Black & Gold Xs & Os: Offensive Gameplan Vs. The Cowboys

We're now hours from kickoff. The more I think about it the more it seems Pierre Thomas should be a star Saturday night. The main reason is that he normally plays very well in primetime games.

More relevant, though, is the fact the Cowboys defense is set up almost perfectly for Pierre to explode.

They play a 3-4 with their outside backers generally playing on the L.O.S., similar to what Miami does, which makes it practically a 5-2. With this alignment, the middle of the line tends to be wide open for running. Of course, formation does affect the way the defense lines up, but this 5-2 look is what you will often get from Dallas in base down situations.

Coverage-wise, the Cowboys play a lot of Two-Man. This means they play the two high safeties, which play half the field, and have their corners man up across the field.

In my opinion, this is the best coverage scheme that exists. But even as good as it is, there are holes, not to mention that you still must have the players to run it.

The Cowboys have two solid corners in Terrence Newman and Mike Jenkins. In fact, Newman is better than solid. But their safeties lack the range to make plays on a regular basis.

Because of this, you can run guys across the middle all day for 15-20 yard completions. And with a quarterback like Drew Brees, who is so good at moving defenders with his eyes, pump fakes, and footwork, the deep sideline throw is available.

If you remember the New England game, Sean Payton started the game out with a vertical sideline route to Devery Henderson in between the corner and safety. I'm not saying the Saints will start this game that way, but I would expect to see that route a few times tomorrow night.

Where Mr. Pierre Thomas comes into play is in the running game, with some inside runs with the cutback option, which is just a standard inside zone run. Additionally, expect the Saints to find ways to isolate he and Reggie Bush on the outside against their linebackers.

Finally, play action should work well, especially after establishing the running game. Both the inside linebackers and safeties will begin cheating up, at which point Brees can hit a big one over the top down the middle, or even to the outside if the receivers can beat their guy one-on-one.

One thing I have yet to factor in is Dallas' pass rush. In general, that has been an area that the defense has been down in 2009.  Nevermind the fact they could very well be without their best pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, and it seems hard to comprehend any scenario in which the Saints O-Line struggles to protect Brees.

But let's stay away from assumptions. Wade Phillips has long loved to blitz, and for just as long has been very good at getting pressure with those blitzes. Because of this, I would look for the Saints to go with some empty packages in which Drew is called to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

But I also wouldn't be stunned by some two back-type packages in order to help Drew stay clean. As long as Drew has time, he should be able to pick apart that secondary. And Pierre Thomas should have ample space to run.