The Saints are always looking for 'inspiration' for new plays, and they aren't afraid to steal what they like

08-13-2018, 08:37 PM

jeanpierre · 08-13-2018, 08:39 PM

BY NICK UNDERHILL | NUNDERHILL@THEADVOCATE.COM AUG 13, 2018 - 5:05 PM

The Saints are thieves.

They love to watch other football games and borrow ideas. Everyone is involved. Coach Sean Payton likes cutups of all the scoring plays every week, which often sparks ideas. There is the film the team is exposed to during a given week while scouting an upcoming opponent, which can often lend to new wrinkles. Sometimes those plays end up sticking around. And then, of course, there is just the stuff people see while watching games.

That’s one of the reasons Drew Brees likes watching football games. College, pro, whatever it might be, every game offers an opportunity to see something new that might work for the Saints. He isn’t shy about sharing what he’s seeing to offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi.

“They will be game-plan meetings during the week, and I will be sitting watching a college football game, a Thursday night game, or some other game and something will pop up on the screen,” Brees said. “The team will run a play, and I will pause, rewind, and bring my phone out to record.”

The other thing the Saints do is study the top eight or so teams in each category to see what teams are doing and keep up with trends. One team coach Sean Payton and the offensive staff used to study specifically was this week’s preseason opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. Payton liked the “slot combinations” former Arizona coach Bruce Arians used and the different ways he stretched the field.

It’s hard to know where some specific ideas originated from, and while those around the team are willing to speak openly about the concept of stealing plays, something coach Sean Payton has done multiple times over the past few years, specifics are hard to come by. However, you can make some educated guesses by watching the team's games.

The Advocate recently charted every passing play the Saints have run since 2006. One thing that pops out is they didn’t target the out-and-up route on a play that is now a staple of the offense until Week 3 of the 2012 season. How this works is, New Orleans lines two players up on one side of the field. The inside guy runs the out-and-up route, while the outside guy either runs a go or post. The goal is to get the safety off one of the players and create a favorable matchup for the other guy.

The play has shown up several times since then, including on a 69-yard touchdown by Kenny Stills against the Steelers in 2014 and a 37-yard reception by Brandin Cooks against the Broncos in 2016. New Orleans also uses an inverted version of the play where the outside route is the out-and-up, while the inner one goes vertical. The team used that look to get Cooks open for an 87-yard touchdown against the Panthers in 2016.

Was this play inspired by someone else? It’s impossible to know. All we can be sure of is that it came from somewhere.

Even though New Orleans isn’t shy about borrowing a play, there aren’t that many stolen ideas in the offense. It’s a selective process, and sometimes those changes might only lead to a little tweak or inspire the coaches to create a variation off of something already in the playbook.

“I still think that it’s 90 percent, 95 percent (our offense) every year,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said. “Every year you might find 10 ideas in the offseason, and only maybe three or four you say, hey, let’s work those three or four. Then as you go through training camp, maybe two of the ideas stick, and it becomes part of your offense.”

But there is also a flipside to this. Sometimes New Orleans spots other teams using its plays. A few possible outcomes occurred in 2016. There was one time when the Lions possibly borrowed a jet sweep they saw New Orleans use. Later that year, the Chiefs ran a pass to a fullback in a playoff game against the Steelers the Saints used earlier in the season against the Chargers.

When it happens, the Saints see it and know.

“I think sometimes, hey, we did that formation or something like that. They may have had it in their offense too,” Carmichael said. “Sometimes I think, ‘Ugh, they stole our play,’ but I think pretty much every team is looking for good ideas.”

As they say, no idea is original. Or even if one is, someone will locate it on film and use it before long.

jeanpierre · 08-19-2018, 06:42 PM

Hence the frustration of Payton with Ginn...

Payton runs fifteen, twenty plays out of the same formation to negate a defense's ability to have pre-snap reads...

08-13-2018, 08:37 PM	#1
Threaded by jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39 Rating: (0 votes - average) Twitter
Views: 1195

08-13-2018, 08:39 PM	#2
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: The Saints are always looking for 'inspiration' for new plays, and they aren't afraid to steal what they like BY NICK UNDERHILL \| NUNDERHILL@THEADVOCATE.COM AUG 13, 2018 - 5:05 PM The Saints are thieves. They love to watch other football games and borrow ideas. Everyone is involved. Coach Sean Payton likes cutups of all the scoring plays every week, which often sparks ideas. There is the film the team is exposed to during a given week while scouting an upcoming opponent, which can often lend to new wrinkles. Sometimes those plays end up sticking around. And then, of course, there is just the stuff people see while watching games. That’s one of the reasons Drew Brees likes watching football games. College, pro, whatever it might be, every game offers an opportunity to see something new that might work for the Saints. He isn’t shy about sharing what he’s seeing to offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi. “They will be game-plan meetings during the week, and I will be sitting watching a college football game, a Thursday night game, or some other game and something will pop up on the screen,” Brees said. “The team will run a play, and I will pause, rewind, and bring my phone out to record.” The other thing the Saints do is study the top eight or so teams in each category to see what teams are doing and keep up with trends. One team coach Sean Payton and the offensive staff used to study specifically was this week’s preseason opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. Payton liked the “slot combinations” former Arizona coach Bruce Arians used and the different ways he stretched the field. It’s hard to know where some specific ideas originated from, and while those around the team are willing to speak openly about the concept of stealing plays, something coach Sean Payton has done multiple times over the past few years, specifics are hard to come by. However, you can make some educated guesses by watching the team's games. The Advocate recently charted every passing play the Saints have run since 2006. One thing that pops out is they didn’t target the out-and-up route on a play that is now a staple of the offense until Week 3 of the 2012 season. How this works is, New Orleans lines two players up on one side of the field. The inside guy runs the out-and-up route, while the outside guy either runs a go or post. The goal is to get the safety off one of the players and create a favorable matchup for the other guy. The play has shown up several times since then, including on a 69-yard touchdown by Kenny Stills against the Steelers in 2014 and a 37-yard reception by Brandin Cooks against the Broncos in 2016. New Orleans also uses an inverted version of the play where the outside route is the out-and-up, while the inner one goes vertical. The team used that look to get Cooks open for an 87-yard touchdown against the Panthers in 2016. Was this play inspired by someone else? It’s impossible to know. All we can be sure of is that it came from somewhere. Even though New Orleans isn’t shy about borrowing a play, there aren’t that many stolen ideas in the offense. It’s a selective process, and sometimes those changes might only lead to a little tweak or inspire the coaches to create a variation off of something already in the playbook. “I still think that it’s 90 percent, 95 percent (our offense) every year,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said. “Every year you might find 10 ideas in the offseason, and only maybe three or four you say, hey, let’s work those three or four. Then as you go through training camp, maybe two of the ideas stick, and it becomes part of your offense.” But there is also a flipside to this. Sometimes New Orleans spots other teams using its plays. A few possible outcomes occurred in 2016. There was one time when the Lions possibly borrowed a jet sweep they saw New Orleans use. Later that year, the Chiefs ran a pass to a fullback in a playoff game against the Steelers the Saints used earlier in the season against the Chargers. When it happens, the Saints see it and know. “I think sometimes, hey, we did that formation or something like that. They may have had it in their offense too,” Carmichael said. “Sometimes I think, ‘Ugh, they stole our play,’ but I think pretty much every team is looking for good ideas.” As they say, no idea is original. Or even if one is, someone will locate it on film and use it before long.
	It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

08-19-2018, 06:42 PM	#3
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: The Saints are always looking for 'inspiration' for new plays, and they aren't afraid to steal what they like Hence the frustration of Payton with Ginn... Payton runs fifteen, twenty plays out of the same formation to negate a defense's ability to have pre-snap reads...

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