It appeared that for most of the night, Greg Williams used only a 4 or 3-man pass rush (with an occasional 5-man rush) after Peyton Manning, and played a ton of nickel and dime packages. He took away any deep threats, for the most part, and had his DB's and linebackers hit the receivers with quick tackles after the catch. Cowher said he expected some 2nd half wrinkles from the Saints defense, but it was still pretty much using 5-7 DB's on the field all game.
This predominantly nickel/dime defense against an elite QB sounds similar to the 2001 or 2007 Superbowl, when Kurt Warner and Tom Brady were stopped against a D that didn't commit too many pass rushers. The degree of pass rush generated was very different in each of the three games of course, but is there something to this style of defense, as a big game model against elite QB's?
This predominantly nickel/dime defense against an elite QB sounds similar to the 2001 or 2007 Superbowl, when Kurt Warner and Tom Brady were stopped against a D that didn't commit too many pass rushers. The degree of pass rush generated was very different in each of the three games of course, but is there something to this style of defense, as a big game model against elite QB's?