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The Saints – more physical than finesse. When you think of the Saints, you probably think of wide open football, but Sean Payton wants to run the ball and be physical about it. The Saints were known around the league as a finesse team, but that all changed back in 2009. The Saints have a couple of brutes at guard in Carl Nicks and Jhari Evans and they will cause major problems for the Texans up the middle. The Saints averaged almost 50 yards less per game on the ground last year than in their Super Bowl year and they are looking to get the ground game back on track this year.
Drew Brees is great, but he’s not Peyton or Brady. There is no denying that the Saints emergence as an NFC power has coincided with their signing of Drew Brees back in 2006. Brees has posted some phenomenal numbers and, more importantly, been the unquestioned leader of the Saints. I have tremendous respect for Brees, but I do think he’s more “beatable” than both Manning and Brady. While Brees doesn’t lack the confidence of either QB, I have seen defenses confuse and rattle Brees from time to time which is why he’s thrown 79 interceptions in 81 games as a Saint including seasons with 22, 18 and 17. Granted, Brees throws more passes than your average QB, I’m just saying that the Texans have a better chance of shaking him than you might think.
The Saints receivers are an army of many. When Marques Colston went down, I don’t think too many people around the league thought the Saints were doomed considering the targets Brees still has at his disposal. Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham give Brees a plethora of targets to throw to, but more importantly, they give Sean Payton and Brees a ton of opportunities to isolate the defense’s weakest players in coverage and exploit them.
Sproles in the slot is trouble. In their matchup with the Bears, one of the things that really stuck out to me was that when Sproles played in the slot, the Saints found ways to get him the ball. In space, Sproles is a very tough problem for defenses so the Texans had better have the tackling gloves on.
Gregg Williams cranks up the blitzes, but is he a great defensive coordinator? I know Williams is one of the most visible coordinators in football and he’s certainly memorable since he is so blitz-happy, but blitzing doesn’t equal greatness. I think Williams is a good coordinator, but I also think his blitzing ways are a must with the Saints because it helps to cover up coverage issues and run defense issues they have. Against the Bears, Williams brought wave after wave of blitzes against Jay Cutler with great success. He used both safeties, two different corners and four different linebackers with his blitzes. However, with the way the Texans prefer to attack teams through play-action, I think we’ll see less blitzing from Williams and a greater focus on slowing down the running game.
Roman Harper (#41) and Jonathan Casillas (#52) are both a strength and weakness of the team. Harper blitzed the Bears NINE TIMES from his strong safety position and lived near the line of scrimmage. While Harper is an effective blitzer, he’s only average in coverage and can be exploited. Pay close attention to how often he is lined up on or near the line of scrimmage. Casillas had an awful game against the Texans in the preseason, but he’s incredible quick and tough to block when he blitzes. Against the run, he’s a weak link, but when he’s in the game, Gregg Williams loves to use him to get after the QB.


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Know Your Enemy – Insight into the Saints | The Z Report | a Chron.com blog