In the Patriots locker room today, Tully Banta-Cain held court for several reporters. The most interesting topic he discussed with the group centered on the importance of pressuring Drew Brees on Monday night.

“He’s on fire right now,” Banta-Cain said. “If you don’t have any water to put it out, he’s going to keep burning you up. Sorry for the analogy. But, yeah, any time you have a threat at quarterback like that, the only way to beat him is pressure.”

Along with the tremendous comic value of this quote, it illustrates one of the Patriots’ most difficult defensive strategy decisions for Monday night: How much should they blitz Drew Brees?

As Banta-Cain said, when a quarterback is playing with as much skill and accuracy as Brees, “the key is to try to get him on the ground.” The trick is how they should go about doing that. Brees’s success this season at defeating the blitz puts the Patriots defense in a precarious spot.

Brees is gaining 9.22 yards per attempt against blitzes this year, third in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning. Against a non-blitzing defense, Brees is gaining 8.39 yards per attempt.

“He makes quick decisions,” said Banta-Cain, who leads the Patriots with five sacks. “He’s got a quick release. It’s very tough, very frustrating for a lot of defenses, because you can get to him and he’s still getting the ball off, and he’s still getting it into tight places. Guys are still making plays. That’s a credit to him and his receivers making plays.”

Despite Brees’s efficiency facing the blitz, sending it provides a better – if not great – chance of sacking him. In 80 dropbacks against the blitz, Brees has been sacked six times. In 249 dropbacks without a blitz, Brees has been sacked only five times. Against Brees, the always-delicate balance of how much to blitz is heightened.

“It’s a hope-for-the-best type thing,” Banta-Cain said. “You don’t want to say we’re not going to blitz him, because now you’re allowing him time to get the ball off. It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to execute at a high level, and hopefully if there’s a mistake somewhere on their front five, we take advantage of it.”