Texans vs. Saints: 5 Halftime Adjustments New Orleans Must Make

I was fully preparing to write a halftime report that had nothing to do with the Saints offense, as I expected Drew Brees to do his thing and pick apart the Texans’ D. Unfortunately for New Orleans, they are the ones being picked apart and not doing much better on offense in this first half. It should not have taken a quarter and a half to put together a long drive that gave the defense a little rest.

But obviously the Saints defense really needs to keep limiting Matt Schaub and the Houston offense to give their own high-powered offense the chances it needs. They will find ways to score; it’s just a matter of making the adjustments that will allow them to outscore the Texans.

Here are five big adjustments the Saints must make at halftime:

1. Put More Pressure on Matt Schaub

Look, this game is eventually going to be a shootout. These are two of the premiere offenses in all of football and have been for a while. But there is a chink in the armor of the Houston offense. Everytime the Saints have blitzed successfully, Schaub gets extremely skittish.

As it stands now, he's on pace to throw for a cool 500 yards. But if he has to get his feet moving in the pocket or has a defender bearing down on him, he has made bad throws, taken sacks or thrown the ball away. If the Saints can keep getting to him, they are going to turn the tide of this game. They need to limit long completions and give themselves a chance to take back control in the second half.

2. Stick to Johnson Like Nothing Else Matters

At this point, nothing else really does matter...Why is the best receiver in the NFL constantly open? He’s big, fast and a smart route-runner, but you would think Sean Payton would have two guys on him at all times. He is that kind of impact player, and so far he’s making it look easy against New Orleans.

Regardless of how many defenders are on Johnson, the only thing that should be closer to his body is his actual pads and jersey. The Saints really need to jam him at the line, double him or just stick to his hip like white on rice to contain him. Johnson is almost out-gaining the entire Saints' offense right now. That's not going to cut it.

3. Get Out of Zone Defense

Or at least hit someone hard. Schaub and his receivers are basically playing a casual game of catch at the expense of the Saints’ D. They are threading through the zone with absolutely no problem and torching the secondary for big gains.

I’m not advocating illegal hits or anything, but lay Owen Daniels or Johnson out next time they go across the middle and see if that affects how confidently they run those plays from now on. It may be the last line of defense, but hey, something’s gotta change.

4. Make Those Breaks a Little Harder on the Routes

Because I can’t think of any other way to get those receivers more open. Save for a couple exceptions, Brees has had to force throws into tight spots because a DB is draped on the targeted receiver.

The Texans are playing a pretty solid game on defense, but I think most of the problem lies with play-calling and receiver separation from the corners and safeties. A little jab step here and hard cut there will do wonders for that small space an elite QB like Brees needs. 

5. Call Some Plays that Give Brees More Space

I don’t know what is wrong with him, but he’s not hitting his receivers in stride as much as usual. I think this combines with the previous adjustment, but the Saints should definitely be putting points on the board. Try opening something up so Brees can put an easy pass right in the numbers.

He doesn’t look to be injured, so I can only assume he’s in one of those “funks” today that all athletes run into. Maybe a change of pace will do him good. Let’s see the Saints run a play-action pass or something to the tight ends out of the backfield. Or, keep pounding it with the run so the passing game gets opened up a bit more.