The most anticipated game in the NFL calender is upon us. A season of frustrating football with lousy teams and embarrassing performances has distilled the competition to two fine franchises and worthy opponents.
The Saints are chracterized by excellent versatility. A roster than can play any brand of football better than most teams play their best. However, the Saints do not have a single dominant area on offense and I suspect that will be their undoing against a Colts defense that is fast enough to chase Payton's gimmicks and doesn't need to close (and therefore open) holes with schemes.
The Jets exposed the Colts defense on a couple of occasions with big plays, but these plays were based on a power rushing offense that required the Colts to commit safeties. The Saints versatility does not lend itself to the same level of offensive progression and the Saints do not have the same prowess as a power running team as the Jets.
The Saints will produce, but will not be able to dominate the Colts on offense.
The Colts offense obviously revolves around Peyton Manning and the passing game. The Jets might have the best personelle in the league to match up with Peyton and they tried the strategy of blitzing Peyton heavily with a safety on top of Wayne...and they got roasted. The Saints are expected to try a similar strategy, but the only strategy that has a chance is a constantly changing scheme. The Colts offense is the ultimate pick-your-poison dilemma;
-Crash the edges pass-rushing? Their interior offensive line spreads the field too wide to contain the run, illustrated in the first scene of this clip.
-Balanced base defense? The Colts execute a sliding zone-blocking scheme with a partial bootleg that opens up a plethora of throwing lanes the defensive secondary can't handle.
(against the Jets, the Colt's first passing play was this sliding protection with a backside triple-move comeback route to Wayne for a first down)
-Overload blitz? Quick drops and precision route running will eat you up. The Jets tried to 'sit' on quick in routes and Peyton adjusted seamlessly, featuring an immature wheel route to Collie for crucial first down.
-Double-team the best and hottest receivers? Please.
-Prevent defense? This is what the Saints ran against the Vikings, relying on tackling and forcing fumbles. However, route running would make this strategic suicide - proven if you saw the Colts running after catches against the Jets.
-The Colts offensive line also heavily relies on cloud blocks against interior lineman (which is why you rarely see Peyton pressured from A-gaps against a 4-3). If the interior d-line widens their alignment to evade a double team from the center then the offensive tackle will engage the defensive tackle with the aid of the center while the guard pulls to engage the rush end - even in pass protection.
While lacking the pure talent and athleticism of the Saints, the Colts offensive line is superior working as a team to foil any schematic or athletic advantage their opponents have.
For that reason, the versatile Saints will require a combination of luck and emotion to contain Peyton Manning and the Colts in order to build a lead and force turnovers.
Prediction:
Though picking against the team of destiny and the best guard in the game is foolish, the Colts will leave no doubt.
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