Updated: Sheldon Rankins carted off with leg injury, will not return

[janthony6]

Wow. They locked down the Eagles! Oh my! That’s saying something! Not sure what but okay. Lol

 

[El caliente]

Wow. They locked down the Eagles! Oh my! That’s saying something! Not sure what but okay. Lol

You are missing the point.

The point isn’t that “we shut down the Eagles run game”, that’s like bragging about an in his prime Mike Tyson knocking out Pee Wee Herman.

The point is the Saints lost Rankins early in the game, and continued playing defense as usual.

 

[BonifayRam]

You are missing the point.

The point isn’t that “we shut down the Eagles run game”, that’s like bragging about an in his prime Mike Tyson knocking out Pee Wee Herman.The point is the Saints lost Rankins early in the game, and continued playing defense as usual.

I love me some Orleans food & culture .....Sheldon Rankins is a seriously great DT for your 43 D. Loved him coming out of Louisville. You will miss him more than you think.

Yes, I will agree with you here, that the New Orleans Saints are smart & lucky to have defensive tackle like David Onyemata, who is a 3rd year pro who has just scratched the surface of his potential. Yes he can play but he is not yet close to a Rankins. I would think that next season Rankins will move over to the NT post & David Onyemata will move to the 3 tech to give your team an outstanding DT duo. I would not mind if we took your UFA NT Tyler Davison away from you guys in March to be in our DL interior rotation in 2019.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/david-onyemata?id=2556274

Your teams main problem & issue is going to be in replacing the depth your DL lost with Rankins injury. Your DC is going to have to stop McVays new running offensive onslaught up your gut of your defense. Saints have only one NT in reserve & thats UDFA Taylor Stallworth. You have no other back up to Onyemata @ 3 tech...ZERO. You're going to have to find & sign one. You now main reserve Stallworth has a big weakness that he is & can be engulfed by an OL's forceful down blocks...plus he has no pass rush game . The Rams OL does have a smooth forceful operating unit working the down block scheme very well..just ask the Cowboys DL.

One more thing is DE Cameron Jordan did not have a good day against the Eagles RT Johnson. He had little impact at all 1 tackle that's it. Our RT Rob Havenstein is a better overall RT than Eagles Johnson is. Rob handled Jordan in the first game well enough no sacks or hits permeated & TE Tyler Higbee has been on a terror lately working over those Left DE's he blocking.

OC John Sully is a wise well-seasoned veteran should be able to out-think & handle your raw but talented 3 tech DT. He will have some help with our shortest OL'er guy 6-2 300 pounder Austin Blythe who came into the NFL the same yr as your 6-4 300 lbs Onyemata.

But you might want to rethink a bit here where in your post above you lead me to believe you are considering comparisons of the Eagles RB's ....35 yr old Darren Sproles who rushed for 4 yds, rookie Josh Adams who zero yds & Wendell Smallwood who had 33 yds are in the same class of what your team will face this upcoming Sunday the 3 headed monster of Gurley/ Anderson/ Kelly.

 

[Prime Time]

https://whodatdish.com/2019/01/14/saints-dealt-blow-loss-defensive-tackle-sheldon-rankins/

Saints dealt blow with loss of defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins
by Roy Anderson

The good news from Sunday was the Saints advancing to the NFC Championship Game, but they’ve lost Sheldon Rankins in the process.

While the New Orleans Saints made the next big step in their 2018 Season by knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Playoffs Divisional Round, there was one major bit of bad news that dampened the celebration. Starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins went down in the first quarter of the game with what is believed to be a torn Achilles tendon and will be out for the rest of the season.

There’s a lot of bad to be sorted out with the news of this injury. Sheldon Rankins, in his third year as a pro, was having a breakout season. Already posting career highs in tackles (40) and sacks (8), he was the heart of a revitalized Saints run defense that finished the regular season ranked second in the NFL.

The team uses a rotation of four defensive tackles with Rankins as well as Tyeler Davison, David Onyemata and rookie Taylor Stallworth. There will be free agent options available to fill the additional roster spot, but Rankins was clearly the leader of this unit. With only a week to go until the next game, the Saints will need to scramble to take care of the gap in the lineup.

For the Saints, the news is especially worrisome due to the fact that the next team they will face is the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Featuring Todd Gurley and breakout star C.J. Anderson, the Rams come into the week with the league’s third rating running game. And it’s only gotten stronger with C.J. Anderson being added to the roster in December. That duo powered for a combined 238 rushing yards in the Rams’ win over the Cowboys on Saturday.

So the loss of Rankins, this week in particular, is a potentially devastating blow to the Saints chances of reaching Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII. They’ll need to do some heavy tweaking with the team’s front seven on defense to help mitigate the situation.

But worst of all is the severity of the injury to Sheldon Rankins itself. Especially for a 300-pound man, an Achilles tear is one of the most grievous injuries a player can suffer. The Saints own Alex Okafor dealt with the same injury last season.

Recovery is a very long process that could potentially sideline Rankins for the entire 2019 Season. An Achilles tear also has the potential to cause reduced strength in the area of the injury that can permanently alter a player’s abilities on the field.

More information will be coming in regarding the severity of Sheldon Rankins’ injury and potential a potential time table for recovery in the days ahead. For now, the Saints need to focus on the task at hand which is preparing for what should be their toughest test of the season clearing the one obstacle that stands between them and the Super Bowl.

 

[Mikey Ram]

Big loss ??? Sure, but it's not like his back up will be Judith, the DT from St. Mary's School for wayward and pregnant girls...

 

[El caliente]

I love me some Orleans But are you going to claim that the Eagles RB's ....35 yr old Darren Sproles who rushed for 4 yds, rookie Josh Adams who zero yds & Wendell Smallwood who had 33 yds are in the same class & out 3 headed monster of Gurley/Anderson/Kelly?

I’m saying that the defense didn’t buckle with the loss of Rankins. Losing him hurt the pass rush more than the run defense. We have Tyler Davidson who stuffs the run like Brian Young of days past. He is the real run stuffer. David Onyemata is a mix of the two.

Honestly, it’s going to suck not having Rankins, but we have depth, we will be fine.

 

[BonifayRam]

I’m saying that the defense didn’t buckle with the loss of Rankins. Losing him hurt the pass rush more than the run defense. We have Tyler Davidson who stuffs the run like Brian Young of days past. He is the real run stuffer. David Onyemata is a mix of the two.

Honestly, it’s going to suck not having Rankins, but we have depth, we will be fine.

Understand ...I agree with you on Davidson & Onyemata but please tell me who is your depth behind those two DT post beside Stallworth?

The biggest largest DL you have besides Stallworth is 6-4 287 Jordan but the other DL'ers are all lightweights 261lbs, 265 lbs, 270lbs & 275lbs? Rams five-man OL totaled over 1600 lbs of beef averages 6'5 1/2 320 lbs.

 

[El caliente]

Understand ...I agree with you on Davidson & Onyemata but please tell me who is your depth behind those two DT post beside Stallworth?

The biggest largest DL you have besides Stallworth is 6-4 287 Jordan but the other DL'ers are all lightweights 261lbs, 265 lbs, 270lbs & 275lbs ?

You will see us bring up T-Rex (Trey Hendrickson) who doubles as a DE/DT. He has been riding the bench, but he has proven useful in his limited snaps.

We cut a lot of guys on the dline (in the pre-season) who were picked up and are now starting or playing major minutes in the NFL. The Saints in their wisdom kept T-Rex. Let’s see how this plays out.

At worst, we can use the Idaho Army Knife Taysom Hill. That guy will play anywhere.

 

[dang]

At worst, we can use the Idaho Army Knife Taysom Hill. That guy will play anywhere.

I would love to see the Saints put Taysom Hill on the DL so the Rams OL can pancake his ass. While he has proven to be a very versatile player I can't stand his antics. He acts like he has scored the game winning TD every single time he makes a play.

 

[hotanez]

Saints are in big trouble without Rankins.

 

[El caliente]

I would love to see the Saints put Taysom Hill on the DL so the Rams OL can pancake his ass. While he has proven to be a very versatile player I can't stand his antics. He acts like he has scored the game winning TD every single time he makes a play.

Really? You don’t like Taysom? He is the most humble player in football. He has the toughness of a young Rob Gronkowski, with farm boy charm. You can honestly throw him anywhere and you can count on him not taking a play off.

It’s also funny watching his truck stick a linebacker or defender, and then get up and smile about it.

 

[janthony6]

You are missing the point.

The point isn’t that “we shut down the Eagles run game”, that’s like bragging about an in his prime Mike Tyson knocking out Pee Wee Herman.

The point is the Saints lost Rankins early in the game, and continued playing defense as usual.

Philly has no run game. Nobody thinks, Eagles - wow we gotta stop that Smallwood guy. Wtf

Saints jumped on us last game and really got a break with that BS call when Helmer got the 1st but they called it a turnover on downs.

Still we came back fast from down like 21 after half time. I think we will have our best defensive performance of the year with Talib on Thomas and advance to the Super Bowl behind another great running performance by Gurley and CJ.

 

[El caliente]

It’s going to be a close and enjoyable game. If it comes down to a final fg with :01 left, with the kick scoring the deciding 1 pt, I wouldn’t be shocked. It’s going to be enjoyable and tight.

But make no bones about it, whoever wins this game is going to win the Lombardi, and hey, guess what? It’s okay. As long as neither the Falcons, 49ers, or Cowboys are winning the Super Bowl all is right with the world.

 

[rking4441]

You will see us bring up T-Rex (Trey Hendrickson) who doubles as a DE/DT. He has been riding the bench, but he has proven useful in his limited snaps.

We cut a lot of guys on the dline (in the pre-season) who were picked up and are now starting or playing major minutes in the NFL. The Saints in their wisdom kept T-Rex. Let’s see how this plays out.

At worst, we can use the Idaho Army Knife Taysom Hill. That guy will play anywhere.

First I would like to thank you for your willingness and friendly interactions with our forum members. I am very excited to see if the Rams O line will be able to take advantage of this injury and personally believe the revitalized running game might be the difference in this up coming contest. No one thought the Rams could run the Dallas D out of LA and I am guessing most won't see it coming if it plays out the same in NO. If it does that will be a huge advantage that might tip the scales in the Rams favor.

 

[Merlin]

We are talking about the injury to Rankins, Onyemata has been here all season, the Saints locked down the Eagles after that second td. The Saints defense will not crumble because we lost Rankins.

Couple things here... First when you lose a bigtime player it isn't always felt in that game and the reason for that is gameplanning. Also, sometimes you don't even feel it in the next game. When Kupp went down for example, we won that shootout afterword vs KC and it wasn't until the next game that teams really took advantage and what followed was that down period for our offense.

Secondly, what you have coming in with this Rams offense is a serious threat to the Saints and I think more significant than what the Eagles brought. As I keep saying McVay has morphed this offense into a completely different unit. They're not a big play, finesse, explosive offense right now. They're changed into more of a NFC East type unit that is dedicated to ball control and timely throws as a complement. They're completely different from the team you guys saw midseason.

None of us know if the Saints are going to be able to stuff the LOS. But I do think right now your staff is watching the vid of the Dallas defense getting rolled and they're saying "no effin way that's going to happen to us." I guarantee there's more concern there for them vice the cavalier attitude the Saints' fan base seems to have over losing Rankins.

 

[FarNorth]

I’m saying that the defense didn’t buckle with the loss of Rankins. Losing him hurt the pass rush more than the run defense. We have Tyler Davidson who stuffs the run like Brian Young of days past. He is the real run stuffer. David Onyemata is a mix of the two.

Honestly, it’s going to suck not having Rankins, but we have depth, we will be fine.

With all due respect, doesn't sound like there's very much depth and, objectively, this is a really big problem for the Saints, especially against the Rams.

 

[Stl2La]

View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1084887088640737281?s=20


Thoughts? @El caliente

 

[sjm1582002]

Gurley went for more than 5 yards a pop last time against NO.

Their run D was nothing special then, and is weaker now.

Gurley only got 13 carries in that entire game because the Ram's defense not did show up and disgracefully allowed an incredible 35 points in the first half.

Need to double (and rough up) Thomas (12 catches for 211) with db's not named Peters and make NO's less talented players beat us.

 

[RamFan503]

It's almost comparable to the Rams losing Brockers against Atlanta last year, but worse.

Only thing I will disagree with is that losing Brockers during that game against what I believe was the best backfield in football that season meant that not only was our depth poor but the backups weren’t getting significant snaps during the week of preparation leading up to it. Rankins on the other hand went down against a pretty poor rushing offense and the Aints have better depth to withstand against a weak unit.

Now with Rankins going down in the beagles game and a week to prepare a pretty decent back-up, the Aints can be better prepared than we were against ATL.

I think that made the Brockers loss bigger than Rankins for NO.

Now that being said, NO won’t be facing the beagles running game. They’ll be facing the two headed monster of Gurly and CJ along with a better O-line.

I like our chances.

 

[BonifayRam]

With all due respect, doesn't sound like there's very much depth and, objectively, this is a really big problem for the Saints, especially against the Rams.

Exactly .......this was my point here.

I know of NO reason why McVay would move away from riding his powerfull effective run blocking OL, which includes both blocking TE's Higbee & Everett along with the chipping WR's then finally the last line of protection of either Gurley or CJ on nonrunning downs. I am sure the Saints hope McVay does.

In the last three games, CJ has 422 yds rushing. He has completely run through the middle of three NFL teams no one has come close to stop him. Then the Saints lose their best playing DL'er who happens to be their best DT. Yes, I sure the Sants are fine & have no concerns with having only one barely used DT reserve.

Now our reserve RB Gurley has got a full game back under his belt after a month off. TGII showcased fresh legs to rush for 115 yds with an eye-popping 7.2 yds per attempt. Yep, I am sure there's no concern in Saintsville.

Then there this new information on the Saints starting LG....wonder who he will line up across this Sunday
Peat got positively dominated in New Orleans' Divisional Round win over the Eagles. Of course, that often happens even when he's healthy. It doesn't appear as if the Saints are planning any changes for the NFC Championship Game
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/10416/andrus-peat