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September 14, 2014The New Orleans Saints march in to FirstEnergy Stadium as a 6.5-point favorite on Sunday. But after their Week 1 loss to Matt Ryan and the Falcons, one can hardly say that the former world champs are world beaters. Coming into the Opening Week, much of the talk surrounding the Saints involved their defense, which was thought to be poised for a big year in 2014. New Orleans splashed big in free agency signing former Buffalo and Mike Pettine safety Jairus Byrd, adding a big time playmaker to a defense that ranked 10th in the league last year in yards-per-play. Throw in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan—formerly of the Cleveland Browns—returning for his second season in the Black and Gold, and Who Dat Nation was ready for a defensive unit that could more than hold their own with an already elite, championship-level offense.
Then, the Saints gave up a staggering 8.2 yards per play against Atlanta, giving Matt Ryan a franchise record 448 yards passing in route to a 37-34 overtime loss. Matty Ice and his flock of dangerous receivers (you’re still welcome for Julio Jones, Atlanta) tore up the New Orleans defense, putting the ball in places for his receivers to catch, and then create yards themselves. The Falcons racked up the fifth-highest total for yards after the catch in Week 1, in part due to the explosiveness of Jones, but the extremely poor tackling of the New Orleans defense deserves a big assist.
As Browns fans were screaming at their TVs for somebody, anybody, to wrap up Leveon Bell and Antonio Brown, similar cries were being heard from Bourbon Street.
“The main thing for me was tackling,” Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro said following their loss to Atlanta. “We had so many missed tackles. I had so many missed tackles. I missed more in this game than I did all of last year.”
Linebacker James Lofton echoed Vacarro’s thoughts regarding the team’s defensive failures.
“We didn’t tackle well. We didn’t play good red-zone defense. When you have a combination of those, then that’s what the outcome is.”
And what does cornerback Keenan Lewis think the defense needs to work on after the Atlanta game? You guessed it, tackling.
“We have to communicate a little better, tackling has got to be an emphasis […] We have to learn how to tackle.”
Don’t believe the Saints that their tackling was an issue on Sunday, watch this third quarter touchdown to Antone Smith. Not Julio Jones, Jacquizz Rodgers, or Devin Hester, but Antone Smith. Count ’em: 1, 2, 3, 4 missed tackles.
Cleveland may not have the thoroughbreds at wideout that Atlanta has, but they do have some jitterbugs. Travis Benjamin has shown Browns’ fans the stress he can put on opponents when receiving the ball in space, and new addition Andrew Hawkins is more than capable of doing the same.
The Saints defense is at its when their aggressive approach hits home and gets to the quarterback, but when they don’t, it leaves plenty of space for backs and receivers to make plays and chew up yards. If you’re bringing numbers on a blitz or putting defensive linemen or linebackers in spots of coverage they’re not used to, you’re much more susceptible of small gains turning into monster ones. Throw in awful tackling, and the scoreboard can be lit up.
One way to counteract the Saints aggressive style is the hurry-up offense. It limits the personell the defense can bring on the field and makes them choose to either back off the aggressive schemes or risk blown assignments with the lack of communication. Hurry-up offenses typically result in plenty of passing, but does a defense want to commit to the nickel when the opposition can run the ball as well as Cleveland did in Week 1? The Falcons took advantage of this against New Orleans right after half time, running some no huddle and marching right down the field for a quick score. This is good news for Browns fans who watched their offense run optimally when plays were being called from the line in the second half against Pittsburgh. A no-huddle limits the defense’s time to communicate, and allows for the quarterback to get the snap, make the quick, simple read, and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers.
Without a doubt, the no-huddle is the newest trend in the NFL these days. After high schools and colleges have shredding defenses with it for years, Bill Belichick began running a version of then-Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s no-huddle a few years back. Now, Kelly is the NFL’s newest guru and the no-huddle is being run by everyone from Manning and Romo to Flacco and Roethlisberger.
It’s refreshing to see the Browns embrace the league’s newest trend even if it isn’t the calling card of Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“We talked about changing tempo, forcing teams to think a little faster, getting lined up, get some first downs, it gets them tired,” said head coach Mike Pettine. “It keeps you on the field.”
Keeping the offense the field is a good thing, especially when the alternative is leaving your defense out there to deal with Drew Brees. Let’s see if the Browns continue to run the no huddle on Sunday, hitting Rob Ryan’s defense with quick and simple throws, and allowing for the Saints’ poor tackling to aid the Browns’ big gains.
2 Comments
Most teams in the NFL don’t tackle well so I guess who ever does a better job Sunday will have the advantage. I’m looking forward to a lot of West and Crowell. The Browns should be able to run the ball on the Saints all day.
Browns couldn’t tackle a cardboard statue last week. Saints 56 Browns 6. There’s always 2050….. GO BROWNS!