1 vs. Washington (32-40 L)
- RG3: 19/26, 320 yards, 2 TD, 42 rushing yards, 139.9 rating
- Alfred Morris: 28 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD
- Week 3 vs. Kansas City (24-27 L)
- Jamaal Charles: 33 carries, 233 yards, 1 TD, 6 catches, 55 yards
- Week 4 at Green Bay (27-28 L)
- Aaron Rodgers: 31/41, 319 yards, 4 TD, 119.9 rating
- Week 7 at Tampa Bay (35-28 W)
- Josh Freeman: 24/42, 420 yards, 3 TD, 115.2 rating
- Vincent Jackson: 7 catches, 216 yards, 1 TD
- Week 8 at Denver (14-34 L)
- Peyton Manning: 22/30, 305 yards, 3 TD, 138.9 rating
- Willis McGahee/Ronnie Hillman: 37 carries, 208 yards, 1 TD
- Week 10 vs. Atlanta (31-27 W)
- Matt Ryan: 34/52, 411 yards, 3 TD, 100.7 rating
- Tony Gonzalez/Roddy White/Julio Jones: 22 catches, 311 yards, 2 TD
- Week 14 at New York Giants (27-52 L)
- Eli Manning: 22/35, 259 yards, 4 TD, 99.6 rating
- David Wilson: 13 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD
- Victor Cruz/Hakeem Nicks: 12 catches, 188 yards, 2 TD
- Week 16 at Dallas (34-31 W)
- Tony Romo: 26/43, 416 yards, 4 TD, 123.8 rating
- Dez Bryant: 9 catches, 224 yards, 2 TD
- Week 17 vs. Carolina (38-44 L)
- Deangelo Williams/Mike Tolbert: 31 carries, 235 yards, 5 TD
The season ended with an anonymous player trashing Spagnuolo to the Times-Picayune: “All the guys were being politically correct this season when answering questions . . . To give up what we gave up can’t be all talent. Look at where his units have been ranked before. I think one top 10? . . . Players had no say in anything . . . Nothing ever changed. It was his way only. Don’t even get me started on lack of ability to adjust during games. Bad, bad, bad. He does have that good guy persona, but he is a control freak and treats people like crap . . . I think it’s even harder after having Gregg, who guys enjoyed.”
The following players were on both the 2012 defense and the 4th ranked 2013 defense: Akiem Hicks, Cam Jordan, Junior Galette, Curtis Lofton, Ramon Humber, Roman Harper, Rafael Bush, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Malcolm Jenkins (finished the final 3 games of the 2012 season on IR). Obviously the Bountygate suspensions played a role in destabilizing the 2012 team, but the numbers are still pretty shocking, especially in comparison to the 2013 defense just one year later.
How does a defense with largely the same personnel replace Spagnuolo with Rob Ryan and go from literally the worst ever to top five the next season? The 2015 Giants under Spanguolo gave up the most passing yards in NFL history; that was his first season back with New York, so is his system just that hard to install?