Now, I mentioned earlier that Williams does blitz quite a bit. It is what he is known for around the NFL, and the way he does it is quite creative. Basically, the Saints play like a 3-4 team with zone blitzes and whatnot even though they play a 4-3 front. What it means is that the Saints continually change the number of men rushing the passer. On some downs, it might be six or even seven men that blitz, while on others it might just be three. This is nothing new for 3-4 defenses around the league, but it’s not something most other 4-3 teams do on a regular basis.
For this week’s play breakdown (0:13 spot on the video below), I will show you two plays where the Saints defense uses different formations. On the first play, the
Texans are giving a run look with the I-formation out there and a tight end on the line. The Saints decide to counter with a six-man defensive line and two linebackers, both of whom seemed to be geared toward stopping the run. When the play begins, the Texans go play-action and find Andre Johnson for a huge gain. On the second still shot, you can see that the Saints struggle to get pressure on Matt Schaub even though they bring more than half the personnel for that purpose. Now, I wouldn’t expect the Saints defense to respect the Lions rushing attack that much, but it shows you how the Saints are different than other 4-3 teams.
The game he is referencing is week 3 of the 2011 season.
Pride of Detroit breaks down the New Orleans Saints defense and how it matches up against the Lions.
www.prideofdetroit.com