Kristian: Spagnuolo will be great for the Saints
by Kristian Garic
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posted Jan 19 2012 8:02PM
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Steve Spagnuolo is a great choice for the Black & Gold defense. I think he was the top candidate all along, even though Coach Payton had said he wanted to take his time and look around the NFL and college. He was the best candidate out there. He's the one who has the resume - He has a Super Bowl Championship as a defensive coordinator with the Giants. He was kind of the architect that built that defense and had the game plan to knock off the previously unbeaten New England Patriots.
I think it's an excellent hire for the Saints. It should be relatively painless in terms of the transition. He's an aggressive defensive coordinator, and I really, really like the hire.
In terms of what he needs to (no pun intended) tackle first, he needs to get more out of that front four…Sacking the passer and getting pressure on the QB with just four guys. Under Gregg Williams, the Saints would bring five and six guys on almost 50 percent of the snaps...Spagnola traditionally has liked getting pressure with just the front four. That's the biggest challenge: Maximizing that front four to get pressure on the quarterback.
Although he didn't have a lot of success as a head coach with the Rams, but don't judge him by that. The guy has been a very well-respected defensive coordinator in this league, and has studied under some of the best defensive coordinators while he was cutting his teeth in this league. And remember, Gregg Williams also didn't have the best of luck as a head coach, but was very solid as a defensive coordinator. Totally different personality than Williams, though, a little more reserved...but certainly a guy that knows how to coach an NFL defense.
SOUND OFF below! Do you agree with Kristian that "Coach Spag" will be a great choice for the Saints D?
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