Re: Guido
 

Does the fact that Fitz released the ball in under 2 seconds most of the time throw a monkey wrench into that plan?

Re: Guido
 

Granted I did not watch the entire game, but when I was watching he had all day and all night, some vacation time, some personal days, and even a few sick days to casually look around and toss the ball.

Re: Guido
 

You saw the isolated plays where that occurred. It was clear their initial game plan was to get the ball out quickly and one play struck gold and after that it was downhill.

Re: Guido
 

Most definitely. If he’s getting the ball off that fast you have to press and throw off that timing. Disguise coverages. It’s a bad situation though because Evans scored a TD on a go by beating the press of Lattimore. Crawley was getting burned by Jackson so I don’t trust him to press either. That’s why they should have ran 2-Man under so the safeties would be over the top on both sides in case somebody lost at the line. You let Robinson handle Humphries and you put Davis on the TE. If the running back stays in to block the extra linebacker needs to help on the TE or spy the QB.

Re: Guido
 

It looks to me like they came into the game with the perfect plan that clicked. I doubt they can pull that off again and also doubt it would work again against our defense. At least it would surprise me.

Another question, Rez. How can a team efficiently make the adjustments during the game to adjust to that offensive approach? How effective can the adjustments be?

Re: Guido
 

SP is notorious for trying to copy other successful defenses systems. Same thing happened a few years ago when Seattle was so dangerous. He wanted his defense to look like Seattle’s and said screw the personnel. He loves a square in a round hole. Maybe he needs to let Allen just do his job. Our defense was fine last year and I doubt it was Allen’s idea to change things. People who want to keep their jobs don’t go around completely changing things that they just started getting right.

Re: Guido
 

If this is indeed the fact then I agree. Most of the personnel are the same as last year's successes with a few upgrades on defense. On the same page here.

Re: Guido
 

I agree, he was getting the ball out fast but when he threw the many bombs he threw, he had ALL day to just sit there and wait for the receiver to get open.

If we can get the pass rush figured out, we will have better production in the back end. Like always, it all starts and ends with the D line.

Re: Guido
 

Most times coaches try to stick to what they worked on throughout the week. Allen probably said we need to get more pressure, press, and be more disciplined. He didn’t make any major adjustments, and if he would have I believe they could have at least slowed that offense down and stopped giving up big plays.

Re: Guido
 

I don’t know but am learning the more intricate parts of the game yet. From what I saw though it seemed the players were expected to play different style football than they did last year. Williams was all over the field, he’s not Deon Jones, Lattimore and Crawley seemed to be playing off the receivers etc.
We got a good, proven MLB and have him rotating.

Last year our DBs were playing primarily man. From what I saw that wasn’t the case Sunday. It could be that the receivers were simply getting no separation IDK.
In any case they need to put David at MLB and get some consistency there so they can jel.
I also hope Meridith makes it back soon and Carr can step up because having to rely solely on See ya tomarra Kamara and Thomas is dangerous.

Re: Guido
 

So in SUNSHINE language, losing early games is freaking awesome because we won 11 games last year?

Frick Yeah!

Your SUNSHINE GOD Sean Payton plans 0-2 for glory later.

You SUNSHINE sycophants nod along and act like you told we non-believers, but our SUNSHINE isn't super-bright like yours is.

I get it now.......

Y'all are cultists.

Re: Guido
 

https://www.mememaker.net/api/bucket...or-camping.jpg
https://em.wattpad.com/bb520fafa3bcf...it&w=720&h=720
https://cdn.mpora.com/embedded_full/5aba7f7ea753d.jpg

Re: Guido
 

I find it hilarious that you guys have it all figured out in respect to how you would use the Saints personnel but the SUNSHINE GOD and his defensive acolyte cannot.

But it's all good, 0-2 every year is Modern Saints Dogma obviously.

Re: Guido
 

So I take it you are fully expecting a loss this Sunday?

Re: Guido
 

The Saints play a LOT of man. I don’t mind it. That’s the specialty of Lattimore and Crawley. Crawley just panics when it’s time to make a play on the ball. He covers exceptionally well. I don’t like the coverage on the back end though. I don’t really like Williams being the lone safety. I think they need to play 2-Man Under. For those who don’t know, that’s when the safeties play cover 2 and everybody else is in man. That cuts the field in half for Williams and Bell/Coleman. With this offense we just need to go bend but don’t break like the Patriots.

Re: Guido
 

Dude. Guido it's just a no-nonsense character and he's very well informed. I very seldom disagree with him maybe a little but his message is true none the

Re: Guido
 

That’s what I am getting at. Last year Lattimore was a God in man coverage and Crawley was very good too. It seems like throughout preseason and game 1 they got away from that. Is that the case or was it simply them just getting no separation?
In regard to Williams, are they trying to plug him into Vaccaros role?
Vacarro was great in space but I remember people complaining that the coaches weren’t playing him that way in years past.
Suddenly Williams comes along which allows Vaccaro to play in a position to suit his strengths. Now that vacarro is gone they are trying to get Williams to assume that role.
Why **** with that?

Re: Guido
 

They are called Lumbersexuals

Re: Guido
 

Coleman and Davis were supposed to be upgrades. So far I haven’t seen squat from them. I don’t think it’s them either.

Re: Guido
 

1. In regard to Williams, are they trying to plug him into Vaccaro's role?

Nope. He's still playing single-high safety most of the time. This is something they did a lot last year as well, but like I said earlier, there was better pressure on the QB. They usually try to use Bell in Vacarro's role, but he isn't good at it at all. They've been running more Nickel packages instead of Big Nickel (3 safeties instead of 3 corners) packages with Vacarro gone.

2. It seems like throughout preseason and game 1 they got away from that.

From what I see they're still mostly running Cover 1 (man to man) and Cover 3 (zone). Mike Evans long touchdown was against Lattimore in man to man. Lattimore loss at the line and then got burned, which I don't see happening last year. He looks sluggish. To be honest, the Saints were just losing 50/50 balls against bigger receivers.



That's the Desean Jackson TD. From this view it looks like the Saints were in Cover 3. What that means is the outside, cornerbacks have anything deep on their side. The WLB and the 3rd cornerback (because they're in Nickel) have the flats. The Mike has the short to intermediate middle. The FS has anything over the top to either side. He has to cover the entire field from sideline to sideline. The SS sits on the seam.

I'm positive Desean Jackson pushed that route inside and gave Williams a stick in that direction then started to drift out after he ran by the SS. This caused separation and it doesn't help that Jackson is a BURNER. Crawley should have been back there to help, but he probably assumed Jackson was going across the field and decided to help out on the lone receiver to the outside. Fact is, this was the perfect play call and execution to beat the defense we were playing.

Re: Guido
 

I'm watching these highlights right now. Here's what I see as I go.

1. When O.J. Howard caught that pass down the seam Saints were in man to man. It looks like Cover 1. Marcus Williams wasn't the single-high safety, Von Bell was. Williams plays kind of the intermediate-middle role, and he went to try and undercut a pass. Davis already had it under control underneath though. Williams should have went high since Davis had low. If he did it would have been a pick. At the least an incomplete pass. Davis did well all things considered. Matched up on Howard 1 on 1 is no easy task for anybody, let alone a LB.

2. Saints were in man to man when Goodwin caught the TD on the back-shoulder fade. Perfect pass. Crawley just loss that match up. He was in great position. He just got outmuscled by the bigger guy.

3. The long TD to Mike Evans was either Cover 3 or Cover 1. Either way Lattimore was 1 on 1 with Evans and just flat out loss the match up like Crawley did earlier. Williams is always chasing from behind though. He's never coming over the top like he should be.

4. The 2nd TD to Jackson looks like Cover 3 again. Jackson goes up the seam and scores. Nobody over the top like there should be. Make's Crawley look pretty bad, but I'm not sure if it's really his fault. It's hard to tell from the sideline view. This might be a Williams thing again. Our safeties are trying to do too much.

That's every passing TD and bigger passing play they had. Cover 3. Cover 1. That's Seattle's defense. That's the Vikings defense. It's not working out well for us at the moment.

Re: Guido
 

I know that there really isn't much that can be done to prevent plays like the Goodwin TD where the placement of the ball was so perfect, short of somehow getting pressure on the QB, but would you say the others are correctable or does the defense just totally suck as some around here are claiming and all hope is lost?

Re: Guido
 

The corners are in position to make plays, they just need to do it. Lattimore will get better as the season goes like he did last year. There's FAR too much talent there for him to continue playing poorly. He's a natural corner. I can tell he's not really in playing shape after a full game of watching him. He's still right there on his man though. It's a game of inches. He'll be fine. Once he starts locking down a side of the field again you'll see more turnovers.

It's the safety play that needs to be addressed, and it definitely can be corrected. We can stop these big, splash plays. Williams keeps trying to jump under routes for interceptions instead of being a FS and sitting back making sure nobody gets behind him. I'll keep saying it, I want to see how we look running 2-Man Under with Williams and Coleman at safety. I'd even try P.J. Williams next to Marcus back there waiting for anything deep. Honestly, I feel like Lattimore, Crawley, and Robinson are more than good enough man corners for our safeties to just sit back and wait for somebody to take a chance over the top. That's easy interceptions.

We should consider more Tampa 2 as well. Put Demario Davis at MLB and let him play the Urlacher role. He has that kind of speed and he can cover well. The safeties are still back deep on both sides, and the corner's play underneath. This is what I would try.

Re: Guido
 

Just looking at Lattimore you can tell he's not in the same great shape he was last year. That does concern me a bit, but I'm hoping this was all he needed to show him that he can't stop grinding, ever. Feels like most of the defense was drinking the kool-aid before this one. Ultimately though I put the majority of the blame on the coaches. They should have had our guys ready, and perhaps had a solid idea of who our starting linebackers are and where to put them.

I still believe in this defense and think they have the potential to be special. But if they're not performing at least around league average within a short time then some coaches need to be shown the door.

Re: Guido
 

I agree. Offensively, they went to work in the offseason. Every player on offense came ready to play. They didn't buy into the hype. They all put in the work.

Defensively, it looks like they all believed it was a given they'd be great. Lattimore is going to play himself into shape. I blame the coaches as well though. Payton doesn't do well coming off of success, because he's a cocky guy. He definitely "drinks the Kool-Aid" his damn self. Still...Lattimore is a grown ass man. He has to want it and put in the time.