Chase Young and Carl Granderson aren't just hoopin.

They're hoopin hoopin.

The New Orleans Saints edge rushers currently are the best pass rush tandem in the NFL with a combined 15.5 takedowns, ranking second and fourth individually, with Young having collected 8 sacks and Granderson having stacked 7.5.

"It means a lot to them," said Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who assists on the buckets. "They're invested, big time, in their game. They've improved a lot as players. I think they complement each other pretty well. I think we've done a great job of putting them in their right positions to be successful, kind of based on their skillsets. (Edges coach) Jay (Rodgers) is doing a great job coaching them.

"But those guys have just — since I've been here — made a lot of improvement in their game, and that's led to a lot more playmaking. I think getting comfortable in the scheme and us comfortable with them in terms of calling plays for those guys so that they can knock their shots down, so to speak. They've just done that consistently since we've been here. They've been playing tough in pass rush, they've been playing tough in the run game and they're gonna need that moving forward."

Young, who had a career-high 10 sacks in 12 games last season, has his second-highest total with nine remaining games. He only has been shut out twice; one of them was the controversial no-sack, no-forced-fumble, backward-pass-that-was-an-incomplete-pass call against Detroit in the season opener.

"Speed to power," said Young, the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year who also has 13 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and four passes defensed. "They're having problems with that right now, speed to power. And then I work off that.

"But if you watch my film — honestly, when you watch it, it doesn't really matter. It's a thing to watch it, and it's a thing to go execute against it. And not many people are executing against it right now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Granderson — "Grando," to his teammates — doesn't appear to require much fixing, either. He's a sack away from tying his single-season best despite missing one game, and he became the only player in franchise history to produce at least 1.5 sacks in four consecutive games, and the first one in the NFL to do so since 2013.

"I'm versatile," Granderson said. "I just hit my move, whatever I'm feeling that day. I got a swim move, I got a ghost move, I got power if I need to. I'm just out there playing fast. But you know (Young), he's gonna speed to power. Impressive."

That can be said of the combination, as the two have been more formidable than any tandem in the league.

"I said leading into this year, I want (Young) to be an All-Pro, I want every down to be great," said fellow edge rusher Cameron Jordan, the franchise all-time leader with 132 sacks. "And he's showed up every game and played the right way.

"If I say Chase is All-Pro, what do I think of Carl? He plays the run, he plays the pass, he's able to switch inside and have just as much success. That's the unsung hero of the D-line, I love the season he's having.

"This is their third year together so everybody knows where they rush, how they rush. When you see Chase go high you know Carl is coming underneath, or vice versa. I think they rush real well together."

They do so partly because they fuel each other.

"We have that inner brotherhood competitive battle," Young said. "When I was with (defensive end Montez) Sweat in Washington we had it. It's like, I make a play, then it puts a battery in Grando. Grando makes a play, then it puts a battery in me. I think that's how it's always been, though. That's the only way I know how to make us great together, we feed off each other.

"Grando's on my heels right now so every time he gets a sack, I'm like, all right, I got you. He's like, 'I'm there, I'm there.' I'm like, 'All right, watch this.'"

Granderson said the two are seeing the fruition of a chemistry that was formed a few seasons ago.

"It started off in training camp, being able to compete with each other," Granderson said. "We always used to be like, 'I bet you I get more sacks than you this practice.' We're competitors.

"You can feel the vibe out there when we're out there together, we feed off each other. If he makes a play, I know I got to come back and make a play. That's the best about having somebody like him, so we can push each other."

On occasion this season, Staley has lined up Young and Granderson on the same side, allowing them to attack next to each other. Young said Staley is "playing Madden out there. It's crazy."

"I like it, but I don't like them because they slide to us," Young said. "But Staley always does a good job of getting them in a 5-0 protection to try to get one-on-ones. But when we get one-on-ones I love it. Sometimes I'll let Grando do what he does and play off him, and sometimes he'll let me do what I do and he'll play off me."

Playing off Young has its benefits. The 27-year-old is at the height of his powers, as unblockable as he ever has been.

"Yes," Young said, "that's how I feel. But honestly, I've never felt like somebody could block me. My first year with the Saints, even when I was top 10 in pressures, I wasn't landing the sacks but I was winning. I'm not used to getting blocked. Even when they said I was a bust – and I still had 7.5 (sacks) and still in '23 and '24 was top five in pressures – I was still winning. I've always won. Go back and watch the film, I've always won. It just wasn't to (media's) expectation at the time."

The present time appears to be right, with production and talent aligning for Young and Granderson, who are poised to become the eighth tandem in franchise history with 10-plus sacks in a season.

"Especially with Carl's versatility and his ability to move around, we're able to create matchups for him and Chase," Staley said. "(And) because of (linebacker) Kaden (Elliss), some of the looks that we can present – our goal is to get those guys as many one-on-one matchups as possible. They've proven that they can knock those down."

Hoopin.

"(Granderson) said, 'Aye, Aye, I pushed him to you now,'" Young said of an in-game interaction. "And I'm like, 'All right, fa sho, fa sho.' But that's the game. That's what makes it fun and that's what makes us keep huntin'."