Baby Got Back: A Struggling Defense's Best Friend

Now, I'm no fool.  I know many of citizens of WhoDat Nation are so infatuated with Reggie and Pierre that they cannot bear imagine the Saints' roster with a different backfield.  I know I might catch some heat for this.  But somebody needs to say it.

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We've all talked about what has to happen to our Dreaded Defense...

More depth at the line.

Another shut-down cornerback to line up with Porter.
A more capable free safety.

I've heard it all. But what I want to introduce to you is what I like to call "Law of Big Backs." No, I'm not talking about my love for thick rear-end. I'm talking about my belief, and the statistical law, that a defense's best friend is a big, power running back that grinds down the field and speeds up the clock.

Now, I'm no fool.  I know many of citizens of WhoDat Nation are so infatuated with Reggie and Pierre that they cannot bear imagine the Saints' roster with a different backfield.  I know I might catch some heat for this.  But somebody needs to say it.

I'm not going to pretend that I am the first to realize this truth. However, all-too-often fans tend to follow football too black & white (you know who you are).  We all know these people—it doesn’t matter the topic, they quote TD and YPC stats all day long.  They measure a defense's strength and weakness based upon the number of points they allow and turnovers they produce.  They see the game of football as only stats and highlights—no variables.  Here I am to say that every stat is tied to another variable.

I've heard many cases from people within WhoDat Nation that suggest that the Saints should be content with our current running backs (Thomas and Bush specifically).  They will tell you about Reggie's touchdowns when he's healthy and they talk about Pierre's YPC average.  They don't want to "waste" our drafts or salary cap on any more offense.  I understand your stance, but in my utmost humble opinion, you aren't seeing the whole picture.

What I don't hear people talking about is what happens on 3rd-and-short when opposing defenses know what's coming.  Let’s be honest, I think anybody that has ever watched a Saints’ game within the last two seasons know that first-downs are a crapshoot when opposing defenses know that Pierre and Reggie are getting the ball.

Too many variables are being ignored.  Sure, we all love to see big numbers when we look at the YPC and TD categories, but let's look at the bigger picture.  Let's look at the numbers that really killed us.

The Breakdown

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