Opinion: How our defense needs to play the Saints

Here are my two cents on how this defense needs to play Sunday in order to win this game.

First, we need our offense to score points more than half the time they touch the ball. At least half, if not more. We need to give our D rest and give them the power to be aggressive.

Specifically on D, we need to gamble. We need to role the dice for a turn-over or sack with aggressive play calls which may leave one man exposed/open. If we give up a few big plays, so be it. I just fear that a bend don't break mentality against this team will always result big yards anyway, so why not concede the yards in exchange for a chance of putting the ball back in our hands?

Example: Corner blitz with Ingram or Butler ready to blow up Sproles on dump passes. We may force a mistake or tackle/sack for a loss. Or if the pressure doesn't get there, the deep ball may be open.

Of course, with anything in the game, it isn't just cut and dry send the house every play, but I would like to see a few plays per drive where the Bolts double down for a big play on D.

Thoughts?

I think when you play a QB like Brees, who has a particularly good TE in Graham, you expect that to a certain point they are gonna move the chains, and eventually score points, you just have to make them work extremely hard to get those points.

It's on the D to find ways to pressure Brees, to hurry him, and to stay disciplined as you can so to avoid huge mistakes. I agree to a certain extent that you do have to gamble a little bit, but the Saints are a team that are more than capable of taking advantage when you do.

I will say though, I feel a lot more confidence in our D than I would if we had the Saints' D, I like our team's chances of scoring on them.

MOAR INGRAM!!!

This.
Don't necessarily need to blitz the hell out of the Saints, just set Ingram loose. Don't care if 70% of our snaps are 4 man rush, if Ingram's in on them, there will be pressure.

Things go tougher for our opponents with Ingram.

I may have to send this kid a bill soon.

What? No!

Not MOAR INGRAM!

Just dont take him off the field.

Hurries and hits and make him throw the ball before he wants to, that will do the trick.

Force turnovers, and pound Mole Boy into the turf...... not that I condone violence of any kind.

I would take a play out of the 2009 Saints playbook and just pass rush every down. They have no running game whatsoever.

Mo Melvin Mo Problems

for a few hundred dollars, what our defense needs to do is put out a bounty on Graham and Brees.

T-Rex Baby! chew em up

How I would play the Saints offense...

Play small. Almost like 2-5-4 set, start the game with only 2 big men down, Liuget and Franklin. Dare them to take the ball out of Brees' hands. Possibly de-activate a guy like Cam Thomas and get Brandon Taylor on the field to spy Sproles. Just get more speed on the field to contain that passing game. I see almost no reason at all for Jarrett Johnson to play unless they do prove capable of running, and even then I wouldn't want him on the field all that often. This has to be an Ingram/Phillips/Barnes game.

Lance Moore won't be playing so we won't have to worry about him, which means we can double team Graham and Colston the entire game, and try to push Brees to throw to his #3 option Devery Henderson...who's only skill is running deep. Which reminds me Joe Morgan is also very questionable to play with a knee injury, so they have no depth here.

The more I think about it, the more I like our chances of keeping them under 30.

well with that defense line up I am sure NO can get 4 yrds per carry. 4x3=12 and that is enough for first downs and clock management.

That seemed to be the D's approach against the Falcons, but ATL proved to be up to the challenge. The one thing the D has not been good at this year is holding opponent's to FGs instead of TDs. That's something that needs to improve this week.

The Bolt defense isn't that far away from breaking out and arriving, it may not be this particular game but they will show up and they will play well. They won't shut the Saint's down completely but they should be able to hold them and allow the offense to win. The Bolt defense needs to force more TO's and score like last week and I hope they can keep that up especially in New Orleans this weekend.

MOAR Ingram.

MOAR Ting, Barnes and Butler. That should do it!

As long as Mathews doesn't go fumbling the ball, using the same plan on D that we had against the Falcons probably isn't a bad idea.

Maybe a bit more aggressive now that we have Gaither, and the Saints have no pass rush.

They'll also likely be without Hawthorn and Harper, we can really expose their weak safties.

Mathews can be blamed for fumbling at the 2. He can't be blamed for the 98 yard drive that ensued.

There wouldn't have been a 98 yard drive if he hadn't fumbled, therefore he can be.

The defense has to pound on Brees continuously with no let up. The offense needs to pound with Battle, McClain and Rygina with no let up. It's just going to have to be a very physical game all phases for all four quarters, this includes no laying down with the lead Norv!!!!!!

I wouldn't expect Norv to employ the same strategy he used with Oakland........ he knew they weren't a threat to score a bunch of points. The Saints have an entirely different kind of offense.

Im so glad to be able to cheer for the guy in the 54 Jersey again. DeCastro who?? Gim me RexArm Mel all day.

How do we stop more 98 yard drives?

In that case...have better refs. Oh look, thats already happened.

In the future...MoMelvin, and bench Cason.

Gonna be a week or 3 before we see Wright again unfortunately.