Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Run 3-4?

Preseason is so close, I can smell it. I thought I would give my fellow Who Dats another does of local flavor. The New Orleans Saints, under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, will be transitioning from a traditional 4-3 scheme, to a 3-4. The 3-4 capitalizes on intensive linebacker blitzing and tackling. Grown up Saints fans may recall that the Saints employed a 3-4 defense under former Head Coach Jim Mora, Sr. during the "Dome Patrol" years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the golden age of Saints football prior to the arrival of current Head Coach Sean Payton.

Whether or not Ryan can duplicate the success enjoyed with the Dome Patrol - Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson, perennial Pro Bowler Pat Swilling, former Pro Bowler Vaughn Johnson, and the late Pro Bowler and former NFL assistant coach Sam Mills - remains to be seen.

Special thanks to Dan Delaney of Saints Stuff for producing this piece. The original piece can be found at saintsstuff.com.

3-4 Scheme is Coming Along.

So far the biggest change is Will Smith moving from Defensive End to Outside Linebacker.

3-4 Defense's new outside linebacker.

 This is what SI.com has to say; 

The New Orleans Saints highlighted last week one of the reasons teams often are hesitant to undertake scheme shifts on defense. Saints GM Mickey Loomis said, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, that Will Smith will open camp competing for an outside linebacker spot in the team’s new 3-4 defense.

That’s 6-foot-3, 280-pound Will Smith, a player who has spent his entire nine-year NFL career playing as a defensive end in New Orleans’ former 4-3 look. Despite 67.5 career sacks, Smith’s roster spot suddenly looks unsafe, despite him taking a massive pay cut this offseason (from $9 million in 2013 to $3 million) in an effort to stick around.

This is one of the challenges when a coaching staff opts for a new attack — the players on the roster don’t always fit.

Keep reading on SI.com

Akiem Hicks will be the starting defensive end. Here is what nbcsports.com has to say;

3-4 Defense has Akiem Hicks as defensive end.

 

With new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan taking control of the New Orleans Saints defense, there were bound to be some changes to scheme and personnel as the Saints attempt to overhaul a defense that ranked dead last in the league last season.
One of those moves will be shifting a player to a new spot on the defensive line.

Keep reading on nbcsports.com

Cam  Jordan is moving back to the position he thrived in back in college. Here is what Nola.com has to say;

The Saints’ Cam Jordan may be one of a select few defenders from 2012 who can say he improved last season. Now Jordan is moving back to a 3-4 defense, a scheme he played in college at California.

Keep reading on Nola.com

3-4 should facilitate improved play from Cam Jordan.

The last change has more to do with Rob Ryan then the scheme itself. Here is what Sports Illustrated had to say;

The 3-4 captain.

Rob Ryan figures his firing in Dallas will only help him relate to a Saints defense humbled by a historically bad season.
“I don’t like getting fired,” Ryan said Thursday during his first meeting with reporters since Sean Payton hired him in February to revamp New Orleans’ last-ranked defense. “I know I got my feelings hurt and so did our players. We’re looking to do something about it.”
The Saints gave up 7,042 yards in 2012, the most ever in a single season in the NFL. Payton has said that performance forced him to make a change at defensive coordinator, even though he felt bad letting Steve Spagnuolo go after only one highly unusual season.
Spagnuolo never got to coach with Payton, who was suspended all of last season in connection with the NFL’s bounty probe. Yet shortly after Payton was reinstated, the relatively calm, analytical Spagnuolo, who favored a read-and-react 4-3 defense, was replaced by Ryan, who runs a pressure-heavy 3-4 scheme (three down linemen, four linebackers).
Ryan also has been known to exhibit a brash demeanor more akin to that of Gregg Williams, the Saints’ defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011

Keep reading at sportsillustrated.com

What this all says to me is we will go from having a dead last defense to a top 10 defense. When you combine that with our offense that easily make us Superbowl contenders.

First and foremost, I am a Saints fan. With the 2013 NFL season right around the corner, I thought I would share an opinion by Dan Delaney of Saints Stuff. As a fan, it is great to be the hunted for once.

It’s Good to be Hated

First Lets face it guys from 1967 to 2008 most people who are not in the Metro New Orleans area were not aware we had an NFL team. To them the 2006 season was a fluke in the wake of hurricane Katrina never to happen again. Now when you read comments on various sports blogs you can see we are not only hated by the Falcons fans. We are also hated by Vikings fans, and the fan bases of many of the teams in the league. It is the same reason people hated the Cowboys in the 70s and 90s, the same reason why people hated the 49ers in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. That reason is the success the Saints and all of the teams I mentioned had at the time of their hate. More importantly the lack of success the teams that the haters are fans of.



As you can see above this is the best QB to ever play until one day someone better comes along, or someone who is already playing surpasses his accomplishments. He caused us Saints fans many sleepless nights with those last minute comebacks. We probably make 3 more playoff appearances without having to face the Joe Montana lead 49ers twice a year. Back then I hated him, but now I respect his accomplishments on the field, and I wish the Saints would not have passed over him twice in his draft year.

Here is an excerpt from BestofNewOrleans.com

And so it begins. If anyone had any illusions that the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal wasn’t going to morph into some “It’s OK to hate New Orleans again” anti-spirit by the national media … well, you don’t know the national media, and you don’t know New Orleans. Take it away, Josh Zerkle of Bleacher Report:

Ever since the Gulf coast was flooded by the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans and their football team have been a beacon of goodwill, sympathy and other warm fuzziness. From a PR standpoint, the team was bulletproof, and the Saints’ rise to prominence became a symbol of the city’s efforts to rebuild itself.
That’s great…unless you grew up hating the Saints. …

But the Saints made the most of their moment in the sun. They won 10 games in 2006 and made the playoffs. Three years later, they won the Super Bowl. The storybook finally had its ending, but the Saints still had that air of distinction that made them impossible to hate. This bounty scandal nullifies all of that, and while I generally disagree with the sentiment that it should, I’m more than happy to accept that it does.

Etc. Etc. This may not be quite the first and it surely won’t be the last; it’s just a sidebar to the story that’s going to spin out in the weeks and months ahead.
Believe me, we understand what’s going on here; it’s the sports equivalent of the political dog whistle. I know a lot of people who don’t like the Falcons or the Giants or the 49ers, but don’t seem to bear a general animus toward Atlanta or New York or San Francisco per se. The Saints, somehow, are different — and have been different ever since 2005. So much of the distaste for the Saints seems wrapped up in a distaste for New Orleans the place that it’s hard to separate the two.

Keep reading on BestofNewOrleans.com

I watched a short video of Kat Williams right before writing this on haters. He puts it best a haters job is to hate, and if you read comments about the Saints on national media sites like ESPN you are going the see they are doing their job. People hate success, think about it no one hates the Jaguars. Sorry Jaguars fans maybe you can gain some haters too.

It's good to be hated.

When it comes to sports hate comes from jealousy, and that jealousy comes from your team outperforming all of the other teams. So to 2013 hate is great. Lets check out comments from NBC.com.

1. jasons81 says:May 17, 2013 3:25 PM

   How funny would that picture be if half of the lights were out
   

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2. reesesteel23 says:May 17, 2013 3:25 PM

   BountyGate
   

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3. rickastleydancemoves says:May 17, 2013 3:35 PM

   This proves how mentally weak this team is. Instead of having the mind set of trying to blow out every team you faced to get back at Goodell, you whined and cried like b______ for the entire year. Not a Colts fan but I never heard them crying about their coach and the man could have died for cancer.
   

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4. melkipershero says:May 17, 2013 3:39 PM

   Hes probably passing out pain killers 
   On a serious note the Saints will be a force again as long as their D is even middle of the road.
   

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5. vikes8480 says:May 17, 2013 3:55 PM

   rickastleydancemoves says: May 17, 2013 3:35 PM
   This proves how mentally weak this team is. Instead of having the mind set of trying to blow out every team you faced to get back at Goodell, you whined and cried like b______ for the entire year. Not a Colts fan but I never heard them crying about their coach and the man could have died for cancer.
   ====================================
   Well said!
   

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6. tombstone7 says:May 17, 2013 3:55 PM

   @rick…..
   YOU are comparing apples to oranges. Coach Peyton was suspended w/o the privilege of communicating w/his teammates whereas the Colts’ coach could have and did communicate whenever & however he wanted or needed to. No whining, just facts!
   Keep it straight otherwise you lose credibility w/your comments.
   

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7. sb44champs says:May 17, 2013 4:00 PM

   rickastleydancemoves says:
   May 17, 2013 3:35 PM
   This proves how mentally weak this team is. Instead of having the mind set of trying to blow out every team you faced to get back at Goodell, you whined and cried like b______ for the entire year. Not a Colts fan but I never heard them crying about their coach and the man could have died for cancer.
   ===========================
   What a queen… stop acting like a little girl and face the facts….Saints will be formidable!! Sounds like someone is getting a little jealous and scared, lol..
   

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8. paulnoga says:May 17, 2013 4:03 PM

   I felt the Saints would pull together. The Saints fans and the city felt betrayed. Payton is back and the team is exploding (literally).
   However, the NFL is still on them. 30 teams would have been perfect for the Saints in the first game.
   Unfortunately, the one team that visits New Orleans at least yearly and is their major rival comes in.
   The Falcons have seen the madness in the dome. they have continually fought the crazy fans in the ridiculously loud stadium. The falcons have the best record in the NFL over the last few seasons and feel this a a Super Bowl or Bust year. The Falcons detest the fans and the city of New Orleans and they will not feel sorry for the Saints or give any quarter.
   I am not a fan of either team, however, this will be the “Game of the Year” to watch.
   This game should go down to the last minute.
   Great for all NFL fans!!!!
   

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9. breakingb says:May 17, 2013 4:04 PM

   Vikings still suck, just a reminder.
   

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10. BlackAndGoldAllDay says:May 17, 2013 4:13 PM

    Can’t wait for the Saints to take the field with Payton in charge again.
    

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11. johnclaytonsponytail says:May 17, 2013 4:14 PM

    Saints will def be a force this year. And the haters are aware by the comments they make. Paytons the difference.
    

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12. commonsensedude says:May 17, 2013 4:20 PM

    Is it just me or does Sean Payton look like Bruce Willis in Die Hard? “Now I have a reinstatement letter … Ho! Ho! Ho!”
    

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13. lengai says:May 17, 2013 4:26 PM

    paulnoga says:
    May 17, 2013 4:03 PM
    “Unfortunately, the one team that visits New Orleans at least yearly and is their major rival comes in.
    The Falcons have seen the madness in the dome. they have continually fought the crazy fans in the ridiculously loud stadium. The falcons have the best record in the NFL over the last few seasons and feel this a a Super Bowl or Bust year.” ___________________________________
    The Falcons have only beaten the Saints twice under Mike Smith (11-2 in last 13 games)…the Falcons actually lost a big “revenge” game to the Saints who had no head coach last year.
    

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14. Deb says:May 17, 2013 4:59 PM

    I would expect so! No matter what you think of Payton or the Saints, he’s one of the best motivators in the business. Kenny Chesney’s full-length video for “The Boys of Fall,” which opens with Payton speaking to a high school team, still gives me chills.
    

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15. thegreatgabbert says:May 17, 2013 5:28 PM

    Will this be labeled “Return From The Crypt”? “Return From The Dead”? “Return From The Tomb”? “Return From The Great Beyond”?
    The only thing missing from that picture of Payton is the portable I.V. unit. Or the autopsy scars.
    

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16. saintmyfault says:May 17, 2013 6:09 PM

    With or without Sean the Saints would have had a tough year with that defense and lack of running game. Maybe 9-7 instead of 7-9. This year gotta figure the d can’t be any worse (right?). Better d means better running game. Should be a special year.
    

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17. vfan76 says:May 17, 2013 9:58 PM

    This is only because he found a new way to cheat.
    

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18. 4thqtrsaint says:May 18, 2013 12:03 AM

    The Saints have always had die hard fans. Now we have die hard haters. I guess we’ve arrived. You have to be good to be hated. Nobody hates the Jaguars.
    

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19. saintssince8 says:May 18, 2013 8:03 AM

    4thqtrsaint you are correct. Long before Brees and the gang or even the dome patrol…other than Archie, there were names like Dave Wilson, Lindsey Scott, Bobby Scott, Johnny Poe and many more that anyone other than a diehard long suffering Saints fan would never know. I have been a Saints fan since I was 8, hence my moniker. I suffered through the 1980 season…I grew up in Slidell and now live in Missouri with a 23 year stop in Texas along the way. But I will be a Saints fan for life. You are right…no one hates the Jags…
    

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20. bobzilla1001 says:May 18, 2013 1:39 PM

    Contrary to popular belief, the NFL is not a quarterback-driven league. The NFL is a coach-driven league.
    While a mediocre coach might be able to win with exceptional talent, the mark of an exceptional coach is being able to win without exceptional talent.
    I saw Bill Cowher do that for years in Pittsburgh, which is what separates him from any other coach in Steelers history.
    I’m convinced the Saints are better with Payton than they were without him.
    

Road to the Who Dat Nation

Dan Delaney is a personal friend of mine and the operator of the New Orleans Saints theme websaite, Saints Stuff (at www.saintsstuff.com). Dan has graciously allowed me to use some of his material here at the Hat Trick. As regular readers know, I am Louisiana based, but I do not necessarily focus on Louisiana sports topics. Hopefully, Dan will sahre a few more pieces with us to add a little more local flavor to the Hat Trick. Enjoy the following:

Back in the late 1950s a New Orleans business man named Dave Dixon was working hard on getting the City of New Orleans an NFL franchise. Little did he know that 6 years down the road the NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle would need a favor from officials from the state of Louisiana to push through his NFL-AFL merger.

A Little Quid Pro Quo

At the time there were two competing football leagues. With that system in place if a player was drafted by both leagues he had bargaining power to play one against the other to get the best pay possible. Combining both leagues into one would swing the power back over to the owners by having only one team making an offer and if the player wanted to be a pro without having to move to Canada he would have to take that offer.

The problem that was posed with this is even though both leagues saw the advantages to this, combining them into one big league would create a monopoly which at the time was only legal for utility companies. Well that is if you do not have the law modified to fit your needs.

Pete Rozelle approach Dave Dixon on the matter and said "Dave what can you do to help". Dave sent the public relations manager David Kleck, who represented him to Hale Boggs of Louisiana who at the time was the house majority whip, to meet with Mr. Boggs on the matter.

U.S. Rep Hale Boggs (D-LA) 2

The deal that was made was that the NFL grant the City of New Orleans a franchise in exchange for Congress voting to grant an exemption to the NFL for running a monopoly. The exemption got past the people who would vote against it by being attached to a budget bill. The bill was backed by Russell Long of Louisiana who at the time was the Senate finance committee chairman.

It was approved in October of 1966 and on November 1st 1966 Pete Rozelle traveled to New Orleans to announce the City of New Orleans was granted an NFL franchise. If you're not Catholic, November 1st happens to be All Saints Day and thus the team was named the New Orleans Saints. The first owner of the Saints was a wealthy Texas oil man named John Meacom Jr. he chose the colors Black and Gold because oil is nicknamed black gold. As you can see we in New Orleans are very fortunate to have an NFL franchise. It was only because the NFL commissioner needed a favor that we were granted one. It is even better that 43 years later our team became world champions.

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Now that you got a little history on the New Orleans Saints you can read more at Saints Stuff.

Dan Delaney is a lifelong resident of the New Orleans metropolitan area and long time Saints fan. He was a fan before being a Saints fan was cool. You can learn more about the New Orleans Saints by going to his website now!

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

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1, 2) Images from www.nola.com