SmashMouth

How pronounced will the Saints' Super Bowl hangover be in the city of hangovers?
When I spoke to New Orleans head coach Sean Payton last month about his newly released book, he said he'd be surprised if the story of his team's 2010 season wound up being one of a defending champion that lost its edge and fire and didn't deal well with the byproducts of the ultimate NFL victory. But honestly, which Super Bowl-winning head coach wouldn't have said roughly the same thing? The glow of success often makes it very difficult to clearly see your weaknesses the season after a Super Bowl win, and to combat that effect you have to have mature, committed team leaders who are self-driven and burning with the desire to re-scale the game's summit.
GALLERY: NFL INTERCEPTION/FORCED FUMBLE LEADERS
In that respect, I like the Saints' chances of suffering only a slight case of Super Bowl hangover. I don't believe for a minute that quarterback Drew Brees will let down his guard or grow fat and sassy with that shiny ring on his finger. And on defense, the re-signing of veteran safety Darren Sharper might prove pivotal in the same regard on that side of the locker room. Yes, the party and the parades seemed to go on forever in New Orleans -- when do they not? -- but I don't see a Steelers-like step back coming from the Saints this season. I'm not predicting another Super Bowl run, but New Orleans should still be playing when January arrives.

Kevin Kolb, Jason Campbell*the answer for Eagles, Raiders? - Don Banks - SI.com

Danno

Lets recap...

Best record in NFC in 2009.
Sustained numerous injuries on the way to SB victory.
Lost not one player of significance.
Improved or maintained at every position.
Entire coaching staff coming back.
Patsy schedule compared to 2009.
No team in our conference improved enough to over-take us.

Now why shouldn't we be the favorite?

homerj07

Fujita was a los. His leadership & poise could be missed

jprime18

Yeah, it seems a lot of people are taking that loss for granted. Hopefully whoever they plug in to his spot can get the job done. This has been my only worry this off season.

Danno

Fujita wasn't a major loss. He's merely an above average SLB, if that.

Now if the 6 guys trying to replace him all suck, then yeah its a big loss.

But if losing a mediocre 2-down player is considered a big loss, then we have some real serious problems.

Sir Psycho Sexy

At this point he is a significant loss. MOSTLY due to 2 points:

1. Experienced decision making on the field. We have 2 vets at LB so the leadership is there. But whatever young LB makes the cut, they won't have his in game experience and decision making. Fujita made KEY tackles all year right through the SB. He didn't do it with great athleticism. He could read schemes and was a smart player. That's a fact and we'll miss that.

2. Now for some opinion. We don't have any top-level talent to take his place. The young guys we have will get coached up for sure. But don't kid yourself. There's a reason Dunbar, Castilas, and others couldn't crack the starting roster last year. They are getting a chance this year by DEFAULT. If Fujtia had been retained those guys would still be fighting for a roster spot rather than a starting position.

Having said all this I agree with most of your points in your original posts. I think our schedule this year is harder than it appears though, and will be more challenging than last year's.

"May God have mercy on those who doubted his Saints."

Rugby Saint II

Whether we're considered favorites or not, we still have as good a chance or better than anybody else. We are defending Superbowl champions. To me that gives us an edge. Of course I could be biased. Who Dat II!

QBREES9

You can't replace what he brought to the SAINTS. He did his job well.