BillyCarpenter1

Mike McCarthy's west coast offense is much different than the" Bill Walsh System". (the one that mythodically moved the ball down the field while eating up the clock.) The Saints are more of a quick striking offense, like the Rams use. To me, while this does score points, it puts our defense back out on the field rather quickly and makes the opposing offense throw the kitchen sink at our defense to try to catch up.

When the Cowboys won their first Super Bowl of the 1990s in 1992, their defense ranked No. 1, in large part because they barely played 26 minutes per game. Tampa Bay's defense led the NFL this season playing just 28 minutes, 17 seconds per game.

Could part of the defensive problems be that our offense does not use up enough of the clock, and also by going down the field so much, does it drive Aaron's completion percentage down?

One thing is for sure. It's hard for an opposing teams offense to score points when they're on the sideline.

Since our defense is excpected to take some time to mature, wouldn't it be more wise to run a true west coast offense?

It just seems to me that our offense could dink and dunk it's way down the field and still score pretty much at will. I don't think other offenses can stay with them in that type of game.




[Edited on 26/7/2003 by BillyCarpenter1]

SaintNik

Scoring more points than the other team is always the single most important thing and the bottom line. If your offense scores every time it touches the ball in a 15 play, 10 minute drive or in 7 seconds on 1 play it is hard to find fault in that. If the defense does its job by getting off the field and getting the ball back without giving up points while your offense is scoring often, this translates into a rout. I would always prefer having the lead than not. That being said, I do agree with the content of your message. When the other team is playing from behind on the scoreboard, their gameplan gets tossed and they often begin to throw more and take higher risks. If you are trading FGs for TDs, then no matter how much you have dominated the game, you are allowing the opponent not only back in the game but to take the momentum and a chance to beat you. Time of possession is a somewhat overated stat. You can win 41-13 and lose the t.o.p. as your defense may have bent all day but only allowed FGs and overall limited points. BALL CONTOLL is most important when you need to close out the game and can do so by making 1st downs and running out the clock, not allowing the other team a chance to touch the ball again to beat you. I bellieve the Saints will mix it up a bit more with the dink and dunk stuff along with the big play strikes. It\'s McCarthys game to call.

Just Chillin Checking Out The B&G Forum While Waiting For My Ship To Come In

http://img51.exs.cx/img51/4387/Santa_on_raft.jpg

BillyCarpenter1

Great offenses keep defenses off of the field. The greatest team of all time was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who not-so-coincidently had the greatest ball control team ever.

They gained an average of 5.6 yards per play. Their fourth leading rusher averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The reason their “No Name Defense� was so successful was because you don’t give up many points or much yardage when you are standing on the sidelines watching your offense meticulously move those yard markers.

Great offenses are not measured by points scored. There are no official statistics, but much like the complicated quarterback ratings, a more accurate formula for measuring a successful offense would take strongly into account points per possession and average length of each possession.

There is a colossal difference between average points per game and average points per possession. Likewise, there is a monster divergence between time of possession and length of each possession.

The best, if not the only way to slow down the St. Louis Rams when all their pieces are healthy is to take them out of a rhythm. If Kurt Warner is watching seven minute drives by his opponent from the sidelines, not only can he not develop a groove, but he will not throw too many touchdown passes from the sidelines.

The best defense is not just a great offense; it is a great ball control offense. But yes, long drives punctuated by scores are the best defense because it is a lot easier to play defense with a big lead when the other team’s options are limited.


[Edited on 26/7/2003 by BillyCarpenter1]

SaintNik

I TOTALLY AGREE. I hope we improve on our ball control part of our offense. We need to do a better job of 3rd down conversions when the game is on the line. Staying out of 3rd and long would help improve chances. If AB avoids the big sacks on first or second down when a pass play has been called by getting rid of the ball or taking off running sooner when lanes up in the middle of the field, our down and distance situations will improve. Having an effective passing game to the tight end will do the same. As explosive as our offense was last year, there are areas in need of improvement. However, if our offense is standing on the sidelines watching our defense give up long, time consuming drives, we are asking an awful lot of the offense to go out and score at will, no matter how long we take.

Just Chillin Checking Out The B&G Forum While Waiting For My Ship To Come In

http://img51.exs.cx/img51/4387/Santa_on_raft.jpg