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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They often will go with 3x1 formations (three receivers to one side of the formation, one to the other) and that lone ranger is often Steve Smith. By doing this, they are hoping to get him matched up one-on-one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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