Sean Payton knows offensive football. He’s one of the best in the NFL and the numbers prove it. Not to mention that ring on his finger. His New Orleans Saints have consistently had a top 5 offense for over a decade. There are a few reasons that go into that. Having a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees is naturally the biggest one. However, there is another key. Paying proper respect to the opponent.
Payton didn’t get where he is by being dumb. He has a fundamental understanding of what wrecks an offensive game plan the fastest. That’s a dominant pass rusher. If a guy is able to consistently harass your quarterback, then no amount of good play calling will matter. If that man is not adequately blocked or at least controlled, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
He demonstrated this reality back in 2016 when his Saints went up against the Oakland Raiders. It marked the first time his offense would get to see star pass rusher, Khalil Mack, up close. Payton was anything but cocky going into that week. In fact, he told Peter King of Pro Football Talk just how serious he was taking the eventual Defensive Player of the Year.
Sean Payton spent entire week devising a game plan just to stop Mack
One advantage that Payton knew he had in that game was Mack was a one-man show. The Raiders defense didn’t have anybody else on the field the Saints needed to fear. That meant he could focus the entire plan around controlling the defensive end and keeping him away from Brees. What’s crazy is how devoted the plan actually was.
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“I was talking to Saints coach Sean Payton over the weekend, and the Khalil Mack trade to Chicago came up. “The last time we played Oakland [Week 1 2016], we put in a special protection for him,” Payton said. If Mack lined up outside the right tackle to rush, the Saints’ tight end would line up on the right side and chip him as he rushed. If Mack lined up opposite the left tackle, the tight end would shift left. The Saints called it “Mack Protection” in the gameplan that week.”
Khalil Mack vs. All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith. #Bears pic.twitter.com/Lkcr8Cu9kh
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 2, 2018
Can’t say it didn’t work. Brees threw for 423 yards and four touchdowns while Mack was held without a sack. Ironically the Saints still lost. Turns out Payton should’ve been more worried about his own defense which gave up 35 points. Regardless, it’s a reminder of who the Bears have now. If one man can demand that sort of attention?
Imagine how much more dangerous Akiem Hicks, Leonard Floyd, Danny Trevathan, Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson can become. They are considerably better than anything the Raiders had back then. Enough to where someone like Payton won’t be able to simply ignore them if he devotes extra resources to Mack. This is the same reality others around the league are realizing.
