Every year that Sean Payton and Drew Brees have been in the NFL they have either subtly or drastically changed the offense from year to year. While some elements remain constant, and the overall construction remains the same (because its all build around Drew Brees being awesome), which areas are accentuated changes from year to year. Certain years have more change than others though. In 2009 the Saints achieved a level of balance never before or since duplicated due to have the combination of a hyper-aggressive defense that consistently forced turnovers. In 2011 the emergence of Jimmy Graham as a near unarguable weapon and Darren Sproles taking the role previously occupied by Reggie Bush to an unprecedented level allowed the offense to go SuperNova. In 2016 they used an offense build around their trio of stud wide receivers, including stunning rookie Michael Thomas, to win one-on-one match ups against defenders.
The departure (trade) of Brandin Cooks means that once again the Saints will have to adapt and change their offense. The addition of Ted Ginn Jr. will help ensure that defenses will still respect and fear the deep ball, but he isn’t nearly the talent, route runner, or catcher of the ball that Cooks was and defenses know that. While some elements will remain the same, how will the Saints evolve in 2017 to retain their productivity and possibly to return to dominance. To me an evolution (in sports) is based around 3 factors: approach/vision, personnel, geometry (scheme). Let’s see how the Saints could change with all 3.
Vision:
Payton’s offense is great year in and year out, and because of that there are rarely major philosophical changes in the offense. What does change year in and year out are what areas are accentuated. If you want to you can think of it as a theme. Any system requires a theme, a core which it is built around that allows everything to function. In every year to date the core for Payton’s offense has always been Drew Brees and the vertical passing attack. Whether it was Devery and Meachem, Jimmy Graham, or Brandin Cooks, the Saints always have a vertical element that they use to frighten opponents into changing their coverage to fit what the Saints want them to do. It was the guillotine hanging over defensive coordinators necks.
I think this will be the first year where the Saints offense isn’t going to be focused on leveraging the vertical attack. More specifically that isn’t going to be the lever Payton is going to use to bludgeon teams into submission, and it won’t be the element that teams desperately guard against. I think the team’s vision this year is to be a physical team up front, to use what should be (health willing) a physically dominating offensive line to attack team’s up the middle, and most importantly a team that keeps Drew Brees upright and fresh throughout the course of the game.
Personnel:
The Saints made MAJOR changes to their personnel this off-season. Now obviously the Brandin Cooks trade wasn’t quiet, but the rest of the moves the Saints made this year have a major impact on the construction of the roster, but they aren’t nearly as talked about. The Saints added Ryan Ramczyk, a rookie who will be the 6th offensive lineman in power sets who specializes in being an athletic and dominating run blocker. They added Larry Warford whose a physical and talented guard whose solid in pass protection and can be very good in run blocking. They added a satellite back who is very reminiscent of Pierre Thomas in Alvin Kamara (a player who brings equal danger running out of the backfield and catching passes for defenses). They added a hall of famer who might just have enough left in the tank to have an impact, but could also be a has been. They added Ted Ginn who isn’t close to the overall football player Brandin Cooks is, but actually might be a better fit to the role in the Saints offense that Cooks was asked to fill, that of a ‘clear out guy’.
The Saints personnel moves are indicative of a team who is trying to become more physical and more consistent up front, and who clearly want to use their offensive line and running game as a weapon…not just an auxiliary function of the offense.
Scheme/Geometry:
Finally we get to scheme. The way a team uses a combination of personnel and technique to attack the geometry of the field. If you want to keep it simple there are two ways an offense can attack a defense. You can attack from the outside-in and use the boundaries to force the defense to stretch itself out to the perimeter opening up the interior, and creating a reactive reaction that allows your down the field threats to tear their hearts out on any given play. This form of offense uses big plays to put pressure on defenses who fear the devastating chunk plays that can change the complexion of a game in a matter of seconds. The Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals are all teams who have used this type of approach in recent years.
The other way you can attack a defense is from the inside-out. This is the conversion I think the Saints are going to make. When an offense attacks from the outside-in it’s the paralyzing threat of a big play at any moment that forces the defense to adjust. An inside-out attack leverages an ability to make short and consistent gains. The pre-eminent example of this philosophy is known as the westcoast offense. The Saints have always run a variation of this scheme, but its how you apply it that matters. With what could, and should be, a dominating running game combined with a pair of incredibly effective receivers in the short to intermediate area in Willie Snead and Michael Thomas, the Saints will have the ability to suck in the defense to try to reduce open windows and stop the run. This opens them up to shots down the field, especially through play action passes (one of Brees favorite plays), and gives them an ability to adjust their pace at will. when you’re offense is based in a compressed attack that takes place primarily within the first 15 yards you have the ability to play a grind it out power style (like the Harbaugh 49ers did) as well as to play a light speed quick strike offense that is variable and destructive (like the Patriots do). The key to this is to have the personnel to run this type of attack.
The Saints MUST have a rock solid offensive line, quality running backs, and receivers who can not only win their routes, but win them quickly to run this type of offense. The final key is to have a movable chess piece that allows your offense to be adaptive and versatile without having to change who is on the field. That is why the single most important move to the offense this year is going to be Alvin Kamara. If he can be an explosive playmaker who allows the Saints to both dictate coverage and matchup, while also providing big play ability from the back field, this offense will soar. And, they will do so attacking right up the heart of the defense which forces the opponent to pull in additional players to stop it. They then open themselves to big plays down the field. It’s either get bludgeoned to death by the Saints war-machine, or open yourself up to the big plays that every team dreads.
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