cadilacin

I can be wrong. But it seems like the KOOL thing to say these days is to give Deuce 20+ carries a game. Even though I agree that he should get more carries (not 20+, more like 15 to 19). I think the way our offense can be more effective in the "red zone" and on offense period is to keep REGGIE on the field 95% of the time.

I watch TONS of football, college and pro and I don't see too many people received the attention that Reggie receives from a defense when he's on the field. He's often double-teamed by a LB and a Safety when he lines up. We have given a lot of well deserved credit to Drew Brees and the receivers for their performances last season, but alot of the reason the receivers were in single coverage is because of Reggie. We draws so much attention! Deuce has, can, and will benefit from being on the field with Reggie at the same time. Maybe instead of Payton loading up with tight ends trying to overpower defenses with a OL thats built to pass protect and finese run block, he should figure out way to include Reggie on the field with Karney and 26.

The most talented player on our team is Reggie Bush. As a fan of football, and a die hard fan of this team, the man i'd like to see touch the ball the most is obvious...Reggie. Cause when you get Reggie the ball, the whole world is watching. Which means the defense will have to pay him TONS more of attention. Which means when Reggie is on the field there is one less LB thats available to tackle 26 when he's plowing off tackle.

So yes...Get Deuce the ball more. But at the same time...get Reggie the ball even more (and not just on those swing passes that the league has already caught up to). And we really need to STOP putting Reggie in the game "just" to run plays for him, and leave our best offensive threat in the game at all times.

I think Sean Payton has been trying to use Reggie Bush to open up our passing game, when really he would work wonders if used to open up the power game of 26.

If you go back to the Indy game, we had a series that Reggie didn't even get on the field...What? No need to lead the league in passing when your top 2 offensive weapons are RB. THIS IS WHY WE ARE NOT GOOD IN THE RED ZONE. It's been times we're in the red zone and we were featuring Deuce and Karney are in the backfield, with 2 WR spit out, and a tight end...No Reggie...Ridiculous. When you don't have an overpowering OL the best way to score down in "the zone" is deception and/or speed....the two things we dont have when Reggie is on the sideline.

So, to keep it simple. Keep Reggie it the lineup 95% of the time. You don't see San Diego only inserting their best offensive weapon (LT) in the game when he's gettin the ball, and neither should we. Yes, 26 needs more carries. But more importantly, 25 needs more on field time.

This seems so simple to me, but....I'm only a FAN!

The best conerback tandem in the league reside in the N.O.

WhoDat205

I couldn't have said it better myself, 'lacin. You lull guys to sleep by using Reggie as a decoy some, especially early, then you hit them with the home run. And it's not just Deuce that benefits from that. Karney and TE Brigade will get very little attention when Reggie is in the slot, or at RB.

Once you burn them a few times with other guys they might stop keying on Reggie and bam, 80 yards for the TD.

papz

Good post... I pretty much feel the same way. Even the on the amount of touches Deuce should get. When Deuce hits 15+ carries a game, we win. The numbers support that.

darstep

Reggie, Duece, and Karney on the field at the same time makes the defense play honest and makes Brees' job a breeze. They can all block/protect and they can all catch the ball out of the backfield...with linebacker coverage. It gives Brees options by design and improv - and he's been reasonably solid with his decisions.

cadilacin

This is why I feel we should emphasize keeping Reggie on the field, along with Karney and Deuce. I'd rather this kind of formation more than one that includes a tight end...on most running and short yardage downs. With Reggie's attention and Karney's lead blocking, Deuce's YPC can be up close 5 YPC.

Dan the Man

I agree with everything that's been said. Another thing I feel worth mentioning is the fact that against Indy, pretty much every time Reggie got in, he got the ball. It makes it a little obvious to the defense, don't you think? I haven't really noticed this for any other games, but we can't do that any more.

LongTimeFan

Sean has to get Deuce involved more in games, last year we saw very little of him in the 3rd QTR, I know they were rested him but that takes a lot of carries away from him, Bush would do much better if Deuce touched the ball more.
IMO Deuce is still Da Man in N.O

hagan714

Pound the middle, draw the safeties up and then open it. Three 4 yard gains equal a first.

Saintsfan4ever

Good post Cadi, I like the idea of keeping all of our weapons on the field especially in the red zone.
I think we have a strong receiving corp also, and I`d like to see more (no huddle) Shotgun & 3 to 4 wide out formations, not just on 3rd down but sometimes on 1st and 2nd down when the defense isn`t expecting it and maybe catch `em sleeping with the wrong personel on the field. The key of success would be of course the OL giving Brees a full 3 seconds to find an open receiver.

QBREES9

The key of success would be of course the OL giving Brees a full 3 seconds to find an open receiver.