Multidimensional Saints still undefeated

Though the numbers were a bit mind bending — an absurd nine passing touchdowns through the first two games — every worthwhile observer knew that the Saints offense was a juggernaut. Drew Brees did, after all, pass for more than 5,000 yards and 34 touchdowns last season. Detroit’s suspect secondary and Philadelphia’s gambling defensive style were given much of the credit for the videogame-like success of the Saints offense early on. While this was enough to excite the casual fan, true football aficionados know that such high-flying, circus-act offenses are only spectacular when the quarterback has time to throw. A dominant opposing pass rush, it seemed to reason, would cut off the proverbial head of the snake (Brees) and stop the Saints dead in their tracks.

The New York Giants will travel to the Superdome next week to play the undefeated Saints.

Fortunately for the Saints, this common wisdom has proven only half correct. It is indeed true that an effective pass rush can make even the most explosive passing attack look average, as Brees and his wide-outs have appeared in the last two games against Buffalo and the New York Jets, respectively. The revelation, however, is that despite the relative struggles of their signal caller, the Saints are still winning, and doing so in an impressive fashion.

Since Brees’ prolific tenure in the Crescent City began back in 2006, the Saints defense has always been its Achilles’ heal. Though statistically average, the team seemed to have a knack for allowing a big play at the worst possible time. It was as if the offense won in spite of the defense. Provided you have an offense as good as the Saints have had, this model can be fairly successful in the regular season. Against well-rounded teams in the postseason, however, their defensive weakness became glaring.

Recognizing this fatal flaw, the Saints decided to bring in renowned defensive guru Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator. Praised for engineering defensive turnarounds in Jacksonville, Buffalo and Washington, Williams brought along his attacking 4-3 scheme, well suited to the talents of incumbent defensive linemen Will Smith and Charles Grant. Coupled with the resurgence of linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who was held back by injuries last year, and the additions of two ball-hawking defensive backs in veteran Darren Sharper and rookie Malcolm Jenkins, the overall talent level for Williams to work with has much improved.

The results have been obvious in the past two games. The Saints are now winning because of their defense, not in spite of it. Against New York, the vaunted New Orleans offense could only muster 10 points, but rookie Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez was harassed into four turnovers, two of which resulted in defensive touchdowns for the Saints.

New Orleans has proven that they can win games on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Though it may still be a bit early to place the Saints among the NFL’s true elite, this kind of versatility is what separates good teams from Super Bowl contenders. While they have been impressive, they have yet to knock off any of the NFL’s real blue bloods. They’ll get their chance in two weeks in a reveling match up against what may be the best team in the league: the New York Giants. If both the New Orleans offense and defense play as well as they have shown themselves capable, the Saints just might be able to claim the title of the best team in the NFL.