Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints Defensive Gameplan Vs. Philadelphia

The New Orleans Saints head to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon (noon CT on Fox) with a regular season win under their belt. Last season, the Saints were 1-0 headed into Washington and played horribly but still should have won the game.

If the Saints play horribly in this one, especially offensively, they will get crushed. But, I would say the Saints defense has reason to be optimistic.

Part of the reason, of course is the possibility of Donovan McNabb not playing. But the bigger deal is the loss of Guard Shawn Andrews, who the Eagles placed on Injured Reserve yesterday. The Eagles feature almost an entirely new offensive line from last season.

Continuity is a key for any offensive line, and subsequently there is almost no way the Eagles' line could have that this early in their time together. I would expect a lot of creative blitzes and/or stunts, twists, games, etc. from Gregg Williams to confuse the offensive line.

In a sense, it does not matter who the quarterback for the Eagles is. The gameplan remains the same whether it's McNabb, Kevin Kolb, or Jeff Garcia. They are extremely mobile guys who are going to keep plays alive by scrambling.

Of course, McNabb has a bigger arm than the other two, so the vertical game is a little more likely with him, but overall the gameplan won't change a lot.

Finally, the Eagles offense is very similar in structure to the Saints offense. This should be an advantage for the Saints defense since that's pretty much all they've seen since July.

What the Eagles Do Offensively

Personnel

Much like the Saints, the Eagles will rotate players in and out of the game on almost every snap. It would not be too strange to see two tight ends and two running backs on one play, and the next to see no tight ends and four or five wide receivers.

The Eagles will use Brian Westbrook similarly to the way the Saints use Reggie Bush. He'll line up in the backfield, but also in the slot, and out wide. He is a skilled receiver who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. In Week One versus Carolina, Westbrook ran a lot of off tackle-type plays where they were simply trying to use his speed on the outside.

The Saints however should not sleep on rookie RB LeSean McCoy. He looks exactly like Reggie Bush when running the football and is also a very explosive player, who has a similar skillset to Westbrook. Finally, fullback Leonard Weaver, is a tremendous run blocker, but can also catch the ball and can make things happen with the ball in his hands.

At the tight end position, the Eagles will play two very capable guys--Brent Celek and former Buccaneer Alex Smith. Both are very good blockers, and both can stretch the seam with good speed and make yards after the catch on short throws.

Rookie Cornelius Ingram will be a good player down the line, but he needs some time to get used to speed of the game at the NFL level.

At the wide receiver position, the Eagles are greatly improved from the team that used to be T.O. and a bunch of other guys. Much like the Saints, they are a bunch of GREAT number two wide receivers. Because of this, whoever the quarterback is, he's going to spread the ball around to whoever is open.

DeSean Jackson is the biggest threat though, with tremendous speed, and an incredible understanding of how to play the position for such a young player. He is their big play guy, but also their best overall receiver.

Kevin Curtis provides good speed, and is a reliable receiver who always plays out wide. Jason Avant is an experienced possession receiver, who is also very reliable. Rookie Jeremy Maclin is another big play type, who could easily take a reverse to the house. As a receiver though, he is currently not much of a threat.

Formations

Much like the Saints, the Eagles try to formation a defense into its' own death. In their week one game, I do not think the Eagles used the same formation once in the first half.

The Eagles offense has evolved over the years from a prototypical West Coast Offense, which never uses the shotgun, to a more modern version, where the gun is used quite often. About half of the Eagles offensive snaps were taken from the gun. Because most of the Eagles QBs are short, whoever plays, this trend will likely continue.

The Eagles like to spread the defense out, and even when only playing two receivers, they will push their splits out as far as any I've seen. In theory, this widens out the safeties and backers, which gives the offense more of the middle of the field to work.

The Eagles like to use two tight end sets, which generally means either they are going to max protect, by sending out only two or three receivers into the pattern, or run a power running game. Much of the time, they'll play the tight ends on the same side of the formation, which really forces the defense to adjust to that side of the field.

Also, the Eagles showed some empty stuff for the first time that I can remember. This further spreads out the defense, and is good for throwing up the middle.

Finally, DeSean Jackson will get back in the gun and play the "Wildcat" QB position. Leonard Weaver becomes the lone back next to him, who will either be a lead blocker, or a possible runner. Don't be surprised to see them feature Maclin in motion to give the defense further headaches.

Play Concepts

The Eagles passing game is very similar to the Saints. They run a vertical version of the West Coast offense. They throw a lot of passes to the sideline on comeback routes or deep outs.

They like to get their receivers deep over the middle on deep post routes, while the other receiver runs a Dig (deep in) route, which should take the safety out of the picture.

They will throw crossing routes to Jackson and Maclin to get them the ball in space. They love the playaction rollout to get the tight ends the ball in space. They'll throw short to their backs to get them in space. And they love the screen game to Westbrook, but could also use Weaver or McCoy on a screen as well. They are among the best in football at executing the screen game.

In the running game, the Eagles run a lot of zone. This slants the entire line in the direction of the run, but also creates a cutback lane, which Westbrook and McCoy are quick enough to find and burst through it. If the line seals the edge, this allows the back to use his speed to get to the outside.

They'll also use some draws from the gun, especially against an aggressive defense like New Orleans. This could be run by a running back, quarterback, or Jackson. Jackson will also run a sweep from the wildcat to get outside and use his speed.

In all, the Eagles do a lot of different things offensively, especially personnel and formation-wise. They are trying to confuse the defense, and make them play slow. Because of this, I suggest Gregg Williams advise his defense to not worry about the formation or personnel package, but to just play football. Do what you do, regardless.

What the Saints Should Do Defensively

To do what you do, requires a plan, obviously. Williams at this point, has devoured game film of this offense. He knows they run a thousand different formations and play concepts. It is unrealistic to prepare for all of it. Therefore, a simple game plan should follow.

Because the offensive line is pretty much new group, run different twists, stunts, and games early on. Do not let them get comfortable. But mix them in--don't throw everything at them the first series.

Again, I would not blitz as much as Williams likely is tempted to do. By spreading you out, the Eagles are asking for the blitz. Show it, but don't come--play coverage.

Of course, this forces the front four to get some pressure. They are capable, but must do it. There are no excuses any longer. Jonathan Vilma, Shanle, and Scott Fujita looked good playing in coverage a week ago, but also looked wonderful blitzing. Mix it up. Zone blitz a little bit. Play that 3-4 where you bring in Marvin Mitchell. In other words, keep it simple, but confuse the offensive line.

Another reason for not blitzing as much is the Eagles desire to throw screens and run draws. These are blitz beaters and they'll run them on every down.

I would however blitz the "wildcat" through the "B" gaps and use your ends to play contain. In fact, the 3-4 alignment would be perfect for this. That way, Shanle and Fujita can play contain, the two middle backers can blitz, and your line can simply push their gaps.

In the secondary, I am tempted to play a lot of "Two Man". This means you play two deep safeties, to avoid being taken advantage of by that post-dig combo route. It also allows you to keep tabs on receivers who are running all over the place. And it frees people up to blitz.

But I also want to play underneath coverage with my linebackers, in order to avoid being eaten up by the tight end and some of those shorter crossing routes. No matter who the quarterback is, the Eagles will throw the ball. We must be prepared for this by giving them different looks back there, and by getting pressure on the quarterback.

I do not expect either team to score the same amount of points as they did a week ago. Instead, I expect this to be more of a defensive game. It wouldn't surprise me if the winner finishes with 20 or fewer points. This would seem to favor Philadelphia, but that's why they play the game.