Amid a trembling defense of the New Orleans Saints, one of the team’s coaches hasn’t appreciated the comments made by three-time Super Bowl champion and now ESPN analyst Troy Aikman about him.
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“Saints DC Brandon Staley said Troy Aikman’s comments bothered him because ‘they’re not true.’ Said he had no idea what Aikman was talking about. Said even with the injuries, they were confident and pointed out that no one defended Bijan (Robinson) better last year,” per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.
These comments came after Aikman criticized the Saints’ defense as part of the Monday Night Football broadcast, with 2:43 left in the third quarter, especially Staley, in the team’s 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
“Brandon Staley, he just simply doesn’t have any answers. And I think he knew it when we talked to him coming in,” Aikman said during the broadcast. “I think he knew; he didn’t tell us, but the guys that are out … their big edge rushers and guys who can play the run and set the edge, they’re not on the field, and they just don’t have that star defender that can erase mistakes for other people. This was a matchup issue coming into this game, and it’s proven true.”
The Saints were short-handed on defense, with linebacker Kaden Elliss and edge rushers Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings among those dealing with injuries. They struggled to contain Atlanta’s ground game, giving up 205 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Bijan Robinson led the charge with 145 yards and two scores on 19 carries.
Staley pointed out that New Orleans had kept Robinson in check in their two meetings last season, holding him to 33 and 70 rushing yards, respectively. That made his 59-yard run within the opening three plays even more surprising, which Staley described as a “shock to everybody.” Aikman, meanwhile, highlighted the defensive lapses on the final rushing touchdown, noting that Staley would not be pleased to see players “standing around watching the play” while missing tackles. Still, Staley appeared to recognize the effort his team had put in despite the result.
“Our guys have played the right way,” Staley said. “And mainly that’s assignment, technique, effort, all in one. I think the other night, we were missing two out of the three. Our effort was there.”
The Saints are currently 1-3 in their first four games of the season, and their defense is among the worst in the league. They have allowed an average of 32 points per game, ranking dead last.
Additionally, after a poor performance in defending the Falcons’ run game, the Saints have given up 591 rushing yards against them, ranking third-last in the league.
Aikman also made another controversial remark about the Saints, criticizing quarterback Tyler Shough for playing college football for seven years.
“By the simple fact he’s 27 years old now,” Aikman said during the broadcast. “I’m not sure how you get 7 years of college. I don’t understand college football these days anyway. But I’ve heard of 6 years, I’ve never heard of 7. But he played in all 7 of those years. Obviously, you’ve got some maturity left on the battlefield.”
It looks like Aikman had criticism for the already struggling Saints. While the defense struggled, Shough threw 30 of 48 passes for a touchdown, while being sacked twice.
Although Aikman faced criticism from fans over his controversial comments about Shough, many also shared their concerns about the Saints’ defensive performance. The Saints will next face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, who have one of the best defenses in the league right now, but have been a low-scoring team just like the Saints.