Fleur-De-Lis Fever| No-Huddle In New Orleans: It Can Work For The Saints

Perhaps there is no closer relationship in the NFL between an offensive-minded head coach and a quarterback than there is with Saints head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. 

They both arrived in New Orleans in 2006 and have consistently produced top-five offenses.

Brees finished second in the MVP voting in 2006 and was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2008.

Payton and Brees always seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to play-calling and personnel packages.

So why not implement a no-huddle offense?

I'm not talking about a part-time, two minute drill no-huddle. I'm talking about a full-time no-huddle offense. 

Sam Wyche, one time head coach of a good Cincinnati Bengals team, implemented a full-time no-huddle offense with quarterback Boomer Esiason. Esiason won the 1988 MVP award and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl the same season.

The Buffalo Bills, led by head coach Marv Levy and quarterback Jim Kelly, adopted the no-huddle offense after losing to the Bengals in the 1988 AFC championship game.

Starting in 1990, the Bills proceeded to win four straight AFC titles. Say what you want about their four subsequent losses in the Super Bowl, but it is more success than the Saints have ever had.

The Saints can pass and score with the best of them already, so you may be saying, "Don't fix what isn't broken," but the reality is that the Saints' offense could use some tweaking. 

Yeah, the Saints need to run the ball better, especially in short-yardage situations. Let's get real, though. Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis can talk all they want about getting or developing another running back to replace Deuce McAllister, but the Saints are still going to throw the ball 60 percent of the time.

The Saints are notoriously slow starters and often put up the bulk of their offensive numbers after the first quarter.

In the first quarters of games in 2008, the Saints were shut out six times and scored just 67 of their 463 points, only 14 percent. They scored a touchdown in the first quarter in just five games, but were 4-1 in those games.

For instance, the Saints scored 32 points in a loss at Denver but only scored three of those points in the first quarter fell behind 21-3.

The San Francisco 49ers shut out the Saints in the first quarter before the Saints exploded for 21 points in the second quarter.

The Saints twice used the fourth quarter to pad their stats in losses to division opponents after the game was out of reach. New Orleans scored 14 points in the fourth quarter in a 30-24 loss to Atlanta, and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of a 33-31 loss to Carolina.

We can blame the defense all we want for the eight losses, and yes, they deserve a great deal of the blame, but perhaps that Saints would win a couple more games if they got off to better starts.

Brees is more of a player/coach rather than just a player and is more than capable of running a no-huddle. He knows his playbook and understands the nuances of the offense as well as anyone. His relentless film work allows him to read defenses and make changes on the fly.

New Orleans has enough versatile weapons to go an entire series without substituting.  Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas can both take hand offs and catch passes out of the backfield. Heath Evans, the new fullback, is a triple threat to block, run, and receive.  Jeremy Shockey is useful in both the run and pass game.

Versatility, which was one of the themes of the Saints' offseason, allows the Saints to exploit favorable match-ups.

Here's an example of how the no-huddle can help the Saints.

Let's say the Saints begin a game with Marques Colston and Lance Moore at receiver, Shockey at tight end, and Bush and Thomas at running back. If Bush and Thomas are both in the backfield on first down, then the opposing team is probably in their base 4-3 or 3-4 defense. If the Saints go without a huddle on second down, they can put Bush in the slot without allowing the opposing team to switch to a nickel defense.

Remember, if the offense doesn't substitute, then the referees don't have to allow time for the defense to substitute.

We are in age of defensive specialization. 

There are defensive ends who get paid millions to only play during passing situations.  They are good at rushing the quarterback but are poor against the run.

There are linebackers who are fierce against the run but are worthless in pass coverage.  This is how the Miami Dolphins ruined the Chicago Bears' perfect season in 1985.

Believe it or not, there are defensive backs who can't play the pass. We politely call them "in-the-box" safeties, such as Roy Williams and Roman Harper.

The no-huddle exploits defenses that are chock full of defensive specialists.

Not only would a no-huddle provide for favorable match-ups, but it will eventually wear down defenses. 

The Saints would not have to run a hurry-up offense just because they go without a huddle. Peyton Manning often uses a no-huddle and still waits until there are only a few seconds left on the play clock before he calls for a snap.

The Saints' offense is not as prolific as Saints fans and the NFL media seem to think.

It's a good offense but it could use a little bit of work. Throw in a no-huddle offense with an improved run game, and we could be talking about an "all-time" offense before everything is all said and done.