Player Spotlight: Desman Ethridge

2011 Prospect, Desman Ethridge (6'1", 185lbs - TE/SS)

Desman was a 1st team All-District selection at receiver and linebacker in 2009, and put up serious numbers in the weight room last summer ( 245lb power clean, 315lb squat, and a 255lb bench).

Ethridge is looking to pursue engineering after high school.

#21 Desman Ethridge @ Yahoo! Video

Desman is about as easy-going and optimistic as they come and is a great competitor.

DASH & ZACK - Developments in Spread Run Game

As discussed previously by Smartfootball and TrojanFootballAnalysis, the advent of spread zone-read running has lead to responding with a counter-punch to defenses that heavily play their fronts away from the back's alignment. Additionally, the "Dash" (or fake Dart) play works great when your regular run game (stretch/zone) isn't working as well (because of smart reading defenders), especially if you don't have a tight end that can block, or you don't want your QB to run all the time.

The team (Oregon) who spearheaded this adaptation, lines the back up a bit further up than regular stretch to create a backward angle of attack. This allows him to widen a flat-footed (reading) playside defensive end.

The QB give-rules remain simple;

• If the DE flat foots at all (or wrong-arms the kick out), always give the ball
• If there is any doubt at all (if he comes up to feel / crash), pull the ball
• ** QB pulls the football if there is any blitz off the edge to the fake

The Dash play has become the perfect compliment to zone running but requires no different practice time. The QB reads remain identical, and no one has to do anything differently. With as little invested, the return becomes pronounced as the defense will be forced to adjust to how they not only defend dash, but also zone and stretch, as well.

This can be run off of regular stretch, and or off of Dart (tackle pull) action.

Running out of 3x1Another great way to utilize this concept is from the leverage of defenders with a 3x1 formation.

If a defense leaves a hole player away from the trips (respecting the common run away from trips), you end up with solid numbers on the perimeter into trips.

If the defense overplays the formation to the trips side, and cheats their hole player over, you end up with great numbers away from trips. A solid block by the single receiver leaves the back on a home run course to the end zone.

In addition to this key-breaker is the called zone cutback, "Zack".

Another 'cheap' (little time needed to rep this) play that attacks when defenses defeat your base run, this is a 3-step-then-cutback run for the back. This is especially effective when defenses overplay their fronts away from the back (antipating runs to them).

Michigan Fire Zone

As discussed previously, here is just another look at the do-everything fire-zone concept of Sting and Bark. Heavy hat tip to coachhuey’s captmccrae and Aztec, whom I learned this package from years ago.
The basic premise is a hard 5-man slant with a safety walked down creating an 8-man front. This is a prepackaged pressure and can be called to or away from strength.

As the clips illustrate, you can run these against run and pass, and is a very good pressure package against both. These are perfect against 2-back sets and will force offenses to rely on their quick game or leave 7+ in for protection.

These pressures, largely accredited to Dick LeBeau in Pittsburgh/Cincinnati days, were a staple of the Monte Kiffin Viking/Buccanneer defenses. As you’ll see his use of explosively quick interior linemen (Warren Sapp, John Randle, Booger McFarland, etc) accentuated their talents for movement and aggressiveness.


BARK

Seen this before somewhere? Yes, you have....

This is a defensive line slant AWAY from the TE from an Under front, with linebackers playing back strong. The slant will always be run to the 3 technique side of the front and the safety TO walks down. This is a great run blitz, as the MLB aims for the B gap chasm created by the sticking End (inside) and the SLB outside the TE. The WLB slow plays the flow, looking for cutback.

This stunt is run to the 2 receiver side, not particularly strong or weak. The SLB will always run the blitz. The MLB has a key blitz, meaning he is reading flow, as he’ll abandon his blitz if the back flows away. This reaction actually helps the timing of the blitz, as it delays him for a second so the stunt of the defensive end helps clear his gap assignment.

On action to the perimeter, primary contain is handled by the “Bronco” defender who in this case was the Rover and backside end.

The “Bronco” is a seam to flat technique, and relies heavily on the ‘pattern-match’ principles discussed at length on here before. When you are in 3 deep - 3 under, your players just can't just spot drop with your seam players. The bronco player must rally to get on top and match #2, or the seams (of 1-high coverage) will be exposed.

• If #2 goes vertical, he should match and carry (vertically).
• If #2 flattens (heads outside), the Bronco player should drive through the curl to the flat.
• If #2 goes under, he cuts him and looks to rob #1 underneath.

All of this is nothing new to teams that already pattern-match, and the 'parts' become interchangeable. This methodology opens the door for ANY player to now become a Bronco defender, leaving pressure combinations limitless.

STING

You may have seen this concept before here.

Categorized by a defensive line slant TO the TE from an Over or Under front with the linebackers playing back weak. Strong Safety and MLB are blitzing – safety to callside A and MLB to the backside A, the Nose creates the space by sticking to callside B.

This is a particularly effective run blitz as you get immediate inside pressure, with edge defenders slow playing perimeter action, leaving the WLB in the hole (reading back flow) to clean up anything underneath.

Pass Rush (IA Hawkeyes)

Continuing a theme from the Hawkeye Defensive Circuit, here are clips of fundamental DL work courtesy of Ron Aiken;

Be sure to check out previous DL entries here , here, and here.

Dykes in Ruston

Dykes in Ruston

by Jimmy Watson



excerpt;
Q: What type of offensive philosophy do you plan to employ?
A: "When you start a football program, the first thing you have to do is consider how the offense and defense works together. That's something that gets overlooked a lot in football where people might have an aggressive, attacking offense and an on-your-heels defense. So what you want to do is if you want to play aggressive, attacking football you have to do the same thing defensively. Then do the same thing on special teams. So that will be our philosophy "» to attack and try to play with speed on both sides of the ball and special teams as well.
"We walked into a fortunate situation here with (Phillip) Livas being such weapon in the return game. That will be a huge emphasis for us in trying to find ways to get him the ball. There's nothing that can change a game faster than a big special teams play. I know that's a strength of our football team already.
"We want to play disciplined football "» be assignment sound on both sides of the ball. Be smart and limit penalties. Be able to execute. At the end of the spring we need to be able to feel good about operating a base offense and base defense. Our challenge will be to get our kids on the same page and we need to do a lot of teaching in the spring, but we also need to spend a lot of time working on the fundamentals."



Q. As a BCS offensive coordinator, have you spoken with other coordinators about schools at Tech's level and positions that come open as possible landing sites?
A: "As a first-time head coach, you tend to gravitate toward people who share your philosophy. We used to call it the 'One-Back Clinic,' Which is archaic because now pretty much everyone is one-back. In 1997 we started this deal when I was at Kentucky, we went out and saw Mike Tice when he was at Washington State started the 'One-Back Clinic.' Hal Mumme was there. Gary Crowton was there. Kevin Sumlin was a young coach at the time. Chris Hatcher was there. Tony Franklin was there. Mike Leach was there. All these different guys sharing ideas with each other. At that time, we were kind of the outsiders of college football. The game has changed so much that a lot of us are now the norm. We've talked through the years."

Tony Franklin to join him soon as the Offensive Coordinator

Arrington on Leadership

I'm not even sure what is going on in DC (with this feud between LaVar Arrington and Clinton Portis), but you've GOT to check out this audio of the former linebacker leading an impassioned plea about player responsibility and what really matters in the game;

http://cstvpodcast.cstv.com.edgesuite.net/lavar/020810_lavaranddukes_seg13.mp3


HT Dan Steinberg

Notes On The Recruiting Process

care of Dave Peloquin (Notre Dame Recruiting Assistant)

THE PROSPECT

A) Academics are important and can really help in the long run – Don’t wait until Senior year.
Identify schools you are most interested in

• Narrow down to manageable number
• Research each school
• List pro/cons of each with and without football

B) Should approach decision like any other student; sit with parent and decide where YOU want to go.
C) Summer camps

• 2 way street for colleges and prospects
• Different level coaches are in attendance

D) Combines

• Make sure you are prepared to perform

E) Tape

• Highlights are good for skill players. Linemen tape is better

ACADEMICS
A) Develop a protocol with the counseling office to monitor grades.
B) Understand the difference between NCAA eligibility and University admission requirements
C) NCAA requires 16 core courses.
D) Encourage all student athletes to take ACT/SAT in fall of Junior Year

• Encourage taking some sort of class in preparation of the test
• Take as many times as needed.
• There are ways around the cost of the test.

RECRUITING PERIOD

A) Understand when it’s a contact period and when its an evaluation period.
B) Spring recruiting – Colleges are allowed to visit your school twice during a 4 week period from the last 2 weeks in April through the end of May
C) During this time, coaches can view video, watch practice, and gather information. Coaches may not talk with prospects at this time.

RECRUITING IN GENERAL

A) Encourage your players to attend college, there is a level for everyone
B) Internet services have no rules – don’t allow them to dictate or interfere in the process
C) Understand NCAA rules

• If you think there is a small chance that it is illegal, it probably is

D) Coaches and prospects need to take control of the process

• Set ground rules

E) If possible establish an assistant coach as the liaison for all general recruiting issues

• Let schools know when the best time to contact you and your staff
• Establish a protocol for video tape requests / transcripts / phone calls
• Understand who on your team wants to be recruited and what level do they think they are

F) Be proactive not reactive with recruiting;

• In the long run it will help your program
• Athletes will want to play in your program

G) Establish relationships with college coaches at all levels

• You never know (coaches move, their prospect database moves with them)

H) Meet with your prospects and their families to go over the recruiting process.

SBXLIV - Final Drives

Serving up some drive-thru Daquiri Who Dat,

New Orleans finally gets it DONE!

As expected, the Super Bowl featured a matchup of two teams that were about as evenly-matched as you could hope for. The Indianapolis Colts played a fine game and took advantage of the many weaknesses of the Saints defense.

I was actually pretty surprised to see Gregg Williams live in a 3-man front for the majority of the game, replacing some of their better defenders (Ayodele and McCray) in favor of Jeff Charleston (leaving me screaming WTF with seeing Mitchell and Young in the game). Obviously, Williams was going to treat 11 personnel as a dime matchup, instead of nickel, counting Dallas Clark as a receiver. Point being, it was remarkable to see a defense come out in the biggest game of the season in a look they rarely relied upon all year.

With that, it would appear that Williams (B.Ryan protege) took a page out of Rex Ryan's NY Jets game plan from last week, and threw some double-eagle ("46") Cover 1 on the Colts. Again, rather uncharacteristic of what they've done all season.

Saints

SBXLIVNOFINAL @ Yahoo! Video

Colts

SBXLIVFINAL @ Yahoo! Video

...and of course, the Balls Deluxe call of the evening (onside and ensuing drive);

ghug @ Yahoo! Video

I did some experimenting of my own for this game, relying on a steady dose of Guinness and Strongbow (known as a 'Black Velvet' or 'Velvetene') to create an amazingly smooth taste ala a Black and Tan.

* for some perspective here (impact on the state), up here in "East Texas, Louisiana" (Shreveport-Bossier), at about 9:00 pm CST, AT&T cell towers were overloaded and remained crippled until 5 am this morning.

Mango Mango on Bourbon St. last night (after Porter INT)

The Porter pick

Porter @ Yahoo! Video

The deflating stalled goalline drive for the Colts

FinalDrive @ Yahoo! Video

Audio Pinot Noir

You can appreciate that which is rare, yet full of quality. For any fan of rich, unhurried, 'unbranded' brilliance, Soldier of Love, is an album you really ought to check out.

I knew she was going to be releasing a new project this year, but only recently did I stumble upon the air play of "Soldier of Love" on one of the local R&B stations. What a pleasant surprise that transported me back to the evocative realm that only her music can conjure up.

Sade has thankfully returned after a 10 year absence from Lover's Rock (preceded from a 10 year break between Love Deluxe). The new album features the distinctively soulful timbre of Sade, with an added aggressive tone not heard on earlier albums.

I'm certainly not nostalgic by any stretch, but the return of the lovely pairing of Sade and her accompaniment ensemble, Sweetback, headed by Stuart Matthewman (of Cottonbelly solo-acclaim), is something any music lover can appreciate.

Okay, so I really just have an unending crush on the 51 year old singer....but I am looking forward to a likely US tour (as I missed the last one in 2000), which I'm sure will top the best performance I've witnessed (Prince, 2003, Cedar Rapids,IA).....and I've seen plenty (John Haitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Van halen, Buddy Guy, even Tenacious D, etc).

The tracks orbit around the distinctive styling of previous works. There is just enough pensive melancholy and mellifluous artistry to provide the listener comfort of the Sade they've grown to love (long hard road, skin, the safest place, the moon and the sky), but enough fresh divergence to explore other musical stylings (babyfather, in another time, be that easy). This isn't your obnoxious American Idol soul, this is wonderful music tracks whispered over by the voice of a mature and reflective lover.

This will be a very good year....

Signing Day

Congratulations to (#63) Carlton and (#5) Jarrett on their commitments to Alabama State and LSU, respectively.

Both should do exceptionally well at the next level, thanks to the tremendous support of their families.

LSU HC, Les Miles, with Huntington HC Anthony McClain

Be sure to look out for current Junior, #21 Desmon Ethridge, next season as he improves on his explosive season in 2009. Desmon put up serious numbers last summer, with a 245lb power clean, 315lb squat, and a 255lb bench, prior to the season. Ethridge is looking to pursue engineering after high school.

We are also looking forward to the further development of Quarterback, (#16) Elliot "Ness" Jones, (having verballed to Arkansas-Pine Bluff for Baseball in October) and all-around football player, (#31) Kevin Pitre, who scored a 17 on his first shot at the ACT last month and will be re-taking the test soon.

Breesus (stat analysis)

Manning
attempts 11-20 of a Game is where he has his highest QB rating 111.7
attempts 31+ of a Game is where he has his worst QB rating 81.4

Brees
attempts 1-10 of a Game is Where he has his highest QB rating of 117.7
attempts 11-20 of a Game is Where he has his Lowest QB rating of 99.1


the Third Quarter is typically Manning's worst
6 of his interceptions were thrown in this quarter(most of any quarter)
qb rating 81.6 (lowest of any quarter)
Half of his sacks have come in the Third quarter
66.4 completion percentage(lowest of any quarter)

the Fourth Quarter is typically Manning's best
1 interceptions
qb rating of 115.3
3 sacks
71.8 completion percentage

the Second Quarter is typically Brees's Worst
7 interceptions thrown in this quarter
qb rating of 105.9
8 sacks
64.2 completion percentage

the First Quarter is typically Brees's Best
2 interceptions thrown
qb rating of 114.9
5 sacks
79.9 completion percentage

Manning's best quarter is slightly better than Drew's Best quarter
Drew's Worst Quarter is way better than Manning's Worst quarter

since the game will be played on Grass
Brees on Grass
QB Rating 98.1
He has been sacked 8 times on grass compared to 12 on turf

Brees has been worse on Grass this year than turf pretty much the opposite of Manning

Manning on Grass
QB Rating 121.1
He has been sacked 3 times on Grass compared to 7 on turf

Manning has been way better on grass as opposed to turf this season all of his stats are actually better on Grass

Since we both will technically be away lets see how both did away

Brees
98.1 QB rating
Sacked 11 out of his 20 times
67.8 completion percentage

Manning
112.6 QB Rating (better than at home)
sacked 3 out of his 10 times
73.2 completion percentage

Manning has been way better on the Road this year.
Lets look at situations they may face in games

Last 2 minutes of the Half

Manning
112.6 Rating
0 sacks
67.6 completion percentage

Brees
106.1
3 sacks
61.5

Both dangerous within last 2 minutes but as you can see Manning is beastly within last 2

since we know both of these quarterbacks are great when playing with a lead, lets compare them win behind

Brees
Behind by 1-8 points
128.9 qb rating
7 of his sacks have happened when down by 1-8
74.2 completion percentage

Behind by 9-16
86.0 qb rating
2 of his sacks have happened when down by 9-16
66.7 completion percentage

Manning
behind by 1-8
qb rating 116.2
7 of his 10 sacks have happened when down by 1-8
71.6 completion percentage

behind by 9-16
qb rating 58.4
3 of his 10 sacks happened when down by 9-16
60.5 completion percentage

as you can see this year Brees has been the Better QB when down and should fare better if he falls behind than if Manning Falls behind

One last aspect of game we'll look at final 7 minutes of 4th quarter

Manning
135.8 qb rating
2 of his sacks happened in the final 7 minutes
in the final 7 minutes he has a 75% completion rate

Brees
108.2 qb rating
2 of his sacks happened in the final 7 minutes
in the final 7 minutes he has a 73% completion rate

Though both were very good this year in final minutes Manning has the edge in the waning minutes of a game

Drew Brees has accomplished all of the following throwing the ball 39 (that's an entire game)fewer times than Manning through 14 games:

• If Drew Brees has a shot at breaking Otto Grahams single season record for yards per attempt of 8.63 (Drew is at 8.54)
• Drew has a shot of breaking Ken Anderson's completion % record in a single season of 70.55% (Drew is at 70.6%)
• Drew Brees leads the NFL with 36 touchdowns- 34 pass and 2 rush.
• Drew Brees leads the NFL with 70.6% completion percentage.
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in first down passing, 150/212 completing 70.8% with 1900 yards, 8.96 yards per attempt, 18 passing TD's, 2 rushing TD's, and 2 int for a QB rating of 122.8; for the down that sets the tone of down and distance, Drew Brees is by far the best QB in the NFL.
• Drew is the best on second down with a passer rating of 99.8
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in passer rating with 109.6
• Drew Brees is leads the NFL in redzone scoring, with 23 TD's (21 pass and 2 rush) to go with 16 more rushing TD's by our RB's.
• Drew Brees leads the #1 overall offense in yards and scoring, having a very rare top 5 rushing (5th) and passing attack (3rd).
• Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing against the blitz, with a rating of 129.8 and 13 TD's and 9.91 yards per attempt.

*Drew Bress leads the NFL in downfield passing --passes 21 yards or more in the air, before the catch--
Drew is.... 29/48 (60.4%) for 1024 yards, 12TD's and 3 ints
Manning is 16/54 (29.6%) for 534 yards 7TD's, 4 ints.

• Drew Brees is the best with passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage with a passer rating of 111.5
• Drew brees is also the best with passes thrown 11-20 yards (in air from LOS) with a passer rating of 99.9
• *Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing inside the numbers with a passer rating of 117.9, 21 TD's, 9.5 yards per attempt, and 68.8%
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the left side with a passer rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the left sideline with a passer rating of 97.8
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the right side with a passer rating of 138.0
• Drew Brees is the best throwing to the right sideline with a passer rating of 103.1
• Drew Brees is best in passing yards per ATTEMPT with 8.54
• Drew Brees is the best passing out of the shotgun with a rating of 106.5
• Drew Brees is the best passing out of a lone setback with a rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees is the best in the first 8 games of the season with a passer rating of 106.1
• Drew Brees is the best in games 9-16 of the season with a passer rating of 113.4
• Drew Brees is the best in games he wins with a passer rating of 112.3
• Drew Brees is the best in a final margin of victory of 15+ points with a passer rating of 136.8
• Drew Brees is the best in a margin of victory of 0-7 points with a passer rating of 101.8
• Drew Brees is the best on turf, with a passer rating of 114.4
• Drew Brees is the best indoors with a passer rating of 118.0
• Drew Brees is the best vs the NFC with a passer rating of 114.1
• Drew Brees is the best in division play with a passer rating of 112.2
• Drew Brees is the best in September with a passer rating of 118.1
• Drew Brees is the best in November with a passer rating of 120.2
• Drew Brees is the best in December with a passer rating of 103.7
• Drew Brees is the best when playing from behind by 1-8 points with a passer rating of 126.3
• Drew Brees is the best when playing from behind by 9-16 points with a passer rating of 86.0
• Drew Brees is the best in passer rating when playing with a lead (any marigin, all splits and collectively) with 123.1
• Drew Brees is the best in his first 10 passing attempts with a QB rating of 115.2-- Talk about setting the tone early.
• Drew has by far the best passer rating with attempts 21+. In other words, once Drew throws more than 20 times in a game (normally when a QB's throws are of most importance because it is later in the game) completing 69.2% for 1816 yards and 16 TD's, Drew is the best with a rating of 116.1!
• Drew Brees has thrown ZERO!! 0 interceptions in the 4th quarter.
• Drew Brees is the best in the last two minutes of a half, with 7TD's (6 pass, 1 rush), 9 20+ yard throws, and a qb rating of 104.0
• Drew Brees is the best in the first half with a passer rating of 106.3
• Drew Brees is the best in the second half with a passer rating of 113.9
• Drew Brees is the best in the first quarter with a passer rating of 110.7
• Drew Brees is the best in the second quarter with a passer rating of 101.8
• Drew Brees is the best in the third quarter with a passer rating of 114.6
• Drew Brees has a passer rating of 113.4 in the 4th quarter
• Drew Brees is the best at home, by far, with a passer rating of 120.1.
• Drew Brees is the best with 1 or more TE's in formation with passer ratings of 111.1 (1 TE), 110.8 (2 TE), and 132.4 (3+ TE)
• Drew Brees is the best with NO TE in the formation with a passer rating of 95.7
• Drew Brees is the best with 2 and 3 WR sets, with a passer rating of 99.2 (2 wr) and 111.1 (3 wr)
• Drew Brees is the best when sending a man in motion with a passer rating of 134.6.
• Drew Brees is the best with NO motion with a passer rating of 108.4
  
  

Drew Brees

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/player...?playerId=2580

Peyton -
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/player...?playerId=1428

Manning leads Drew with 15 interceptions.
Manning has 17 more passing yards than Drew.

Manning has a better passer rating for away games with 116.3
Manning plays better during a loss with a passer rating of 95.7 (to Drew's 95.4)
Manning has a better rating when winning by 8-14 points of 87.5 (to Drew's 85.6)
Manning has a better passer rating in the month of October with 111.9
Manning has a better passer rating on grass with 121.9
Manning has a better passer rating outdoors with 102.1
Manning has a better passer rating vs the AFC with a 98.2 (to Drew's 95.4)
Manning has a better passer rating the 4th qtr with 116.0
Manning has a better passer rating during attempts 11-20 with 113.2
Manning has a better passer rating on third down with 114.0
Manning has a better passer rating on fourth down with 126.7
Manning has a better passer rating when the game is tied with 117.1
Manning has a better passer rating throwing to the middle with 126.4
Manning has a better passer rating with passes thrown 1-10 yards (in air) with 99.6
Manning has a better passer rating with 4+ WR's in formation at 114.6

Super Bowl XLIV ....lagniappe

I’m, as are you, looking forward to a great matchup this weekend for the Super Bowl. I really was hoping for this matchup of two great teams going at it for a competitive game. I’m not sure how anyone can come away from this matchup and believe there is a clearly decided superior going into the game. Both teams have equal performances and big-play capabilities. I think one should temper the Conference Championship games with some perspective, however;

• The Minnesota Vikings battled the Saints the entire season for supremacy of the NFC every week.
• The New York Jets were thought to be eliminated from playoff contention in November.

That being said, I would enjoy a Saints victory on a personal level and also for what it would do for New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. The weeks following the NFC Championship game have been euphorically uplifting to all the citizens of the Boot. As a football enthusiast, I would settle for just watching two teams compete at a high level, with an emphasis on execution.

 I just want to illustrate a few points leading up to the game. First and foremost, it is imperative that the Saints get off to a fast start. Sean Payton has been methodical for the past few seasons by opening games with an up-tempo, scripted series. This is how the Saints establish the rhythm they carry throughout the game. Often times, they may not even huddle in the opening drives – they will do little shifting or motions to start out. I really hope they get back to these ‘basics’ for the Super Bowl, as it was absent during the Dallas Cowboys regular season game as well as the NFC Championship game. Not necessarily the tempo, but the play selection of “what the Saints do”. In the games that the Saints dominate on offense and get into an unstoppable groove, occur after they stress defenses out horizontally and vertically. They work the 3-step game better than any other team in the league – I hope they return to this attitude in this game. This is the crux of setting up runs by Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and now Lionel Hamilton (Mike Bell, what happened?), screens, reverses, and boot action.

spacing @ Yahoo! Video

Also, I would really hope they stress the Colts defense out quickly with their empty package. It makes protection that much simpler as well as creating the horizontal divide of underneath defenders that more pronounced (as seen in these clips). All concepts are the quick 3-step, alleviating issues with Indianapolis’ pass rush (with or without Freeney).

empty @ Yahoo! Video

While the Colts have struggled this season in establishing their run game, I must say that their most effective weapon comes from their play-action passing, as that involves the mastery of quarterback, Peyton Manning. It almost sounds like an oxymoron (that play-action remains effective when their actual run game struggles), but as you will see, Manning’s execution of ball fakes (and Howard Mudd’s offensive line’s footwork) is what makes this work. In these clips with Edgerrin James (pre-Dallas Clark days) and Joseph Addai (Clark era), the effectiveness of Manning to blow the top off of coverages, may be an Achilles Heel for New Orleans defense, whose linebackers have difficulty in controlling the seams.

Unfortunately, I think the matchup that certainly favors the Colts is the Lija/Saturday/DeVan vs Ellis(Hargrove)/Ayodole combination.  This, of course, will be the lynch-pin for establishing the inside zone running, and Ayodele is not partiularly stout at handling doubles. Also, the WLB, Scott Shanle, (who remains in with Vilma in nickel situations) has been victimized throughout the past seasons with his athletic shortcomings.  I anticipate the Saints playing a lot of quarters in an Under front, with SLB Fujita rolled up in a 9 tech on Cloherty (as Dallas Clark will take his usual spot as a slot/flex) to help control perimeter stretch game.

play action @ Yahoo! Video

Play Action (gun) @ Yahoo! Video

For the Who Dats reading this, enjoy this new Zydecco rally song performed by cajun guitarist, Kip Bacque, as well as the return of NFL Analyst, Poo Poo Broussard.

Who Dat Nation - Kip Bacque

And now something completely and totally unrelated.........
Hey! Lookit my Cock(s)