GeauxNOGeaux

After watching yesterday's game against the NY Jets it occurred to me that the Defense is not invincible after all. After coming into the game with a a relatively low 17 points per game allowed, the underlying stat that I had not paid much attention to was the Rushing Yards Allowed.

Watching the game closely I began to realize why opponents were able to rush all over us. Part of it is due to Rob Ryan's aggressive schemes. I applaud Rob Ryan tremendously for how he has been able to bring back swagger and confidence to this defense early on in the season. However, as many schemes as he has in his arsenal we have to be better prepared for teams that can run the ball. I was able to notice as well as the commentators of yesterdays game that when the Saints went to a 3-4 look, it allowed the running back to explode through the A gaps and get 5 yards nearly every time. The Jets were also able to exploit the outside run game, as our OLB were coming in hot for the pressure and overran the play several times, which resulted in big gains. Much like Von Millers Rookie year, they held him to passing situational downs due to his tendency to overrun plays. I think that injuries also hurt us this week, but I think part of it is a scheme error. While our passing defense has been greatly improved, with all the money and talent we have invested in the front 7 guys like Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne, Cam Jordan, Akiem Hicks, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to get this fixed