Kudos To DC Matt Patricia

[mgteich]

What an incredible game plan and performance against one one of the best offenses in the NFL! Vellano, Chris Jones and even Ryan were the next guy up. Perhaps, scheme, practice and game plan makes as much of a difference as does talent.

We DID almost get beaten by Ben Watson, but we didn't need him.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

We Patsfans saw the foreshadowing of that D at the end of the Atlanter game, but the Saints' coaching staff stayed oblivious. Yes, I know that there were substantive differences vs Graham, e.g. The Taliban being assigned to him but there was a heavy LB shadow presence as well. That blanked coverage left Ben Watson virtually uncovered. Thankfully the Saints were unprepared to exploit this to the max.

Glad to see ex-Pat Ben still taking in a nice paycheck.

 

[Mack Herron]

Despite a stable of talented receivers, and without much of a pass rush, Brees was confused and off rhythm most of the afternoon. Gotta love getting physical with his receivers, and terrific coverage all day. Brilliant stuff.

 

[Ozymandias]

Despite a stable of talented receivers, and without much of a pass rush, Brees was confused and off rhythm most of the afternoon. Gotta love getting physical with his receivers, and terrific coverage all day. Brilliant stuff.

Precisely.

And that is why I say coverage is slightly more important than pressure in today's NFL. Guys have to be able to cover no matter what the situation, pressure or not. Brees looked flustered, as his receivers weren't getting open. He was forcing the issue all game. And even on his TD pass to Stills was a low percentage throw.

The defensive gameplan can only work when you have guys that can execute it. People wondered why the scheme was so vanilla in past years, it was because they lacked the proper personnel to pull it off consistently.

When you have a guy like Talib playing at high level like he is, basically making the game 10-on-10, your chances on defense increase greatly. That's been the key. Aqib is playing the best at the CB position in the NFL. Unlike Sherman, who stays on one side of the field, Talib is assigned to a guy wherever he goes and shuts them down all of 'em.

 

[andrewgarrr]

The DBs and LBs were physical with the Saints' pass catchers at the line of scrimmage. Is this something we can expect to not get penalized in future games?

 

[mgteich]

I think that we miss the boat if we focus only on Talib and and the other defensive backs. The linebackers and linemen also did their jobs, with guys like Chris Jones and Vellano as our anchors in the middle.

Precisely.

And that is why I say coverage is slightly more important than pressure in today's NFL. Guys have to be able to cover no matter what the situation, pressure or not. Brees looked flustered, as his receivers weren't getting open. He was forcing the issue all game. And even on his TD pass to Stills was a low percentage throw.

The defensive gameplan can only work when you have guys that can execute it. People wondered why the scheme was so vanilla in past years, it was because they lacked the proper personnel to pull it off consistently.

When you have a guy like Talib playing at high level like he is, basically making the game 10-on-10, your chances on defense increase greatly. That's been the key. Aqib is playing the best at the CB position in the NFL. Unlike Sherman, who stays on one side of the field, Talib is assigned to a guy wherever he goes and shuts them down all of 'em.

 

[Ozymandias]

I think that we miss the boat if we focus only on Talib and and the other defensive backs. The linebackers and linemen also did their jobs, with guys like Chris Jones and Vellano as our anchors in the middle.

It's actually a trickle down effect and that was my point in case you missed it. Having a guy that take away a team's best receiver makes your defensive scheming a whole lot easier. Simply put, the defense isn't/won't be the same without Talib. That doesn't mean it still can't be good without him there, just not the same.