Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints: Breaking Down New Orleans' Game Plan

As I began to think of ways for the New Orleans Saints to slow down the Atlanta Falcons' high-powered, vertical offensive scheme, it dawned on me that coordinator Rob Ryan was previously charged with the same task last season.

As the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan got a chance to see how his highly aggressive, multiple-scheme stacked up against one of the perennially best offenses in the league. Needless to say, the results were pretty telling.

The Falcons have finally done it. They've made the much ballyhooed transition from a horizontally based pass scheme, to an explosive air raid of an attack. The Falcons were virtually the best team in the NFL at moving the chains with short passes meant to hit the receivers in stride and pick up a ton of yards after the catch (YAC).

Not satisfied with being themselves—possibly after getting their doors blown off in two consecutive playoff games—the Falcons opted to mimic their heated rivals, the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons' word around town for the 2011 offseason was "explosive."

The Falcons wanted to be able to strike big on any given play, at any given time. The front office ran around like chickens with their heads cut off in search of just the right formula. By all accounts, they've succeeded.

The selection of Alabama star receiver Julio Jones (6'3", 220 pounds) signified "small ball" was over in the "Peach State." Jones' ability to stretch the field for explosive plays was to serve as the basis for the schematic change. Veteran pass-catchers Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez—both top-five players at their respective positions—would continue to terrorize defenses by being virtually unstoppable in the short and intermediate game.

With the maturation of quarterback Matt Ryan—a top-five player in his own right—the transformation was pretty much complete after the 2011 season.

To truly become vertical with the pass, the Falcons needed to revamp their scheme. With the ousting of coordinator Mike Mularkey—and the subsequent hire of Dirk Koetter—the whole process came to fruition in a dominate 2012 season.

As explosive as the Falcons offense has become, it still pales in comparison to the Saints' attack. Although the media will have you think otherwise. The Falcons offense is full of superstar skill players who were first-round draft picks.

Conversely, the Saints have achieved much better numbers with a ragtag group of players. General manager Mickey Loomis is the very best at finding low-round gems and undrafted free agents alike. Quarterback Drew Brees can make a star out of anyone. For that reason alone, I believe he's the best QB in the league.

And the stats support that theory as well. 

In short, both offenses can't be stopped. This winner of this game will come down to who can effectively establish both lines of scrimmage, which team efficiently executes in the run game and who can slow down momentum by way of turnovers.

Here's where Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and his scheme comes into play.

Film Study

The thing I remember most about the Cowboys' 2012 visit to Atlanta (I was there), was the fact that points were very hard to come by. Both the Cowboys and Falcons didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

As great of a day as Matt Ryan had statistically (23-of-34 for 342 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs), most of the damage was done between the 20s. The Falcons wore out the middle of the field with Jones and White, mostly against zone coverage.

Rob Ryan threw what seemed like 100 different looks, blitzes and fronts at the Falcons offense. The defense rarely declared until the snap of the ball. More often than not it didn't work. But quite a few times it uncharacteristically confused Ryan.

This particular play stands out to me. Matt Ryan is one of the very best in the league at deciphering a scheme pre-snap. Here the Cowboys are in a zone across the board. But pre-snap it looks like it could be an all-out blitz. Outside linebackerAnthony Spencer starts off guarding the slot, motions to line in a blitz-declaration and then blots back into zone coverage. 

This is a still right before the snap. As you can see, it looks like a firestorm blitz. Ryan's first inclination would be to hit Roddy White on the hot route. Only problem is, the corner Brandon Carr is defending underneath. This gives Ryan cause to pause. 

This front confused Ryan as he didn't adjust the protection to account for DeMarcus Ware to the right of the formation. He's one of the very best in the league at rushing the passer, so he doesn't need any help. Ryan needed to slide the protection his way, or have the running back stay in to block. The line was originally adjusted to account for outside linebacker Spencer.

If Ryan wasn't going to adjust the protection, he needed to hit the hot route immediately. But the threat of the underneath corner backed him down off that theory. He held the ball and was blasted by Ware, subsequently fumbling and stalling out a good drive by the Falcons.

Not only was the Rob Ryan scheme confusing for the Falcons, it seemed to be equally as confusing for the Cowboys.

You can see the utter confusion among the players in the back end, as well as the late substitution on the line. 

One of the many excuses from Cowboys defensive personnel—as well as owner Jerry Jones—was in regard to the complexity of the scheme. This is a heavy-substitution scheme that demands all eligible personnel pay attention at all times. 

Some of the Falcons' yards came due to confusion and late substitutions. I saw some of this early in the preseason from the Saints defense, but the substitutions looked crisp against the Houston Texans in the third game. They can't afford to give up unearned yards to an explosive team like the Atlanta Falcons.

Getting Home on the blitz

Rob Ryan will blitz getting off the bus. The Saints must get to Matt Ryan through pressure or sacks. The Falcons ability to pick up the blitz on their vertical attack leaves the Saints' shaky corners on an Island with a couple of monsters.

Let's watch this twist develop.

Here the Cowboys are executing a two-man twist. They will use No. 59 Ernie Sims to tie up a couple of blockers, while No. 54 Bruce Carter goes behind him and comes out the other side of the formation. These types of blitzes are effective but generally take a while to unfold.

The unit won't show its hand until right at the snap.

It looks like the twist initially has the Falcons line fooled.

Carter, No. 54, is coming clean thus far.

At the last moment, the pocket closes, allowing Ryan to get off the pass to a streaking Jones. Linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne (Ramon Humber would be a better option) need to get home on the blitz. I don't believe the Saints want any of the corners one-on-one with Jones or White downfield. Or this might happen.

I surmise that the Saints have the personnel on both sides of the ball that can give the Falcons fits. If the defense can slow down the Falcons offense, while executing a myriad of blitzes, displaying multiple fronts and generally confusing Matt Ryan, they have an immense chance at winning this pivotal matchup.

The Falcons only managed one touchdown (a rushing one) against Rob Ryan's scheme in the matchup last season. Though Ryan threw for over 300 yards, his offense had to settle for four field goals on the way to a 19-13 victory. 

Expect Drew Brees and the Saints offense to be firing on all cylinders, putting a ton of pressure on an inferior Falcons offensive line—to allow Ryan to hit those explosive plays. Pressure will be paramount, and the opportunities will be plentiful. 

No matter what side you're on, expect a great contest. Football is back!

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