FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When assessing the style of defense the Patriots will face Monday night, center Dan Koppen said simply, "They aren’t afraid to bring guys at you.”
Koppen, like most of his shotgun snaps, is right on the mark.
According to ESPN Stats & Information tracking, New Orleans has sent five or more rushers on 49 percent of opponents' pass plays. Only the Jets (57.9 percent) have done so more.
First-year Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has traditionally favored a pressure-based scheme, and that projects to be one of the important Xs and Os aspects of Monday night's game -- how the Patriots' offensive line holds up in protection against the blitz.
Top 5 blitzing teams in the NFL
Jets -- 57.9
Saints -- 49.0
Eagles -- 46.3
Steelers -- 45.6
Bears -- 44.1
Koppen, like most of his shotgun snaps, is right on the mark.
According to ESPN Stats & Information tracking, New Orleans has sent five or more rushers on 49 percent of opponents' pass plays. Only the Jets (57.9 percent) have done so more.
First-year Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has traditionally favored a pressure-based scheme, and that projects to be one of the important Xs and Os aspects of Monday night's game -- how the Patriots' offensive line holds up in protection against the blitz.
Top 5 blitzing teams in the NFL
Jets -- 57.9
Saints -- 49.0
Eagles -- 46.3
Steelers -- 45.6
Bears -- 44.1
Mike Reiss
Patriots reporter, ESPNBoston.com- Covered Patriots since 1997
- Blogging on Pats since 2004
- Joined ESPNBoston.com in 2009
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Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter here.
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Chris Forsberg has been reporting on the Boston sports scene since 1999. With his video camera in tow, Forsberg covered everything from Massachusetts high school sports to Boston's pro sports teams. Follow him on Twitter.
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