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N.O. declaws Wildcat
by SHELDON MICKLES; Advocate sportswriter; , The Advocate
All told, the Saints held the Dolphins to 2 yards or less on eight of their 14 runs out of the Wildcat, with three of them netting negative yardage.
In the four games where they ran it more than once so far this season, the Dolphins averaged between 6.0 and 8.9 yards per rush. But the Saints held them to a scant 2.1 yards per carry even though the Dolphins scored three TDs off the formation - with former Saint Ricky Williams getting two of them.
The Saints held Ronnie Brown, who usually takes the snap in the Wildcat, to 26 yards on nine carries, while Williams managed 6 yards on four tries even though he did have a 68-yard TD scamper on a quick toss from quarterback Chad Henne.
"We were in a situation where we were able to be effective on some plays," Brown said. "Obviously, they had some success on a few of them. We just tried to do different things to mix it up and keep them off guard a little."
"I thought we did a very good job against the Wildcat," Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "We did a good job against them, but you have to take your hats off to them because they know how to run the ball."
The No. 1 seed
Saints coach Sean Payton was asked after Sunday's wild win about being the only undefeated team remaining in the NFC and being the top seed at 6-0. The problem with that, of course, is that top seeds aren't awarded nor are playoff berths handed out six games into the season.
"Well, it's not the BCS," Payton said. "In the BCS, you have to pay attention to that, but it means nothing after six weeks.
"The Alabamas and the LSUs and the Ohio States, it means something for them. But it doesn't mean anything for us."
Scoring bonanza
The Saints have scored 238 points in their six games, which is the second most in NFL history after that many contests. The only team to score more was the 2000 St. Louis Rams, who scored 262 points in going 6-0.
According to ESPN, the Saints are the first team in NFL history to score 45 or more points in a game four times in a single season,
New face
Tight end Darnell Dinkins made his regular-season debut for the Saints against the Dolphins.
Dinkins, signed as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, played in the preseason opener and sprained his ankle, then fractured his foot when he returned from that injury and missed the first five games.
He played primarily on special teams Sunday.
Encore presentation
The NFL Network has chosen the Saints -Dolphins game as part of its "NFL Replay" for this week in which selected games are shown in a fast-paced 90-minute format. The game will be replayed at 7 p.m. today.
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