| SmashMouth |
09-20-2011 09:44 AM |
John Clayton Gives Saints Props ... kinda
Brees finally solves Bears: Saints quarterback Drew Brees has had some of his worst days against the Chicago Bears' Cover 2 defense. In three previous games against the Bears, Brees completed 55.9 percent of his passes and had a poor 66.4 quarterback rating.
Thanks to smart play calling and patience, Brees found the right formula to beat the Bears' Cover 2 in a hard-hitting 30-13 victory in the Superdome. Saints coach Sean Payton says an offense has to have good protection, receivers who get off the line cleanly and an accurate passer to beat a Cover 2. Brees had all of the above, hitting Devery Henderson for a game-breaking, 79-yard touchdown on a third-and-12 in the second quarter that gave the Saints a 10-7 lead. Later in the quarter, Brees hit tight end Jimmy Graham for a 31-yard completion on a first down against the Cover 2.
"Typically, when it's two high safeties, Cover 2, that's typically a more conservative approach," said Brees, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. "But our two big plays came against Cover 2."
Payton described the third-and-12 call as a hit-or-miss play because it required Brees to hold onto the ball a long time and it required Henderson to get off the line quickly. It also helped that the Bears were without starting safety Chris Harris and that safety Major Wright got banged up during the game.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bears' secondary gave up 9.4 yards per pass attempt and two touchdowns against the Saints. Last week, the Bears' Cover 2 covered well enough to limit Matt Ryan to 6.2 yards an attempt.
John Clayton's Last Call - ESPN |
