How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

After finally seeing the Browns-Saints game on the NFL network the other night (GOD BLESS the NFL for finally doing these replays) I have some (probably obvious and trite) observations on what GB will do this weekend.

1) Brees focuses on the primary read too early and too long. Since the offense is new and the players are, too, timing patterns will be off. Brees zeros in on where he wants to go first too long, which will give the safety a chance to cheat a bit on the read. Which leads to...

2) Brees is late with his throws. The passes also hang a bit and have less than full zip. Play closer to the receiver, force receivers to take the outside route option and wait for the ball. Even if taking a fake, the late pass should give time to recover.

3) Attack the middle of the Saints' O-Line. Brees is uncomfortable moving in the pocket laterally. Force him to chose one side of the field and disrupt his reads. Keep the passing game from the middle of the field where his arm strength won't be an issue. Force Brees to make the long timing throw to the sidelines.

4) Run Blitz. The Saints' o-lne is suspect as it is still gelling. Run blitzing and delayed blitzing will create mismatches and force the runs to the outside where the Pack has speed to pursue. Faking the blitz will force Brees to adjust out of running up the gut. Keep the Saints' power rush game closer to the sidelines.

5) The TE was used for protection against the Browns. Expect more protection schemes for Brees, so keep the best cover linebacker in coverage away from the TE and play for the run over the TE. In 2TE sets, put 8 in the box for run stuffing as the Saints didn't have many pass plays out of that set against the Browns.

6) Joe Horn has lost at least a step and a half. Make Joe run sideline routs. Don't use the safety to help here unless he's cheating on Brees' first option tendencies.

7) Use the mobility of Farve to confuse the Saints' D. Rolling pockets, designed scrambles, anything to keep the Saints' DL from going in a straight line. Frye demonstrated that the Saints' personnel don't react well to a mobile qb. Keeping plays alive and drawn out increases the chance that the Saints' secondary will commit a foul.

8) Run up the gut. The Browns had some success running through the middle of the Saints d-line. Keep the Saints focused on the middle of the field and closer to the line of scrimmage.

9) Isolate Roman Harper. His head was on a swivel last week, and will be again this week. He was frequently out of position and even when in a position, was confused. Force a penalty and move up the field.

10) Pass to the tight end. The Saints' D had a particulary hard time with Kellen Winslow no matter who guarded him.

11) Slants are effective against the Saints' corners. The faster the better. Packers receivers are decent after the catch, so utilize that feature.

12) In the second half, running traps will take advantage of the Saints' D-line over-pursuit. Same thing with screen passes. Try to wear out the D-line by making them pursue from behind.

and finally 13) Make Bush run to the outside and keep him from the middle of the field. He avoids contact so use the sideline as a defender and he'll run out of bounds to avoid the hit. Limit his breakaways this way. Don't over-pursue.

RE: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

I think we will get a heavy does of Ahman Green, and picking on a certain CB.

Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

How about putting this much effort into explaining how we can WIN the game??? You are on our side, right?

RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

XAN is a frekin nerd! New Orleans will assassinate those chumps.

Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Man I'm not saying all that or calling him names, but we did WIN this past weekend. Sure we made mistakes but most teams in week 1 did too. All of what Xan cited as reasons we may lose are points that I'm sure were addressed this week in practice. But our team did many GOOD things he failed to point out. A lot of areas that we thought were weaknesses proved to be better than advertised. The run D kept Droughns(sp) in check, who is a 1,000 yard back. Our o-line, which was supposed to be soooooooooo horrible didn't allow a sack all game and opened up good holes for Deuce and Reggie. I'm not saying we will blow GB out or even win, but we should definitely be encouraged and not discouraged by the teams' performance this past week

RE: Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

show some support man, the packers made the bears offense look good. i predict a shootout....SAINTS 27 PACKERS 24

RE: Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

The past has a way of repeating it's self.

RE: Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Support is one thing but being realistic is not a bad thing. Goldrush and XAN are right, the Saints are going in to GB to kick a dead dog when they are down, they are walking into a Hornets nest that has something to prove. The last time the teams met, GB was suffering and hurt and we got our buts handed to us.

RE: Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Different team, different coach, different QB. Believe me......that shallacking is still on the minds of the returning players on this team from last year. We will go to Lambeau & beat the pack! As for the rest of the season.....well, the schedule gets tougher & this team still has to gel, but this one's going in the win column!

Just so we all know in the event of a Saints win....how do you like your crow prepared Xan and Euphoria?

We'll demolish these players, we made those mistakes, but look at all the mistakes GB made...Xan, how bout making a list of that! And how do you know they're ginna address those things against us anyway??? Lay off bro, we won and we're definitely gonna get revenge on these guys

Cutting through the bravado and "motherhood" assertions, I don't see any of you disputing the issues raised, so you all must agree that these issues are real. And, NOT fixing a significant number of these will result in a loss.

I'm predicting a win, gentlemen, but I'm giving you what a real coach would prepare to beat the Saints based on watching last week's film. If Payton doesn't address these weaknesses, then GB will hand our asses a smoking bad loss just like last year.

I can accept this. Of course the Saints have numerous holes and honestly I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we turned around and lost this one in typical Saints fashion. On the other hand, I saw a lot of good things this past week. Intangibles are a big difference for our team this year. Brees is a QB that will be accountable for his play. Smiley was a big factor in us losing that game last year. His early INT that game was the single worst throw I saw from any QB last year, and you guys know it. That killed everyone's spirit. Worst thing is I'm sure he thought it was someone else's fault for him looking the pass right into Al Harris's numbers. Brees may not be a world beater, but I don't see him putting our team in that kind of situation. He may not be great, but he won't be utterly inept either.

I didn't want Drew on the team, so I hope Deuce and Reggie can carry the offense.

The other thing we should keep in mind is that we know the Packers' coach and he's not the brightest bulb on the chandelier. Unless he's a devotee of this site, he might not figure some of this out, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't alter his philosophy to exploit the weaknesses.

Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

I see no reason as to why a shootout would occur. The Saints defense looked pretty good last week, while GB's offense has shown nothing. There's no reason to believe that the defense will not hold the GB offense to less than 14 points and that Favre will not throw at least two obligitory picks.

Saints 31-10 in a rout. This isn't Haz's Saints anymore.

SFIAH

This guy.....
 

Thinks too much! Especially on how other teams will beat the saints! I'm hoping the Saints win but come on!

Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Since no one has done it yet, I'll respond to the points raised by xan.
I thought Brees did a much better job at looking off that our previous QB. That being said, I saw a bit of this. Even with this, the ball was spread around adequately - without the traditional Saints "tunnel-vision" on one receiver. In the past that allowed enemy D coordinators to lock down our one receiver and shut down out O. Not so any more.

I don't know what Brees has shown in practice - but his throwing during games leaves a lot to be desired. His throws have no zip, and I am seeing DB jump our routes all the time. It could be timing, it could just be that his arm is dead. No matter what it is, his SMART PLAY offsets this quite a bit and he's still able to be successful - as he showed against a decent Browns defense and excellent play by their secondary.

Excellent point and agreed. My question is; who do they attack the center of the line with? I didn't see ANY weapons on GB's defense last week, KGB notwithstanding. Did they pick up a bunch of great pass rushers over the week?

I can see GB trying this, but I don't think it will be successful at all. We were successful against all blitzes against the the Browns because Brees was able to read the blitz and audible to a quick release play. If GB persists with Run Blitzes all day, expect to see Reggie Bush with two break away runs for TD.

Agreed on all points. The Packers will almost certainly game plan this, as they've had a week to watch our film. I don't think it will matter - considering how awful their defense is.

This is the one point where I totally disagree with you. Horn did not have his best game, but I lay a great deal of that at the feet of Brees and his problems (mentioned above). I, for one, am very tired of watching our receivers getting drilled in the knees or trying to reel in catches behind, above, under, over, etc. Had my fill under our previous QB and I'm watching Brees do the same things. Before someone thinks I am anti-Brees - read what I wrote above about how his smart play compensates for his current shortcomings.

This one made me laugh. If you think Favre is more mobile than Charlie Frye (who we accounted for last week), then I suspect we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one and no amount of argument will help.

I think the Saints performance in run support last week speaks for itself. Further, BOTH guards for the Packers are rookies and got totally man-handled last week. That may translate into some "play for pride" success this week, but I question how xan can suggest their O-line arrangement leads to success running up the middle.

Harper is a rookie and will make rookie mistakes. I saw him make a few trying to cover Winslow (who is a total BEAST, wish we had him). This may translate into some success for GB on a case by case basis. I don't think it turns the course of the game though. I'm encouraged by how well Harper played, considering his experience level, and I LOVE how he seems to be always around the play.

Yes, absolutely. EVERY defense has problems matching up against great TEs. We might need to take the same advice and send it to our Offense.

Slants are effective against any corner - they call that a "high percentage pass play" because of this. About all you can do against this type of thing is try to put pressure on the QB, disrupt the route to make the timing more a problem (though this almost never works), or take a risk and jump the route. Course of you do the last and you're wrong - you just gave away a TD. Instead, you play the best D you can and force an enemy offense into producing CONSISTENT success - which is very hard in the NFL. GB is not one of those who can do that.

I call this obvious, traps are a great running play for Green. He is a great cutback runner and traps open opportunities all along the route. He will have some success here. If our LBs play as well as they did last week (an iffy proposition, I grant), then this is a non-factor.

This is the second time I laughed. I watched Reggie Bush play his first game in the NFL last week. I'm convinced he will only get better - and the GB defense is not good as the Browns (that's an opinion, but its based on what I saw in both games). With as many different way as we use Bush, and never knowing where he's going to line up, or at what position, or in what role - how exactly do you do this? Do you stack eight guys in the box all day? I'd love it if they did and the score might look with it did last year with a few exceptions - Saints 56 - Packers 0.

Course I don't think GB will do that, I think they'll try their best to account for Bush and fail. I think Deuce will have a big day. I think Brees will manage the game well. I think we'll win. I think it will be close all game - but we'll win.

RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Well done Frenzy. Thank you for going point by point through the analysis. I'm glad that you found some humor in there.

I am not really an expert in the Packers, their playbook or their personnel and I didn't see much of their game save what was used as fodder by ESPN on their brief analysis of the Bears game. Accordingly, I simply gameplanned against what I saw of the Saints-Browns game.

It all comes down to whether the McCarthy team can spot these weaknesses, devise schemes to exploit them and their personnel to execute. My gut tells me that none of these three things will happen to any great degree and that the Saints will dominate. However, I have no basis in reality for that belief.

Please note and give me credit for not plying the forum with the threadbare suggestions of "commit fewer penalties," "commit fewer turnovers," and "dominate time of possession." I'm not a moron and I'm expecting this forum doesn't have (m)any.

I liked your post, and I appreciate when a fan like you takes the time to write something so comprehensive. Doesn't matter if I disagree or not. Speaking of which, it made me feel a lot better going through all those one by one - because now I'm more certain we'll beat GB! :)

One word: Mike McCarthy

errrr... two words...

MIKE MCCARTHY

Xan made a good analysis of the situation. First, YES!! Thank goodness for NFL RPLAy! And second, lets hope Coach Payton expects the Packers to do the same thing you described cause if he does...then you know he is already planning and scheming.

What I am hopeful of is that Payton and his players learn from last week and adjust, prepare themselves and eliminate these potential issues. Then it won't matter what GB throws at us.

I think you are underestimating Brees -- I agree with your assessment of the first game on him -- but think that this is really his first real full game with the team -- Its just going to get better each game -- Plus -- your emphasis is on the passing game -- the teams emphasis is on the running game --and as for run blitzing -- sure fire way to give a couple of highlight plays to Bush -- one when he slips by the blitzers and is in the open downfield -- and the other on a quick pass. Run blitzing will not work when you have a reggie and a deuce.

As for our D -- you have not taken into account the amount of time Favre will be on his back -- or the 3 INTs he throws because of the rush.

Can the Saints lose -- absolutely -- but with Payton at coach -- Brees at Qb and the R&D investment in the team -- they won't -- not this year

WHO IS BAGGING ON BREES???????????? :bang: :argue: :evil: :computer: Jiminy Christmas people.................................for the last few years we have had to deal with a deep snapper posing as a quarterback, and now after one game some of us are bashing Brees??????????????????????????? He did not have a full offseason to gel with his receivers. He does not have a solid tight end. He has a revamped O-line..yet he goes out and LEADS the team to a win. I will assure you that it is his leadership that we will all come to respect. No more laughing jack in the crack after an interception. No more un-assertive un-emotional play. No more 30 yard reverse pass plays...er....deep snaps. Once Bree's gels and gets completely in rhythm, we will learn to appreciate a good quarterback....again....something we have not been able to do since Archie (ok...and Hebert).

So back away all you nay-sayers........I am driving the Drew Brees tank...thats right.,.not the bandwagon..the tank.........either jump on board or eat my tread........ :biglaser: :biggun: :gun: :greengun: :laser: :lightsabres:

By the way HALO..you forgot a word reference Mike McCarthy...it's three words.....

Mike McCarthy Sucks.........Hard...... oopps...thats four aint it... :dunce:

McCarthy isn't a coach that should be coaching in the NFL.
Favre, I've been a fan of his for a while now but let's face it, he's done.
Packers offense is horrible, we'll sack Brett 4-5 times tomorrow...
The Packer defense made the Bears look like the Colts, tomorrow we'll look like the best Saints team of all time, the Packers aren't a very good football team right now, they will make us look really good too.

Re: RE: Re: How GB will beat the Saints this weekend
 

Well, you should be. Sissy!