dizzle88

that one was on harper danno, he overpursued and went for ryan and jackson had cutback lane where harper should have been

Vaccaro was being blocked by gonzales down field

Danno

Look at the article. That was Vaccaro's lane and Gonzalez easily sealed him inside.

Harpers blitz was to get the QB.

No way that was on Harper.



Here's where Ryan may have out-schemed himself. If the Falcons pass when Vaccaro is at this position, it may not be a big deal. His quickness may be enough to get a tight end like Tony Gonzalez off the ball in an effort to disrupt the quarterback.

But if the Falcons are running the ball, a 250-pound Gonzalez may be able to manipulate Vaccaro's run-fit responsibilities.
Maintaining gap integrity and displaying proper run-fits are essential in run defense.



Right away Vaccaro is the victim of a seal block. Gonzalez is pushing him towards the action, when this play is designed for Jackson to cut it back to the strong side.


Harper could have helped this play out by not initially looking for the sack of the quarterback. But this situation happened mostly due to Vaccaro being too small to perform the task. A player like Jay Richardson—who was unfairly cut this preseason—is the type of outside linebacker who would've blown this play up quick, fast and in a hurry.Instead it made Falcons running back Steven Jackson look like he had a good game, when in reality he wasn't a factor in the run game outside of this blunder.



As you can see, Vaccaro is completely turned around and is no longer a factor in this play—in a positive manner. The thing is, Vaccaro is so talented that I believe he could possibly adjust after watching this on film.

The Saints have found possibly the most versatile defensive player in the league. His size, strength and athleticism make him a fit all over the defensive formation. Coordinator Rob Ryan has to be salivating every week just thinking of more ways for Vaccaro to be involved in the action.
Despite being tagged as a reserve, Vaccaro played every defensive snap in the Saints' victory over the Falcons (according to Katherine Terrell of Nola.com), as well as an extra 11 snaps on special teams.

And fittingly, it was his tip of the final pass that broke up the potential game-winning throw from Ryan to Gonzalez.

The first of many game-changing plays we will be seeing from this defensive dynamo.