Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints Defensive Gameplan vs. Favre & Co.

Oh how easy it is to argue over things so irrelevant. When I began writing this piece I was caught up thinking about Calvinism and Arminianism (two conflicting theories in Christianity).

When I finally calmed down over a very disrespectful comment I heard concerning the side I favor, I realized that my blood was flowing about something that ultimately doesn't change what the actual truth IS. Whether I'm on that side or not, it does not change its truth.

Why am I bringing this up in a sports article? Because this week you will hear conflicting reports about whether the Saints defense has any chance to slow, or possibly even stop, Brett Favre and the Vikings' offense.

Critics will point to New Orleans' 25th-ranked defense. Others will point to their impressive 14-point/two turnover outing last weekend against an explosive Arizona offense.

Much as I ultimately do not know the answer to which theory is correct with 100 percent certainty, I also cannot answer this question of which defense will come to play. What I can do, though, is tell you some facts that I garnered from film study, and tell you how the Saints could stop or slow down the Vikings' offense.

Much like Arizona, Minnesota has tall, physical, and fast wide receivers, and they like to go with three of them on the field much of the time. When they do this, they love to go 3x1, meaning the tight end would deploy to the same side of the two receivers.

When in shotgun, a high percentage of the time they will put the running back to the opposite side of the tight end in order to balance out the formation a little bit and help themselves in protection, although much of the time the back will simply run a route.

Surprisingly, Minnesota is weakest when the tight end is on the right side and releases out into a route. When this happens on film, the end plays outside the tight end and gets a speed release versus RT Phil Loadholt.

Loadholt is too slow to keep up, but if he does, he leaves a blitzer unattended coming through his gap. In this case, RG Anthony Herrera has to try to pick him up, but he generally cannot. Then again Herrera has a difficult enough time blocking a DT one-on-one, much less trying to block a blitzer who has a running start.

In order to correct this flaw, Minnesota will have to do one of two things (or three, but the third will most likely fail). They can either keep that tight end in to block, or check the running back. They prefer to send five out into the route, so this throws off their route combos.

But if they choose to send five out, the Saints will simply blitz through the offense's right "C gap" and kill Favre. One possible reason they may choose not to help out their line is that Favre is more than capable of picking up the extra guy in protection.

This is a concept that is normally applied to backside protection, but the QB has the extra guy. In reality, it is easier to apply this to the front side since he is able to see the rusher/blitzer coming.

In fact, in the games I watched, Favre actually did a great job of not making mistakes and made a few plays. Of course he was also sacked several times.  

From a routes perspective, Minnesota really likes to run vertical routes and they are similar to New Orleans and Arizona in that regard.

One thing they do more than either of those teams is run a comeback route, where the outside receivers will act as if they are running a go, then slant back downhill towards the sideline.

They can do this because of Favre's superior arm strength and their receivers' deep speed. In addition to these outbreaking routes, they also like the deep in-breaking routes, such as posts and square-ins. Finally, they will run a "9", which in Favre language probably equates to "just go get open."

In the running game, Minnesota does some things differently, but they do have some tendencies. First off, they mostly run zone to the right. The reason, I concluded, is that they were having trouble with DTs slanting inside of Herrera when they ran left, and that problem definitely doesn't exist when Steve Hutchinson is that guy.

Second, they primarily pull Herrera toward the left, because once again Hutchinson and LT Bryant McKinnie are strong enough to seal and hold their men going to the left. This way Herrera can do the one thing he is actually good at—moving in space.

So to stop the running game I would slant toward the play with my backside DT when it's a pull-play. Against zone, I would run to blitz the "B gap" and run twists against all other linemen. I would make sure to play contain on both sides with a linebacker or defensive end.

I would not bother to commit an eighth guy to stop the run because of their vertical passing game. Although if Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin finds himself in the backfield, I would throw the kitchen sink at them, because there's a good chance he is getting the ball. I would definitely assign a man to spy him if he is in the backfield.

Therefore, to stop the pass, the pressure packages are important. I would find ways to get three defenders on the right side of the offensive line against two offensive linemen. If Gregg Williams can find ways to do this, he will be successful in getting to Brett Favre.

One key, though, is to make sure if Favre brings his arm up against pressure, do NOT jump. That is what he wants. Keep going through his chest. If a defender jumps, Favre will pump, reset his feet, and find another throwing lane.

Discipline must be a big part of the defensive gameplan on Sunday. Being disciplined will keep Favre from his impromptu act, which is when he's at his best.

In the secondary, I would have a similar plan to last weekend. I mean, if we can stop Larry Fitzgerald, I think we can slow down Sidney Rice, right?

The key in that game was to mix up coverages, play some press, and get in his face. That is how you beat speed. If you allow these receivers to get free releases, of course they're going to get open.

But these guys are not very physical, so if you bump them, you throw them off their routes, give your rushers time to get to Favre, and force Favre to do something dumb.

Finally, the biggest key defensively will be crowd noise. So if you're going to be in the dome on Sunday, please scream at the top of your lungs every play. I beg you for the good of your team. Sure you may not be able to speak for a couple of days, but a trip to South Beach for your team is worth that much, isn't it?

I think we all can agree on that one—Geaux Saints!