Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints’ Loss To Cowboys Not That Big a Deal

Perhaps the photo that accompanies this article, with Drew Brees lying on the ground with DeMarcus Ware the one on top is symoblic. Maybe the Cowboys are rising up and the Saints are falling down.

Maybe this isn’t even the best image, or the one that Saints fans will remember this game by. Maybe it’s Tony Romo scrambling and throwing to a seemingly wide open Miles Austin for every big conversion.

Maybe it’s something altogether.

Whatever it is, it likely isn’t a pretty picture in the eye of the beholder, unless those eyes belong to a Cowboys fan.

No Saints fan, even ones like myself who thought a loss might not be the worst thing for a team headed into the playoffs, wanted to see the Saints lose this game on national t.v. to “America’s Team”.

So when Dallas began the game dominating, it was a concern, but one we all assumed our team would overcome. To some extent they did. They managed to come back to get the game to a touchdown differential. That’s a good sign, right?

There were concerns for the Saints headed into this game. Most notable in my eyes was the defense getting into a bad habit of having slow starts.

The running game had been struggling in recent weeks. Pressure had become tougher to come by, and partially as a result, so had turnovers.

Once again, the Saints defense gave up points on their first possession, and I believe on the second as well. The running game struggled again, although this had more to do with the necessity to play catch up pretty much the entire game. And turnovers simply did not take place.

At least they got pressure on Tony Romo.

With a glass half-full approach we can see the Saints iniquities in this area cost them the game, which they should have weeks earlier. Some coaches say it’s easier to teach after a win.

I would say it is much easier to teach after going 13-0, then losing to a team you may have chance to get redemption on.

It’s almost a fact now that if the Cowboys win just one of their next two games that they’ll be in the playoffs. Conceivably they could get in as a six-seed, and if they’re able to knock off that third seed, they would be headed to New Orleans in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs.

That in itself should be enough motivation to get things right. Of course, there is even greater motivation, some trophy named after Vince Lombardi is still very much in reach. In fact, it is still just as possible as it was before Saturday’s night kickoff.

I feel with Sean Payton’s one-game-at-a-time approach, the team will be ready to go next Sunday versus Tampa Bay in order to clinch homefield advantage.

It’s also nice this game was played on a Saturday which gives the team an extra day to focus on their issues. They do exist and now the players should be as willing as ever to get them righted. If they want to win a Super Bowl, now is the time to get things fixed.

That’s why losing tonight isn’t that a big deal. They still have a chance to not lose a game the rest of the year.

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Offensive Gameplan Vs. The Cowboys

We’re now hours from kickoff. The more I think about it the more it seems Pierre Thomas should be a star Saturday night. The main reason is that he normally plays very well in primetime games.

More relevant, though, is the fact the Cowboys defense is set up almost perfectly for Pierre to explode.

They play a 3-4 with their outside backers generally playing on the L.O.S., similar to what Miami does, which makes it practically a 5-2. With this alignment, the middle of the line tends to be wide open for running. Of course, formation does affect the way the defense lines up, but this 5-2 look is what you will often get from Dallas in base down situations.

Coverage-wise, the Cowboys play a lot of Two-Man. This means they play the two high safeties, which play half the field, and have their corners man up across the field.

In my opinion, this is the best coverage scheme that exists. But even as good as it is, there are holes, not to mention that you still must have the players to run it.

The Cowboys have two solid corners in Terrence Newman and Mike Jenkins. In fact, Newman is better than solid. But their safeties lack the range to make plays on a regular basis.

Because of this, you can run guys across the middle all day for 15-20 yard completions. And with a quarterback like Drew Brees, who is so good at moving defenders with his eyes, pump fakes, and footwork, the deep sideline throw is available.

If you remember the New England game, Sean Payton started the game out with a vertical sideline route to Devery Henderson in between the corner and safety. I’m not saying the Saints will start this game that way, but I would expect to see that route a few times tomorrow night.

Where Mr. Pierre Thomas comes into play is in the running game, with some inside runs with the cutback option, which is just a standard inside zone run. Additionally, expect the Saints to find ways to isolate he and Reggie Bush on the outside against their linebackers.

Finally, play action should work well, especially after establishing the running game. Both the inside linebackers and safeties will begin cheating up, at which point Brees can hit a big one over the top down the middle, or even to the outside if the receivers can beat their guy one-on-one.

One thing I have yet to factor in is Dallas’ pass rush. In general, that has been an area that the defense has been down in 2009.  Nevermind the fact they could very well be without their best pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, and it seems hard to comprehend any scenario in which the Saints O-Line struggles to protect Brees.

But let’s stay away from assumptions. Wade Phillips has long loved to blitz, and for just as long has been very good at getting pressure with those blitzes. Because of this, I would look for the Saints to go with some empty packages in which Drew is called to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

But I also wouldn’t be stunned by some two back-type packages in order to help Drew stay clean. As long as Drew has time, he should be able to pick apart that secondary. And Pierre Thomas should have ample space to run.

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Saints-Cowboys: Black & Gold Xs & Os: Defensive Gameplan

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a true game plan article. I am only doing so to get back into it before the playoffs. Once we hit the playoffs, I absolutely will have in-depth game plan articles for all three games (that’s right, there will be three, and they will culminate in Drew Brees and company hoisting the Lombardi Trophy).

The other reason is that Dallas should be in the playoffs. It is at least possible that the Saints could play them again. Never mind, Roy Williams’ comments; the Saints will show up at home on Saturday night on national TV, and will make it very difficult for the Cowboys to come away with a win.

And it will all start with the defense. The Saints’ D has struggled in recent weeks at the beginning of the game. Some of that is good initial plans by the oppositions’ play-callers. Some of it has been poor execution by the Saints.

This is the week to right that wrong, as the Cowboys struggle out of the gate as much as any offense in football. But don’t allow your mind to think because of that, they are easy to stop. They are very talented and have a very effective running game.

Their offensive line is a veteran group which opens big holes in the running game and does a pretty good job protecting Tony Romo.

A few tendencies that stand out from some brief film study of the Cowboys’ offense:

1. They will run a draw on the opening series, and probably within the first three plays. It is just who they are.

2. I only saw two plays versus the Chargers in which they did not have a tight end lined up on the line. It is pretty much a rule in their offense that they must.

2b. They run a lot of two tight end sets. Most of the time they throw the ball when they split one of them out. When both are in the formation, they are probably going to run the football.

They also like to run a lot of two back, two tight end sets to give them an extra body to block inside.

3. Overall, their running game is more complex than most teams. They will run some zone, but also a lot of counters, and some iso-type runs. They run from a multitude of different formations and personnel groupings. They even throw in a wildcat with Tashard Choice.

Gregg Williams’ head is probably spinning thinking about how to stop this vaunted ground attack, given the Saints’ difficulties to do so in the second half of the season.

4. Most teams gain their complexity in their passing attack, but the Cowboys’ passing game is pretty elementary, by NFL standards. They do what works, and make only minor adjustments based on their opponents.

They do a good job of creating matchups, such as a tight end on a small corner, or speedy Miles Austin going against a slow linebacker.

5. The Cowboys often get good field position after kickoffs because Felix Jones is an electric returner with tremendous speed, and the Cowboys do a wonderful job of blocking up ahead of him.

The Saints are going to need deep kickoffs from Thomas Moorstead and speed to get downfield and blow up the wedge.

 

Gregg Williams’ Plan

It is hard to say that you want to commit everything to stopping the run, given that the Saints will most likely be scoring early and often, and therefore forcing the Cowboys to throw the football.

But at the same time you don’t want to get gashed by the run because you aren’t ready for it. Because of this, and because the Cowboys often get into run formations to run the football, I would tell my defense that a power formation from them equals eight in the box from us.

The Cowboys do like play action a lot, so this could be dangerous, but stopping the run is the key to slowing this offense down. I would use some run blitzes, especially against power formations. I would slant the entire line away from a two tight end side, since they often like to run away from that.

I would just do different things in order to slow this running game down. I would sell out to stop the run.

I would play a Cover One man-to-man coverage, with Darren Sharper taking Jason Witten man-to-man and Randall Gay going against Miles Austin. I think Malcolm Jenkins can take Roy Williams out of the game.

I would not blitz a ton, but play the run and allow the linebackers to play the backs out of the backfield. If they stay, then the linebackers can come.

If I’m going to get burned, it’s not going to be by the running game. I’d rather it be the passing game.

I will have an offensive preview out, hopefully tomorrow.

Geaux Saints!

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Last Minute Preview of Saints-Redskins

Sunday in DC, look for the Saints to take an army-like approach, that is by ground. Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas should both have field days, if the offensive line blocks well and the offense stays on schedule.

I may be the only one, but I am extremely intrigued by this opponent for a number of reasons. First, is that Washington is the team the Saints played in their last opportunity to clinch the NFC South title in 2006. I should remember since it’s the only time I’ve ever been to the Superdome.

That game was amazingly disappointing, but the Saints still clinched the division that afternoon. Interestingly enough, the same is possible this weekend. Really, the only thing that must happen is an Atlanta loss.

It wouldn’t bother me too much if the Saints were to lose, since I may be the only Saints fan who is now rooting for the team to lose at least one regular season game (I’m assuming Minnesota will lose at least once more themselves).

That being said, I would prefer it come next week versus Atlanta, or really in the season finale against Carolina.

On that note, if the Saints do clinch tomorrow, do you consider resting your starters next week? Then they can play full go versus Dallas, maybe rest against Tampa Bay, and play about a half versus Carolina. With a bye they need some action in Week 17.

But I digress. Of more importance is how to beat the Redskins. In my opinion, they are a very talented team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their scheme is a little dry, but they are still a decent defense.

They rush four on most downs and will most likely keep to that strategy given Drew Brees’ efficiency versus the blitz. Behind that, they play a lot of coverage. They’ll play some two, but mix in one and four.

This season, Brees and Co. have absolutely torn apart zone coverages. Washington must make a decision if they want to go zone versus Brees or play more man-to-man. But it really should be pick your poison as far as the Saints are concerned. Brees can hit the big ones, or methodically move the ball.

I did mention too that the ground game should be effective. I say this because the Redskins’ defensive line is built to rush the QB and their SLB, Brian Orakpo, is much more of a pass rusher than run stopper. I would run an off tackle zone to his side on half of my run plays.

When they start to overload that side in their lane fills, Mike Bell, the cutback extraordinaire, will hit them where it hurts most. 

On the goalline, I would get into some bunch formations, but use some playaction because their linebackers are not great in coverage, especially to the flats or in space.

Defensively, the Saints know pretty much what to expect. The Redskins use a one-back version of the West Coast Offense. They moved fullback Mike Sellers to an H-Back position, which is basically a second tight end.

They like to run the ball to his side on zone plays and get him out to the flats in the passing game. The rest of their passing game is pretty much a short-to-intermediate package. They don’t throw the ball deep over the middle or even up the seams very often.

As far as the offensive line, they are a mash unit, that is not very good in pass protection. Schematically, they like to slide protect and go big-on-big on the outside. This means Will Smith, Charles Grant, and Bobby McCray have a chance to win one-on-one battles all day.

I would help give them an advantage occasionally by running some overload blitzes with a safety, corner, or even outside linebacker. Giving Jason Campbell multiple looks will throw him off a bit. He is not a dumb QB, but he struggles to process information quickly enough to make good decisions.

I would play almost exclusively man-to-man coverage on the slots, since they never go deep. On the outside, I might show some press and back off or vice-versa just to potentially bait them into trying a deep ball, which could then be undercut for an interception.

I may sound confident. I hope I do. I think this should be a fun game for New Orleans fans. NFC South Champs sounds pretty nice to me.

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Last Minute Preview of Saints-Patriots

Here are some things I will check back on in the morning to see if they happened. If they do, I believe the Saints can win this game.

1.  The Patriots like to use a base three-receiver set, but will add even more than that to their formation. This will cause stress on the Saints lack of depth in the secondary.

The only way to stop the Patriots in this case is to get a lot of pressure on Tom Brady. If they are unable to do that, Brady could put up huge numbers tonight. Look for a lot of blitzing, early and often.

2.  Patriots like to play a lot of coverage, and will even play man-to-man on the outside. These together are actually advantages for the Saints offense. Brees should be able to find holes in the coverage.

The intermediate sideline routes, and “go” routes to guys like Colston and Meachem will be open often.

3.  Patriots are a good run defense. Because of this I would expect Brees to come out throwing early and often. After hitting some big plays, the running game then becomes an option later in the game.

4. As always, winning the turnover and third down battle will be key. So will time of possession, plus the rushing yardage leader might have an advantage.

Geaux Saints!

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Saints-Rams: Black & Gold Offensive’s Gameplan

As I explained yesterday, there really is no excuse for the Saints defense to give up any points in this game.

In much the same way, there is no excuse for the Saints offense to not score on every possession.

It isn’t that the Rams are not talented, and it’s not that they have a poor scheme. Instead, there seems to be a lack of cohesion among the group. And that is always a recipe for disaster.

Chris Long and Leonard Little are both very talented players on the defensive line, but the interior of that line is not incredibly strong.

At the linebacker level, rookie James Laurinatis has been a pleasant surprise and has quickly become the leader of the defense. Unfortunately, there isn’t much behind him to speak of.

In the secondary, it’s O.J. Atogwe and a bunch of misfits, pretty much.

Schematically, the Rams run a pretty basic 4-3. They hardly extend their ends past the tackles, plus they keep their linebackers inside the tackles.

The idea of that defense is to stop the run up the middle and defend the middle zones in pass coverage. Because of this the outside is often open. 

But even the middle of the defense is open when you get into formations with a slot receiver, or really any formation that isn’t two backs, a tight end, and one receiver on each side.

Additionally, motion is very effective against this defense because it changes matchups in the passing game. If you want Jeremy Shockey lined up on a corner, motion him there. If you want him matched up on a linebacker, start him out wide and motion him inside. The same would go with any other receiver.

You can also use motion to help the running game by bringing guys into crack for an outside run. I would also expect some wing formations and bunch formations for this reason.

The corners generally play what’s called a trail technique, meaning they allow the receivers to run past them, but they stay on his hip. For this reason, out-breaking routes will be mostly ineffective. However, in breaking routes, and deep routes will burn this secondary.

Therefore look for Brees to attack the middle of the field, and deep, as much as possible.

In the running game, I still look for New Orleans to attack the middle with their inside zone attack, allowing Bell, Thomas, and Bush the opportunity to read the hole and cutback whenever necessary.

I really think this is a game where Sean Payton can call practically whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and it should work, as long as the players can execute. 

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: New Orleans Saints Defensive Gameplan Vs. Rams

It’s seemingly a fair statement to make that the New Orleans Saints should be 9-0 after this weekend’s game. I say this mainly because the Saints are still playing good enough football to beat anyone. Even if they weren’t though, this would probably be the game that could potentially get them out of a funk.

Honestly, St. Louis is just plain not very good offensively. They rely on one guy. That guy’s name, of course, is Steven Jackson.

He accounts for more than 42 percent of all St. Louis’s total offensive yardage. That, of course is a far cry from the balanced attack the Saints offense employs. Moreso is second in catches on the team. Not only does he carry the ball over 20 times per game, but also catches three balls per game.

In fact, if you combine all other Rams rushers this season, you get 39 carries. That means Jackson has carried the football 126 more times than the rest of the team. If you include all receptions, Jackson has more touches than the entire team has receptions.

I know that there are a lot of statistics being thrown around here. Some of it may not make sense. My point—in case it is not clear—is that St. Louis is ALL about Jackson, Jackson, and some more Jackson.

When you turn on the film, St. Louis does look like a professional offense, yet they are downright offensive in their nature. They are no longer “The Greatest Show on Turf.” A more appropriate name may be “The Most Lopsided Show Ever.”

They are so overmatched it’s not even funny. I love rookie offensive tackle, Jason Smith. And some of their other offensive line are very skilled, but they do not play well as a unit yet. Of course, continuity is the biggest key to success on the line, so it is probably too early to give up on them.

It is not too early though, to give up on the Rams’ skill players. Donnie Avery would be a great third/slot receiver. But they are asking him to be their number one guy. I’m sorry, but he is clearly not that.

The Rams better pray they have one of the top five picks in next year’s draft so they can draft Dez Bryant. Otherwise, their offense will continue to stink for years to come without a playmaking wide receiver.

I digress, back to the Xs and Os talk.

Personnel-wise, the Rams use a lot of base personnel with former Saint Mike Karney at fullback and Randy McMichael at tight end. They’ll go I-Formation from this, but also go with a spread gun formation and put Karney in the backfield and line Jackson out in the slot.

Again, this proves how much the Rams rely on Jackson. Most teams have a designated flex player, like the Saints do with Bush. Almost never is he the same guy who gets the majority of the carries.

Other personnel groupings include two tight ends, where they bring in Billy Bajema, a career backup, as the second tight end. They’ll go with an Ace look, which is tight ends on the line on both sides of the formation. Other times, they’ll go with a wing formation, where both tight ends are lined up on the same side. Either way, they want to run the football.

Finally, they use a lot of bunch looks, which they use mostly to run the football, but also in the passing game to run some switch routes, which they are hoping will confuse the defense if they’re playing man-to-man coverage.

Switch routes also can work versus zone coverage because they are by nature designed to flood open spots of the field.

Most of the Rams passing game is a horizontal version of the West Coast Offense. This basically means they run short-to-intermediate routes, hoping to get quick players in space. They accompany these short routes with one deep route, which they hope will take the top off the coverage and eventually give those shorter routes more room.

Because the nature of this game, I would expect the Rams to play conservatively on offense and ride Steven Jackson once again. They may throw some play action in, which I didn’t see too much of on film. But with a defense struggling to stop the run, a beast like Jackson, and no passing game, it seems like the only sensible solution.

 

How Will Gregg Williams Stop Jackson?

If I don’t sound like a broken record, then something is horribly wrong. Put an eighth guy in the box. Heck, put a ninth guy in the box. Screw it, don’t even defend their receivers…okay just kidding, but I think you get the point.

Seriously, adding a ninth guy, at least on some downs, may not be a horrible idea. Doing so really will force them to either check off and go to a pass play, which is an advantage for the Saints. Or they will have to run against nine-in-the-box. Either way, the Saints should stop them.

Since Jackson is just as likely to catch a pass as any other Rams player, I would put one of the two safeties on him at all times. Allow the linebackers to play McMichael or Karney out of the backfield.

I would also send a variety of blitzes on third down to confuse the offensive line and get pressure on Marc Bulger. Behind it, play exclusively man-to-man coverage, which will make interceptions difficult, but gives the defense a better chance to stop the Rams.

I wish I could give you more, but truthfully, that’s really all there is need for. It should be utter domination on both sides of the ball. If it is not, the Saints aren’t as good as we all thought.  

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Black and Gold Xs and Os: The Saints’ Offensive Gameplan vs. the Panthers

This week against the Carolina Panthers’ defense, the New Orleans Saints face a formidable challenge. It is the first team they have seen this year that plays a base Cover-2 defense.

In the past, the Saints have not done as well against this style of defense. Of course, over that same stretch they tore apart man-to-man defenses. This season they’ve found some difficulty against man-to-man defenses, but tore apart zone coverages.

So what should we expect in Week Nine (Game Eight)?

Expect Carolina to mix up its coverages, trying to give Drew Brees different looks than what he sees on film. Carolina’s other most common coverage is Cover-3.

The corners play the Cover-2 soft, meaning they trail the outside receivers on their routes but stay focused on what is happening behind them in order to get back to the route thrown into the flat.

There are many options of ways to attack this base Cover-2. You can send two or three receivers to one side and flood that side. You can run receivers at the two safeties and have another receiver find the open hole in the coverage.

You can simply throw shallow crossing route and check-down routes play after play and move the ball methodically down the field. Of course, knowing Sean Payton’s style of play-calling, he will combine all these methods. And let’s not forget the running game.

To be completely honest, even though the Panthers’ pass defense looks vulnerable, the running game seemingly will be even more open. This is because Carolina’s linebackers fly hard to the football, leaving cutback lanes for Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell.

Because of their aggressive pursuit, reverses and end-arounds can work pretty well against this defense.

On obvious run downs, Carolina does a better job of filling those holes, meaning the best bet is to run right at them with Bell on a power-type run.

The ends rush pretty hard upfield, meaning if Brees can loft the ball over their arms, that Swing Screen (which I told you they would run again, and it was the most important play of the game) will be open in short-yardage situations.

Backs out of the backfield should be open all day. Also, with the aggressive pursuit of the linebackers, play-action with Jeremy Shockey or Marques Colston getting over the top of the linebackers will be open all day.

I chose to keep this gameplan brief because I believe this may be one of the simplest gameplans the Saints offense will have this season. In reality, this defense is ripe for the picking. The Saints should be able to run or pass, and I’m not sure the order matters much.

I would say it’s probably best to come out with some screens and draws to slow down Carolina’s four-man pass rush. At that point anything is possible.

As long as the Saints don’t come out wearing all black again, I say they stroll to an easy victory. I’ll be praying between now and gametime that they stick with the gold pants. Geaux Saints!

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: New Orleans Saints’ Defensive Gameplan vs. Carolina

After watching the past four games the Carolina Panthers have played, it is very clear their offense is very good at one thing—running the football—and not so good at another—throwing it.

Anyone probably could have said the same thing, without breaking down the Panthers previous four games.

I hope to give you some more patterns and tendencies to watch for on Sunday afternoon.

One of those is that the Panthers routinely run the football on first down. I don’t have an actual percentage but I would say at least 60 percent of the time. The other 40 percent is made up of primarily play-action and some quick dropback passes.

When they use play-action on first down, about 90 percent of the time they are trying to get an explosive play down the field, and most of the time they are trying to hit Steve Smith. He runs a lot of “Go Routes” and Deep Posts, as well as some Deep Ins (Digs).

The other main form of play-action the Panthers will use is a bootleg where they generally hit a tight end or back out of the backfield in the flat.

I should have noted previously that the Panthers line up probably 98 percent of the time on first down with either 21, 22, or 12 personnel. In order, that is two backs and one tight end, two backs and two tight ends, and one back with two tight ends.

This is relevant because it gives them the bulk and strength to block teams in the run game. They use a lot of I-Formations and offset-I to run the ball.

They also use the Ace (from 12 personnel) sets to run the ball. Either way, it forces eight defenders in the box, which is when the play-action threat becomes most dangerous.

It is also common for the Panthers to use pretty much the same alignments and play concepts on second down.

It seems fair to say that after Monday night’s game, and the success the Panthers have had in recent weeks, that the Panthers will focus mostly on the running game, especially early in the game, and for as long as they are able to stay close.

One other set they have shown in recent weeks, on any D & D (down and distance), is a bunch formation—three eligible receivers to one side of the formation, all within about one yard of each other.

They use this primarily to out-man one side of the defense and really power the ball to that side.

But they also love the inside zone, which goes off tackle, or off guard. They also will run a zone cut play, where they slant the entire line to one side, hand off that way, but send their fullback the other way. The back then cuts and runs back that way through a huge hole.

Additionally, the Panthers have two different types of toss plays. On one, they simply zone block—again where they all slant to the side the ball is going.

The other is the more traditional toss play, where a guard pulls to the side of the toss, hoping to take out a filling linebacker or safety.

In addition to blocking well in the running game, the Panthers have two outstanding backs. That really is the key to their being a very good running team.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are among the best in the game as a tandem. Both have good power and speed.

Both are blazing fast when they get out in the open field. But what makes both of them so dynamic, simply as runners, is their ability to press the line of scrimmage, and then quickly get outside with great speed.

Both cut very quickly on those zone cut plays. Both catch the ball out of the backfield very well, and this is really a tremendous weapon for the Panthers offense. But, neither is great in pass protection. That is where they can be had.

When the Panthers come across a third down, they become slightly more exotic, both personnel-wise and formation-wise. They will use 10, 11, 12, and 21 groupings in this situation. 11—three receivers, one tight end, and one back—is their most common grouping on these downs.

They often will go with 3×1 formations (three receivers to one side of the formation, one to the other) and that lone ranger is often Steve Smith. By doing this, they are hoping to get him matched up one-on-one.

They know if you help with a safety or LB that they then have a man advantage on the other side. In my opinion it is worth it, since no one else is really going to burn you very often.

Much like Atlanta, a bulk of Carolina’s pass offense consists of intermediate or deep routes.  Carolina’s offensive line has struggled in recent weeks holding up against a twisting, stunting four-man rush. Therefore, they haven’t been able to hit those deep routes.

Getting pressure on Delhomme with a four-man pass rush will be a huge key for New Orleans. If they are able to do that and double Steve Smith, they should never give up any big pass plays against this offense.

Of course, Delhomme also has a tendency to just chuck a lot of throws when facing pressure, which means the Saints could add to their high turnover numbers that they’ve established to this point in the 2009 season.

So if you haven’t figured out my gameplan yet, here it is:

– Play eight men in the box on first and second down. Play off coverage on Steve Smith with rotating help from Sharper or a LB.

– Allow Harper to play the tight end out of the backfield on playaction and dropback passes.

– Use Shanle to play the RB out of the backfield. Vilma or Evans/Dunbar can play the fullback.

– As I planned a few games ago against another heavy zone team, it is crucial to keep gap control in defending the run. To throw off the line, run some twists and stunts when you expect a run.

– Run blitz on early downs, but most importantly tackle!

– On Third Down, use Bobby Mcray as a DE, slide Charles Grant to DT, and have Smith and Ayodele stay in their normal positions. This gives you your current best pass-rushing D-Line.

– Play Cover Two and Cover Four on Third Down to keep Smith in front of you. Blitz linebackers on a rotating basis to guarantee pressure on Delhomme. This will cause the ball to come out early, leading to turnovers.

– Watch the draw and screen on third down, especially third-and-long. Because of Delhomme’s struggles they don’t trust him as much as they once did.

This causes them to play cautious. Don’t be fooled though, Williams or Stewart are capable of breaking one.

Finally, and most importantly, the defense has struggled a bit the past couple weeks. It’s time for Gregg Williams to renew the unit’s swagger. This game starts a three-game stretch against some egregious offenses. This is a chance to establish dominance heading into a tough end of November and December stretch.

I will post the offensive gameplan by tomorrow morning. Until then, Geaux Saints! 

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Black & Gold X’s & O’s: Saints Offensive Gameplan vs. the Falcons

I could’ve picked any number of offensive players for the Saints this week to represent them on the “gameplan picture.” But I picked Thomas.

Perhaps it is because I am desperate in fantasy football, as I’m down 31 points headed into Monday night’s game. Maybe it is because I feel that for some reason after two-plus solid seasons, Thomas is still not garnering the kind of respect he deserves.

Most likely, though, it is that Thomas stands to have a very nice game in the dome on Monday Night Football . Then again, I predict that Drew Brees will torch the Falcons secondary as well.

This could be a game that the last team with the ball wins, much like last season’s matchup at the Dome was.  I have very little doubt that the Saints will be able to score on the Falcons. At this point, pretty much the only thing that can stop this unit is itself, or a key injury, which no Saints fan wants to even consider.

Getting back to the point at hand, the Falcons defense is one that frankly has a lot of holes.  This is not to say that they aren’t capable of slowing down the New Orleans offense, but it will take execution like they have not had in recent weeks.

There isn’t really one guy on the Atlanta defense that you point to and say, “well we have to really watch out for that guy”. That may be one of the scariest aspects of this matchup, because Miami was pretty much the same way.

Speaking of parallels between Atlanta and Miami; the Falcons defensive scheme is not wholly different from the Dolphins. Sure, Miami ran a base 3-4, whereas the Falcons run a 4-3, but the way they play once the ball has been snapped, is fairly similar.

Here are some tendencies that jumped out after watching three games of film on this defense.

–  John Abraham is not the same player he was even last year. He will no longer beat tackles off the edge with speed. Instead, the Falcons use a lot of stunts and twists to cause QB pressure. They also blitz more than they did a year ago.

–  The Falcons will play a lot of matchup zone-type coverages. I use this basketball terminology because I’m not sure what else to call it. If you’re familiar with this part of basketball, it’s pretty much the same thing.

The defenders play an area and will man-up with whoever comes into that area. Because of this, bunch and stack alignments with the receivers will force their defense to either adjust or will allow a receiver to get open quite easily.

–  When the offense lines up in a Pro Set—two backs, tight end, and one receiver on both sides of the formation—two things happen that are very advantageous for the offense.

First, you get straight man-to-man on the outside. This means you get Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, or Marques Colston going against Chris Houston and whoever is on the other side. That is a definite mismatch.

Second, you can rest assured that in the pro set, you will get one of the three linebackers covering the tight end. And frankly, it is irrelevant who it is, because none of them can cover Jeremy Shockey.

–  Also, out of two backs, playaction is a wonderful method of attack, because it triggers a pretty intense blitz. Much like Miami, if you can hold up against that blitz, you have man-to-man down the field, and an opportunity to hit a deep pass.

– Against a two-tight end set, a linebacker will come up and play over one of the tight ends. Because of this, if you line up with both tight ends on the same side, it becomes an easy down block for the first tight end to run off tackle, and outside zone-type plays, and even an outside toss.  Oh yeah, don’t forget about that swing screen (I know I’ve said that three weeks in a row. It’s coming back at some point, I promise you!).

– When an offense goes into a 2×2 alignment—two receivers on both sides of the formation—the Falcons will have safeties, or a nickel play the slots, but they play way off, about 10 yards in fact. This puts them at risk of a lot of in-breaking intermediate routes, crossing routes, etc.

–  They play a lot of Tampa Two, which really just means they have their middle linebacker drift back at the snap and play deep middle of the coverage. It is very possible to get underneath him with slots and tight ends, or over the top with Henderson or Meachem for big plays over the middle. And that leads me to my final main point.

–  The middle of the field is ALWAYS open, though that safety Thomas DeCoud is an eye-reader. A QB can manipulate him by looking off other routes. Expect Brees to have active eyes tonight.

How to Specifically Attack the Falcons Defense

I expect Sean Payton to come out aggressively tonight. He’ll probably formation the Falcons to death. I would expect a lot of stack and bunch formations early in the contest, to see if they can hit some big ones early, but also to see just how they are going to play those looks.

We may even see some I Twins looks, where the two receivers are stacked away from the tight end. This gives you the advantages we talked about in the stack look, but also gets Jeremy Shockey one-on-one with a linebacker.

I think playaction may be used a lot in this ball game. It can be very effective against the Falcons, and gives Brees a chance to hit some deep throws.

Here would be my first ten plays script:

1.  (21) I-Left Twins PA TE Seam X Drag Z Bench:  This would give the play fake, get Shockey running down the seam on a LB, Colston running a shallow cross, and Henderson or Meachem running a deep out.

2.  (20 Bush) Quads Rt Z Jailbreak Screen:  This is the 2×2 look. The slot goes to block the corner over the outside receiver, the Z (Henderson, Meachem, Moore, or Bush) takes one step upfield then loops back towards Brees, who throws it to him with Stinchcomb coming to wipe out a LB, getting the Z in open space.

3.  (12) Ace Wing Lt Twins Zip 39 Crack Toss:  David Thomas is the TE on the line, Shockey lined up 1×1 to the outside of him. Henderson or Meachem comes in motion to crack back. Thomas gets the ball outside and reads the crack blocks, either cutting up or getting to the outside.

4.  (11 Bush) Stack Tight Rt Double Cross H Flat Y Post:  This has Colston and Moore running crossing routes, hoping to rub the linebackers. Bush is running to the sideline and Shockey running a vertical post.

5.  (10 Pierre) Bunch Lt 42 Trap Draw:  Brees gives a look like he’s going to throw, then hands off to Thomas, who runs inside a block by Meachem coming across the formation.

6.  (21 Bell) Strong Right 999 H Check Middle:  Brees takes a seven-step drop, giving Henderson, Meachem, and Shockey time to get deep on “Go” routes. Bell searches for someone to block, then releases to the middle of the field as a check down in case none of the three verticals come open.

7.  (21 Bush) Deuce Lt Hart 42 Power:  This has Bush lined up to the right and coming in motion. The handoff goes to Bell, who runs right behind a pulling guard. Brees then fakes to Bush, hoping to freeze the backside tackle, and setting up the end around for later.

8.  (11 Bush) Gun Empty Rt Stack Tight 22 Drag H Post F Wheel: This places Shockey and Bush stacked together in the formation to the right but close to the line. Shockey runs a shallow cross route. The two outside receivers run slants as a hot read. Henderson runs a skinny post on the left side. Bush runs around the slant up the sideline hoping to catch one deep.

9.  (22 Thomas) Weak Lt Wing 45 Counter:  Whoever the fullback is (Hamilton?) lines up offset away from the tight ends. Shockey comes back across the formation as a pulling blocker. Brees reverse pivots gives a counter step. It is a misdirection play that should work against a defense that tries to play fast.

10.  (11) Trey Rt 44 Izzone:  This is a 3×1 look, but we’re going to run the football. Thomas is the tight end and he will hook the linebacker in front of him. The rest of the line slants to the right. Bell simply reads the hole and goes. Touchdown Saints!

Ten plays, one score, and one great way to start the game. These are just a few plays that would figure to work against this defense. Whatever Sean Payton calls, let’s hope it works.

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