Brees, defense revive Saints

QBREES9 · 11-09-2007, 10:00 PM

Dallas Morning News

Brees, defense revive Saints
01:29 AM CST on Friday, November 9, 2007

The New Orleans Saints staged a dramatic turnaround of their season in October, and quarterback Drew Brees has received most of the credit.

During the opening month of the season, the Saints were dreadful, starting 0-4, and so was Brees. A Pro Bowl quarterback in 2006, Brees threw nine interceptions and only one touchdown pass in those first four games.

But in the last four games, Brees has turned his season around – and so have the Saints. He has thrown 11 TD passes and only one interception in a 4-0 run that has the Saints at .500.

But a closer look reveals more to the turnaround than the arm of Brees. The New Orleans defense also has staged a dramatic about-face. Bombarded for 119 points in the first four games, the Saints have allowed only 67 points the last four games.

The Saints ranked last in the NFL after four weeks in sacks (one) and takeaways (3). Four games later, they have 13 sacks and nine take- aways. Mike McKenzie returned one of those takeaways 75 yards for a touchdown last week in a 41-24 romp over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The off-season objective of the Saints was to bolster a defense that finished 23rd against the run and 11th overall in 2006. The offense was already Super Bowl-ready, but the defense needed to improve for the Saints to take the next step from NFC title game to NFL title game.

So the Saints signed defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, linebacker Brian Simmons, cornerback Jason David and safety Kevin Kaesviharn in free agency. They also used a third-round draft pick on cornerback Usama Young.

Simmons and David start, and Clancy, Kaesviharn and Young come off the bench. The contributions of Clancy and Simmons have helped the Saints climb into the top 10 in the NFL in run defense.

New Orleans has held three of its last four opponents to 17 points or less. The Saints rank sixth in the NFL in offense and fifth in the NFC in scoring. If New Orleans continues to hold opponents to 17 or less, the Saints are going to win a lot more games this season.

11-09-2007, 10:00 PM	#1
QBREES9 Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Haven Ct Posts: 23,989	Brees, defense revive Saints Dallas Morning News Brees, defense revive Saints 01:29 AM CST on Friday, November 9, 2007 The New Orleans Saints staged a dramatic turnaround of their season in October, and quarterback Drew Brees has received most of the credit. During the opening month of the season, the Saints were dreadful, starting 0-4, and so was Brees. A Pro Bowl quarterback in 2006, Brees threw nine interceptions and only one touchdown pass in those first four games. But in the last four games, Brees has turned his season around – and so have the Saints. He has thrown 11 TD passes and only one interception in a 4-0 run that has the Saints at .500. But a closer look reveals more to the turnaround than the arm of Brees. The New Orleans defense also has staged a dramatic about-face. Bombarded for 119 points in the first four games, the Saints have allowed only 67 points the last four games. The Saints ranked last in the NFL after four weeks in sacks (one) and takeaways (3). Four games later, they have 13 sacks and nine take- aways. Mike McKenzie returned one of those takeaways 75 yards for a touchdown last week in a 41-24 romp over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The off-season objective of the Saints was to bolster a defense that finished 23rd against the run and 11th overall in 2006. The offense was already Super Bowl-ready, but the defense needed to improve for the Saints to take the next step from NFC title game to NFL title game. So the Saints signed defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, linebacker Brian Simmons, cornerback Jason David and safety Kevin Kaesviharn in free agency. They also used a third-round draft pick on cornerback Usama Young. Simmons and David start, and Clancy, Kaesviharn and Young come off the bench. The contributions of Clancy and Simmons have helped the Saints climb into the top 10 in the NFL in run defense. New Orleans has held three of its last four opponents to 17 points or less. The Saints rank sixth in the NFL in offense and fifth in the NFC in scoring. If New Orleans continues to hold opponents to 17 or less, the Saints are going to win a lot more games this season.