Just spoke to a Saints assistant coach who told me that slowing down Falcons running back Jerious Norwood was a large part of tonight's defensive game plan. Norwood had eight carries for 94 yards in last Sunday's 28-16 loss to St. Louis, and he's averaged 6.4 per carry this season.
Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino has promised to use him more against the Saints, but he's said that before. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Petrino seems reluctant to utilize such a talented player. Especially at this point in the season.
"We have to force him inside," said the Saints assistant coach. "Once he gets to the edge, he can really hurt you."
You should expect the Saints to blitz when Norwood's on the field in passing situations. He doesn't do a good job of picking up the blitz, and the Saints want to capitalize on that. And if that's the reason Petrino's so reluctant to play him, maybe he should consider feeding him the ball 15 or 16 times.
