New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints (11/30/09)

Monday night, Tom Brady brought his explosive offense into the Superdome to play the unbeaten New Orleans Saints. While watching the game, I considered how both have evolved their strategic approaches in the last three years. New England has incorporated spread concepts into their offense, and, this season, the defense New Orleans has taken on the identity of new coordinator Gregg Williams. It leads me to reflect on how and when strategic adjustments should be made.

The Saints defense has been the team's most improved area this season. Even with both starting corners out, and free agents castaways at corner, they attacked the Pats shotgun-spread. Williams is not going to wait for Mike McKenzie, Chris McAlister, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins to catch up. He's committed absolutely to his scheme. Remember that the Pats, too, have remained loyal to their scheme, since switching to it in 2007. That zealous committment seemed to catch up to them in the 2008 Super Bowl. Will we see the same for Williams's defense?

Offensively, the Saints relied on max-protect schemes (sometimes only sending two receivers into routes). With left tackle Jammal Brown out, the adjustment seemed warranted. On the other side, there's the Patriots defense. In the offseason, the Patriots adapted their defensive schemes to new personnel, chuffing aside Belicheck's effective 3-deep and 4-deep zone coverage schemes. This season, they have relied on man coverage more often and, against New Orleans, it cost them. Throughout the game, receivers broke free, sometimes against zone and sometimes against man. Commentators have blamed the youth and inexperience of the Pats backfield, but that's never stopped them before (see the long list of rookie contributors in the Pats' run to three titles). Have the off-season schematic adjustments created some uncertainty in that once reliable backfield?