The old combat sports adage is “styles make fights,” and the same goes for football. You would be hard-pressed to find two teams that play in such different styles as the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. Since Drew Brees joined the Saints in 2006, they’ve been one of the most high-powered offenses in the…
The language of football is often confusing: play calls, alignments, techniques, and concepts litter the commentary and writing about the game. Inside the Pylon wants to aid in developing a deeper understanding of the game, so our glossary entries will offer clear explanations and video examples. We hope we can help you enrich your experience watching football. “Voidable years” are years of a contract…
Summer for football fans can be just as entertaining as watching paint dry. The MLB season and the NBA and NHL playoffs are great in their own right, but we all know football is king. As the calendar turns over to July we can see the football season coming around the corner. The seemingly never-ending…
Alvin Kamara is really good. And I knew it. That’s not meant to be a brag; it’s meant as a reminder to myself. I’m happy for Kamara, and the success he’s had on the New Orleans Saints. Coming out of the University of Tennessee, Kamara was a polarizing prospect. He was a classic “shooting up…
Sometimes rookies exceed expectations in their first year, other times they struggle to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is definitely the former. Mark Schofield breaks down how the second round pick has fared in the NFL. Coming out of Ohio State, Michael Thomas was considered among the top…
Fridays give us a chance to cover players that receive little publicity unless they screw up, the punters and kickers of the NFL. On the October 28 Quick Kicks Podcast Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield look at the play of New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead had a rough 2015 with several shanks throughout the year, but 2016 has…
Two point conversions are a rare play even with the longer extra point attempts, but when they are run, who are the most successful teams at converting them? Dave Archibald looks at a clever two point conversion by the Saints before analyzing broader trends of two point conversions in the NFL. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean…
Every Wednesday at noon EST, Jon Ledyard will be releasing a new installment that we are calling Sack Lunch. Each article will take a look at a particularly impressive pass-rushing performance from the past weekend’s games, highlighting techniques, moves, or athletic traits that brought each player success. In the first installment, Jon looks at the special…
Some NFL teams draft players looking for long term value, while others look for immediate impact players to capitalize on a championship window. But evaluators can approach team’s draft classes from either perspective. In this article, Dave Archibald focuses on immediate impact of the New Orleans Saints Draft class for 2016. The New Orleans Saints…
The 12th pick in the ITP Mock War Room Draft is here as the New Orleans Saints are on the clock. Long plagued by salary cap issues, the Saints now look to rebuild through the draft as they attempt to gear up for another set of runs with Drew Brees at quarterback. With a defense…
The 2016 NFL season begins now, with 32 teams scheming to knock off the reigning champion Denver Broncos. The NFL Draft is just around the corner, but the first step in any offseason plan is to assess a team’s needs. Here we look at what the New Orleans Saints team needs are. These reports were compiled…
The Carolina Panthers punt coverage team, centered around big-leg punter Brad Nortman, appears pedestrian by most statistical measures. Chuck Zodda looks at how box score scouting can be affected by one big mistake from the Panthers punt unit. Brad Nortman ranked just 18th in gross average and 17th in net average this season. The Panthers…
The Carolina Panthers continued their undefeated run, while the New England Patriots ran into an unexpected loss in Week 13. ITP The Podcast Volume 1.13 takes you inside the key plays from the last week, with hosts Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield breaking down the film on all of the top happenings. This week, Chuck…
Week 10 was one of the more unpredictable weeks of the 2015 season to this point, and ITP The Podcast Volume 1.10 is here to get you filled in on all of the top stories. Hosts Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield are joined by a number of top experts, including Dr. Christopher Geary of Tufts Medical…
Every NFL season features at least one player who has worked to overcome long odds, going from unknown to star, in just a few short weeks. Dave Archibald looks at one of this year’s emerging fantasy stars, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead, the pass-catching accountant. Twenty-seven wideouts have at least 500 receiving yards through nine…
The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts have underperformed expectations this season and needed the win on Sunday. Locked in a 0-0 game midway through the 1st quarter, the Saints turned to the bane of the Indianapolis season in recent weeks – special teams. For the second week in a row, the Colts were undone…