News: Just How Much Were The Saints Worried About Murray?

[visionary]

Agree with you **
hopefully this continues in terms of offensive unpredictability

The sad part is that we had these resources last year, sounds like Callahan wanted this but Garrett kept over -ruling him

 

[adbutcher]

Agree with you **
hopefully this continues in terms of offensive unpredictability

The sad part is that we had these resources last year, sounds like Callahan wanted this but Garrett kept over -ruling himl

So what you are saying is when it's bad it is Red's fault and when it is good Red had nothing to do with it? The HC of the team? That's what you are rolling with? If you only knew how preposterous that line thinking is you wouldn't utter another word about football.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

So what you are saying is when it's bad it is Red's fault and when it is good Red had nothing to do with it? The HC of the team? That's what you are rolling with? If you only knew how preposterous that line thinking is you wouldn't utter another word about football.

Honestly if you don't see the difference in play calling between this year and the previous years...I doubt anything that anyone would say to you would convince you of it.

The play calling this year is night and day difference from the past.

This year we run first. We are committed to the run, we don't all of a sudden panic at the first sign of trouble and abandon the run.

The last few years we would only commit to the run after the fans and media got onto the cowboys for abandoning the run and that would last a game or so until it would revert right back to the pass first an abandon the run.

Even the Coaches would admit that they needed to the run the ball more in the Offseasons and after games so it is not just the fans and media that said it in the past.

It is also a fact that Jerry wanted someone else to call the game so he had Callahan do it, only for jason to take back control of calling the plays and this year Jerry again said he wanted Jason to work on being a Head Coach and not call the plays and Linehan has been calling the plays.

Again...I really don't know how anyone can argue that things have not changed.

So no, I don't find it preposterous at all that Red was a main reason for our lack of run game the last few years and him not calling the plays now one of the reasons why we are sticking with it.

How about this from last year...our RB expressing his anger over the play calling and abandoning the run (Red was calling the plays)

http://i18.***BLOCKED***/albums/b133/BrAinPaiNt/Murray_zpsa435c9a6.gif

 

[gimmesix]

This is the ESPN Saints beat writer's film review of the game. Reading this, it becomes clear just how much of a catch-22 a defense is in when facing Murray and his offensive line, and then still have to defend Romo and the passing game.

Truly a thing of beauty.





How much of a bad*** is Tyron Smith?



Again on the problems caused by the dominant run game mixed with Romo's always effective passing game:




Read the entire article here: http://espn.go.com/blog/new-orleans-saints/post/_/id/10070/film-study-reviewing-saints-defense-19

I think we can expect the Texans to be more aggressive with their line and linebackers, which mean there should be some opportunities for some big plays if our O-line proves up to the blocking task.

 

[AsthmaField]

I think we can expect the Texans to be more aggressive with their line and linebackers, which mean there should be some opportunities for some big plays if our O-line proves up to the blocking task.

I haven't watched enough of the Texans under their new defensive coordinator to know if they're real aggressive or not. If they are, like you said there will be opportunities to gash them some.

Running the ball like Dallas has been is a good way to take them away from that as the ball game goes on. I hope they also get Dunbar involved with some screens.

 

[gimmesix]

I haven't watched enough of the Texans under their new defensive coordinator to know if they're real aggressive or not. If they are, like you said there will be opportunities to gash them some.

Running the ball like Dallas has been is a good way to take them away from that as the ball game goes on. I hope they also get Dunbar involved with some screens.

Whoops, I haven't been paying attention. I thought Phillips was still the defensive coordinator. Not sure Romeo is quite as aggressive with his 3-4 as Phillips was.

Here's an article I found on Crennel's 3-4 (although the switch hasn't seemed to affect Watt):

Crennel runs an old-school version of the 3-4, where a lineman attacks the man in front of him instead of shooting the gap in between. The goal is to draw one or more double-teams so that the linebackers don’t have to tangle with offensive linemen in order to make plays.

This is the essence of the two-gap approach, and it requires the D-linemen to hold the block, read the play and then react. It also places a premium on plus-sized players in the trenches who can demand that kind of attention.

The prototypes were former Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour (6’5”, 310 lbs) and nose tackle Ted Washington (6’5”, 375 lbs). No one appreciated the benefits of having these goliaths up front more than fellow Patriot and inside linebacker Ted Johnson, the evening host on Sports Radio 610 in Houston.

In a conversation with Johnson, he said this preference even extends to the second level. “Crennel likes an ‘old school’ 3-4: big middle linebackers and big outside linebackers who can jam receivers and drop into pass coverage.”

Johnson, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel, now the Texans linebackers coach, all were in the 250-pound range. The only current player on the Houston roster that fits the bill is Cushing.

A big concern about two-gapping is whether it will negate the playmaking ability of J.J. Watt. Seth Payne, co-host of MaD Radio on Sports Radio 610 and a 10-year NFL veteran at nose tackle, spoke with me about why these details matter: “People care too much about the alignment when talking about the 3-4 vs. the 4-3. But in this case you should. This is an old school 3-4 where you shouldn’t expect a lot of production out of your nose tackle and defensive ends.”

The abundance of “old school” references implies that Rac has not learned any tricks of the trade during his three decades in the game. When his Kansas City Chiefs were facing the New Orleans Saints and their high-octane passing attack in 2012, he threw out the playbook in the first half and went with a “psycho front.”

Employing only two down linemen and three linebackers, he went with a dime package on almost every down. Although the Chiefs could not get into the end zone, they went into halftime trailing just 10-6. Crennel returned to their base 3-4 defense and quickly fell behind 24-6 in the third quarter. It took 273 yards rushing, a safety on Brees and a field goal in overtime to pull it out. If they had gone “psycho” in the second half, they might have won in regulation.

While Crennel has been closely associated with the 3-4, he has not been wedded to it his entire career.

 

[AsthmaField]

Whoops, I haven't been paying attention. I thought Phillips was still the defensive coordinator. Not sure Romeo is quite as aggressive with his 3-4 as Phillips was.

Here's an article I found on Crennel's 3-4 (although the switch hasn't seemed to affect Watt):

Good post. I don't think they have Watt sitting and reading very much, although I could be wrong about that. If they are playing that way (true 2-gap), then the running game will have a harder time of it IMO. That doesn't mean Dallas won't be able to run, just that some of the big gaps might not be there... although I certainly could be wrong.

It will boil down to the OL (shock) IMO. If they can handle everyone but Watt by themselves, then I think Dallas will have success on the ground.

 

[hornitosmonster]

We got the best left tackle locked up for his entire career.

 

[gimmesix]

Good post. I don't think they have Watt sitting and reading very much, although I could be wrong about that. If they are playing that way (true 2-gap), then the running game will have a harder time of it IMO. That doesn't mean Dallas won't be able to run, just that some of the big gaps might not be there... although I certainly could be wrong.

It will boil down to the OL (shock) IMO. If they can handle everyone but Watt by themselves, then I think Dallas will have success on the ground.

Might hinge on Frederick's ability to handle the nose tackle by himself. That should allow Dallas to often double Watt, with the guard peeling off in the run game to pick off a linebacker once they get Watt turned.

 

[AsthmaField]

Might hinge on Frederick's ability to handle the nose tackle by himself. That should allow Dallas to often double Watt, with the guard peeling off in the run game to pick off a linebacker once they get Watt turned.

Yeah, I don't know if The Beard will be able to deal with the NT one on one or not. Most NT's are double anyway in a 34 defense, but I honestly don't know jack squat about their NT.

 

[romothesavior]

Am I the only one concerned with all of the media love now? Just seems like the kiss of death to me. I have even heard/seen Super Bowl comments since Sunday. Tap on the brakes some, we still have a bad defense and the injuries haven't stopped. Yes, the offense might be SB caliber but there is still another side of the ball to work on.

I was used to getting beat on from the media and fans, hard to get used to the other side of it now. I prefer them(Cowboys) to lay low and under the radar until they prove to be unstoppable, then let it fly!

No, you're not the only one concerned with it. People are jumping all over this Cowboys team and I'm not sure its been earned yet.

I like how this team was hungry to go out and prove something last weekend. I hope now that they're "on the radar," they play with more confidence and use it as motivation to stay there, rather than act like they've accomplished anything yet. I think they will.

 

[gimmesix]

Yeah, I don't know if The Beard will be able to deal with the NT one on one or not. Most NT's are double anyway in a 34 defense, but I honestly don't know jack squat about their NT.

That's one of the things I did really like about Andre Gurode. He might have been dead weight in the open field, but he could stalemate a nose tackle.

If it's power on power against the Texans, I think Frederick can too. Not as sure about it if their nose is quick.

 

[AsthmaField]

That's one of the things I did really like about Andre Gurode. He might have been dead weight in the open field, but he could stalemate a nose tackle.

If it's power on power against the Texans, I think Frederick can too. Not as sure about it if their nose is quick.

Frederick is definitely strong enough. I seriously doubt there are much stronger centers in the NFL. What he does so much better than Gurode is get to the second (and third) level and to actually make a block when he does. If Gurode was lucky enough to actually make it to the second level, he would whiff about half the time.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

What I see is that the offense at this moment is very well designed against the modern defenses. The modern defenses are geared to stop those pass happy, shotgun, quick hitting offenses. The D-Linemen are designed to either get upfield as much as they can or allow for the linebackers to get upfield as much as they can. The corners are bigger to help jam those short, more quick than fast WR's. And if the short, more quick than fast WR's do catch the ball, the bigger corners can tackle them immediately.

So the Cowboys have an elite tailback and O-Line to counter those D-Linemen that are not geared to stop the run. And they have two tall and fast WR's that can beat those tall, but slow corners deep and fend them off on back shoulder throws.

What I've seen is actually more like what Joe Gibbs did. He would run the ball and then when the defenses crept in too much and the coverage was favorable, throw it over the top. Gibbs was known for bringing in extra blockers to help protect the QB. In today's league, QB's prefer more receivers running routes than extra blockers. But, if you have a decent QB and he has all day to throw, he should find receivers. I see us bringing in extra blockers much more often particularly in comparison to other teams around the league.

If we do go spread it is usually on 2nd down. If we get on 3rd down, it appears we will bring in more blocker types of players with Williams and Bryant on the outside. The threat of the run is there because we have more blocker types (Clutts, Witten, Harris) bunched up. And the threat of pass is there if the defense decides to put 8 or 9 in the box and we can just throw to Williams and Bryant who are getting 1-on-1 coverage and Romo usually having excellent protection.




YR

 

[Idgit]

And people keep saying that Murray has no speed, for a big back I think Murray has plenty of speed. The guy is a running horse for us right now fellas.

He's got great acceleration and deceleration. He just doesn't have ridiculous top-end speed if he's in a footrace with a CB.

 

[ShiningStar]

It's amazing what running the football will do for your organization. Who knew?

everyone but Garrett.

Good article, Saints are a mix bag right now, im happy with the win, but we still have to see how we are against better teams.

 

[tyke1doe]

I am there with you. Everytime the media jumped on our bandwagon in recent past, bad things happened. I much prefer the Cowboys play with a chip on their shoulder than listening to their press clippings. I don't mind them being confident just not cocky.

I don't believe just because the media jumps on the bandwagon the team mystically underperforms. This team will rise or fall on its own merits, not because of the whimisical opinions of media members.

 

[NickZepp]

Yep. Is this a great football team? Probably still not at that point. The offense has some solid skill players, Excellent line. And a QB that can throw the ball well most of the time. Doing a more early 90s Cowboys type offense where we set the pass up with a solid run game is doing wonders for this team. But we still have depth issues. If Murray gets hurt we are basically screwed because none of our other RBs have shown they can impact the game like he can. And we have a huge defensive talent problem. If our offense has down games where things just don't work. We can't rely on the defense to win the game for us most likely.

 

[DallasInDC]

I don't believe just because the media jumps on the bandwagon the team mystically underperforms. This team will rise or fall on its own merits, not because of the whimisical opinions of media members.

Yes, they will rise and fall ontheir own merits, however, I do believe there are some who may take certan teams/games lightly when they hear their praises being sung. This team inthe pst has shown the propensity to do just that as evidetin playing down to inferior teams.

You keep from enjoying yourself while the rest of us celebrate....shift....victories.

Trust me I am enjoying every win, but it is going to take more than a blow out game against the saints to convince me we have gotten over the hump and can play at this level every week regardless of how much the media and fans pump them up. I am hopefull though...in a parity driven league, winning is about attitude, preparation, and luck, and while it is still early, it feels like the Cowboys are better prepared this prepared and are starting to get their swag back. now if we can get lady luck on our side (injuries, bounce of the ball, winning side of bad calls, etc.) I think positive things canhappen. I just need to see a larger sampling before I get my hopes up.