Sean Payton's system requires the tackles to play more like guards! True or Not? (1 Viewer)

[Swimmer]

Bleacher Report: New Orleans Saints Mock Draft: Post-Free Agency Predictions for Every Round | Bleacher Report

Many draft analysts say Thomas is more of a guard than a tackle at the NFL level. Interestingly, and fortunately for the Saints, Sean Payton's system requires the tackles to play more like guards anyway. Thus Thomas is a fine fit in the Saints offense.

I've never heard anyone take this position on the OT play required by SPs system. If this is legit, it explains why he let Brown and Bushrod walk cause it's a lot easier and cheaper to find a quick guard.

Is this a legit analysis or not?

 

[Joshwa]

The opposite. Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks played left tackle in college and moved to guard with the Saints.

 

[CitySaint]

The Saints tackles play nothing close to guards.

 

[SweetT]

Some people say that cucumber taste better pickle!

 

[bornnraisedwhodat]

I dont get it. It doesnt make sense.

Now Guards are the focal point of our protection scheme, because Drew needs atleast a workable pocket to step into, and he has an outstanding pocket awareness, so our tackles dont need to be super athletic, just good enough to kick out and re-route the rushers. We also have a pretty complex blocking scheme to help our tackles with chips, and blocks from the outside from WR's, TE's, RB's, etc.

But to say tackles play like guards.....I just dont get it.

 

[Saint_Ward]

 

[jbourque]

Since our weakness seems to be speed rushers I'd say no.

 

[RockyMtnSaint]

Is this a legit analysis or not?

Bleacher Report

Boiled down to the essentials.

 

[St. Widge]

Since our weakness seems to be speed rushers I'd say no.

I think that's true of pretty much so every NFL team, but I think it's less true of the Saints than most NFL teams. I think the way that teams have success against our offense is if they can get push in the middle and force Brees to the speed rushers on the outside. If they dont' get that push, Brees just step up in the pocket and takes the speed rushers out of the play.

 

[Swimmer]

I think that's true of pretty much so every NFL team, but I think it's less true of the Saints than most NFL teams. I think the way that teams have success against our offense is if they can get push in the middle and force Brees to the speed rushers on the outside. If they dont' get that push, Brees just step up in the pocket and takes the speed rushers out of the play.

I don't know enough about the play of the O-line so I don't know if this makes sense or not.

What doesn't make sense to me is that after letting Bushrod go, the FO does not seem to be actively pursuing an OT in FA. If OT is that critical to Brees and our offense, then why haven't we done what Loomis always seems to do in FA - sure-up major weaknesses at critical positions before the draft.

 

[Saint_Ward]

Paging Belfast...

 

[Danneaux]

Paging Belfast...

LOL so true. When I see a question posed about O-linemen, I always glance down the left side looking for a Belfast post.

 

[St. Widge]

I don't know enough about the play of the O-line so I don't know if this makes sense or not.

What doesn't make sense to me is that after letting Bushrod go, the FO does not seem to be actively pursuing an OT in FA. If OT is that critical to Brees and our offense, then why haven't we done what Loomis always seems to do in FA - sure-up major weaknesses at critical positions before the draft.

Well, I'm not really saying anything about O-Line play and I have no idea if there could possibly be some aspect of our Tackle scheme that is like a Guard and I have no idea how good of a LT or what kind of LT we need.

All I know is that as a fan, I see that Brees is very good at avoiding pressure, and getting the big play deep, when teams fail to get pressure up the middle and allow him to avoid the speed rushers by stepping up in the pocket. That often result in a big play down the seams.

I assume some of that is by design, but I have no idea how much is by design and how much is that Brees just has a great feel for the pocket. My guess is that to some extent the scheme is designed around Brees being good at moving in the pocket and to some extent the scheme would help any QB by allowing him to buy time by simply stepping up in the pocket a few steps.

As far as LT, my guess is that they are happier with either Brown or Jones than they have allowed us to know and they are using the statements about a hole at LT to motivate Brown/Jones or to provide a draft smoke screen. It's also possible that they have a guy targeted and are just waiting for the market to play out to see how cheap they can get him or if they can get a better and cheaper player in the draft.

 

[whodat42]

idk. ask Sean.

 

[CanadaSaint2006]

I don't know enough about the play of the O-line so I don't know if this makes sense or not.

What doesn't make sense to me is that after letting Bushrod go, the FO does not seem to be actively pursuing an OT in FA. If OT is that critical to Brees and our offense, then why haven't we done what Loomis always seems to do in FA - sure-up major weaknesses at critical positions before the draft.

Could it be that Payton's stated concerns about the LT position are just a smokescreen?

 

[bearze34]

The Saints tackles play nothing close to guards.

Exactly. They are completely different positions requiring completely different skill sets. There is a reason that tackles make more than guards. The guy that wrote this is clueless, especially about this team. Most writers are. I remember hearing national commentators talking about how good our linebackers were 5 years after the Dome Patrol when we couldn't get a decent linebacker no matter what we did.