NFL Team-By-Team Preview - New Orleans Saints

2008 Recap

Record: 8-8, 4th in NFC-South

Best Game: Week 12, Vs. Green Bay. 51-29
We knew that Green Bay's defense was beaten up, but no one expected the Saints to put up over half a hundred against the Packers. Drew Brees was nearly flawless in this one, going 20-26 for 323 yards and 4 TDs, Lance Moore had his best game of the season (5, 115, 2) and the Running Backs (minus Reggie Bush) ran for a combined three touchdowns. The defense in this game was non-existent, but at a wild home game, the Saints made sure their fans left happy.

Worst Game: Week 7, @ Carolina. 7-30
This was one of only two games the Saints lost by more than 5 points all year, but it was an ugly one. Drew Brees barely completed half of his passes, and had 0 TDs and 1 INT on the day. Reggie Bush left the game with an apparent knee injury and Jeremy Shockey re-injured his groin. And to top it all off, this all happened against the Panthers, a divisional foe. Needless to say, this is one of "those games" that really haunted the Saints, especially early in the season.

MVP: Drew Brees
In one of those no-doubter decisions, Brees was by far the MVP of the 2008 Saints. He became only the 2nd player in NFL History to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, and won the 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. He led the NFL in passing completions, attempts, yards and TDs.


The Offseason

Significant Losses:

- Hollis Thomas - DT: Released April 28
Thomas isn't the greatest DT in the NFL, but the man is a horse. He failed a physical for the Saints, and they decided it would be best for both parties if he was released.

- Deuce McAllister -- RB -- Released February 17
Once the face of the franchise, this former 1st round pick has just suffered too many injuries in the last few years. He will be missed, especially if Reggie Bush continues to lack the ability to be a feature back.

Significant Additions:

Darren Sharper -- S -- Signed March 18
Sharper may not have the speed he once did, but he is a very solid tackler and still has good instincts. He will help the poor secondary in the Big Easy.

Jabari Greer -- CB -- Signed March 4
Greer may not be a top-tier CB, but he, too, can help a very poor secondary. He should be able to cover a #2 WR adequately.

Paul Spicer -- DE -- Signed March 17
The Ex-Jaguar can get to the QB (28.5 career sacks) and should be an upgrade in the Saints weak Pass-Defense.

Heath Evans -- FB -- Signed March 5
Evans isn't the back with the most experience, but w/ McAllister gone he should get a decent amount of short yard carries, along with opening up some holes for Reggie Bush as well.

Draft Picks:
Round 1, Pick 14 -- Malcolm Jenkins - CB - Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 16 -- Chip Vaughn - S - Wake Forest
Round 4, Pick 18 -- Stanley Arnoux - ILB - Wake Forest
Round 5, Pick 28 -- Thomas Morstead - P - Southern Methodist

Grade: C+
Jenkins and Vaughn were solid picks and, along with their off-season acquisitions, should go a long way in helping their secondary, but a lack of draft picks really hurt them. Morstead could be a solid punter in the NFL, however.

Training Camp Report

- Vilma has stood out in practice, making plays all over the field.

- Shockey has made a couple of nice catches. Fans can only hope he returns to his "Giants" Form.

- Meachem can run, with or without the ball. He's going to be tough to cover once he gets the playbook down.

- Jenkins didn't play until August 9th, but took all of his exams early so he could join the team for the first part of training camp, and has looked as solid as advertised.

- FB Evans has shown his ability to catch a ball and make a move.

- Saints fans better hope Brees doesn't go down; Harrington and Brunell haven't been "wowing" anybody.

- The O-Line looks to be slightly improved from last season.

- K Garrett Hartley has converted field goals from 50 and 55 yards during training camp.

- DE Charles Grant has looked good. He stripped Brees of the ball on the 7th day of practice and recovered the fumble.

- Quick slant passes may be a thing to look for from the 2009 Saints -- they've converted several of them in practice.

- Marques Colston is reportedly looking good, but it will be interesting to see what happens when secondary's roll coverage over to him.

- Mike Bell isn't a blocking running back.

- The DB's (namely David and Porter) have looked better-than-advertised on several days.
2009 Outlook

Best Case Scenario:
The defense starts to catch up with the offense, and the running game flourishes. The Saints battle to the end for a playoff spot.

Worst Case Scenario:
Bush stays fragile, no other RB emerges and the defense struggles again. The team fights valiantly to a losing record.

Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in NFC-South