MatthewT

Not by a long shot do I know much about schemes, but I will take a crack at it. From what I gather, the Saints use some type of cover 3 hybrid. Usually in a true cover 3, there are 3 defense backs that are usually responsible for 1/3 of the deep field each. In theory, this should eliminate the big plays but it's very flawed, especially at the pro level. Teams that run the West Coast offense can completely demolish this type of scheme. The cover 3 in theory prevents long passes and is usually good against the run. Short to intermediate passing games usually flourish though. Since the Saints play a lot of man to man it looks like a modified version of cover 3, and even more likely a DB gets burned for a big play. The cover 2 scheme relies more on front 7 speed. Since the Saints lack in the speed defense area this is not likely a solution with the current roster. In a perfect world a cover 3 defense can overcome lack of front 7 speed with great/at least good back 4 speed, especially since usually the SS is going to play more of a LB roll and offer run support. Unfortunately, maybe the Saints DB's have the speed but not necessarily the technique to properly cover. In any event it looks like the Saints need to make adjustments in a big way. An offense that can score points, not turn the ball over, and can at least get the defense in good field position will mask a lot of the weaknesses. Once the Saints can get their offensive issues resolved the defense will look much better.