Black & Gold Xs & Os: Defensive Game Plan Vs. The Falcons

When watching film of the Atlanta Falcons offense, a few things stand out to me. They are a very well organized offense from a schematic and personnel perspective. They are also extremely well coached. And perhaps most importantly, they have a lot of talent.

It all starts with their second-year QB Matt Ryan. Ryan takes as few sacks as Drew Brees normally does. In fact, this year Ryan has been even better about getting the ball out than Drew.

And make no mistake about it, Ryan is a very athletic player who has no problem getting outside to keep plays alive or to make a few yards for his offense. Additionally, when he has a chance to step into a throw, his arm is as strong as anyone’s in the entire league.

When he begins to struggle, it is against pressure, at which point he has a habit of throwing off his back foot. This causes him to be less accurate and lose distance on his throws.

Ryan excels in two-minute drills and in tight situations, hence the nickname “Matty Ice”. Hopefully, Monday night’s game won’t come down to such a situation.

It is important to note that the talent does not end with Ryan. Running backs Michael Turner and Jerrious Norwood provide a nice one-two punch, which has become a trio in recent weeks with Jason Snelling providing an even more bruising-type presence in the lineup.

Even though they’ve had less success on the ground this year than a year ago, they are still explosive running the football and remain committed to it, even when playing from behind.

Tight End Tony Gonzalez might as well be Jeremy Shockey as far as the New Orleans defense is concerned. Beyond the fact that both wear no. 88, they are used exactly the same way in offenses that are almost mirror images.

Gonzalez runs a lot of short crossing routes and seam routes up the middle against safeties and linebackers. They like to place him all over the formation, and motion him a lot to block backside on run plays. He is not used much in pass protection, mainly because he is such a dynamic receiving threat.

Additionally, Roddy White is used mainly as a big-play guy. He runs a lot of vertical routes and deep routes over the middle. Michael Jenkins is a bigger receiver who is more of a possession-type receiver. He will run a lot of intermediate routes, and might be one of the better receivers at catching the ball on a slant route and holding on.

On the offensive line, the Falcons are pretty much a one-man team as far as names go. But they work very well as a unit, and because of that open up a lot of holes in the running game, and do a good job keeping Matt Ryan clean in the pocket.

The Falcons like to go big-on-big with LT Sam Baker. This basically means they allow Baker to go one-on-one with either the defensive end lined up over him, or a blitzer lined up over him. Occasionally, though they will help him with the blitzer by checking a back, allowing Baker to stay inside when the end lines up inside shade of him, in a five-technique as opposed to outside which is a seven-tech.

Knowing how the Falcons like to protect is key since so much of what they do is predicated on giving Ryan time to throw. They run so many deep routes, or slower developing routes at least that they must protect Ryan. Pressure is key against this offense.

It is not unusual for Atlanta to get five out into the pattern, but they will generally keep at least one in if they see a blitz. They will often send five receivers vertical or four vertical and send one shallow as a clear out concept to hit that guy over the middle.

Because of this defenses must be ready to cover five guys man-to-man and pay attention to every eligible receiver on the field. They are all legitimate options for Ryan to utilize at any time.  

Brief Defensive Game Plan

Against the running game, I would run blitz and shoot gaps against what is primarily an inside zone, cutback type team. Shoot the gaps that are empty since that is where they want to hit the run ultimately. This clogs up lanes, and then all you must do is tackle.

I would do this mostly with an outside linebacker, but from time-to-time would bring Roman Harper or Darren Sharper to perform this role.

In third down situations, and other obvious passing downs, I would big blitz, or send one more to a certain side than the Falcons have to protect. Use some stunts, and twists on the inside against a double-team blocking scheme. On the outside against Baker, bring a DE and OLB and twist them, forcing Baker to take the OLB, and leaving the DE on a RB or TE.

Otherwise, I would really blitz the “A gap” hard, trying to get to Ryan early. If you do this it is important to play contain on the outside in order to keep Ryan in the pocket. If he gets outside he becomes even more dangerous. He has yet to prove he can consistently step up into the pocket. Make him do this.

In coverage, ideally a Two-Man look with two deep safeties and man coverage should work well. Of course, the more you blitz the fewer people you have to play in coverage. I would play some cover four as a result to keep the ball in front with man coverage on Tight Ends and backs to watch the over-the-middle throws.

It is important to give Matt Ryan a lot of different looks. I think Gregg Williams will do that. This will cause pressure, which will cause turnovers. And in honor of Halloween, the Saints will scare the Falcons and make them pay for being too loose with the football.

Monday I will post my offensive game plan. Until then, Geaux Saints!

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Tape Review Of the Saints Comeback Win

Lost in the euphoria of the Saints miraculous comeback Sunday evening was the fact the Saints probably played the worst football not only of their season, but perhaps of any team’s season in the first half.

They couldn’t block, they couldn’t throw, they couldn’t catch a pass, they couldn’t tackle, they missed assignments, took poor angles, and perhaps worst of all, just looked extremely flat, and therefore lost (like the show, haha).

In the first half the Saints looked like they couldn’t hold the jockstraps of the Detroit Lions. In the second half, they looked the best team in football, which in my opinion they are.

Sure there was an egregious call on a third down play on Miami’s first offensive series, which, if it had been called correctly, or the replay booth didn’t malfunction, the Saints would’ve gotten the ball the next play. You could say, well the Saints still forced them to punt.

That is true, but Miami then pinned the Saints inside their own 10-yard line with the punt. Of course, I have no idea why Lance Moore caught that punt. That was really the first of many bonehead plays the Saints made in the first half, which really became a comedy of errors.

The Saints then committed a false start penalty, immediately followed by a delay of game, which is directly on the shoulders of Mr. Brees. Finally, they were able to run a play, only to throw an incompletion. On the next play, they run, but with horrible blocking, and Thomas gains one or two yards.

Third-and-12, the Dolphins blitz Brees, he doesn’t have time to find an open receiver, so he chucks it downfield, hoping Devery Henderson will find it, only to have it intercepted and returned to the five yard line.

Next play, touchdown Dolphins, and the first half rout is on. Maybe if that poor completion call had been reversed none of this would’ve happened and the Saints may have gone on to an easy victory.

But in a way I am actually very happy that it went this way. One because it made for a tremendous comeback and a very entertaining football game. And two, because it showed what New Orleans fans really wanted to see. Can this team overcome a deficit? Can they finish games? When it’s not easy, can this team still win?

And the Saints responded with a resounding “YES!!!!”

The thing that struck me when watching the film is that the Saints didn’t make a ton of adjustments, scheme-wise in the second half. Jo-Lonn Dunbar replaced Troy Evans at SLB, and they got a little more exotic with the blitz packages. But mostly, they just executed better.

Offensively, Mike Bell provided a huge spark, with his power running in-between-the-tackles.  Jeremy Shockey went into crazy-guy mode, which is when he plays his best football, and Drew Brees went from high school quarterback to All-Pro again.

What does this tell me?

It wasn’t scheme. It wasn’t even player insertions, although that helped. It was a team with an attitude. It’s a team that is on a mission, and will not be stopped. It is a team that knows they are the best team in football and refuses to lose to inferior teams.

The reason I italicized “team” is to point to the fact that it is not a bunch of individuals out their playing for their own glory. Each guy is giving everything he has, and doing so unselfishly because they know the prize is so much better than getting their own glory.

Watching them on film, you notice this. Sure, guys will get upset if they don’t get a throw when they are open. But when they see that someone else caught it and got a first down, they immediately forget about their own nature.

This team-attitude no doubt stems from their leader, their quarterback Drew Brees. Nobody is more of a competitor and winner than he is. The guys’ will is doubly stronger than most people’s. But it’s not about him, it’s about the Saints. And they all just feed off that attitude.

So I could talk about xs and os, but that wouldn’t do this game justice. This game for the Saints was not about the xs and os. It was about the hearts and the attitudes.

It was about a defense that said, we’re tired of this crap. Watch out Chad Henne, we’re going to blitz you, do something about it. And the amazing thing is the Dolphins had no response. Once the Saints got going, it was a like a steamroll.  That’s what leadership does for a team.

 

Position-by-Position Grades

QB  Drew Brees:  B-

To say that Brees’ overall performance was a great one would be foolish. He looked human for just about the entire first half. His decision-making was much slower than normal. He was rattled by the Dolphins’ pass rush. His throws were inaccurate.

But at the end of the first half, in the two-minute it all came back. From that point on, Brees looked calm and composed. He made much quicker decisions, threw more accurately, but mostly provided the leadership that great teams have.

RB Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, & Heath Evans:  B

In the first half, this group was average at best. Granted, that’s better than the rest of the team, who was downright awful. They did the best they could to run through holes that weren’t there. They caught some passes but couldn’t do much with them, because there was nowhere to run.

In the second half, the offensive line figured some things out and the game became easy for this group. Again they ran hard through holes. They caught passes and made things happen with the ball.

I really think Mike Bell’s presence in the second half was huge. He went in there and ran with a passion the Dolphins had not seen on the day. And you could see it even impacted the way Pierre Thomas ran the football. And for that matter, it impacted Reggie Bush.

Bush, when he had the ball, looked like the old Reggie. He broke a tackle on a key pass conversion near the end of the game. But the most exciting play of a very exciting game had to be the double-reverse where Reggie took off flying from the five and a half-yard line and got into the end zone.

Last time he did that was in Pittsburgh in 2006. The Saints lost that game, but weren’t about to lose this one.

TE Jeremy Shockey & David Thomas:  A

You can’t say enough about the attitude and effort Shockey gave in the second half yesterday. He clearly was a big boost to the Saints offensive efforts. Not only did have 105 yards receiving, but he did a really nice job of run blocking and protecting Drew Brees in the second half.

Thomas, although not the star that Shockey is, also provided a boost with good blocking. The Saints are definitely a better football team because he is a member of their team.

WR  Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, & Robert Meachem:  B

I thought Colston had a rare game, in that he was targeted so often that he couldn’t help but put up good stats. The problem is that he left a lot on the board.

He got outfought in the third quarter for a ball in the end zone that was a perfect throw by Brees

Henderson provided a big spark by catching some balls on intermediate routes and making key conversions. His end-around also was a key play on one of the Saints drives.

Moore was largely ineffective, but that is not tremendously surprising given the types of routes he runs and the types of coverages the Dolphins like to play.

Meachem was similar although he did a good job blocking when in, and was open on a few throws, but Brees chose to go in a different direction, often because protection was breaking down.

Offensive Line :  C+

I feel this is actually a pretty generous grade overall. Their play in the first half deserved an “F”. They were out-physicaled, outsmarted, and just outplayed.

I’m not sure what happened in the locker room at halftime, but suddenly they transformed back to the offensive line they had been in the previous five games and for several seasons now.

Defensive Line Will Smith, Charles Grant, Bobby McCray, Anthony Hargrove, Remi Ayodele, & Sedrick Ellis:  B-

For the most part, this unit was average. There were a few plays where Will Smith took poor angles and did not keep contain on the “Wildcat”. Grant didn’t really make much happen. McCray actually provided a spark for the team when he entered the game in the second quarter.

Sedrick Ellis left in the second quarter. Hopefully, his injury is not too bad. He will be a tough guy to replace over the course of a season, although he was getting his butt kicked when he left yesterday.

Remi Ayodele played solidly, especially in the second half. But the Saints best player on the line was Anthony Hargrove.

He played with a passion that is unusual for that position. He was all over the place. He had two sacks, caused mostly by effort. He clogged running holes. The Saints might just have a player in Anthony Hargrove.

LB Jonathan Vilma, Scott Shanle, Troy Evans, & Jo-Lonn Dunbar:  B-

Truthfully the only reason this group gets a grade in the “B range” is because of Vilma. Otherwise, it might be an “F”. Shanle had by far his worst game of the season. He took poor angles, missed tackles. Even Vilma in the first half looked a little flustered, sometimes covering the wrong guy.

But he really stepped it up in the second half. I think he was the best player on the field in that second half. He was running around making tackles, getting his defense into the right calls. He stepped up big time.

Safety Roman Harper & Darren Shaper:  A

Please don’t allow my comment about Vilma to discount the play of Sharper and Harper really in the entire game. I thought this was the best game either of them played all year. Harper was solid in coverage situations, and made plays in the running game or chasing guys with the ball.

Sharper was as solid as ever and really stepped up in the running game as well. Of course, adding a pick-six at the moment that he did, was huge for New Orleans.

DB Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, & Randall Gay:  B-

This wasn’t the best game for young Porter, who got burned by slower, white receivers Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline numerous times. But he continued fighting and was able to make a few plays as well.

Most notably he kept playing when Henne threw a perfect ball to Ted Ginn, who then dropped it allowing Darren Sharper to make the interception. Porter should be credited for keeping that play alive.

Greer was his normal reliable self. He almost never gets beat, plus he came up and played the run effectively yesterday. His impact on this team has been very much understated in my opinion.

Randall Gay was solid at nickelback although it was his fault Davone Bess even got open on that early play in the game where it should’ve been ruled no catch. He waited to jam him and never recovered. Overall though, it was a solid effort from this group.

 

In closing, I again need to vent my frustration that John Carney is still the Saints Kicker. He cannot make a field goal beyond 45 yards. At some point, we’re going to need that. I really hope Sean Payton goes back to Garrett Hartley. He’s the best guy for the job.

Until later this week, and a preview of the Falcons, have a good one Saints fans. We have the best team in the NFL. Only got to prove it 13 more times.  Geaux Saints! 

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Tape Review Of the Saints Comeback Win

Lost in the euphoria of the Saints miraculous comeback Sunday evening was the fact the Saints probably played the worst football not only of their season, but perhaps of any team’s season in the first half.

They couldn’t block, they couldn’t throw, they couldn’t catch a pass, they couldn’t tackle, they missed assignments, took poor angles, and perhaps worst of all, just looked extremely flat, and therefore lost (like the show, haha).

In the first half the Saints looked like they couldn’t hold the jockstraps of the Detroit Lions. In the second half, they looked the best team in football, which in my opinion they are.

Sure there was an egregious call on a third down play on Miami’s first offensive series, which, if it had been called correctly, or the replay booth didn’t malfunction, the Saints would’ve gotten the ball the next play. You could say, well the Saints still forced them to punt.

That is true, but Miami then pinned the Saints inside their own 10-yard line with the punt. Of course, I have no idea why Lance Moore caught that punt. That was really the first of many bonehead plays the Saints made in the first half, which really became a comedy of errors.

The Saints then committed a false start penalty, immediately followed by a delay of game, which is directly on the shoulders of Mr. Brees. Finally, they were able to run a play, only to throw an incompletion. On the next play, they run, but with horrible blocking, and Thomas gains one or two yards.

Third-and-12, the Dolphins blitz Brees, he doesn’t have time to find an open receiver, so he chucks it downfield, hoping Devery Henderson will find it, only to have it intercepted and returned to the five yard line.

Next play, touchdown Dolphins, and the first half rout is on. Maybe if that poor completion call had been reversed none of this would’ve happened and the Saints may have gone on to an easy victory.

But in a way I am actually very happy that it went this way. One because it made for a tremendous comeback and a very entertaining football game. And two, because it showed what New Orleans fans really wanted to see. Can this team overcome a deficit? Can they finish games? When it’s not easy, can this team still win?

And the Saints responded with a resounding “YES!!!!”

The thing that struck me when watching the film is that the Saints didn’t make a ton of adjustments, scheme-wise in the second half. Jo-Lonn Dunbar replaced Troy Evans at SLB, and they got a little more exotic with the blitz packages. But mostly, they just executed better.

Offensively, Mike Bell provided a huge spark, with his power running in-between-the-tackles.  Jeremy Shockey went into crazy-guy mode, which is when he plays his best football, and Drew Brees went from high school quarterback to All-Pro again.

What does this tell me?

It wasn’t scheme. It wasn’t even player insertions, although that helped. It was a team with an attitude. It’s a team that is on a mission, and will not be stopped. It is a team that knows they are the best team in football and refuses to lose to inferior teams.

The reason I italicized “team” is to point to the fact that it is not a bunch of individuals out their playing for their own glory. Each guy is giving everything he has, and doing so unselfishly because they know the prize is so much better than getting their own glory.

Watching them on film, you notice this. Sure, guys will get upset if they don’t get a throw when they are open. But when they see that someone else caught it and got a first down, they immediately forget about their own nature.

This team-attitude no doubt stems from their leader, their quarterback Drew Brees. Nobody is more of a competitor and winner than he is. The guys’ will is doubly stronger than most people’s. But it’s not about him, it’s about the Saints. And they all just feed off that attitude.

So I could talk about xs and os, but that wouldn’t do this game justice. This game for the Saints was not about the xs and os. It was about the hearts and the attitudes.

It was about a defense that said, we’re tired of this crap. Watch out Chad Henne, we’re going to blitz you, do something about it. And the amazing thing is the Dolphins had no response. Once the Saints got going, it was a like a steamroll.  That’s what leadership does for a team.

 

Position-by-Position Grades

QB  Drew Brees:  B-

To say that Brees’ overall performance was a great one would be foolish. He looked human for just about the entire first half. His decision-making was much slower than normal. He was rattled by the Dolphins’ pass rush. His throws were inaccurate.

But at the end of the first half, in the two-minute it all came back. From that point on, Brees looked calm and composed. He made much quicker decisions, threw more accurately, but mostly provided the leadership that great teams have.

RB Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, & Heath Evans:  B

In the first half, this group was average at best. Granted, that’s better than the rest of the team, who was downright awful. They did the best they could to run through holes that weren’t there. They caught some passes but couldn’t do much with them, because there was nowhere to run.

In the second half, the offensive line figured some things out and the game became easy for this group. Again they ran hard through holes. They caught passes and made things happen with the ball.

I really think Mike Bell’s presence in the second half was huge. He went in there and ran with a passion the Dolphins had not seen on the day. And you could see it even impacted the way Pierre Thomas ran the football. And for that matter, it impacted Reggie Bush.

Bush, when he had the ball, looked like the old Reggie. He broke a tackle on a key pass conversion near the end of the game. But the most exciting play of a very exciting game had to be the double-reverse where Reggie took off flying from the five and a half-yard line and got into the end zone.

Last time he did that was in Pittsburgh in 2006. The Saints lost that game, but weren’t about to lose this one.

TE Jeremy Shockey & David Thomas:  A

You can’t say enough about the attitude and effort Shockey gave in the second half yesterday. He clearly was a big boost to the Saints offensive efforts. Not only did have 105 yards receiving, but he did a really nice job of run blocking and protecting Drew Brees in the second half.

Thomas, although not the star that Shockey is, also provided a boost with good blocking. The Saints are definitely a better football team because he is a member of their team.

WR  Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, & Robert Meachem:  B

I thought Colston had a rare game, in that he was targeted so often that he couldn’t help but put up good stats. The problem is that he left a lot on the board.

He got outfought in the third quarter for a ball in the end zone that was a perfect throw by Brees

Henderson provided a big spark by catching some balls on intermediate routes and making key conversions. His end-around also was a key play on one of the Saints drives.

Moore was largely ineffective, but that is not tremendously surprising given the types of routes he runs and the types of coverages the Dolphins like to play.

Meachem was similar although he did a good job blocking when in, and was open on a few throws, but Brees chose to go in a different direction, often because protection was breaking down.

Offensive Line :  C+

I feel this is actually a pretty generous grade overall. Their play in the first half deserved an “F”. They were out-physicaled, outsmarted, and just outplayed.

I’m not sure what happened in the locker room at halftime, but suddenly they transformed back to the offensive line they had been in the previous five games and for several seasons now.

Defensive Line Will Smith, Charles Grant, Bobby McCray, Anthony Hargrove, Remi Ayodele, & Sedrick Ellis:  B-

For the most part, this unit was average. There were a few plays where Will Smith took poor angles and did not keep contain on the “Wildcat”. Grant didn’t really make much happen. McCray actually provided a spark for the team when he entered the game in the second quarter.

Sedrick Ellis left in the second quarter. Hopefully, his injury is not too bad. He will be a tough guy to replace over the course of a season, although he was getting his butt kicked when he left yesterday.

Remi Ayodele played solidly, especially in the second half. But the Saints best player on the line was Anthony Hargrove.

He played with a passion that is unusual for that position. He was all over the place. He had two sacks, caused mostly by effort. He clogged running holes. The Saints might just have a player in Anthony Hargrove.

LB Jonathan Vilma, Scott Shanle, Troy Evans, & Jo-Lonn Dunbar:  B-

Truthfully the only reason this group gets a grade in the “B range” is because of Vilma. Otherwise, it might be an “F”. Shanle had by far his worst game of the season. He took poor angles, missed tackles. Even Vilma in the first half looked a little flustered, sometimes covering the wrong guy.

But he really stepped it up in the second half. I think he was the best player on the field in that second half. He was running around making tackles, getting his defense into the right calls. He stepped up big time.

Safety Roman Harper & Darren Shaper:  A

Please don’t allow my comment about Vilma to discount the play of Sharper and Harper really in the entire game. I thought this was the best game either of them played all year. Harper was solid in coverage situations, and made plays in the running game or chasing guys with the ball.

Sharper was as solid as ever and really stepped up in the running game as well. Of course, adding a pick-six at the moment that he did, was huge for New Orleans.

DB Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, & Randall Gay:  B-

This wasn’t the best game for young Porter, who got burned by slower, white receivers Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline numerous times. But he continued fighting and was able to make a few plays as well.

Most notably he kept playing when Henne threw a perfect ball to Ted Ginn, who then dropped it allowing Darren Sharper to make the interception. Porter should be credited for keeping that play alive.

Greer was his normal reliable self. He almost never gets beat, plus he came up and played the run effectively yesterday. His impact on this team has been very much understated in my opinion.

Randall Gay was solid at nickelback although it was his fault Davone Bess even got open on that early play in the game where it should’ve been ruled no catch. He waited to jam him and never recovered. Overall though, it was a solid effort from this group.

 

In closing, I again need to vent my frustration that John Carney is still the Saints Kicker. He cannot make a field goal beyond 45 yards. At some point, we’re going to need that. I really hope Sean Payton goes back to Garrett Hartley. He’s the best guy for the job.

Until later this week, and a preview of the Falcons, have a good one Saints fans. We have the best team in the NFL. Only got to prove it 13 more times.  Geaux Saints! 

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

I’m calling it now. This will be Reggie Bush’s breakout game for the 2009 season. He will get the ball early and often against an aggressive Dolphins defense. I could finish the article right now, and some of you would think I’m brilliant, while most would think I lost my mind.

Okay, so there’s a little more to the Saints offensive game plan than giving Reggie the ball as much as possible. But first, what kind of defense are the Saints facing?

Dolphins Defensive Scheme

The Dolphins are primarily a 3-4 defensive front team. This means they have three guys who line up with their hand on the ground and four guys who stand up behind or next to them. Most people know that.

What some may not realize is the way the Dolphins play their scheme, it is much closer to a 5-2 defense, where you have five rushers and two linebackers who play the middle of the field.

When they show their base 3-4, which is really a 5-2, it is quite common for them to bring all five and play their two middle backers in coverage. Other times, they will play one outside backer a little further off the line, showing almost a 4-3 look.

And some downs they will take one of their D-Linemen out, put their two outside backers as defensive ends and add a secondary player. This defense is essentially a 4-2-5.

Just in their fronts, the Dolphins give you a lot to prepare for as an offense.

To bring pressure, the Dolphins like to show blitz from the outside and come up the middle, bringing as many as six rushers at a time. It may be a little tougher for them to do this against Brees though since he has such a quick release.

They are not a huge overload blitz team, like the Jets, but from time-to-time will overload one side just to give a different look and try to catch the offense off guard.

One thing I found is that the Dolphins will allow their outside backers to play man-to-man coverage against tight ends or running backs when those guys are lined up tight in the slot. Pete Carmichael Jr. and Sean Payton must decide if this is a matchup they want to look for. I say it is.

And when receivers come in short motion into the formation, the inside linebackers will often get matched up on them man-to-man. Again, I believe this is something the Saints would like to take advantage of.

In the running game, the Dolphins are very stout, not just because they struggle in pass coverage, although that is a small reason for their high rush defense ranking. More often though, they do a really good job on the line of “two-gapping” meaning each linemen is responsible for an entire gap, of which there are four.

The nose tackle pretty much takes up the entire “A Gap”. The defensive ends take up parts of both the “B” and “C” gaps. This leaves only the “D Gap” open, but they generally fill this with one of the linebackers, or occasionally a safety coming up in run support.

They also will use some run blitzes by their middle backers to fill gaps, while they stunt and twist their linemen to confuse the offensive line. Because of these factors, running up the middle is very difficult on this defense. The key is to be more physical and push them off the ball.

In the secondary, they play primarily man-to-man coverage, despite giving a lot of playing time to two rookies, in Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. These youngsters, along with Will Allen, have been burnt deep quite a few times in recent weeks by the Chargers and Jets. Don’t think Brees hasn’t noticed that in film study this week.

Saints Counter to the Dolphins’ Scheme

Any time an offense shows two backs, it seems to act as a catalyst for a Dolphins’ blitz. Therefore, in two backs I would run some screens, draws, outside zone and toss plays, along with some quick throws into the flats to Bush, Evans, and/or Shockey.

But also if an offense feels confident in their ability to pick up that blitz, this becomes a great time to go deep to guys like Henderson or Meachem. But also don’t forget about Colston with his size as a potential deep target as well.

I would also look for some “21 Pony”, which is when the Saints play two of their tailbacks in the game at the same time. Generally it is Bush and either Thomas or Mike Bell. The benefit of this is the ability to maintain a running threat while also using Bush as a receiver and getting some matchups on linebackers, which he should be able to expose.

Formations to use for this that are advisable are to put him and Shockey lined up on the same side, guaranteeing you will get one of them on a linebacker, both of which are mismatches. Bush probably lines up in the slot with Shockey flexed out but only a couple yards away from Bush.

This could even lead to some run plays to that side with Reggie clearing out his defender and Shockey coming inside to block. You would probably use a draw look or perhaps a counter.   

I also like going Empty in this game, because while you are probably going to get a blitz, you have a QB who can pick that up mentally very quickly. More importantly though, you have man-to-man, five-on-five basically.

I’d probably use Bush and Shockey, and rotate the receivers as far as who gets to take advantage of this obvious mismatch. Shockey could get matched up on a safety, as could Bush. I love these matchups.

A Few Keys to Success for the Saints Offense

Don’t Turn the Ball Over

This really is a key every week, but even more so this week. It seems highly likely that the Dolphins are going to try to bleed as much clock as possible when they have the ball.

Score Every Chance You Get

I know this sounds rather obvious, but in case the Dolphins offense is successful at keeping the ball away, it becomes paramount to score when we possess the ball.

Stick to the Run

I know I pretty much told you that they are very vulnerable to the pass, and they are, but against this pass rush, it is dangerous to become one-dimensional. Be patient, you may not get a lot of yards early, but it will help with play action and just keeping the defense off guard.

Running the ball outside and get them chasing sideline-to-sideline will tire them out, which will later open up in the inside running game. A reverse doesn’t figure to work to well against a disciplined defense such as this one, but a double reverse, or some other kind of trick run might.

Score Early

This season has changed my opinion on the debate “If we win the toss do we want the ball now, or in the second half?” I used to be adamant that I want the ball in the second half in case the first half didn’t go so well. But I’ve realized that’s a form of passive aggressiveness.

Good teams go out and rip the opponent’s heart out at the beginning of the game. The Saints are a better football team, but Miami is good enough to beat them if the Saints allow them to stick in the game. Get the ball to start the game, score, and win. How’s that for a simple game plan?

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints Defensive Preview For The Miami Dolphins

I chose this picture to highlight this article because it is exactly what everyone has come to believe the Miami Dolphins’ offense is all about. Their staple is the “Wildcat”, or so everyone thinks.

And there is no doubt that they are the NFL’s inventors of this offense and do run it better than anyone. But we’ve romanticized the “Wildcat” to the point that it’s practically a folktale.

Truthfully, the Dolphins offense is about a lot more than the “Wildcat”. It is about a power running game. It is about play-action to get speedster Ted Ginn deep down the field. It is about a short, controlled passing game to guys like Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo.

Because the Dolphins’ offensive strategy revolves around their ability to get their best players on the field, I feel it is best to start by describing their personnel and spend a little less time on their scheme than I normally do.

Personnel

QB Chad Henne

No offense to Chad Pennington, who in my opinion is one of the best game managing QBs of all-time, but Henne provides the Dolphins offense with something they did not have with Pennington—explosion.

Henne can really gun the ball down the field, giving them a vertical element to their passing game and the possibility to score in less than five minutes. With his big arm he also can get away with throwing into coverage because gun-slingers often can fit balls into small windows.

He is still in the process of becoming an NFL QB, but he looks well on his way to becoming Miami’s franchise QB for many years to come.

RB Ronnie Brown

Despite my insistence that the Dolphins are about more than the “Wildcat”, there is no doubt that part of what makes Brown so good is his ability to play as a Single-Wing QB in that package.

Aside from that though, Brown really is a complete player. He is good in pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield—because he has good hands but also runs good routes for a RB.

But most impressive is his ability to break tackles and pick up chunks of yards and explode for big plays.

RB Ricky Williams

Saints fans know this player well. But he has reinvented himself a bit in the Miami offense.

Much like Brown, he is a complete player who excels with the ball in his hands, but also in pass protection and in catching the ball out of the backfield. He is explosive with the ball in his hands and is a beast of a player to tackle.

WR Ted Ginn

Ginn is a deep threat extraordinaire similar to the player that Devery Henderson was for the Saints a few years ago. He has blazing speed and can beat almost any corner.

His hands, though, are suspect and he is still learning to be a good route runner. However, given the way he has played with Henne so far, it looks like Ginn may ultimately become the number one receiver he was drafted to be.

WR Davone Bess

Continuing the comparisons to Saints Wide Receivers, Bess is eerily similar to Lance Moore, at least in the way the Dolphins use him.

They love to throw quick screens to the former Hawaii Warrior and let him use his speed and agility to make things happen.

Additionally, he is Henne’s main target on third down, when he runs a lot of intermediate routes over the middle of the field and finds holes in the zone coverage.

Greg Camarillo and rookie Brian Hartline round out the receiving core. Both are good possession-type receivers and are growing to make Miami a more diverse and explosive offense.

Offensive Line

In my opinion, the key to Miami’s offensive success is the play they get out of their offensive line. Jake Long, Justin Smiley, and Jake Grove make up a who’s who of names on that line, but Vernon Carey and Donald Thomas aren’t exactly slouches either.

The unit is gaining continuity together and they are one of the most physical units in the entire league. And they can generally handle a four-man pass rush with no problem. They are young and good.

Formations

The Dolphins are primarily a run-based team, especially on running downs (first and second, four-minute drill, etc.). On first down, they generally line up with 21 personnel (a running back, fullback, tight end, and two receivers).

Occasionally, you’ll get a two-tight end look, or a three-receiver look, but by and large they like the 21 personnel grouping on run downs. From this they normally will give you an I-Formation with the fullback and tailback both lined up directly behind the QB. Sometimes they’ll motion the tight end across to give them a numbers advantage to one side or the other.

On passing downs, the Dolphins will get slightly more exotic. You’ll see some three-receiver sets, both from a one-back look, but also a lot from a Split backfield—something not seen too often in the NFL anymore.  Again, by having two backs, it allows them to get their best pass-catchers on the field, who are probably their backs.

The Dolphins don’t use the shotgun out of their base offense too often, but will do so if they are expecting a blitz, which grants Henne an extra second to make reads and find an open man down field.

Occasionally, they’ll throw in an empty backfield look, which is based more on the play they call than to give them some kind of extra advantage, personnel-wise.

Play Concepts

I’ll start with the “Wildcat” since likely that’s what everyone wants to know about. It is a really simple offense. In fact, the high school team I coach uses many of these same exact concepts in our “Spread Offense”.

Miami runs a fly sweep with a motion man coming across the formation, taking the ball, almost like a reverse. The play is designed to hit outside and generally there are two or three perimeter blockers, including the fullback out of the backfield.

With this motion, the defense tends to over-pursue, which is when Brown will keep it and run away from the sweep to open grass. Other times, the motion man will not get the ball but will lead through the “C” gap on the same side. The fullback and a pulling lineman all block hit gap which leads to a large gaping hole for Ronnie Brown to run through.

Those are the base plays out of the Wildcat, and they will undoubtedly be on display in Miami on Sunday afternoon. But let’s not forget the I-Formation running the Dolphins do as well.

They will run some zone, but are one of the few offenses remaining who are primarily a man-to-man blocking unit, where they pull linemen on counters and traps. These runs are quicker runs designed to insure the running back picks up positive yards, assuming it is blocked well. The zone is a little more hit or miss.

Because the backs are so good, they can run all types of plays. Brown and Williams are explosive, but also good in-between-the-tackles runners. This is why the Dolphins lead the league in rushing. They have a very good line and very good running backs.

In the passing game, the Dolphins keep it relatively simple. Henne has a great arm, so they’re going to allow him to take some shots. As I mentioned Ginn has great speed and they like to have him run “Go” routes, where he runs up the sideline and tries to beat a corner man-to-man.

They’ll throw some quick bubble screens to Bess where he is an inside receiver and flares outside with blocking from the perimeter receivers. This is generally done in a run situation.

Play-action is a huge part of what the Dolphins do in their base package. The threat of the run sucks up the safeties and allows them to run Ginn deep with Bess coming underneath in case Ginn cannot get separation, or in case the defense plays zone coverage.

But also beware of the backs out of the backfield. They will swing out on almost every pass play, unless there is heavy pressure. You must know where they are at all times, or they will burn you in the passing game.

With a team that likes to play aggressively and blitz like the Saints, expect the Dolphins to have some screens in their gameplan. Again defensively New Orleans must beware of these, as Williams and Brown are explosive with the ball in their hands.

So Gregg Williams, How Are You Going to Respond?

“Well Saints fans, the key to stopping this unit is to not let them on the field. We must cause turnovers to get them off the field. How do we do that? Cause pressure.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course, that was not actually Gregg Williams speaking, but that likely would be his answer if he were asked such a question. The Saints in this game will likely have a pretty standard game plan.

First and second down, play some cover three to stop the play-action deep pass, but give yourself eight guys who can defend against the run.  

On third down, that’s when you get more aggressive and bring pressure. The pressure on third down is designed to make Henne make quick decisions and throw before he’s ready. But it also is meant to cause sacks and potential turnovers. In all, get the ball back to the offense.

I know this sounds elementary, and of course it is more complicated than this. But in truth, the Saints defense doesn’t need a super-elaborate game plan.

Play primarily eight men in the box on running downs, bring some pressure from that as well, and play man-to-man on the backs with linebackers or Roman Harper.

For this reason, let’s hope Scott Fujita is able to play this week because he would be key to have as a coverage linebacker. If not, I would use Bobby McCray as a rush end and just blitz him every down and slide Shanle to Fujita’s cover area with Vilma keeping his normal responsibility.

Five are harder to block than four. And if successful, this will take those backs out of the passing game, which gives you an advantage right there.

But the biggest key, and this really goes back to the offense, is to score early and often. If you can force the Dolphins to play catch up, you eliminate the element of surprise and explosive plays from the “Wildcat”. Oh yeah, defense get off the field on third down. That would help too.

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Black & Gold X’s & O’s: Day-After Coaches-Style Review of Win Over Giants

In my preview columns for the game against the Giants, there were a few areas I thought to be very important in order for the Saints to come out victorious on Sunday. In my estimation, they did all of these very well.

1. Eliminate turnovers, because the Giants score off them. The Saints had zero turnovers in Sunday’s game. Drew Brees only threw one pass all day that could’ve been picked, and it was instead caught by Lance Moore on a ricochet.

Defensively, the Saints caused two turnovers. For all you math majors out there, this is good for a +2 turnover differential. Anytime you can do that in a game you have a very good opportunity to win.

2. Get an early lead.   Obviously the Saints did this with another opening-possession touchdown and following that up with touchdowns on the next three possessions for a 20-3 lead. It seems pretty obvious that when playing at home with a lead, the crowd will stay in the game and the defense can play with attitude and swagger, which is so important to playing good defensive football.

3. Establish the run.  Despite Brees’ hot start, the Saints remained balanced the entire game as far as run-to-pass ratio.  It was not as effective as I expected it to be from a yardage perspective, but it definitely opened up play-action and kept the Giants defense off balance.

4.  Find a way to pressure Eli Manning.   The Saints did not record as many sacks or have as many interceptions as a result of pressure as they have earlier this season, but remember that the Giants offensive line is probably the best in the game.

Saints defenders were in Eli’s face enough to cause errant, hurried throws and their pressure did cause an interception, as well as give them the ball inside the Giants’ 10-yard line at the end of the first half because of Scott Shanle’s return. Pressure definitely played a role in this game for the Saints defense.

Areas of Concern for the Saints Going Forward

1.  Kickoff coverage.  Domenick Hixon repeatedly gashed our coverage for long returns, despite good hangtime and length from Thomas Moorstead. Most of the time the struggle was in staying in lanes and outside guys not playing perpendicular to the ball-carrier, as they are taught.

Because of this, Hixon was able to get outside the contain man. I’m sure Sean Payton is addressing this in today’s film review, and the team will do what it can to clean this up for next week and in the future.

2.  Scott Fujita’s injury.  Fujita left the game in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury. As of yet, I have not heard of the severity of the injury. I can only hope the guy who graduated from the same high school as me is okay.

The Saints can handle it if he’s out for a few games. But it would be tough to face the Patriots and Falcons, and other playoff teams, without this stud at the strongside linebacker position. His ability to cover down the field and apply pressure when asked is very valuable. Troy Evans is a good backup. Hopefully, he doesn’t have to become the starter.

3.  The place-kicker position.  I know John Carney has done a good job so far this season, but he doesn’t have the length any longer to make long field goals. Garrett Hartley can.

Plus, Carney has had two kicks blocked. Sure, that’s on other parts of the field goal team as well, but perhaps he’s a step slow, or is kicking the ball with too low of a trajectory. I love Carney, but it may be time to let him go.

Position-by-Position Breakdown

QB  Drew Brees—A+: Duh!

RB  Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Reggie Bush, & Heath Evans—B

I thought Thomas struggled in some situations getting as many yards as he is capable. Bell did a good job on the goal-line and in the open field and provided a nice change of pace.

Bush actually provided some big, explosive runs in this game. He didn’t put up tons of yards, but was an important part of the run and passing game. Evans had a key hold on a Mike Bell supposed touchdown, but aside from that, played a decent game.

TE  Jeremy Shockey & David Thomas—B+

Overall, I thought both did a good job blocking. Shockey was exceptional in the passing game, working the middle of the field. Nice game from this position.

WR  Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, & Robert Meachem—A-

Three of the four had touchdown passes. Surprisingly, it was Henderson who didn’t have one, as his biggest contributions came in blocking, which is normally Meachem’s job.

Colston, with his big body and superior hands, absolutely destroyed the small Giants corners. Moore looked like the 2008 version of himself, working the seams and short routes.

And Meachem was able to make a few big plays. Slowly but surely his presence is becoming more and more noticeable.

OL  Jermon Bushrod, Carl Nicks, Jonathan Goodwin, Jahri Evans, & Jon Stinchcomb—A-

Obviously, the amount of time Brees had to go through progressions and find receivers is again a testament to the job this unit did against a good pass-rushing defensive line. When the Giants applied extra pressure, they picked it up with help from Brees and tight ends and backs. 

In the running game, though, they struggled in a few situations. On the goal-line, they are still struggling to knock the defense off the ball, which shouldn’t have been a problem against this defensive front.

But they wore on those guys as the game went on and still led their backs to 133 yards rushing. As I said in my preview, I didn’t expect the Giants front four to be an issue, and they weren’t.

DL  Sedrick Ellis, Remi Ayodele, Kendirck Clancy, Will Smith, Charles Grant, & Bobby McCray—B

This group did a better job against the run than they did in getting quarterback pressure. But to be able to hold the Giants to 84 yards rushing isn’t too bad. The key part of that was eliminating long runs.

The only time the Giants beat the Saints in the running game was the touchdown run, which was caused more by poor tackling than being blown off the ball, although there was a hole off tackle. This group has had better games, but they weren’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination.

LB  Jonathan Vilma, Scott Shanle, Scott Fujita, Troy Evans, & Marvin Mitchell—B+

The majority of the pressure that Manning felt was due to blitzing from this group, or the safeties. They did a nice job in coverage and in filling lanes and tackling in the run game.

Secondary  Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, Roman Harper, & Darren Sharper—A+

I thought this was the best game the secondary has played all year. Greer and Porter were fast and physical with the Giants’ smaller group of receivers. Roman Harper provided constant pressure and L.O.S. presence in the running game.

Sharper was just Sharper, as he’s been all year; although he dropped two interceptions, but should’ve had another pick-six if not for a roughing-the-passer call against Vilma.

To hold Steve Smith to 44 yards, when the Giants’ only chance is to throw the ball, is just incredible. No doubt, this secondary has grown up and improved from a season ago. And it’s done it in a hurry.

Next up:  The Miami Dolphins and their Wildcat offense. I’ll have a preview of it on Wednesday, and then their 3-4 defense on Thursday. Until then, Geaux Saints!

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints Defensive Gameplan Vs. NY Football Giants

If you followed any of the NFL offseason discussions in the spring or summer, you would know that one of the largest questions was who, if anyone, would step up for the Giants at the receiver position?

That question has been answered and then some. Steve Smith leads the league in yards and TDs. Mario Manningham is a big-play threat extraordinaire. Hakeem Nicks in recent weeks has provided a third-wheel to what was previously a dynamic duo.

Here is a brief scouting report of the New York Football Giants offense.

QB Eli Manning

Manning is hampered with a bad toe and only played in the first half last week against Oakland. Nonetheless, he had a perfect QB rating and led his team on four scoring drives in that time.

He has excelled in the playaction passing game and on intermediate and deep throws. Where he becomes a little less effective is when he has to scramble, or against pressure (as is true with just about every quarterback).

If Manning gets hurt, former No. 1 overall pick David Carr would take the reigns of the offense. He is very capable, and the offense would not change drastically. Perhaps, there would be a few more rollouts and the running game would become a more integral part of the offense, but volume-wise the Giants would not change much if anything.

RB Brandon Jacobs & Ahmad Bradshaw

Jacobs and Bradshaw make up one of the better RB duos in the league this year. Jacobs is the big physical back who would rather run a defender over than run by him. Bradshaw is also a physical back, but has upper-echelon speed to run by guys as well.

Both are good at catching the ball out of the backfield and do a good job in pass protection.   

WR Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, & Hakeem Nicks

Smith runs very precise routes, catches the ball away from his body when necessary, and has good quickness and speed to beat man-to-man coverage. Most of his yards are had by running his patterns and catching the ball, but he is capable of making things happen after the catch. Smith is Manning’s undisputed go-to receiver in clutch situations.

Manningham, like Smith, is a smaller receiver who relies on his quickness and speed. He also runs good patterns, and does a good job of catching the ball at its highest point. Manningham is a little more explosive after the catch than Smith, but Manning trusts Smith a little more at this point.

Nicks has developed fairly quickly for a rookie receiver. He is the guy you want to throw the ball to short and let him run with it. He is very strong and has good speed. He also has great hands, and reminds me a lot of Terrell Owens, as far as his build, speed, and style of play.

TE Kevin Boss, Johnson, & Travis Beckum

Boss was hurt a week ago and did not play, but he is the do-it-all TE for the Giants. He is good run-blocking as well as in protecting Eli. He runs good routes when he has his hand in the ground, and when he is lined up in the slot or out wide. He catches the ball well, and is capable of making yards after the catch.

Johnson is mostly used as a blocker, although he will occasionally line up like a receiver in a similar role to Boss. He is not very explosive and can easily be covered by a linebacker.

Beckum is another one of the Giants’ exciting young receiving prospects. They have included him in the gamplan about the same time that Nicks started becoming a part of the plan. He is very versatile and is basically a receiver wearing a TEs number. He is quick with good hands, and an ability to run after the catch. They don’t ask him to do a lot of blocking.

Offensive Line

The Giants offensive line has been together for three years straight now. That continuity is a big reason the Giants rank as one of the best teams running the football and protect Eli Manning very well. They haven’t seen a ton of blitzes this season, but generally handle them well.

What The Giants Do Scheme-Wise

The Giants are a bit more traditional in their schemes than much of the current NFL. They use a lot of Base personnel (two backs, a tight end, and two receivers). They will generally start the game in this and try to stay in it as much as possible.

On only snap in four games did they ever use more than three receivers in the game at one time. It is more common for them to use three receivers, a tight end, and a back. Or sometimes they’ll use two tight ends and three receivers and go Empty.

They also line up a lot with two tight ends, a back, and two receivers, which is another good running formation. However, in passing situations, they will generally resort to the 11 or 12 personnel, as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

In the running game, they are pretty basic. They like to run the inside zone, but also will run a zone play, that is not a stretch or inside zone, where they are trying to hit the play off-tackle. They also will use the stretch on occasion. Finally they like to run counter trey from a couple different formations.

In the passing game, they use a lot of playaction, much of which is used to hit Smith or Manningham on deep routes. The Giants use the entire route tree, and because of that they are difficult to stop. They work the middle of the field with Dig routes quite a bit. They’ll throw the post over the top of that on occasion.

They’ll throw crossing routes in short-yardage situations. They also like slant routes in short-yardage situations. They also like to flood one side of the field with receivers, as they have a shallow, intermediate, and deep route to find a hole in the zone coverage.

Truth be told, I didn’t find any real holes in their passing game. They can do it all. They also like screens out of the backfield.  

Gregg Williams’ Gameplan

Honestly, I have no idea how to stop this offense. They do so many things well. While they are not going to trick you, they don’t have to. They execute as well, if not better than anyone else.

The key, as is normally the case, is to get them into long-yardage situations. In order to do this, you must commit to stopping the run on early downs. Of course, getting ahead in the game would help as well.

I guess the biggest thing is to bring up the eighth defender but move him back into a cover two shell if the Giants elect to throw the ball. Mix this up between Harper and Sharper. Give them different looks, so that they cannot start choosing a side they want to send their receivers to.

I would play the receivers press man with that cover two shell. This should stop the receivers effectiveness against zone coverage. I would also mix in some Robber One coverage which is where a linebacker takes the intermediate middle of the field and a safety works over the top of him. This is to stop those post-dig combo routes.

I would play Johnson and Boss with linebackers. Beckum I would probably play with Sharper or a cornerback.

Blitzes can be effective, especially on third down. They need to be well thought out and well-executed though, because if they are not Manning will burn one-on-one coverage.

The noise of the dome and an early lead would be huge helpers in this game. If neither of these happen, it could be a long day Sunday afternoon, at least for the Saints defense.

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Black and Gold Xs and Os: Offensive Gameplan vs. the Joker, Err…the Jets

The New York Jets are a good football team. Their offense is dangerous, but their defense is proven lethal. They are coordinated by their head coach, Rex Ryan. And they are a reflection of their head coach—confident, brash, and down right good.

They like to throw the kitchen sink at you and when they’ve done that, then they blow up the house.

I once heard a college offensive coordinator talk about Nick Saban’s defenses on third down as being impossible to figure out because you literally never get the same look.

The same is true of Ryan’s defenses. There is no pattern, no rhyme or reason. If Heath Ledger were alive he’d probably play Rex Ryan in a movie. Or maybe Rex Ryan’s goal is to be confused with the joker. Whatever the case is, he has no doubt struck fear into the hearts of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints offense.

It is not pointless, but it is difficult to describe the Jets defensive scheme. But I can tell you very eloquently about some of the players performing that scheme.

Jets Defensive Personnel

NT Kris Jenkins

Jenkins is a former Carolina Panther who excels playing the nose in Ryan’s hybrid defense. One play he is right in the face of the center, the next he’s standing up behind a linebacker ready to blitz. It is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen on film. The chaos only begins with Jenkins though.

DE/OLB Vernon Gholston

A season ago Gholston was a lost cause. But Rex Ryan has allowed Gholston the freedom to just play, for all intents and purposes. On four down linemen sets, Gholston will put his hand on the ground.

In the more common 3-4 sets, Gholston lines up outside the tackle and mostly blitzes, but occasionally drops into coverage. The Saints would love to find this guy out trying to cover a tight end or running back. Otherwise, he’ll probably in Drew Brees’ face.

ILB David Harris

The Michigan Alum is really the heart and soul of this defense. He makes the calls, and makes many of the plays as well. He is extremely instinctive, with good range, and really solid playmaking ability. He is the best Jets best cover guy among the linebackers, but also excels when blitzing the QB.

LB Bart Scott

It is hard to tell whether Scott is a true OLB, or ILB, because as I’ve said Ryan moves his guys around, and there’s really no rhyme or reason to any of it. Either way, he lines up much of the time outside, but plays a lot of coverage. He is good in coverage, but really excels in the run game. He too is a playmaker.

CB Darrell Revis

Revis has developed into one of the best corners in the entire game. He is wonderful in man-to-man coverage, as he always draws the opponents best receiver. He is also very instinctive in zone coverage (granted the Jets play zone about one out of every hundred snaps, but still).

S Jim Leonhard

Like Scott, Leonhard followed Ryan to New Jersey when he got the head job. Leonhard has assumed the Ed Reed position in Ryan’s hybrid defense. He will come up and play the run on occasion, but more often than not he is the lone deep safety in a very aggressive man-to-man coverage scheme.

Some Scheme-Related Information

There are a few things that are easy to recognize for even the common fan about the Jets defense.

One is that they are extremely creative, and love to blitz. They will do this a variety of ways. Many times they overload one side of the line, in an attempt to outman that side. Other times, they’ll bring more balanced numbers but delay certain members of the blitz. They are almost always in perfect synchronicity with their stunts and blitzes.

Second, you notice that they play tons of man-to-man coverage. They are more than happy to allow Revis, Lito Sheppard, and Dwight Lowery to play their guys straight up knowing they have Leonhard back to clean up any mess. But they’re able to do this because they are counting on the pressure to force poor throws or to result in a sack.

Third, the linebackers are all very versatile. Part of the reason I mentioned three of them is that they are really the base, or the rock of the defense. They make this defense. The defense is designed for them to make plays.

They blitz, they play coverage, both underneath zone, but also man-to-man. They are fed ball carriers in the running game. They also will get down in a three-point stance and straight rush the QB on occasion. It is a very diverse system, which makes it nearly impossible for the QB to know where the pressure is coming from.

How To Calm The Joker’s Effect

I expect Sean Payton to call a lot of pass plays early on for a couple reasons. The first reason is that success will give the offense confidence in their ability to protect and move the football.

The second is a necessity to be ahead on this defense. If you are behind against these guys, you may as well give up because you’re done. Finally, by throwing effectively against their heavy blitz, heavy man-to-man scheme it will force them to calm down a little and play some more base defense.

If you can get them into their base defense (and who knows what that actually is), you can better predict what you’re going to get, which of course makes play-calling easier and generally frees up the running game.

Specific Gameplan

In the passing game, I would expect a lot of Empty sets, which is a catalyst (in the scientific sense) for the blitz. Now why if I’m an offensive play-caller would I intentionally ask for a blitz? Well, when the other team is playing man-to-man and you have a QB who makes quick decisions and possesses a quick release, that is actually exactly what you want.  

They can run eight to 10 yard hitch routes on the outside. They can run drag routes across the middle to get guys running in space. They can throw the hitch screen where they only have to block DBs.

Also, on third down I would look for a lot of “Gun” two-back looks. This could be Shockey, David Thomas, or Heath Evans complementing one of the running backs. This gives you potentially seven blockers against as many as seven rushers.

If the Jets play more coverage these guys can get out to the flats or middle of the field and try to pick it up after the catch.  

In the running game, the off tackle, or zone play would work pretty well. Many times in base situations (first or second down and not two-minute or red zone) the Jets will play four down linemen, but place three of them to one side of the line.

They leave the opposite end over the OT. All the OT has to do is kick him out and the rest of the line seals off the rest of the line. Then you lead up the hole with the fullback and just like that you potentially have a 3-5 yard carry without much effort from the running back.  

If you know in advance which side this is going to be you can line up a receiver to the side of the lone end and have him crack the outside linebacker on a toss play, in order to get Reggie or Thomas into space. You could also flare them out of the backfield like this, although that leaves them one-on-one with a corner.

To beat the man-to-man coverage you can run some quick routes, but also I propose a route combo where the inside receiver runs a deep-in route and the outside receiver runs a post on top of him.

The safety must choose to help on one of them, and assuming both run good routes by keeping the corner on their hip, the guy who does not attract the safety should be open. You could literally have eight men in protection for this, and the receivers still should get free.

The middle of the field will not be open very often, unless you run to middle routes on different levels to attract the linebackers to one and throw to the other level of the coverage. If the linebackers get depth, Shockey on crossing routes then becomes a good target. If they stay shallow, the deep ball becomes an option.

These are just a few of the concepts I expect to see coming from Sean Payton’s call sheet this weekend. He’s going to have to pass successfully to open up the running game. Hopefully he stays loyal though to running the ball, because it remains an important element to victory.

It should be a great chess matchup this weekend between Payton and Ryan. It should be a lot of fun. If you love Xs and Os like I do, this is one of the most intriguing games on the entire 2009 NFL calendar.

I know I’ll be doing a lot more learning in this one than suggesting (to the t.v.). I can’t wait. Until then Geaux Saints! 

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Black & Gold Xs & Os: Defensive Gameplan for the Jets

When the New York Jets enter the Louisiana Superdome on Sunday afternoon (3:15 on CBS), it will likely be the craziest atmosphere Mark Sanchez has ever played a football game in.

Yet to be honest I don’t see this effecting him too much. He did play Southern California in front of 90,000+ fans on a regular basis, so he’s at least used to rowdy crowds, just they are normally on his side.

The bigger issue that he will face though is a Saints defense that is much improved over a season ago, and will likely give him as many different looks as he’s seen in his early career.

Even the number of looks I don’t expect to be the issue Sanchez faces though. If the Saints are going to knock off the 3-0 Jets, they are going to have to execute defensively. Sanchez is as poised a young QB as could ever be found. He is also very football smart, and of course extremely talented.

In order to win this football game the Saints are going to have to play their best football of the season on the defensive side of the ball. That’s in large part due to Mark Sanchez being the best quarterback they’ve faced to this point in the season.

It’s also due to a productive running game, and a plethora of skill players all who bring something different to the table, and present possible matchup problems for the Saints defense. Here’s a closer look at that group of players.

 

Jets Personnel

 

RB Thomas Jones

Jones is a veteran who would seemingly have lost a step at this point in his career. But through three games, he looks just as fresh and lively as he’s been in the past. He’s never been the quickest or fastest back in the league, but he does hit the hole quickly and is explosive enough to get to the second level of the defense and run right through it.

Jones is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and also does a wonderful job blocking in the passing game for his rookie QB.

 

RB Leon Washington

Washington is the Jets’ super-utility guy (think Reggie Bush). He returns kicks and punts, plus he takes some snaps in the “Wildcat”. Not to mention that he gets about 10 carries a game from under center, and the Jets love to throw him the ball on screen passes and run him on draws to get him out in space. Overall, he is the Jets’ most explosive offensive player.

 

WR Jerricho Cotchery

Cotchery has turned into one of the most reliable receivers in the league and has become a true No.1 target for Sanchez to look to in key situations. He runs good routes and has good hands in order to finish his routes by catching the ball.

He is a difficult guy to tackle with the ball in his hands, and is very physical when going up in traffic to make a catch. He also does a pretty good job blocking in the running game.

 

TE Dustin Keller

Keller is a large Wide Receiver for all intents and purposes. The Jets do play him on the line and use him to block, but his real value is getting out into a pattern and creating mismatches against linebackers. He has really good speed for the position and super hands.

He is capable of making plays after he catches the ball. However, his blocking leaves something to be desired.

 

WR Chansi Stuckey

Stuckey came on late last year and has now become the Jets No. 2 receiver. He has good speed, good hands, and is a decent route runner. The Jets like to use him on quick screens and shorter routes to allow him to make things happen with the ball in his hands. That being said, he is a deep threat and must be taken seriously down the field.

 

WR Brad Smith

Smith is the Jets third receiver. The former Missouri Tiger quarterback has become a decent wide receiver and the Jets like to use him on reverses and he is also a viable “Wildcat” possibility. He has good speed and is a legitimate threat to take it the distance anytime he gets the ball.

 

Offensive Line

This is a veteran group that has been together for over an entire season. Because of this they have continuity, which is so crucial to the success of an offensive line.

They are not the most physical line in the history of football, but they do open holes for their backs. They also do a really good job of giving Mark Sanchez enough time to find receivers downfield.

 

Formations

The Jets are the second most complicated team the Saints have faced so far. They do a lot of different things personnel and formation-wise.

They like to go two backs and start in an offset-I, and will often run the football to the side of the tight end in these formations, especially on a counter-lead.

They also like to go to some three-receiver sets and put the tight end on the side of two receivers, giving them a 3×1 look. They will often run the inside zone play away from the three receiver side.

It is not uncommon for them to get into the “Gun” in long-yardage situations. When they do this, they primarily go 2×2 with Keller being split out wide. The other possible formation they show a lot of is the Gun w/ a two back look, although Keller usually is one of the two “backs”.

Some other formations the Saints should be wary of are some Empty packages, where Keller and Washington are split out wide with three receivers. Additionally, the Wildcat with either Washington or Brad Smith are likely to be utilized by the Jets.

 

Play Concepts

I mentioned some of the things the Jets like to do in the running game, by getting into two backs and running the counter-lead and running the inside zone away from the three receiver side.

It is also important to note the Jets LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to use playaction and screens.

On playaction, their goal is generally to hit it deep. They will run three vertical routes with the receivers (sometimes including Keller) and then send the two backs out into the pattern short to the same side with the fullback going to the flat and the running back to the middle of the field.

The Jets will throw a lot of screens especially on third-and-long situations (3rd-and-seven, or more). Many of these will go to the receivers on quick hitches. Some will go to the slot and are essentially the same play. They will also throw the jailbreak screen, which is a middle screen with the wide receiver.

They have some other screens where they’ll get the backs out in space or bring them inside off playaction or other misdirection-type concepts. Keller is also a possible target on these screens.

The draw is also a favorite of theirs in long-yardage situations. They’ll get into passing formations and fake the pass and then hand off, generally designed to go up the middle.

If I didn’t mention it before, the passing game is a vertical passing game. They like to run three receivers vertical, and then come underneath with another receiver. In short-yardage situations they’ll try to bunch you up and run switch patterns to mix up man-to-man coverage. The passing game is very similar to what the Saints like to do offensively.

 

What Gregg Williams Will Dial Up To Stop This Explosive Unit

As I said, the Jets try to give you a lot of different looks offensively. The Saints handled that pretty well when they faced the Eagles.

The running game is a power running game, with a physical back and a good change of pace back. They like to use playaction and throw a lot of screens and run draws. But they also like to go deep.

Keeping all those things in mind, I am going to suggest a more aggressive plan than I have in recent weeks.

In order to stop the inside zone against the 3×1 look I would stay balance and not overreact to this look. I would allow Scott Fujita to match up with Keller most times, at least in this formation.

I would then have my backside DE slant inside which should kill the backside tackles kick-out block. I also have my DT on that side slant into the B gap, to completely kill that gap. Then I have Vilma blitz the A gap and Shanle come outside and keep contain against a possible cutback.

Against the two back look I play the counter-lead. To do this effectively, Roman Harper must come up and be the eighth man in the box. He is the guy who will make most of the tackles on this play.

I would play a lot of man-to-man against these guys. Sure, they have speed and are dangerous, but blitzing is necessary. I would back it up with some cover two looks, especially focusing on helping Fujita when matched up against Keller.

As for the blitzes, I am tempted to zone blitz by dropping Sedrick Ellis, as they’ve done already on a number of occasions. The problem with this is the quickness of all the Jets players. He cannot stay with any of them.

Also, I failed to mention before, but in pass pro against the blitz, they tend to slide their entire line one way, which is very good against an overload blitz. For this reason, I would stay away from the overload. Instead, I would use blitzes where the backers come from both sides, and bring safeties and corners again much like last week.

So I guess the game plan is pretty similar to last weeks. I would be a little surprised to see three down linemen on the field every play. I think Williams will mix up his fronts a little more and try to keep Sanchez off guard. He will disguise blitzes and coverages.

None of this is really very new. Sanchez has seen this stuff before. But where the Saints have a chance to show something new is in the execution. Every coach knows the gamplan is only as good as the players performing it. The Saints certainly have the players. Let’s just hope the plan works.

Thursday I will preview the Jets’ defense and tell you how Sean Payton is likely to attack it. Until then, Geaux Saints!

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

When Dick Jauron fired Dick Schonert a week prior to the beginning of the season for having too many formations and too many plays, we all were thinking Buffalo was in trouble. Since then, Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt has simplified the offense greatly while keeping the no-huddle aspect.

The thing nobody saw coming was this move resulting a more productive offense. In this day and age, the most successful offenses are the ones with the most sophistication (but of course they must be well-executed).

The truth is the Bills are about as complicated offensively as a modern high school team, yet they are moving the football and scoring points.

The main reason for this is that with two stud receivers outside, the running game is opened up. But likely that will change. After last week’s 167 yard performance, teams must focus on RB Fred Jackson.

Let’s investigate further what the Bills do offensively, and then figure out what Gregg Williams is going to try to do stop this suddenly potent offense. 

 

Personnel

The Bills have three stars on offense: Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, and Fred Jackson. After them, Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish are good slot receivers who provide versatility and speed to stretch the defense.

The Bills are thin at the tight-end position. They may be down to third-stringer Derek Fine and former practice squad member Stupar (not sure of his first name). They also lost one of their starting linemen in Sunday’s game, so they are really stretched thin on the line.

At quarterback, Trent Edwards has shown some improvement from the past few years, although he is still a relatively slow decision-maker who has a propensity to force some passes into coverage. He is a good athlete and likes to get to the outside and make things happen. But he never steps up into the pocket to scramble.

It is also notable that the Bills are starting two rookies on the offensive line, and although they are very physical, it is an inexperienced group in general who lacks any significant continuity (in my opinion the most important element to successful line play).

 

Formations

As I noted above, the Bills are relatively simple in what they do. They showed only 13 different formations in the game against Tampa Bay, although that doesn’t count flipping the formation to the opposite side.

They do not have a true fullback, and, in fact, never line anyone up in such a formation. Occasionally they will put a tight end back there when they’re lined up in the shotgun, and that’s the closest thing they get to a two-back formation.

They like to run two-tight end sets, but they may be limited in that this week due to their difficulty to keep players at that position healthy. When they go with this personnel grouping, they generally use a wing formation (line them both up on the same side of the formation next to each other with one about a yard back and to the side) and keep a receiver on the side of the wing making it a 3×1 look.

In their other base personnel group—three receivers, one tight end, and one running back—they are a little more diverse. From this, they’ll go under center and in the gun.

They’ll use 3×1 and 2×2 formations with the tight end lined up on the line. They are still a threat to run from these setups. They also like to use slot motion into the backfield from the three-receiver side (generally it is Roscoe Parrish, although it could be Reed as well). 

Finally, they’ll stay with the 11 personnel (three receivers, tight end, and running back) but go empty. From this, they have two formations—one where the tight end lines up inline, the other he becomes a slot receiver. They have not shown any kind of QB run yet from this formation, or any version of the wildcat, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

 

Play Concepts

From their two-tight end formations, they really like to run a toss sweep to the strong side (the side with the two tight ends). They pull the playside guard to get up into the hole in an effort to get the running back to the second level. They ran this several times to both sides against Tampa Bay.

Also from this formation they like to run the inside zone, where they slant the line to the side of the handoff. Jackson, or whoever is running the ball, has the option to find a hole in the direction the linemen are slanting or can cutback against the flow, which against a crashing aggressive defense like the Saints is generally going to be wide open.

They bring the winged tight end across the play to cut off the backside defensive end to create that cutback lane.

From this play they set up a bootleg rollout where that tight end becomes Edwards’s main option, although they’d love to throw that ball deep as well.

Their really isn’t a lot to their passing game in general. The outside receivers vertical routes about 60 percent of the time. Sometimes they will have their slots and tight ends run vertical routes, and bring T.O. or Evans back under on crossing routes to get those guys the ball in space.

On most pass plays, the slots have an option route where they can run inside or outside. They basically read the safety nearest them and run away from them.

One interesting trend (perhaps) is that they try to be unpredictable by throwing on seemingly obvious running situations, and running in what seem to be passing situations.

 

What the Saints Must Do Defensively to Stop This Offense

In many ways this will be the simplest defensive gameplan Gregg Williams puts together all year. It should be a gameplan rooted in fundamentals. My theory is that the Saints defense is more talented man-for-man than the Bills offense. And since the Bills are a fundamentals team, the key is execution.

Therefore keep it fairly simple and the day should go pretty well.

The Bills tend to keep the same personnel in for an entire series, meaning the Saints can commit to defensive personnel immediately and ride that group for an entire series.

The biggest question is how to match up with the Bills 11 personnel grouping (three receivers). Frankly, there is nobody on the Saints starting defense who can match up man-to-man with Josh Reed or Roscoe Parrish in the slot.

However, Randall Gay certainly could do at least an adequate job. Therefore, I would expect to see a lot of nickel package being used this weekend. The only issue is that this weakens the run defense.

Therefore, I move Roman Harper up in the box to play almost as a third linebacker. Then I would play One man and Cover Three in the secondary primarily. That way I always have an equal number to defend in the run game and a man advantage to defend in the passing game.

My linebackers can easily play the tight ends in coverage, so I allow them to man up with those guys.

From a pressure standpoint, I’m not going to worry too much about blitzing (starting to sound like a broken record, which is funny since I love to blitz). Tampa Bay got ample pressure, and you could even say more pressure, when they simply rushed their four down linemen.

They were able to do this by using stunts, twists, and games. That being said, I would mix in some zone blitzes, especially on 3rd-and-short.

As far as playing the inside zone, I would really preach staying in lanes and playing gap-assignment football this week. Stay in your lane, don’t try to do someone else’s job. That way you are ready for the cutback run. The backside must stay at home and play contain, including the weakside linebacker (Scott Shanle).

This is also important when playing the inside zone against the three-receiver set when they’ll bring that receiver across to make it look like a reverse.

 

Summary

Buffalo is a simple offense. If we out-execute them, we should win. The key objective really is to make a wall around them, both versus the run and the pass. Do not allow Edwards to scramble outside; keep him in the pocket. Against the inside zone, same thing. Keep him inside where Roman Harper can come up and make the play.

Even if Buffalo shows something new this week, it likely will stay the same throughout the game, so it will not be hard to adjust to. Gregg Williams should be able to adjust in time to fix things for the rest of the game.

And oh yeah, their passing game is a vertical game, so at all cost, don’t get beat deep. The prevent-style defense can actually be very effective against these guys.

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