Sean Payton shakes Saints up during bye week

METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints promised to have some changes when they returned from their bye week to prepare for Sunday's game with the Houston Texans.

What that entails wasn't immediately known when head coach Sean Payton made the first major change before sending his players on their way -- when he fired third-year defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

Ryan's dismissal came on the day after an embarrassing 47-14 setback to the Washington Redskins in which the Saints' defense was taken apart by a Redskins' offense that had been firing blanks for much of the season.

So when the Saints (4-6) left for their bye, Payton had a message that had to resonate with them as much as their last two losses to the then one-win Tennessee Titans and the Redskins.

"The main thing was it wasn't going to be the same when they got back," Payton said when asked what he told his team. "It was going to be different. I think it needs to be."

To that end, Payton planned to have meetings with general manager Mickey Loomis last Monday and Tuesday to assess his players -- and assistant coaches -- alike before diving into the final six-game stretch of the season.

The only thing that was known at the time was Ryan wouldn't be around, just two years after the Saints were fourth in total defense and in scoring defense in his first year on the job. That year, they went 11-5 and won a playoff game on the road.

But they spiraled downward from the start of the 2014 season and never pulled out of it, with the full results of an 11-15 record since then not known just yet. Dennis Allen, a member of Payton's coaching staff from 2006 to 2010 who returned this season, will take over as defensive coordinator.

"It might take a little bit of time and it might hurt going down for some people," Payton said as his team broke for the bye. "We'll get that squared away."

REPORT CARD AFTER 10 GAMES

--PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus. The Saints have come on after a slow start with Drew Brees having another nice season with his team leading the league in passing with 313.2 yards per game. Brees is completing 70.7 percent of his pass attempts for 2,972 yards with 20 TDs and nine interceptions and a passer rating of 101.3. The problem is the Saints, who have had some injuries on their offensive line, have had trouble protecting Brees and allowed 24 sacks. The receiving corps has come along with Brandin Cooks averaging 14.0 yards on 50 receptions for 701 yards with six scores. Tight end Benjamin Watson has 46 catches for 551 yards and former practice-squad player Willie Snead has come up big with 41 receptions for 626 yards and a 15.3 average with three TDs.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus. They have done some good things at times, but the Saints just haven't been the running team Sean Payton would like to be. Mark Ingram has 661 yards and a 4.6-yard average as well as five TDs. But Khiry Robinson, who had four TDs, was lost for the season to a fractured leg in early November and C.J. Spiller, who had his knee scoped in August, continues to work his way back. Still, the Saints are 17th in the league -- up from 25th just a few weeks ago -- and are averaging 101.3 yards per game and 3.9 yards a carry. While it's far from what Payton envisioned back in the summer, the Saints have at least shown some life in the last few weeks.

--PASS DEFENSE: D-minus. The Saints, who rank 31st in allowing 293.1 yards per game, have been dealing with injuries in their secondary all season and it's showed. Cornerback Keenan Lewis and free safety Jairus Byrd both missed the first three games. Safety Rafael Bush, who was supposed to be the nickel back, had a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in the season opener and rookie Damian Swann, who took over as the nickel back, has missed games with two concussions. Cornerback Delvin Breaux has been a pleasant surprise even though he was plagued by penalties early in the season, while cornerback Brandon Browner has had a rough go because of numerous penalties. The Saints are on record pace for opponents' single-season passer rating as quarterbacks have a 116.5 rating. The Saints also rank near the bottom of the league with just four interceptions.

--RUN DEFENSE: D-plus. Like their pass defense, the Saints haven't been able to find any consistency against the run and are ranked 29th in allowing 131.2 yards per game. Opposing teams have averaged a whopping 4.9 yards per carry in running at will most of the season with a long run of 45 yards. They've also given up seven TDs. But after a little bit of an improvement at the midway point of the season, the Saints regressed in their final game before their bye and will need to tighten things up to have a positive outcome this season.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Punter Thomas Morstead missed some time with a quadriceps injury, but he's still having a good season with a 45.9-yard gross average and 41.1 net average with a long of 58. The Saints have had kicking woes, though, as they're only 10 of 15 on field-goal attempts and 27 of 29 on extra points although Kai Forbath seems to have stabilized things for the time being. Still, poor snaps by Justin Drescher have resulted in a missed extra point as well as a 46-yard game-winning field-goal attempt against Tennessee that was tipped. Rookie Marcus Murphy has averaged 9.8 yards on punt returns with a 74-yard touchdown, but three fumbles earned him a spot on the bench temporarily. He is averaging 25.0 yards on kickoff returns. Kick coverage has been spotty as they allow 26.3 yards per kickoff return and 8.4 yards per punt return.

--COACHING: B-plus. After cleaning out his locker room during the offseason, Sean Payton expected more -- especially from a youth movement on defense. But it didn't work and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired. Payton has done about what he could considering the youth and the injuries he's had to deal with -- especially on defense. Yet, he knows they could have done better after getting back to a 4-4 record before two head-scratching losses before the bye dropped them back again. Getting his team motivated and playing better will be a big goal in the final six games since the playoffs are just about out of the question.