The Saints' offense looked lost throughout much of a Week 2 beatdown at the hands of the rival Panthers.
But the biggest issue wasn't a complex scheme they'd never seen before. It was a zone blitz scheme that the protection couldn't seem to get blocked. And once the Panthers ID'd it as a weak point, it kept coming the rest of the day.
WWL analyst and former Saints running back Deuce McAllister broke down exactly that issue on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Mike Detillier and Kristian Garic.
"We did a poor job of picking up the blitz," McAllister said. "And it wasn't a fancy blitz. It was the same blitz."
The blitz, referred to as a "zone blitz" or "zone dog," is nothing new. The concept boils down to a disguised pressure look, which was popularized by Dick LeBeau and the Pittsburgh Steelers. There are several variations, including a "fire zone" that brings an extra rusher, but the fundamentals are the same. Typically such a blitz will feature three down linemen. At least one player will drop out into coverage -- often those lined up over the gaps between the center and guards -- with the goal of leaving linemen unsure who is rushing and who is dropping.
The Panthers used this to great effect throughout Week 2, including three straight plays that torpedoed any chance the Saints had to steal points before halftime.
The scheme is displayed in the image below, with the Panthers showing six at the line, only to have two drop from the left side and safety Sean Chandler blitz late over the opposite tackle.
Running back Alvin Kamara stays in to block but picks up pressure in the middle. No one kicks out and Chandler gets a free run at the quarterback. What adds insult to injury on these plays is, when they work, there will typically be a lineman standing alone as the QB gets thrashed. In the image above, that's Ruiz.
But the Saints didn't handle the pressure at the line well, either. On a first down in the second quarter, no one accounted for outside linebacker Haason Reddick, allowing him to get a free rush and take down Jameis Winston before he could come out his playaction drop. The issue was made worse by Ruiz and left guard Andrus Peat allowing too wide a gap off the snap, which Morgan Fox shot for a free rush of his own at the quarterback.
Hogan slipped underneath the rusher and likely would've served as the hot route on the play if Winston had enough time to get it out.
Reddick had another similar rush earlier in the game, with Trautman's arc block failing to find its mark and resulting in one of the Panthers' four sacks. They logged another 11 QB hits in a brutal game that exposed protection and communication issues, potentially due to the loss of center Erik McCoy after an injury suffered against the Packers. Ruiz shifted to center, while backup Calvin Throckmorton took over at guard.
"We just turned them loose, and we were looking around like we had no clue how to block it," McAllister said. "Once [the Panthers] saw it, and they went back on film and saw that we couldn't stop it, they used it out of a 3-man front and out of a 4-man front. It's the same blitz."
Blitz pickup was far from the lone issue the Saints faced in Week 2. The team also failed to establish anything on the ground, with star Alvin Kamara limited to 5 yards rushing, the lowest output since his rookie season. Wide receivers also struggled to create much separation on the rare instances that Winston did find himself with time to throw.
Related
But the first priority is communication and protection, something the Saints have said they're focusing on throughout the week. One of the quarterback or the center has to do a better job IDing the "mike" as the center of the defense, which helps the line balance protection to pick up all potential rushers. Whether it's sliding to the overloaded side or setting a back to pick up a specific rusher, those pre-snap mechanics need to be ironed out in a hurry.
Why that’s so important, as Bobby Hebert points out: "It's a copycat league," and those zone blitz failures won't be missed by the Patriots and defensive guru Bill Belichick as they prep for the Week 3 matchup in New England.
"You're going to get the same thing," McAllister said. "Instead of maybe the free safety, it'll be the strong safety that's coming.."
Related
Once the protection is ironed out, then the zone blitz can be exploited. Why? Well, the player that drops out of the rush has to cover somebody. Is there a defensive end covering a receiver or a running back? Is a linebacker trying to chase a much faster player across the field? Those are the big plays waiting to happen throughout an NFL game if the quarterback has the time to pick them apart.
Sometimes the only option is to get the ball out to the "hot" receiver and count on yards after catch, something Drew Brees did exceptionally well throughout his career. But nothing slows a pressure front like making the pressure work against the defense.
"If the protection is there, you've got to hit them with a big play," McAllister said. "Because if you don't hit them with a big play and you just drop it off or you throw it hot, then now the next time they're just going to drop into your hot area."
Related
