Black and Gold Xs and Os: The Saints' Offensive Gameplan vs. the Panthers

This week against the Carolina Panthers' defense, the New Orleans Saints face a formidable challenge. It is the first team they have seen this year that plays a base Cover-2 defense. In the past, the Saints have not done as well against this style of defense. Of course, over that same stretch they tore apart man-to-man defenses. This season they've found some difficulty against man-to-man defenses, but tore apart zone coverages. So what should we expect in Week Nine (Game Eight)? Expect Carolina to mix up its coverages, trying to give Drew Brees different looks than what he sees on film. Carolina's other most common coverage is Cover-3. The corners play the Cover-2 soft, meaning they trail the outside receivers on their routes but stay focused on what is happening behind them in order to get back to the route thrown into the flat. There are many options of ways to attack this base Cover-2. You can send two or three receivers to one side and flood that side. You can run receivers at the two ... (link)