Saints' unbeaten offensive machine rolls by controlling rhythm and keeping defenses off-balance
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By David Scott
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
The New Orleans Saints are the NFL's highest-scoring team. Not only do they average 39 points, they're in a hurry to get there.
The Saints_the Carolina Panthers' opponents on Sunday in the Louisiana Superdome — play at a fast, often dizzying, pace. It's translated into first place in the NFC South with a 7-0 record, one of two unbeaten marks in the NFL.
"We do try to control the tempo and dictate that tempo to the defense," said quarterback Drew Brees in a conference call this week. "When you're rolling and dialing up plays — with run and pass, shot plays, underneath pass plays — you want consistency, you want tempo, you want rhythm."
That means after a play is finished, the Saints run to their huddle, get the call from Brees, break the huddle, then briskly get to the line of scrimmage. A defense has to be paying attention.
"Guys are getting up to the ball," Brees said. "You're not thinking; you're reacting and just really trying to dictate the defense and really try to keep (it) off balance."
The Panthers, who play their division rivals twice a year and have beaten them six times in their past seven meetings, understand how the Saints play.
"They're efficient," said Carolina defensive tackle Damione Lewis. "When they get to the huddle, they seem to already know what they have in mind. They get the play called and the ball snapped. It's a quick process. It seems like they're only 15 seconds in and the play's been run.
"Then it's off to the next one. That keeps a constant pressure on the defense."
Brees has thrown for 2,006 yards and six touchdowns this season. His 107.6 passer rating ranks third in the league. He's got receivers such as Marques Colston (36 catches, six touchdowns) or tight end Jeremy Shockey (31, 3). Pierre Thomas (405 yards, four touchdowns) and Mike Bell (392, 2) give the Saints a solid running attack.
Almost forgotten is the versatile and dangerous Reggie Bush, who starts ahead of Thomas and Bell. He's got 178 yards rushing (with four touchdowns) and has caught 20 passes for 155 yards.
"Any time you can be balanced, you can become sort of a two-headed monster," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "Understand that you have to defend both; it opens up so many things. I think the effective running game opens up opportunities in the passing game, whereas throwing the ball well helps the running game.
"It makes it to where you are running 'complementary' football.That's what we call it."
Not all of the Saints' 273 points have come from the offense and kicker John Carney. Give the New Orleans defense credit for 36 of them, with six touchdowns via turnovers. That's more than the Cleveland Browns' offense, which has scored just five touchdowns.
The Saints have intercepted 16 passes and recovered five fumbles. Safety Darren Sharper has seven interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns.
New Orleans' attacking style of defense comes from new coordinator Gregg Williams, a former head coach with the Buffalo Bills who has led some of the league's top units in Washington and Jacksonville.
"I think overall, starting early in training camp and the beginning of this season, you can eventually play with some confidence when you are doing things well defensively," Payton said. "The two big areas statistically have been our ability to take away the ball and our ability to minimize the big-play opportunities.
The Saints have allowed just four runs of 20-plus yards and six passes of more than 30 yards.
"Those are two things that have been a little bit of our Achilles' heel in the past and ... we have really been able to improve on (them)," Payton said.
Perhaps the biggest difference-maker has been the addition of Sharper, a 13-year veteran who seems to be everywhere on the field.
"Darren (has) come in and picked up quickly in the off-season what we're doing," Payton said. "He does a good job of paying close attention to the film and the quarterback. He's that player that the ball just finds a lot."
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(c) 2009, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
