subject: New Orleans Saints Tickets - Saints Lay Groundwork For 2010 Season [print this page] It wasn't exactly the shootout that most fans had hoped for, but the Saints got off to a good start by beating the Minnesota Vikings in the first game of the 2010 regular season. Though both sides had trouble moving the ball at various points, the game also may just show a trend that you could see throughout the year as teams scramble to follow the lead of the Super Bowl champs. As teams stress the pass more and more, it seems that defenses could be willing to sit back in coverage and force offenses to run the ball to be successful. While the Saints were able to do exactly that in the second half of the game, other teams with mediocre or sub-par running games need to take note that you still need to be able to run the ball successfully in the NFL.
As most people seem to know at this point, the NFL is a copycat league through and through. When the Miami Dolphins instituted the Wildcat offense a few seasons back, every team in the league soon had a Wildcat package that they were willing to run. Suddenly everyone thought that the Wildcat offense was the future of the NFL.
Flash-forward a few seasons and the NFL has become a pass happy league; some have even argued that we've entered a golden age of quarterbacking. Considering that many of the rules are geared to protect the quarterback and allow receivers to run unmolested down the field, these arguments certainly seem to have some gravity. Offensive coordinators, of course, have taken notice and they've been steadily calling more down-the-field pass plays over the last few years. But now it seems that the defenses could finally be making an adjustment that could cause another evolution in the way that football is played in the NFL.
This was fairly evident in the Saints' opening night win against the Vikings. In the first half, the Saints completely abandoned the run in favor of trying to throw the ball down the field, much as the Patriots did when they exploded in the 2007 regular season. But even quarterback Drew Brees had issues finding receivers in the Vikings secondary and was forced to consistently check down to shorter routes. Brees was also victim of his receivers dropping a few catchable balls, but the Vikings largely suppressed the Saints' passing attack from flourishing. Credit has to be given to Brees for remaining patient and not forcing a mistake, but even Brees was getting visually frustrated.
Everything changed in the second half, however, as the Saints finally attempted to find a little bit of balance in their offense. Instead of dropping back to pass more than 90% of the time, as they did in the first half, the Saints established running back Pierre Thomas and finally the Vikings' defense started to soften. With Thomas toting the rock, the Saints became a different offensive team and they ended up controlling the ball for seven more minutes than did the Vikings.
This is only one game, of course, but there is little doubt that the other coaches were watching intently. The Saints made a killing throwing the ball down the field last year, a style that certainly helped sell plenty of New Orleans Saints tickets. While it's unlikely that head coach Sean Payton will abandon their aggressive pass-first style of offense, the game seemed to suggest that even the Saints may have to run the ball to be effective, particularly against a top-tier defense like the Vikings.
But while the Saints proved capable of running right at the defense and keeping them off-balance, this could spell disaster for some of the other teams in the league as defenses adjust to the pass-first style of play. Proficient passing offenses such as the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and New England Patriots have had plenty of success without running ball much at all in recent seasons - a trend that could definitely come back to haunt them if defenses learn to sit back in coverage and force them to go to Plan B.
This certainly isn't to suggest that the league will move away from the aggressive pass-first style that has taken over the game in recent years. There's a reason that the NFL has grown enormously popular, and it isn't because Cedric Benson excels at slamming up the middle for three yards. Audiences like to see the ball being thrown all over the field nearly as much as like to see their team win.
But if the opening night game was any indicator, teams without much of a running game may need to find one quickly. As it stands, good passing offenses that still have strong running games, like the Ravens, Cowboys and Packers, could be rapidly becoming the new prototype for how to win in the NFL. Of course, defending champion New Orleans proved that they are as capable as any team at making adjustments to win, even if that means running the ball up the middle and utilizing their deep receiving corps less than they would like. It may just be one game, but you may start to see one-dimensional teams struggle mightily this season as defenses make their adjustments.
