11 reasons for 11 wins
 

1. No more 2-TE sets
2. Simplified offense tailored to personnel
3. Drastically improved O-line
4. Improving LB's
5. Solid DB's
6. Pease and Robinson as DC's
7. Sheppard as OC/play caller
8. Improved D-line
9. Fitter and trimmer Deuce
10. Actual talent to push Brooks
11. Team coming together

11 reasons to not have eleven wins....... the guys on D

dude, you made me spit out pepsi all over my keyboard...

LMAO. That's pretty funny.

I actually agree with most of what Danno said. But in keeping with my Charlie Brown attitude towards the Saints... here's my response. :) Danno will hate it. LOL

1. No more 2-TE sets
(at least you think so)

2. Simplified offense tailored to personnel
(very diplomatic. You mean Brooks. Dunno if there is an offense easy enough for him to understand. LOL)

3. Drastically improved O-line
(Or better put - there is POTENTIAL for a drastically improved O-line. How much has POTENTIAL helped us in recent years?)

4. Improving LB's
(Who cares if you're improving when you're the worst in the league? Hey everyone look!! We suck less!!! LOL)

5. Solid DB's
(How does - "if McKenzie gets hurt we're f--ked" - translate to solid?)

6. Pease and Robinson as DC's
(Says who? Pure speculation.)

7. Sheppard as OC/play caller
(Yeah. Just look at the bang up job he did as QBs coach and you'll know the O is destined for greatness. Just ask them.)

8. Improved D-line
(How did the D-line improve exactly? Oh, those 6th and 7th round picks? I'm psyched!)

9. Fitter and trimmer Deuce
(Says you. I haven't seen it yet)

10. Actual talent to push Brooks
(Assuming he stays out of jail.)

11. Team coming together
(Why, b/c they did at the end of last year? Wait until Brooks fumbles twice on the goal line and the defense allows 247 yards rushing in week 1 and that will all change. )

LOL - I had to dig deep on that one. I'm actually somewhat excited about the team this year, but I can't let this kind of unbridled optimism go unchecked. Plus, it's fun to mess with Danno. :)

3 reasons why we'll be 8-8 (11-3=8 for those of you who are mathematically challenged)

1. Rick Venturi - regardless of his rumored reduced role, the players have to see him remaining as a weakness of Haslet. The D especially cannot fully buy into Haslet's plan if they can't respect him and I think that is the result of keeping Venturi as DC. The only caveat to this I can perceive is that Haslet's loyalty may be a slight bonus in the eyes of his players.

2. Offensive Changes - No matter how right they seem, there is a learning curve in all changes. How quickly AB and the rest of the offense can pick up on these will determine the success of the entire season. Hopefully, since they are not changing the offense enitrely, this wont be a problem, but it could lead to a slow start.

3. Salary Concerns - Right now, with the exception of F. Brown, everybody seems to be saying the right things and having good attitides about the situation. Unfortunately, this is a time bomb waiting to blow the Saints lockerroom comraderie to high heaven. This is the only thing I truly can believe in Loomis to handle correctly so we ought to be able to make it through the season without incident. But it looms like a Sith controlled senate over everything we do.

FV,

I think that's a bit unfair. Even last year it wasn't all 11 guys that were the problem. However we all know that when a player overcompensates for the weakness of another player, that it open up another vulnerability in the defense.

Much of the problem is Venturi's Read and React philosophy. Once Haslett scrapped that in the latter weeks of the season, and the personnel got upgraded (McKenzie for example, LBs for another), the defense improved.

SFIAH