Top 5 Plays From The 2008 New Orleans Saints

After watching as many highlight reels that the internet had to offer over a period of about 15 to 20 hours, I have cataloged all of the Saints’ offensive touchdowns in 2008. 

The highlights showed all the touchdowns, but only a few of the plays that went for 20 yards or more.  That’s understandable seeing as the Saints racked up 75 of those, 66 through the air. 

I then checked them against the “alignments and formations” portion of the Saints’ offensive playbook.  It took some careful sleuthing, but I managed to figure out which plays worked best for the Saints. 

More specifically, I tried to bridge the gap between Xs & Os aficionados and the average NFL fan by translating some of the these plays and the formations they came from into layman’s terms. 

It might be a little tricky to follow, but here are the five best offensive plays from the 2008 New Orleans Saints.

“F” One Back Alignments: Falcon RT

The Saints scored five touchdowns out of the “Falcon RT (right)” formation, three through the air and two on the ground.  Four of these scores came in a trouncing of the Green Pay Packers on Monday Night Football in week 12.

The “Falcon RT” consists of two TEs, one on each side of the offensive line and both on the line of scrimmage.  There is one HB and two WRs, one on each side of the ball and off the line of scrimmage. 

Pierre Thomas found the most success in this package, scoring twice on runs four and 31 yards.  He also hauled in a 21-yard pass. 

The longest touchdown pass that came from this package was a 70-yard catch and run from Drew Brees to Lance Moore on the first play from scrimmage against the Packers. 

The Saints employ at least 10 packages that feature this type of personnel (2 TEs, 2 WRs, and 1 HB).  However, the players’ positions on the field aren’t always the same. 

For example, in the “Fix RT” formation, the left TE (labeled “F”) moves off the line of scrimmage and moves out next to the left WR (“X”) to line up as the slot receiver.  The “X” receiver then moves up to the line of scrimmage to ensure that there are still seven men on the line of scrimmage. 

The Saints found lots of success with this personnel group and I will explore it more in depth later in the article. 

Bunch Formations

I counted six touchdowns out of the “Bunch” formations, four through the air and two on the ground.  Unlike the Saints’ “Cluster” packages, the “Bunch” always features at least three receivers to the right of the ball, and one to the left. 

The “Cluster” is exactly the opposite. 

The “Bunch” consists of one WR (“X”) lined up to the left of the ball and on the line of scrimmage. There is one HB behind the QB, and three receivers (“F”, “Y”, and “Z”) bunched together on the right side of the ball, close to the right tackle, with only one of those three on the line of scrimmage. 

If Sean Payton calls for a “stretch,” it means that one of the off receivers from the group of three splits out wide and lines up outside the numbers.  Robert Meachem caught a 74-yard pass from a “Stretch Bunch” formation in week 3 against the Denver Broncos. 

Deuce McAllister and Lance Moore benefited most, though, each scoring a pair of touchdowns from the “Bunch.” 

McAllister caught 15-yard screen to go with a 2-yard run while Moore once again highlights this package with a 72-yard bomb he caught in the end zone at the end of a game against the Atlanta Falcons in week 10. 

Unfortunately, it was on a Hail Mary pass that wouldn’t have made a difference unless you had him on your fantasy team. 

The Saints have at least 14 variations of the “Bunch” formation, though each has a different name. 

Since different players can always be substituted to play different assignments (i.e. “Y,” “F,” and “Z” receiver/TE assignments) I could not pinpoint exactly which specific “Bunch” formations out of the 14 were being used for each touchdown. 

For example, in the basic “Bunch RT” formation, the “X” receiver lines up to the left of the ball and on the line of scrimmage.  The other three receivers (“Y,” “F,” and “Z”) are on the right, close to the right tackle and in a bunch. 

The “Y” receiver (usually a TE) is on the line of scrimmage, with the “F” and “Z” receivers flanking him on either side. 

Similarly, the “Buzz RT” formation is set up in exactly the same way, but with only one difference.  Here, the bunched receivers to the right are merely rearranged. 

Instead of the “Y” receiver lining up on the line of scrimmage with “F” and “Z” flanking him, it’s the “Z” receiver that lines up on the ball with “F” and “Y” behind him. 

Taking it a step further, when Payton calls for “Wide Buzz RT,” he wants the bunched receivers to move as a group away from the right tackle and line up on the numbers. 

Follow so far? 

Even though most of the Bunch packages look the same, they’re all different because different players are allocated to different assignments (the “Ys,” “Fs,” “Zs,” etc.). 

That’s why I decided to group them all together for the sake of this article. 

“F” One Back Alignments: Flank RT, Float RT, Fin RT/ Fix RT, Full RT

As I mentioned earlier, the Saints found a lot of success using the one HB, two TE, two WR set.  The “Flank RT,” “Float RT,” and “Fin RT” formations all feature this personnel. 

The “Fix RT” and “Full RT” formations differ slightly from "Flank RT," "Float RT," and "Fin RT" in that instead of having two TEs, they employ a third WR. 

But it should be noted that although Billy Miller and Jeremy Shockey would sometimes be on the field at the same time, Shockey would often split out to a truer WR position (usually in the slot), while Miler would stay on the line of scrimmage to block. 

So even though there were times where two tight ends shared the field, one would sometimes split out to play WR - in short, the Saints sometimes utilized "Flank RT," "Float RT," or "Fin RT" personnel but lined up in a "Fix RT" or "Full RT" formation.

Still with me?

The Saints scored seven touchdowns out of these five formations, all of which were through the air.  Moore, again, found the most success, catching three out of those seven scores.

Additionally, in the highlights that I reviewed, Brees also threw passes of 20, 30, 53, 63, and 83 yards.  Four of those completions went to Devery Henderson. 

Reggie Bush recorded the Saints’ longest running play of the season from either the “Fix RT” or “Full RT” formation.  Though it didn’t go for a touchdown, Bush’s 43-yard scamper help set one up in a week 14 win against the Falcons. 

The differences between these two sets of packages are very similar to what made the "Bunch" packages different. 

For example, in the “Fin RT” formation, one TE (“Y”) lines up next to the right tackle on the line of scrimmage. 

One receiver (“X”) is lined out wide left and on the line of scrimmage. The “F” (sometimes Reggie Bush) receiver is off the ball and in the slot.  The “Z” receiver is to his right, also lined up off the ball. 

“Fin RT,” “Flank RT,” and “Float RT” are all exactly the same in their formations.  The only area they differ is in personnel, just like with the “Bunch RT” packages. 

In “Flank RT,” the “Z” receiver and “F” receivers simply switch spots.  In “Float RT,” the “F” receiver moves to the left side of the ball, with the “Z” receiver in the slot to the right and the “X” receiver to his right. 

As I mentioned, The “Fix RT” and “Full RT” differ from the other three formations by featuring an extra WR instead of a TE.  But again, the only big difference between the two packages is personnel. 

Weak RT

The Saints scored eight times out of the “Weak RT” formations, seven of which came on the ground.  Thomas found the most success from this package, scoring on three of the seven rushing touchdowns. 

All three of his scores were of only five yards or less.  The lone passing touchdown went to…..that’s right, Lance Moore.
 
Unlike the “F” formations and “Bunch RT” formations, the “Weak RT” packages can differ in formation as well as personnel.  There are three different variations of the “Weak RT” formation, though all of them feature a split-I backfield. 

The “Weak RT Z Stack” features a TE (“Y”) on the right side of the ball, on the line of scrimmage, and next to the right guard.  The FB and HB are in a split-I formation, with the FB leading left. 

The remaining two WRs are about four to five yards off the left tackle.  The “Z” receiver lines up on the line of scrimmage with “X” receiver “stacked” directly behind him. 

In “Weak RT Tare,” the “X” receiver replaces the “Z” receiver from the “stack” formation. 

The “X” receiver, however, moves to the far right side of the ball on the line of scrimmage, while the “Y” receiver (maybe a TE, RB, or WR) moves further right, away from the right guard and into the slot position, to the left of "X," and off the ball.  The backs are still in a split-I. 

Finally, “Weak RT Close” features the “X” receiver split out far left, on the line of scrimmage.  The “Y” receiver is lined up next to the right guard, on the line of scrimmage at TE.  The “Z” receiver flanks him to the right, and is off the ball.  Again, backs are in split-I. 

Often times, the Saints would line up in a “Weak RT Close” formation but with the “Z” receiver split out wide, instead of behind the TE (“Y”).  The Saints don’t have a name for this package, but if I had to give it a name, I would call it “Weak RT Far.”

Green RT

The Saints’ most successful plays came out of the “Green RT” formations.  They scored 16 touchdowns, half of which came through the air. 

It should be noted, though, that this the Saints’ primary short-yardage and goal line package. 

Whether it was a lack of short-yardage production or a testament to the passing game, I’m not sure; but the Saints scored just as much in this package through the air as they did on the ground. 

When they did pass for points, though, it was usually to a RB or TE. 

Thomas scored six touchdowns out of “Green RT,” four on the ground and two through the air. 

Bush also got a share of the action, scoring three receiving touchdowns as well. 

His longest, and perhaps most exciting, was his 42-yard game-winning catch, juke, and score against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 1. 

The “Green RT” formations are very similar to the "Weak RT" formations.  The biggest difference besides formations is the alignment of the backs. 

In the “Weak RT” packages the backs were in a split-I.  In “Green RT” packages, the backs line up in an I formation. 

There are five variations of the “Greet RT” formation, most of which are all geared to pick up short yards or cross the goal line. 

So even though there are five versions of the package, they all resemble the same thing: very tight formations with as many as three TEs, and the occasional single WR spread out wide. 

The only "Green RT" formation that doesn’t necessarily resemble a short-yardage formation is “Green RT Tare YOZ.” 

Here, backs are in an I, and the “X” receiver is lined up four yards away from the left tackle, on the line of scrimmage.  The “Z” receiver is in the slot, off the line of scrimmage with “Y” receiver out far left, and on the ball. 

Extra Notes

The Saints don’t necessarily employ a Shotgun package. 

Instead, if Payton feels the need to, he will say “Gun” before calling the play, telling Brees to start the play from the shotgun, as opposed to being under center. 

You can usually see this when the Saints are trying score before the half or at the end of the game if they’re losing. 

The Saints did find some success on screen plays, but I decided to lump them together with the passing touchdown category.