Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

The Saints should be really good, and they know it. There's emerging young talent at receiver (Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks, Nick Toon), tailback (Khiry Robinson) and along the offensive line (Terron Armstead, Tim Lelito). There's Rob Ryan entering Season 2 as defensive boss, with Jairus Byrd, Champ Bailey and second-round pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste added as system fits. And there's the improving health (Byrd and John Jenkins will be back soon) and contract resolutions (Jimmy Graham) that Payton referenced.

Bottom line: There's a lot to like.

"On paper, it looks pretty good," Brees said in a private moment after practice. "You got some really good, solid, veteran guys, established guys, and then you've got a lot of young talent, and you can envision how they're gonna fit in the whole thing."

But more than just the talent on hand, there's a looseness and swagger to the players and coaches.

That all makes sense, considering this is the first normal offseason they've had, really, since the one that preceded their Super Bowl campaign of 2009. With the Mardi Gras-infused championship celebration, lockout and Bountygate investigation/fallout in the rearview mirror, the last few months in Metairie, Louisiana, have been relatively quiet.

Yes, the Graham thing dragged on, but the Saints never felt, internally, like that wouldn't eventually be taken care of. With offseason distractions kept to a minimum, the team has enjoyed time to develop an identity. Ideally, the aforementioned looseness and swagger will be accompanied by a fierce edge, mirroring the 2009 championship squad. The hope is, as training camp heats up, this will manifest in the way the team works against itself to prepare for the fight against others. It is, in fact, what you saw in New Orleans during the title season: nasty practices where it looked like the offense didn't like the defense much, and vice versa. Brees said, "I love Rob Ryan, I love his aggressive approach." Ryan, of course, serves as a counterpart to the swashbuckling Payton.

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Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

This is probably the first season in quite a while that we can look at our team and be confident that both sides of the ball are pretty awesome

Hurry up and start the season!!!

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

I am liking our odds of winning it all more than ever this year. If they stay healthy there is no reason on earth why we shouldn't have a shot at securing home field advantage.
I like our improvements on defense especially. I think last years stats will be hard to repeat statistically, going from worst to 4th is just crazy and rarely happens. It would not surprise me if we take a step back overall, but I think our turnover ratio will be insane, and that's what really counts.
I don't know what to expect offensively. Seems like Payton is taking a different direction and building the offensive playbook a little different than we are used to. I think it will be for the better actually.

Yes I am excited. I think this is our year to get it done, there is no reason we shouldn't.

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

So far Madden put out Brees 96, Graham 97, Jordan 93. Really interested to see how they rank this team. Those three seem fairly accurate. I could see them rating this team as the highest we have ever fielded at the start.

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

Just want everyone to temper the expectations. A couple of years ago Philly looked this good - on paper.
How well does Byrd come back, how does the line gell, how do the WRs do? All this and more needs to be answered and dealt with.
I agree we can be frippen awesome this year, but...

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

We have quite a few players with injury question marks. They are back but never know how that's going to play out. There is usually a drop in performance to consider as well is almost a given.

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

SF, SEA, DEN, NE - they all have questions to answer. Doesn't mean they aren't optimistic. It's early. Everyone should be excited. Well, unless you're Jacksonville.

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

Well I have to disagree. Ryan is not the kind of coach that takes a step back when he's got full afterburners. He has added even MORE talent to an already amazing defense. Don't be surprised if they continue upwards this year and grab the number 1, or number 2 position on defense this year. With that said if the saints continue to be prolific on offense and the defense moves up in rank, you can expect to see a NFC championship in the dome this year. My prediction for the NFC championship is a rematch of Seattle vs. Neworleans in the dome.

Re: Saints Enter 2014 with Confidence
 

Except you forgot one detail, well maybe a few. We have the BEST quarterback in the league, one of the top ranked defensive coordinators, and arguably the best head coach in professional football. Philly had decent personnel, but nothing like what the saints have managed to put together this year. The eagle's have a better chance this year with Foles than they ever had with that team. As far as a comparison, there is no contest when it comes to our roster vs. theirs from that year. Though I'm kind of excited to see what Sproles can still do. If Philly can improve on defense they will also be a big contender this year. Also, their defense looks pretty solid this year. They drafted Casey Matthews who is a spitting image of his brother Clay in greenbay, signed Malcolm Jenkins, Brandon Boykin, and Connor Barwin, and kept Trent Cole, and DeMeco Ryan's.