Rankings After Week 1
 

League Wide

Passing Yards - Aaron Brooks is 4th
Rushing Yards - Deuce McAllister is 5th
Total Offense - Yards - Saints are 6th
Total Defense - Yards - Saints are 9th

No other team in the league has both passer and rusher in top 5 in yards.

Out of the teams with the top 5 passerrs only one (KC) won.

Out of the teams with the top 5 rushers only one (NO) lost.

Rankings After Week 1
 

Deuce has no leadership skills. :D
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Rankings After Week 1
 

While I don\'t believe the Saints are anywhere close to having the 9th best defense - I do think the defense is much better than last year - even without Howard. What I don\'t understand is Venturi\'s insisitance on playing a read and react defense.

I don\'t know the exact number of blitzes that were called against Seattle, but I do know it wasn\'t enough. Blitzes are called not only to sack the QB, but to keep an offense off balance. IMO -- Venturi is making it too easy for the QB to read our defense, because they don\'t have to worry about the blitz. There is no movement by our defensive players. They just line up and play and look very vanilla.

I don\'t know if Venturi is scared to blitz because he thinks the defense will give up a big play or not, but I say lets blitz and worry about that IF it happens. The whole concept behind what Venturi is trying to accomplish is a complete mystery to me.

I can\'t remember the last time our defense recovered a fumble must less an interception and I think a lot of that has to do with the lack of aggression that Venturi instills in the defense.

At some point the defensive mind-set MUST change. I hope that is today. If not I don\'t see this defense being nearly as good as it COULD be.