Have the Saints found the blueprint to beating the Colts?

[VJCPatriot]

The NFL is a copycat league. Expect NFL GMs around the league, including our beloved evil genius BB, to be dissecting the gametape of the Superbowl and figuring out what works best to beat the Colts.

Some highlights on what the Saints did well in the Superbowl:

1. They did well on holding on to the football. Time of possession was key to victory in this game as Manning hardly saw the field in the 2nd quarter and continued to cool his heels in the 3rd quarter after the Saints gutsy onsides kick to start the second half worked.

2. Study what the Colts do best, then wait for your opportunity and counter it. Game preparation was key to Porter's interception of Peyton Manning for the TD. There are obviously a few 'go to plays' that the Colts like to run in key situations. The Saints identiefied some of them, worked on them in practice, and the preparation paid off with a game sealing INT for TD late in the 4th quarter.

3. Key on the pass rather than the run. Although Addai/Brown gashed the Saints on the ground for big chunks of yardage at a time. In the end, the Colts live and die by the pass. And they died by the pass in this game, only amassing 17 points with their passing attack. Saints defense keyed on the pass and did well enough to win the game. The yardage numbers given up weren't pretty, but the final score was probably the most you could ask for from any defense facing Peyton Manning and the Colts.

4. Attack and exploit the seams of the Colts' Cover 2 zone coverage. The Saints have mostly 'figured' out how to beat the Colts Zone 2 defense as evidenced by Brees' astounding 82% completion rate in the Superbowl. They spread out the Colt, and hit the seams as well as throwing timely RB screens that exploited the Colts D when they overpursued into the backfield area.

5. Have a balanced and DEEP offense so that the Colts D cannot concentrate on shutting down any one guy. The Saints offense is incredibly deep, Any wideout from 1-5 might be the target of a pass, any of the RBs from Bush to Thomas might catch a back out of the backfield.

They have just too many weapons to key on. We saw big plays from Colston yes, but also key catches from the likes of Lance Moore, Henderson, Meachem, Thomas, Shockey, etc. Just about everyone got their hands on the ball and in the end the Colts defense ended up on their heels as the Saints defense moved the ball AT WILL from the 2nd quarter onwards.

Thank you Saints, not only for denying Peyton Manning and the Colts another championship, but for giving the rest of the NFL a "blueprint" for making life very difficult for the Colts next season. Now it's going to be difficult to gather personnel to be able to accomplish what the Saints did in 2009, but the rest of the NFL now has a general guideline to work towards for defeating the Colts.

Thoughts on what we can try to take away from this Superbowl:

1. We need more depth on offense, particulary at WR, TE, and RBs who can catch the football.
2. We need to get an OC with Payton's balls who can call a game that attacks a defense's weaknesses rather than being predictable and sputtering out in the 4th quarter.
3. Although the Saints didn't sack Manning much in the SB, they put on enough pressure for him to throw early, and that was key to the Porter INT. We need to shore up the passrush.
4. We need some linebackers that can cover in space the inside route receivers and tight ends. The league is definitely going pass happy, and our defense needs to be able to key on and stop the pass on 3rd downs.

OOC: Was there something offensive somewhere in my previous post on this topic? Why was it removed? PM me please if that's the case and I'll fix whatever.

 

[Kontradiction]

The blueprint to beating the Colts has always been T.O.P., pressure up the middle, and roughing up their WR's. The Saints did 2/3 and realistically won the game because Brees couldn't miss if he tried. On top of that, Manning has been fooled like that before (see Asante in the '06 AFCCG). Porter probably couldn't fool him like that again if he tried. However, the time of the game which it happened was the real backbreaker.

 

[Dr Pain]

The single biggest key to victory was that the Refs did not call the obligatory 2 to 3 phantom PI calls against Colts opponents. I am not kidding about this either. I think the league got out of the Colts pocket after they wimped out in the last two games of the regular season and gave the entire NFL a black eye. Who knows if this will hold in the future.

If they put the Patriots Colts game as the last game regular season next year at Foxboro you know the Colts are still in it deep. I would love to see that.

 

[BradyBranch39]

Was thinking about this earlier today, mainly the parts about sitting on Manning's favorite routes and Brees being able to complete whatever he wanted to.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

1. They did well on holding on to the football. Time of possession was key to victory in this game as Manning hardly saw the field in the 2nd quarter and continued to cool his heels in the 3rd quarter after the Saints gutsy onsides kick to start the second half worked.

This is why the Pats went for it on 4th and 2. Why give Manning the ball when you can end the game in one play?

 

[ayjackson]

Yes. Make plays. That's how we used to beat them.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

you can always beat the colts with a great passing game. i knew the colts would lose because they had never seen a passing attack like the Saints had. I mean they struggled against our passing game and the saints are much better than we are in that department. the jets and ravens were running teams which the colts easily dispatched with the speed they had on defense.

 

[Deus Irae]

Same as it is for any timing offense. Knock the receivers off their routes, force Manning to find his second receiver. Combine with a pass rush that makes Manning move his feet sideways and throw before he's ready.


Sooner or later, and usually when the pressure is on, Manning will throw a pick.

 

[LasVegasPatsFan]

The only blueprint I saw yesterday was the pick 6. Had it not been for that, Colts would have most likely scored. Saints could not stop the Colts from moving the ball. I hate the Colts as much as the next guy but I'm afraid the only blueprint is hoping Manning has an off day. Lets not fool ourselves but the Colts have been to the playoffs 8 years in a row and only lost 29 regular season games since 2002.

 

[CGH TX PATS]

I was surprised that the Saints didn't run the ball more against the Colts. I've often wondered what our game against the Colts would've been had we of had Freddy T available at the time.

I was so wowed by the way that the Saints covered us, I wonder if this would work against the colts. Having multiple db's that 'spy' a specific wr is genius I feel. But with all of this said, we beat their ass playing OUR style of football, we're a play or two away from using our own blueprint.

 

[upstater1]

There is a blueprint.

Let the Colts run to their hearts content. I remember Edge James running on the Patriots, and they'd lose.

You play with 5 or 6 DBs in the game at all times. You have 5 or 6 players max in the box. You blitz one extra man for half the plays, which means you always have 6 or 7 guys flooding the passing lanes.

You let the Colts help you chew up the clock, and then you make the most of your opportunities on passing.

Without a healthy Dwight Freeney, the Patriots beat the Colts everytime.

I'd reverse the opening post and ask, do you think Payton's blueprint was actually just stolen from watching the Patriots games? I mean, Brady has had his way with the Indy passing defense. And when you have one extra second because of an ineffective pass rush, you can kill their defenders.

The Colts achilles heel has always been their impatience. Sooner or later, they will get away from the run, because Peyton has to be a hero. The Saints stuck to their guns and refused to put an extra guy on the line even though they were being gashed. Hell, on one early series, the Colts crammed the ball down the Saints throats. And the Saints never panicked. They stuck to the gameplan. And it worked, because eventually Peyton got impatient.

This is the same gameplan, by the way, that the Giants used against the Patriots. They rushed one extra man and had 6 or 7 dbs on the field, and they were just begging the Patriots to play some smashmouth football with them. The main differences were that the Colts ran much better than the Patriots, but they also had to contend with a much better QB than Eli manning.

 

[Patspsycho]

The only blueprint I saw yesterday was the pick 6. Had it not been for that, Colts would have most likely scored. Saints could not stop the Colts from moving the ball. I hate the Colts as much as the next guy but I'm afraid the only blueprint is hoping Manning has an off day. Lets not fool ourselves but the Colts have been to the playoffs 8 years in a row and only lost 29 regular season games since 2002.

No, Brees was really clicking. He was driving down the field every time. Even if the Colts had scored, there was enough time for Brees to put together another drive.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

It's really nothing new, this has been the way to beat the Colts for years now. Keep Manning off the field and when he is on the field, concentrate on pressuring him while letting the rb's do whatever they want.

Honestly if you compare the Saints defensive effort it wasn't all different from ours this year. Only difference was we didn't make a single red zone stop and Manning had too many shots in the 2nd half. Last night Manning had 4 total drives in the 2nd half. He had 4 drives in the 4th quarter alone against us.

 

[Kontradiction]

I was surprised that the Saints didn't run the ball more against the Colts. I've often wondered what our game against the Colts would've been had we of had Freddy T available at the time.

I was so wowed by the way that the Saints covered us, I wonder if this would work against the colts. Having multiple db's that 'spy' a specific wr is genius I feel. But with all of this said, we beat their ass playing OUR style of football, we're a play or two away from using our own blueprint.

Because the Colts' run defense is a lot better than it used to be, particularly up the middle. Their pass defense is completely overrated and the Saints' pass offense just so happens to be their greatest strength. Brady carved up the Colts with Moss and Welker. A couple of weeks ago when Cartwright flame PM'ed me saying the following after the Colts won the championship...

and I came back...much to your chagrin. Your piece of **** Donks are overrated...and you guys can't do squate without a camera man!! Bwaaahahaahahahahaha!

...I reminded him that Sanchez picked apart their defense through the air and wished them luck against Brees. A crappy pass defense on top of an injured Dwight Freeney was the kiss of death for the Colts in going up against Brees and his arsenal of Colston, Henderson, Bush, Shockey, Moore, and Co. I actually wish Cartwright would be unbanned now so I can continue to laugh at him in the NFL forum, but I don't think Ian will be allowing it.

EDIT: And for those of you who care, here is the exact PM exchange shortly before he got banned...

and I came back...much to your chagrin. Your piece of **** Donks are overrated...and you guys can't do squate without a camera man!! Bwaaahahaahahahahaha!

Uh, congrats. It really doesn't bother me that the Colts won. I rooted for them. However, I think we'll be back next year. Even if we aren't, then you should enjoy the success while it lasts because the Colts are definitely next.

P.S.- Your defense got torched by Sanchez. Good luck in the Super Bowl against Brees and company...

 

[MrNathanDrake]

The single biggest key to victory was that the Refs did not call the obligatory 2 to 3 phantom PI calls against Colts opponents. I am not kidding about this either.

LOL. I was thinking the same thing.


Really, the Saints didnt show us any blueprint. T.O.P has always been known. Easier said than done though.

Porters INT. Okay. Studying game tape is one thing. Making the play is another. How many times have we seen DB's drop an "easy pick"?


The Saints didnt kill the Colts. It was alot closer than the final score showed. If Porter misses that INT and the Colts scored on that drive, it would've been tied and probably went down to the last minute of the game.

 

[LasVegasPatsFan]

No, Brees was really clicking. He was driving down the field every time. Even if the Colts had scored, there was enough time for Brees to put together another drive.

I agree that had the Colts score, Brees had plenty of time for another drive but thats not a blueprint...scoring more points than the opposition is stating the obvious

 

[MrNathanDrake]

BTW The San Diego Chargers laid out a blueprint on beating the Colts quite soem time ago.

3-4 defense that can get to Peyton every now and then. Once he gets a little bit of pressure, he'll choke.

 

[VJCPatriot]

BTW The San Diego Chargers laid out a blueprint on beating the Colts quite soem time ago.

3-4 defense that can get to Peyton every now and then. Once he gets a little bit of pressure, he'll choke.

But it isn't as easy to get to Peyton as you try to make it out to be. He gets rid of the football quickly and is very smart calling the protections. The Pats need to upgrade their passrush if they hope to be good enough to pressure Peyton in 2010. When he has time to sit back there he can pick apart just about any defense.

The Saints didnt kill the Colts. It was alot closer than the final score showed. If Porter misses that INT and the Colts scored on that drive, it would've been tied and probably went down to the last minute of the game.

Nobody said the Saints 'killed' the Colts. But their gameplan was very good, they stuck with it, and they won with it. The Saints didnt get 'lucky' either. The worked a week and a half on that onside kick play and their coach had the balls to call it in game. Same with the Porter interception, they had prepared for the Colts tendencies, practiced for that play, then when the opportunity came, Porter jumped it. Game over. Preparation + Perserverance served the Saints well. They were clearly the better team on Super Sunday.

 

[Patriot Missile]

They swarmed the Colts wrs all over the field. Peyton dinked and dunked all day and the Saints knew this and finally took a chance and jumped the route. It helped the Saints weren't playing 15 yards off the wrs like we've seen fit to do the last 6 games.

We've got a ways to go before we can even think about beating either of these teams. I'm sure it can get done with some adjustments to playcalling,schemes and personal brought in but as of right now we probably would of had our tails handed to us by either one of those teams.

Not so much the Colts game but the Saints beatdown was just a wakeup call of what this team needs to do to get better before they start to even think about blue prints.

 

[PatsDoc]

When asked about the Colts offense, Belichick always says that the colts don't exactly do anything particularly complex. They just happen to do the simple stuff they like to do very very well. So as all of you have been saying, I don't think there's a particular mysterious formula to defeating the colts that was showcased for the first time by the Saints.

Keep them off the field, jam their receivers (of course, avoiding the PIs), let them run all day. Throw in a single turnover and solid special teams play, it's done. Easier said obviously.

That said, I actually still believe that the best offenses dictate. I liked how we beat them back in the day by running the ball tough, dinking and dunking all the way down the field on an 8 minute plus drive. Then they come out and move the ball all the way down the field in 3 minutes, having to eventually settle for the FG. Frustration in the fourth quarter with all this leads to a Colts' offensive meltdown, and dunzo.