Historical perspective
Does defense win championships?
The cliché was born for a reason: Defenses did win championships. Since the NFL started ranking defenses based on total yards in 1970, only four teams have won the Super Bowl when their defenenses were not in the top 10 in points and yards; six such teams have lost.
But three teams have reached the Super Bowl in the past four years without a defense ranked in the top 10 in points or yards. The quarterbacks for those teams? Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Drew Brees.
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This season, Indianapolis is 18th in yards but eighth in points; the Saints are 25th and 20th, respectively.
That makes this one of the worst defensive matchups in history. Only one other time have the defenses been ranked out of the top 10 in a combined three categories: 1983, when Washington faced the Los Angeles Raiders. But both teams were in the top 13 in each category.
Expert’s take: Defenses
“Both teams have made tremendous improvements on defense. Larry Coyer has done a phenomenal job of bringing the blitz package to the Colts. They’re [more] diverse on defense. Gregg [Williams] and his turnover machine have [propelled the Saints] to the Super Bowl. They’re all over the place. But the offenses are more prolific now than in years past.”
– ESPN and “Monday Night Football” analyst Jon Gruden
Position battle
Saints’ pass offense vs. Colts’ pass defense
Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell carries a similar demeanor as his predecessor, Tony Dungy. They do not operate the same way, however.
The Colts’ defense under Dungy featured few blitzes. But that has changed under Caldwell and coordinator Larry Coyer.
That means the corners are playing more man coverage and if Saints quarterback Drew Brees gets time to throw …
Consider this: Indianapolis’ pass defense ranked 14th in the NFL this season, and it allowed 19 touchdown passes — 13 more than last season.
Saints receivers Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson are downfield threats (“Two of the best-kept secrets in football,” ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski said). They’ve combined for nine touchdowns of 30 yards or longer — thanks to their speed and Brees’ ability to con defenders with pump fakes. That buys time for double moves, which has given the Colts’ corners — rookie Jerraud Powers and Kelvin Hayden — problems.
Did you know?
While New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams blitzed 41.5 percent of the time this season, he wasn’t the only one who was more aggressive. His Colts counterpart, Larry Coyer, sent an extra rusher 20.4 percent of the time according to FootballOutsiders.com. That’s an increase from 7.8 percent in 2008. And he has used more zone blitzes. After calling none in 2008, they used that strategy 4.8 percent of the time this season. The difference between the teams is that the Saints must blitz more to cover up more defensive flaws. For the Colts, it has enabled them to be more aggressive, which could explain their jump in passes defended in one season (77 from 50).
