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Let's set the record straight. In my humble opinion, the New Orleans Saints have the very best air-attack in the league.

Teams like the Patriots, Packers and Falcons are very good in their own right, but lack the overall acumen of the Saints. The characteristics that separate the Saints from the field include: longevity, versatility, and the ability to operate in any quadrant on the field.

Their general, quarterback Drew Brees, combines the ability to extend plays, with an innate aptitude to operate from within the pocket. The Saints personnel execs do a great job of finding low round picks (or undrafted free agents) who operate well in space, in addition to being efficient hands catchers.

The Saints will be a top five (at least) offensive team for the foreseeable future. That's why is sounds pretty hilarious to state: If the Saints want to procure that Lombardi Trophy, they must run the ball!

In two of the three seasons that the Saints have won the NFC South (in recent history), their teams had quite a few things in common. The pass game was diverse and extraordinary like we've come to expect. The defense was opportunistic in the form of turnovers, taking advantage of the offense's ability to score at a moments notice. And mostly, the run game was just outside the top five, finishing 6th in 2009 and in 2011.

In 2012, despite their 7-9 record, the Saints managed to finish second overall in total offense. And as always, Brees had a phenomenal year statistically. His 43 TDs, 19 INTs, 63% completion percentage and 96.3 QB rating would normally warrant MVP status. But the Saints historically bad defense coupled with untimely errors on offense, pretty much sunk the proverbial boat before it left the dock. The Saints finished dead last against the run, and second to last against the pass. The 26 turnovers forced would have been great, if it weren't for the 24 turnovers produced by the Saints' offense. One of the primary reasons for the inconsistency at crucial parts of the game, was the lack of commitment to the run.


Read more: New Orleans Saints Running Game Must Get Back to Basics - Canal Street Chronicles

This article starts out pretty much beating a dead horse, but then goes into a somewhat in depth look at our big three.

Danno

Wow! That was Canal Street Chronicles?

That was an excellent read. Great job CSC!

I like this line (one of many)

"It's not that the Saints couldn't run the ball, it's that they negated it in favor of the pass - until it was too late to gain any type of a rhythm."

CharityMike

Agreed Danno. Great article and great read CSC! I have no doubt Coach will get our running game back to its prominence.

dizzle88

Plus with carmichael at the helm we were as transparent as supermans "disguise"

Danno

There were a couple of things I disagreed with but it was a very good read.

PT is definitely our best RB and is probably better than the majority of NFL backs starting today, but I'm not convinced he can carry much more of a load over 16 plus games without getting hurt.

A few more touches? Without a doubt!

A lot more touches? He'll be on IR by week 13 (opinion)

saintsfan1976

With plenty of historical evidence to back it up...

Rugby Saint II

Great article. And I agree with all the posts.