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What did the New Orleans Saints do to keep Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons running game under wraps?

The Saints beat the Falcons backs to the hole by applying outstanding interior pressure. The zone-blocking running scheme that the Falcons run requires some play development and the Saints penetrated the “A” gaps consistently, forcing the backs to bounce the run outside where defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant were great in containment.

The same interior pressure caused Vick just as much trouble when he kept the ball for a run/pass option. In the zone read series the Falcons have installed for Vick, his read is the defensive end. If the end goes down, he keeps the ball. If the end stays up, Vick hands it off. The Saints pinched their defensive ends down and had a safety or linebacker meeting Vick at the corner. This slowed down Vick's decision making, allowing for the pursuit to get to him.

The pass rush by the Saints defensive ends was also pivotal. You must resist the temptation to get wide in an effort to run at Vick. It only creates a rush lane for him to escape. You must rush to the heel of the offensive tackle and stop, sealing off any interior rush lanes and forcing him toward outside pursuit. The Saints put on a clinic on how to do this Monday evening.

You also must give credit to the Saints offense for helping contain Vick. The Saints stayed committed to the running game and controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the evening. That kept Vick off the field and allowed the defense to stay fresh.

What happened to the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense after the first drive against the Indianapolis Colts?

Jacksonville was having success with cutback runs on its first drive, leading to a touchdown. But the pattern did not continue as the Colts' defensive staff made adjustments to the Jaguars blocking scheme. The Colts got great gap penetration, forcing more horizontal cuts by Jacksonville and sealing the cutback running lanes. This created more third-and-long situations, forcing more difficult throws into coverage by Byron Leftwich. Jacksonville struggled as the Colts used their outstanding defensive speed to blanket the Jaguars receivers.

Despite the fact that the Jaguars rushed the ball well and played well offensively on third downs, the Colts forced more of an up-tempo pace which does not favor the Jaguars. They want to pound you early and often, wear you out into the fourth quarter. Conversely, the Colts want to spread you out, get a lead and force you to chase from behind. They try to wear you out with speed rather than power.

The Colts won the tempo battle which is the key to winning the Jags-Colts matchup.

Why couldn't the Jags defense pressure Peyton Manning more?

The Jaguars are generally disruptive with their interior rushers out of their 4-4 set, but the type of pressure that gives the Colts offensive line troubles is sending great edge rushers from the 3-4 set.

Manning, with his deep drops, gets rid of the ball so quickly it's hard to get to him from the middle. From the corner, it's easier to get to a drop position as Manning is so precise with his drops and lacks the athleticism to alter his position significantly. This is why 3-4 rush guys can get to him more effectively from a widened position. You can also move these guys around more freely and isolate protection mismatches. That's why the Patriots, Steelers and Chargers defenses have had success against Manning and the Colts in the past.

How did the Buffalo Bills lose to the New York Jets despite racking up 475 yards?

Buffalo drove the ball well offensively most of the day but really lost this game on penalties, turnovers and field position. Jets punter Ben Graham pinned the Bills inside the 20-yard line four times, forcing the Bills to go a long way to score. Even with a good running game and improved play by quarterback J.P. Losman, the longer you must go to score, the greater chance for an offensive mistake or a defensive big play to kill the drive.

Jets strong safety Kerry Rhodes really helped turn the game around with his blitzing, creating a turnover that led directly to a touchdown.

On the other side of the ball, the Bills defense, which itself has created turnovers with its pass rush, was not able to get to Chad Pennington, who kept the Bills off balance all day with his short passes and up-tempo style that wore out the Bills front and slowed down their pass rush.

When you eat up yards and control the clock, it is a formula for success provided you protect the football and don't give up big plays defensively.

What seems to be the problem with the New York Giants?

I don't like the way they have started their games defensively. They are deep with good edge rushers but their interior defensive linemen have not played well. Because they are not getting any push, they have employed quite a bit of interior blitzes with their linebackers, leaving a void in the short middle of the pass defense which both the Eagles and Seahawks ate up.

Now, less capable offensive teams might not be able to do the same things but it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Getting behind early only lessens the chances for offensive success.

The best success offensively has been with their up-tempo, no-huddle and muddle-huddle styles with Eli Manning calling the plays. Perhaps using this as a mix up early in the game would kick start their offense. They need to stay in the game early so they can stay committed to the running game longer, which will create more success with the play-action passing game.

Another issue: The personnel doesn't match up to the coaching style. That is a product of the Giants philosophical approach, going back to the late George Young, where the coaches are not very involved with personnel acquisitions.

Guys like Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress are talented players but are me-first guys and front runners. They want to share in the success but not accept the blame. Frustration is and has always been a part of the game when things are not going well. However, when you start pointing the finger publicly, you cause more problems. Even if you believe something is going wrong with the coaching or on the field, matters are best handled behind closed doors where they have the best chance to get corrected and taken care of properly.

Guys like this only make it more difficult for a coach like Tom Coughlin, who is a stickler for details, to deal with these issues