Can Cutler pick apart Saints' defense?

Jay Cutler picked apart what was supposed to be a top-notch defense last week, throwing for 312 yards in a 30-12 victory against a Falcons unit that was No. 5 last season in points allowed and had made improvements.

Sunday's challenge is a Saints defense that was dissected in Week 1 by Aaron Rodgers in a 42-34 Packers victory.

But this week, the Saints are at home in their dome, where the deafening crowd noise exacerbates the effect of defensive coordinator Greg Williams' exotic blitzes on opposing offenses.

Since the Saints and Packers played last Thursday, New Orleans had three extra days to prepare, and Cutler knows Williams will have a few surprises in store for him.

“Their defense is unorthodox to say the least,” said Cutler, who was sacked five times last week. “They do a lot of stuff. They're going to send some crazy blitzes at you.”

The Saints are much more well known for their explosive offense, which is directed by head coach Sean Payton, a former Naperville Central and Eastern Illinois University quarterback. But the defense was No. 4 last season in total yards and passing yards allowed and No. 7 in points permitted.

Under Williams, the Saints' defense isn't afraid to gamble for the big play, but that also makes it more susceptible to getting burned.

“If you're going to do that kind of stuff, you're rolling the dice,” Cutler said of the Saints' go-for-it mentality. “So there's definitely some looks out there that we're going to have some shots at stuff. He's going to show us some different stuff that we haven't seen; I guarantee that. The guys are going to have to stick to the rules in their adjustments and we're just going to have to play well.”

Cutler, in his second year in the system, has improved his grasp of Mike Martz's scheme so much so that the offensive coordinator is able to call plays from upstairs in the coaches' box rather than on the sideline, which gives him a better perspective of what's happening on the field.

“(Cutler) knows what we're doing so well now,” Martz said. “Sometimes (in the past) there are questions you want to get to when he gets off the field, but they don't exist anymore.

“We were new last year, and there were a lot of things that, as coaches too, we've got to talk things out. Now, we're on the same page, and we know what to correct, and I'm just not needed on the sideline. It's better for me to be upstairs.”

The noise will be another test of mettle for a young offensive line that got a passing grade last week but also had some breakdowns. The group will be without right guard Lance Louis, who played well last week before leaving with a sprained ankle. Chris Spencer is expected to fill in as he did last week, although Edwin Williams took some first-team practice reps during the week.

No one is affected more by a loud crowd than the O-line, and they've been preparing all week by having noise piped in and by practicing going on the movement of the ball rather than on a snap count from the quarterback.

“You have to understand guys are going to be late (off the ball),” offensive line coach Mike Tice said. “Sometimes you can do something about it, but there are going to be other times that you can't. There are going to be certain parts of the field — backed up (near the goalline) for example, when you're not going to be able to hear a thing.

“So we do things to get ready for not being able to hear. But we have to understand as coaches that they're going to be late sometimes, and it's going to cause some edginess.

“You can't get frustrated with it. We just want to keep them settled down and make sure they're not going into a funk and compounding that more times than we need to.”

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