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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been justly celebrated for what he does, and his artistry is on display each week. But Brees wouldn't be as good at realizing the spectacular if he weren't so good at the fake.

Brees is a wizard at play-action football, and his skill at fooling the defense as to his intentions is perhaps the key that unlocks the full arsenal of the Saints' offense.

Deciphering what Brees is doing with the ball will be a main concern of the Detroit Lions on Saturday night when they return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a first-round playoff game, especially because the Saints enter these playoffs with a trio of healthy running backs playing at peak form. Even with Tuesday's announced loss of rookie Mark Ingram to toe surgery, New Orleans has the sixth-best rushing attack in the league going into the playoffs. That production is one of the reasons the Saints also boast football's best passing game.

"Typically the run game is what creates the good play-action," Brees said. "Because obviously if you're running the ball well, teams have to respect it; if they don't it's going to be a long day, and then your ability to run play-action off of that. I think they just complement one another. The better you are off the play-action the better you are at the naked bootleg and that kind of thing, then the more opportunities that will open up in the run game."

Play-action fakes by New Orleans Saints keep foes guessing - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com

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