FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Okay, so the 2004 preseason is in the books, and the Saints finished 2-2. Not bad, but not great.

This will be your final exam for the preseason. Please take out a sheet of loose-leaf paper, a #2 pencil, and begin:

After seeing the Saints play in 4 games, along with all media input, along with everything you've read on this site for the past 3 months, give your best detailed prediction on how well, or how badly, the Saints will do this year.

Give a positive or negative spin on the upcoming season, not both. Pick one side and back it up with solid facts, not speculation.

Also, don't forget to point out any strong and weak points in both the players and coaching staff.

And, for extra credit, who was the most improved Saint through the preseason and why?

Give it your best shot. Be sure to put your name on the top of the paper, and have a good regular season!

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

well its hard to say definitely what will happen this season because there r so many unknows. but my preicition will be based on the fact that the saints stay healthy.

from the preseason game i saw some positives on defense. we r not a great d we r better then last year n if we improve a little more during the season we should bein top 15 n maybe right ther at 15 that would be good enough for us. um scary was our o. our line cant sustain injuries because without the starters in we have been sacked ridiculous. bouwman is terrible n was a disappointment. im worried that arron will be rusty. im scared his injury may hurt hi all year n if thats the case i\'d rather see him sit the first two games n actually get healthy completely for the rest of the season. im worried about the penalties as well as we played last night on the penalties we have a habit of making dumb ass penalties during a game that kills drives or allows them to extend for opposing teams. as far as the coaches i like our staff but we have to stop the bs. on both sides of the ball. the penalties the droppes balls the just constant mistakes that have plagued this team. n that i take as a huge negative on the coahcing staff. there has to be a reason were not as efficent as other teams that we have better personel then. n that has to be coahcing. i hope this is the year we get back to the playoffs. if we can do that this year we could be 2 years away from a super bowl. dont let me down again this year guys

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

I believe the fact that we made it out of the preseason without any significant injuries if the most important positive. Preseason is practice and that\'s all, nothing more. The Saint\'s have one of the deepest lines on both sides of the ball in the NFL and it\'s does\'nt matter how they played during the preseason. It\'s my opinion that Haz is a good coach and will prove that more than ever this year.

Since we are going off preseason opinion only though here\'s my thoughts:

QB - if Brooks does\'nt get off his duff this year, it\'s time to look elsewhere.
RB - no question. Deuce and Karney. Karney is going to be the next Alstott.
OL - might be one of the deepest, but they are not playing like one.
TE - one of the best groups in the league.
WR - as much money as they get you would think that we would pay them according to every pass they catch, yard they gain or TD they score. The Saint\'s organization would\'nt have to pay much so far.

DL - alot of depth and have shown they can stop the run sometimes, example Green Bay, but gave up even more yards to the Phin\'s, not a good sign.
LB - yes they are young and fast, but that\'s all there are is young and fast, need more experience at the MLB position, alot more.
DB - I actually think we are better off here than most, as long as we can stay healthy.

Special Teams - we are definetly OK, got way too may guys that can contribute.

Most IMproved Player - Colby Bockwoldt, went from 5 tackles and 2 assists in the first preseason game to 10 tackles and 2 assists in the last. This guy is going to be a BEAST someday.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

i like ur analysis chram. n i agree with it. i to am a huge fan of buckwoldt.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

You can count Buckwoldt as most improved if you\'re talking game-to-game, but if you\'re talking about players that have been there already and showed improvement from last season, look no further than Michael Lewis. I honestly thought his days in New Orleans were numbered. I think he may have thought so, too. Beer man showed flashes of his Pro Bowl season of 2002. I think he knew that he had to with the receivers that were in camp. If he plays anywhere close in the regular season to where he played in pre-season, he\'ll be amazing this year.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Hey D, I agree with you it\'s not that I did\'nt think about the Beerman, it\'s just that I did\'nt mention him and I apologize to the Beerman. Much Prop\'s.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

I\'ve never seen Colby play. Does he play Strong or Weak LB? Also, which \"team was he with? 2nd? 3rd? I really want to see him in action...

Personally, I feel that you can discover very much about the Saints from the preseason. It\'s usually where the rookies get a chance to learn and an opportunity for coaches and coordinators to get a feel for the team and the way they play together.

Here\'s what I picked up on throughout the preseason:

1) The defense has not live up to the hype. Pure and simple. The line gave up WAY too many big gains on hte ground, Ashley Ambrose and Jason Craft were constantly getting burned, and the LB\'s were almost non-existent.

2) Todd Bouman is the worst player in a Saints uniform right now. There is NO WAY that a QB can be that bad. He makes slow decisions, forces throws, has no speed, and allows himself to make stupid decisions with the football AKA, he threw way too many INT\'s.

3) Will Smith and Mike Karney have had an enourmously successful preseason.
Karney is a horse. When he was healthy, he was making monster blocks, which sprung Deuce for another 2-4 yards per play.
Will Smith was doing pretty well throughout the preseason. True, he is only a rookie, and he went up against primarily backup linemen, but I sense that when we lose Darren Howard to free agency next year, he\'ll be ready to fill in right away.

4) The O-line is good, but not great. They must stay healthy, or else the entire offense will crumble. Kendyl Jacox is the weak link in this group...

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Where are the regulars?! There is always someone who will bite on this kind of post! People are playing with their cards to their chests this year?

I say we go 9-7 (and need help to make the playoffs) UNLESS we pick up two of the following: a CB who is better than our starters, a LB who is better than our starters, a G who is better than our starters, or DT who is better than our starters. If we do that, then I say 11-5 and we make it to the conference championship (at least).

That is my current view. I challenge the rest of you guys who have been hiding out the last few days to post your predictions as well.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

I see 10-6 with a couple of balls bouncing our way. The most improved player this year will be Tebucky Jones. Unfortunately he can\'t cover everyone. This team needs a defensive back in the worst way.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Seattle L Good test for the defense. Brooks has shaky return
San Fran W Worst team in football. Duece runs wild
St Louis w The magic is gone. Duece runs wild
Arizona W 2nd worst team in football. Duece runs wild
Tampa w First win of the season sweep. Duece runs wild.
Minn L Randy Moss 10 catches 150 yrds 3 TDs. Duece runs wild
Oakland W Too old too slow. Duece runs wild
San Diego W 3rd worst team in football. Duece runs wild
Kansas City L Neither defense will stop anything. Duece runs wild
Denver L Remember Mike Anderson? Duece runs wild.
Atlanta W Vick is on the sidelines by now. Duece runs wild.
Carolina L Jake haunts us again.
Dallas W Taking huge step back this year. Duece runs wild
Tampa W Bring the brooms. Duece runs wild
Atlanta L Vick comes back. December slide begins again. Duece runs wild
Carolina L Jake haunts us again. 2-2 in December

Final prediction 9-7 and Duece runs wild.

The most improved player on this team is Donte Stallworth. Defense Tebucky Jones.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

You really don\'t think that the Panther\'s are going to beat us twice again this year? and I do remember Mike Anderson for the Broncos and he\'s out for the season. Were you saying he was going to run all over us or just the fact that he has in the past?

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Just the fact that Shanahan is the best coach for the running game. The Broncos will run on a suspect run defense. Just using Anderson as an example there.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Just the fact that Shanahan is the best coach for the running game. The Broncos will run on a suspect run defense. Just using Anderson as an example there. Yes I think the Panthers will beat us twice.

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

IF we stay relatively healthy, meaning we don\'t suffer massive injuries like last year, I think 10-6.

If we lose Deuce or Brooks for any extended period of time, like 4 or more games, I\'d say 8-8.

If we get as lucky as Carolina did last year I\'d say 12-4.

Danno- 10-6.

If we go 8-8 again do I get to be like WhoDat and Gator and say I told you so, even though neither actually picked 8-8? ;)

FINAL PREDICTIONS
 

Amen to that. Jacox looks especially bad against fast DTs. He may have the power but he sure doesn\'t have any moves or speed.
Which makes me wonder if Haslett is hurting this team by trying to prove his draft strategy was right. The only way Stinchcomb wasn\'t a major reach in 2003 (or simply: bust) is if he becomes our next left tackle. While he took reps at tackle and guard last year, this year he worked solely at tackle. Could he possibly make this team better if the coaches played him at guard? Could he start over Jacox?
Don\'t know. Just throwing it out there.