Crusader

For someone about to take his maiden voyage as a head coach, you might say Sean Payton, whose specialty is offense, is a twice-blessed Saint. First he jumps into free-agency and signs Drew Brees away from the Chargers. Then, at draft time, the man everyone felt was the best player on the board falls into his lap.

As Payton tells the story, he was at dinner when he learned Houston had decided to take Mario Williams, making Reggie Bush available the next morning. It wasn't long before Payton was scribbling plays on his napkin, plays with Bush and Deuce McAllister in the backfield.

While a multi-talented Bush adds a "wow" factor to a team that stumbled and fumbled to 3-13 after Hurricane Katrina, Payton inherited a defense that was porous against the run and generous in giving up the big play, reflected in 398 points scored by the enemy. Since the club did little to buttress this area, preventing points will be the new coach's major challenge, along with trying to remedy a minus-24 differential in giveaways-takeaways, which tied for last in the league.

Quarterbacks
Although Payton knew he'd have the pick of the college litter, he opted for a "proven winner'' in the 27-year-old Brees, who threw for 80 TDs as a four-year starter in San Diego and whose 65 percent completion percentage the last two seasons was second only to Peyton Manning. At the same time, Payton was rolling the dice on the 2004 Pro Bowler bouncing back from major rotator-cuff surgery on his throwing shoulder, an injury sustained in Game 16.

The Saints showed their faith in the quarterback's well-being with a six-year contract that guarantees a healthy Brees $25 million in bonus and salary the next two seasons. From day one on the job, Payton felt Brees was worth the gamble, mainly because, as a Charger, he displayed leadership and cunning decision-making, areas the departed Aaron Brooks never mastered. Looking for an experienced hand in the backup role handled last season by Todd Bouman, the Saints signed 36-year-old Jamie Martin, who went 4-1 last year as a starter with the St. Louis Rams.

Obviously, Payton's hope is the backup will spend the season watching Brees throw for touchdowns when he's not handing the ball, or throwing it, to Bush.

Running Backs
How many rookie head coaches get the chance to open shop with a Pro Bowl quarterback and a running back many feel one day will have his own alcove in Canton, Ohio? Obviously, the challenge for Payton as an offensive schemer rests on his success in maximizing Bush's talents, getting him the ball, with and without McAllister in the same backfield. How much, and how best, do you line him up as a wideout, do you send him in motion, do you send him inside and outside?

The threat posed by Bush should make life easier for Brees, and vice versa. The same would apply in a Bush-McAllister backfield, or one with Bush and free-agent Michael Bennett, signed as insurance should McAllister not effectively return from major knee surgery that ended his '05 season. The bottom line: A Reggie Bush holding up his end should make the pieces around him more effective.

Receivers
The question here is: Can Brees make speedy wideouts like Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth more potent than they were with an inconsistent Brooks? Horn and Brooks seemed to drift apart as a hookup tandem; Horn's coming off his worst year as a Saint (one touchdown). Stallworth, on the other hand, had his best season (70 catches, 7 TDs, almost 1,000 yards) but you keep expecting more from a No. 1 pick with game-breaking quickness. Meanwhile, Saints fans are still waiting for Devery Henderson to live up to his status as a second-round pick.

No one should be happier to have Brees aboard than tight end Zach Hilton, after a 35-catch year, third most on the club. As a Charger, Brees was famous for making special use of his tight end, in and out of the red zone.

Offensive Linemen
The major shift finds Jammal Brown, last season's No. 1 pick, moved from right to left tackle, his most effective position. The major question - Who would replace LeCharles Bentley at center? - was answered when the Saints made a draft-day deal with Cleveland, trading down to secure Jeff Faine, the Browns' No. 1 pick in 2003. With Bush in the family, there'll be more of a spotlight on the guys up front, better known in recent years for drawing illegal-procedure flags than for creating daylight for the ball carrier.

At right tackle, Jon Stinchcomb, a second-rounder in '03, will get every opportunity to see if he has the makings of a starter or a perennial journeyman. Unlike Stinchcomb, Montrae Holland, an '03 fourth-rounder, has done that at right guard, and the feeling is that Jermane Mayberry, with 11 years experience, will hold his own at left guard if he manages to stay injury-free for a full season.

Defensive Linemen
With two No. 1 picks at the ends, Will Smith and Charles Grant, you figure the Saints should have done a better job against the run, instead of hanging around near the cellar statistically. Smith, coming off a year with 60 tackles and a team-high 8.5 sacks, has done a far better job than Grant.

On the inside, Brian Young likewise has been more consistent than free-agent Willie Whitehead, all of which means that some serious playing time could lie ahead for rookie Rob Ninkovich, a fifth-round pick who's been pegged as an undersized (at 6'2", 252 pounds) overachiever out of Purdue.

Linebackers
The Saints are depending on two new free-agent faces, Scott Fujita and Anthony Simmons, to shore up what was a dreadful area for the departed Jim Haslett, oddly enough, a former linebacker. Fujita was Payton's first signing of an unrestricted free agent. Payton watched him start the final eight games for the Cowboys and, over a four-year career in Kansas City and Dallas, he showed his consistency by ranking among the club's top tacklers. Colby Bockwoldt, the Saints final pick in the seventh round of '04 draft, will be battling to retain his starting job after an impressive stint on special teams. "It's an area that has to be upgraded," says Payton.

Defensive Backs
The secondary is another area that leaves much to be desired. Cornerback Mike McKenzie, an eight-year vet brought in two years ago from the Packers, has shown flashes of talent but has failed to live up to his salary. At the other corner, undersized Fred Thomas keeps plugging away.

Playing both strong and free safety, free-agent Dwight Smith moved in immediately as a starter, finishing the year with 72 solo tackles and two interceptions. A young Josh Bullocks has yet to perform like a second-rounder, leaving vets Jay Bellamy and Jason Craft with a shot at re-employment, and opening the door for rookie Roman Harper, a No. 2 pick Payton chose because of "his smarts and consistency over his college career" at Alabama.

Specialists
A couple of senior citizens, punter Mitch Berger (12 seasons) and place-kicker John Carney (17) have shown no signs they're ready for retirement. Berger was steady, with a 43.2 average, while Carney finished the season No. 3 on the NFL's list of field goals made. He started the season with a game-winning 47-yard kick against Carolina, his fifth game-winner as a Saint.

Coaching Staff
It's obvious, as a rookie head coach, Payton will be graded primarily on what kind of offense he generates with Brees and Bush in the same backfield. The record an offensive-minded Payton hangs up figures to hinge on upgrading a charitable defense that took far more punches than it threw, suggesting incoming coordinator Gary Gibbs will be earning his salary. For Payton, the bottom line will be infusing discipline into a team that had precious little under Haslett. As happened to McAllister many times, the last thing Saints fans want to see are long runs by Bush rubbed out by illegal-procedure flags.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo...ns_saints.html



Can't remember seeing this posted here yet.

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

hagan714

On the inside, Brian Young likewise has been more consistent than free-agent Willie Whitehead, all of which means that some serious playing time could lie ahead for rookie Rob Ninkovich, a fifth-round pick who's been pegged as an undersized (at 6'2", 252 pounds) overachiever out of Purdue

okay whem did he start to play DT?

saintsrule

This was some good information.