"Shoot your bullets"

Folks, we've nearly made it. Only one more day separates us from the 2024 Saints season. 

We've spent most of the last few months trying to get a bead on what this Saints team will look like this year, and while we have ideas ... nobody really knows! We can try to make predictions (and we have), but there's no substitute for the real thing. 

And, tomorrow, we'll finally see what the real thing looks like. And this Saints Insider newsletter wants to know: What exactly is that Klint Kubiak offense going to look like? 

Be aggressive

The Saints made a drastic organizational change this spring when they hired Klint Kubiak away from the San Francisco 49ers to be their offensive coordinator. Since, there's been a lot of talk about Kubiak's offense, and frankly, not a lot of talk about Kubiak himself. 

So, let's rectify that: I spent some time talking with Kubiak and his father, former Super Bowl winning head coach Gary Kubiak (as well as a number of Saints players and coaches) about what the Saints are getting in Kubiak, the coach. 

The answer might surprise you if you've taken a minute to watch one of Kubiak's press conferences: A coach who is committed to being aggressive, and learning from his surprisingly long list of professional influences. 

A line from Klint Kubiak I kept thinking about while writing: 

“You get to a part of a game, and you sometimes feel like, ‘Well, let’s just get a completion here,’ instead of having the mindset of, ‘Let’s go score on this play.' ... Shoot your bullets."

No more fullback vibes

Hope you waited to buy your Kool-Aid McKinstry jersey. 

The Saints rookie corner switched from the No. 34 he'd worn throughout the summer and fall — a number that gave him "fullback vibes" — to No. 14. 

And, maybe just a little, the new digits are inspired by Tyrann Mathieu. 

Our predictions

The Saints Insider crew got together and made their picks for Sunday's Week 1 game against Carolina. We all love chalk, though some do more than others. 

Jeff Duncan: Saints 23, Panthers 13

Rod Walker: Saints 20, Panthers 13

Matthew Paras: Saints 24, Panthers 7

Zach Ewing: Saints 23, Panthers 21

And yours truly: Saints 20, Panthers 16

Other headlines 

🗞️ The latest edition of the Saints Insider Podcast dives into the matchup this weekend between the Saints and Panthers. We broke it all down fully here. 

🗞️ Four Saints were ruled out for Sunday's game, a few more a questionable. 

🗞️ The most important things to watch out for Sunday, courtesy of columnist Rod Walker. 

Y'all have a great weekend, and thanks as always for reading. 

Cheers, 

Luke Johnson