Over the next two weeks, Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has the unenviable task of trying to do something that not even Rex Ryan could accomplish: Stop Peyton Manning.
Actually, “stop” isn’t the best term to use here, seeing as how nobody can actually stop Peyton Manning. “Contain” would be a better word, although that doesn’t make Williams’ job any easier as the Saints prepare to take on the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
Thanks to Ryan’s guidance, the Jets had the No. 1 defense in the league this year and if there were any team that could contain Manning, many thought it would be New York. Instead, the Colts racked up 30 points and 461 yards of total offense on the NFL’s best defense, as Indy beat New York 30-17 in the AFC Championship Game last Sunday. The Colts also finished with 19 first downs and even rushed for 101 yards despite having the league’s worst ground attack.
Ryan’s game plan was simple: Shut down Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark and force Manning to use his other weapons. And, much as they’ve done all season, the Jets executed Ryan’s plan by holding Wayne to only three catches for 55 yards and Clark to four receptions for 35 yards.
The problem was that Manning did use his other weapons, which then went on to torch the Jets’ secondary. Pierre Garcon hauled in 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown, while rookie Austin Collie caught seven passes for 123 yards and a score. Ryan forced Manning to beat him with Garcon and Collie and that’s exactly what he did. That also freed up Clark to reach the end zone in the fourth quarter and pretty much put the game out of reach.
If Ryan and his No. 1 defense couldn’t beat the Colts, what makes anyone think Williams and the Saints can figure Manning out? For starters, Williams will have to mix up his looks. The Jets had a ton of success early in the game last week by pressuring Manning, but then they were burned later on when the Colts went to a no huddle and neutralized their aggressiveness. New Orleans won’t have success blitzing every down, because eventually Manning will start to pick them apart.
Williams will have to mix up his pressure, zone and man-to-man look as much as possible in order to win the chess match with Manning and long-time offensive play caller Tom Moore. If Manning is able to figure things out at the line of scrimmage, it will be difficult for the Saints to keep pace. But if they can mix up their looks and make Manning adjust on the fly as much as possible, then they might be able to come up with a couple of huge stops in order to get their offense back onto the field as much as possible.
That said, Manning is still going to do damage. There’s a reason why he’s the best in the league and even when defenses confuse him he is excellent at putting the ball in only places his receivers can catch it. So even if Williams does win most of the chess matches, Darren Sharper and company need to execute on the field in order for the Saints to win on Sunday.
Can Williams and the Saints figure it out? We’ll find out soon.
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