hagan714

May 28. 2007 10:33AM

Scouting the 2007 Saints

Mike Detillier

This is the time of the year NFL coaches use to breakdown film on teams that they will play for the upcoming season and what happened good and bad for their squads in the previous year. They also evaluate the talent, not only on their squad but on the other 31 teams in the league.

I spent time with two coaches who faced the New Orleans Saints last season, and asked them what they thought were the strengths and weaknesses of the 10-6 team and what they thought of the 2007 Saints.

While both coaches asked not to be identified and would not give out all of their secrets, I learned interesting tidbits from the coaches, one who coaches on defense and the other an offensive coach.

The two areas of real strength on the 2006 version of the New Orleans Saints was their ability to score points (413 total) and the accuracy skills of quarterback Drew Brees.

The AFC coach who went up against this high-powered attack came away impressed.

"The Saints are tough on defense, real tough," said the veteran AFC coach. "They are not an offensive team built along the same lines of the Indianapolis Colts. They are most like the New England Patriots. The Colts use the same plays, the same formations in many instances, but it is their ability to execute plays due to repetition that makes them so special, not to mention the talents of Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and now Joe Addai. The Saints are like the Patriots. They spread the ball around to just about everyone on the field and they can play the power running game version of football or put the ball in the air 35 times to beat you."

The assistant coach says that, not surprisingly, the key to the Saints attack is Brees.

"Drew’s game is not about arm strength or throwing the ball 65 yards downfield. It is all about poise, great accuracy skills and touch," the veteran coach said. "The guy can just cut you apart when he is hot. To be honest, he didn’t get the credit he deserved last season playing with an aging Joe Horn, a rookie, now a good rookie, but still a rookie in Marques Colston, a solid player in Terrance Copper and a very inconsistent speed threat in Devery Henderson at wide receiver. They had a lot of other teams with better talent than what the Saints had at wide receiver, but Brees made it work. It didn’t matter what guy they incorporated in their offense at tight end, he pumped them the ball, if they were open."

The defensive coach also says that the Saints offense really kept teams off balance due to the talents of former USC Heisman Trophy winning halfback Reggie Bush.

"I really respect Deuce McAllister and I think the world of him, but he wasn’t getting the openings the last few seasons that he had last season," the defensive coach said. "Now, their offensive line play was really good, but for us, the key was to find defensive personnel to go head-up against Bush. As a runner or as a receiver, he gave us fits. No one in this league has a safety or a linebacker that can cover him one-on-one coming out of the backfield. Even when he is a decoy, you have to be alert that something may go his way. The Bush/McAllister tandem is in my opinion the toughest to face in the league, and when you throw in fullback Mike Karney, that makes them even more dangerous. It is the ability to play the power game or the edge game that makes them so tough. I believe this season Bush will touch the ball even more as a runner."

Asked to evaluate who was the player that caught his eye the most in film study, and the coach gave a somewhat surprising answer.

"On that team you could go in many directions, but I would have to say left offensive tackle Jammal Brown," the coach said. "He was awesome last year in his first season at left tackle. The guy is big, tough, nasty and a terrific run blocker. Jammal is not the most athletic left tackle in the league, but he plays the game with excellent balance and he knows how to use those long arms to keep defenders off Brees. He didn’t look really good in pre-season, but when the whistle blew for real, he was a star."

When asked what could make the Saints an even more explosive team in 2007, the defensive coach pointed directly toward two players, wide receiver Devery Henderson and tight end Eric Johnson.

"Rookie Robert Meachem from Tennessee will be a really good NFL player, in time, but the guy that could really make that offense click is Devery," the defensive coach said. "He really improved as a route runner, and while he is not the most sure-handed guy as a receiver, he is dangerous due to his speed and his ability to pull away from defenders in traffic. I spoke to Nick Saban about him when he was at LSU and he really liked him, but he felt that Devery was just starting to feel confident with his skills as a receiver as a senior. It’s his ability to vertically stretch a defense that makes him tough to defend, but he has to catch the ball in a more consistent manner."

The other player that has a chance to step on the Saints’ offensive gas pedal is Johnson. Johnson is intelligent, a razor-sharp route runner and he runs with the ball well after the grab. He is not real big, he is not a very physical inline blocker, and he has a history of missing plenty of time due to injuries, but he could be a tight end that catches 55 to 65 balls for the Saints in 2007, if he stays healthy.

When asked how he would defend them in 2007, the veteran coach says that stopping the run is the key.

"The best way to stop the Saints offense is to shut down their running attack and force Drew Brees to throw the ball 45 times a game," the defensive coach said. "They set the tone on offense by running the ball with Deuce and Reggie. They aren’t the same offense when they have to rely on the pass on just about every play. The other thing I believe the Saints will see this season is more initial pressure from the middle. Teams will try and disrupt the passing game by shooting linebackers or safeties right up the middle and getting their defensive linemen to get their hands up quickly to deflect Drew’s throws. He is not real tall and if you get pressure inside, you have a shot to cause turnovers. But that is a lot easier said than done."

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins