During a team meeting in June, Kellen Moore pulled film to show how fast he wanted his New Orleans Saints to play. But the first-year coach didn’t show clips from the Philadelphia Eagles offense he called last year. He also elected not to use footage of historically great NFL teams, such as the 2007 New England Patriots or the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams, either.
Instead, Moore went to an entirely different sport. He used the Indiana Pacers — then in the NBA Finals — as an example to illustrate the effort and pace his team needed to replicate.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” wide receiver Rashid Shaheed said. “... We got to keep guys on their toes, and that’s how the Pacers play. That’s how they have success, running all four quarters. No matter how the score looks, you got to continue to fight. You never know, and that’s how the Pacers made their money this year.”
“That’s what he’s trying to embody,” tight end Juwan Johnson said.
Moore always has been a fan of cross-sport references. In that same session, he highlighted the (eventual champion) Oklahoma City Thunder’s camaraderie and how they all played for one another. Another time, the coach used this year’s French Open — which saw Carlos Alcaraz fend off three match points and storm back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner — to illustrate the importance of never giving up. The references serve as a way to lighten the mood and connect with players in ways that aren’t just football-related, much like how former interim coach Darren Rizzi often would use construction metaphors when he ran the Saints.
But the Pacers, in this case, are particularly relevant. Across Moore's time with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Eagles, tempo has served as a hallmark — if not the defining trait — of his scheme. The 36-year-old wants his teams to play fast. And in training camp, the Saints have emphasized this pace by incorporating no-huddle calls to stress the defense.
No matter who starts at quarterback this season — the team hasn’t even named a starter for Sunday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars — Moore said he wants to control “the rhythm” of a game.
“Sometimes you’re going fast, sometimes you’re going slow, and everything in between,” Moore said, adding, “There’s a rhythm to the game. You’re constantly trying to control the rhythm and change it up. If the defense gets a feel for you … that can allow them to play and control some things from their perspective.”
Under then-offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak last year, the Saints didn’t huddle on 9.8% of their plays — ranking slightly above average at No. 15 in the NFL. But dig deeper and it becomes apparent those calls were often situation driven. Of the Saints’ 99 no-huddle plays, according to TruMedia, 31 of them happened in the final two minutes of either half — when teams typically hurry up. The Saints also ran 51 of their 99 no-huddle plays when trailing by at least a touchdown in the fourth quarter — meaning they had to catch up. Sixty-two of those 99 calls occurred in the second half when the Saints trailed.
Moore’s tempo, by contrast, isn’t nearly as situational — it’s a philosophy.
When the play-caller got hired to run the Eagles’ offense last year, he amplified the volume for an already fast-paced team. The Eagles went from 183 no-huddle snaps (16.4%) in 2023 to 274 (24.5%) last year — despite only running two more snaps in 2024. With the Chargers, Los Angeles went from 19th in no-huddle snaps to third (168). And from 2019-2022, when Moore called plays for the Cowboys, Dallas ran the fifth-most no-huddle snaps and placed in the top 10 every year.
The volume was effective, too. Last year’s Eagles had an EPA (expected points added) of 0.20 per play in no-huddle compared to 0.05 on other plays. In simpler terms, the high-powered Eagles offense was even more efficient when it pushed the pace.
Saints players like the change. Quarterback Spencer Rattler said the tempo plays to his and the offense’s strengths, while wide receiver Chris Olave noted that the shift is taking advantage of a league-wide trend to play faster. Shaheed said Moore’s emphasis on it is one of the bigger differences from other offenses he’s learned.
“The biggest thing when you use tempo in a system like this, when teams have exotic blitz packages on third downs and stuff like that, and you use tempo on third down, that (opposing defensive) coordinator is not going to get to one of his exotics,” quarterback Jake Haener said. “So he might give the quarterback on defense a picture we’re more comfortable seeing. We can go through the progression, and we don’t have exotic pressure if we’re maybe going tempo.
“Kellen does a really good job integrating that into a game plan.”
As much as Moore likes to push the pace, the coach acknowledged there’s an “ebb and flow” to play calling. Though the Eagles ran the second-most no-huddle plays last season, Philadelphia was still far behind the Washington Commanders — who ran a staggering 677 (62.4%) no-huddle snaps under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Moore said it’s trickier to run tempo plays when the offense keeps stalling or “getting pushed back.” The last thing Moore wants is a quick three-and-out that puts his defense right back on the field, he said.
So when’s the right time to push it? That, again, is based on feel. Historically, Moore has been a fan of running tempo plays on first down — accounting for 49.2% of the Eagles’ no-huddle snaps and 43.5% of the 2023 Chargers’ no-huddle snaps. Moore said it’s easier to stick with tempo if the offense is in a flow, and the coach will also rely on tempo to exploit mismatches on the field. Hurrying to the line of scrimmage often prevents the defense from making personnel changes.
Moore’s most interesting use of tempo might come in the red zone. In camp, the Saints have mixed in tempo plays in the area, even in non-two-minute drills. Moore relied on such plays last year, dialing up 47 no-huddle red-zone calls. In those situations, Moore was more than comfortable running the ball, too — doing so almost 77% of the time.
Regardless, Moore makes it clear when he wants his team to go. In his ear, Haener said he’ll hear “Tempo! Tempo! Tempo!” followed by a play call for the quarterback to reiterate.
Then the Saints sprint to the line to quickly get off the snap. Squint close enough, and it’s almost as if there’s point guard Tyrese Hailburton leading the Indiana Pacers on a fast break.
“Coach Moore got a standard for how he wants his offense to be ran,” guard Cesar Ruiz said. “And it’s our job as an offense to uphold that, and be that standard, too.”