WhoDat!656

The Saints have some obvious issues.

But they have their leader, and their edge back.

After a year’s suspension, head coach Sean Payton is back, and the Saints feel like they have something to prove after last year’s 7-9 mess.

They have a new defensive scheme, which seems like a good move, since they had the worst statistical defense in NFL history last year. The bigger question is whether they have the parts in place to make it work.

Strengths.

The Saints have one of the top offenses in the game, and the brains behind it all made his way back to the sidelines.

Between quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Marques Colston, tight end Jimmy Graham and a group of role-filling running backs, the Saints have the capability of dropping 40 on you any Sunday.

But the biggest boost is getting Payton back. It’s not that other people are incapable of calling the same plays. It’s more than Payton and Brees have that kind of Bill Walsh-Joe Montana vibe, where the whole is greater than the sum of two very good parts.

There was clearly something missing last year, but they’re back together, and ready to do their part to fixing things.

Weaknesses.

Then, on the other hand, you have the other side of the ball.

Which is frankly a mess.

They needed to make more changes than they were able to make this offseason, though bringing in cornerback Keenan Lewis in free agency and drafting safety Kenny Vaccaro was a good start to fixing things from the back to the front.

But about that front.

Converting to Rob Ryan’s 3-4 system could be problematic, because the guys they kept aren’t perfect fits.

Trying to turn Will Smith into an outside linebacker seems like an effort to jackhammer a square peg into a round hole. They lost perhaps their best chance at a consistent pass rush when former Cowboys backup Victor Butler tore an ACL during OTAs (O-U-C-H). Trying to figure out to do with linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who took a pay cut to stay for a role he’s not really suited for, is another challenge.

But once they decided to part ways with former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, which seemed inevitable, the act of changing took precedence over whether the change was the right one.

Changes.

By shipping out Chris Ivory to the Jets, the Saints streamlined a crowded running back room.

Now, they might actually find something for former Mark Ingram to do.

Pierre Thomas will likely continue to start, and Darren Sproles will get his touches in space, but getting something from the former first-rounder would be a benefit.

The Saints are never going to feature the run game as prominently as the other three teams in their division, but Ingram looks like a waste of draft currency at this point.

And while a subtle difference, they’re also looking for a new backup quarterback after Chase Daniel left for Kansas City.

They’re still in a bind if anything happens to Brees, but Daniel was a better Plan B than the current cast of Seneca Wallace and Luke McCown, who are nothing more than place-holders.

Camp Battles.

When your top asset is your quarterback, having uncertainty at left tackle is not the best spot to be in.

But after losing Jermon Bushrod (and line coach Aaron Kromer) to the Bears in free agency, the Saints are looking at a number of options.

Incumbent replacement Charles Brown probably has the lead at this point, but he’s never been able to stay on the field. Former No. 2 overall pick Jason Smith was added to the mix, but there’s a reason he’s on his third team in a year. The most intriguing option might be third-rounder Terron Armstead, an athletic project with the most pass-blocking upside.

As good as their offense could be, that’s a big question mark to begin the season with.

Finding someone to play outside linebacker sure would help, and holdouts such as Junior Galette and Martez Wilson have a chance to take on a bigger role, in the absence of a veteran option.

Prospects.

The Saints are going to score a pile of points.

Between the talent on hand and the chip on the shoulder, that’s a given.

The degree to which they can stem the flow of points going the other direction will determine how successful they’re going to be this season.

The Saints didn’t have enough draft picks or cap room to make the necessary fixes to a horrible defense, and they can only hope to move all the way up to insufficient.

But their offense will be so good that such a move might be enough to get them back to the playoffs.

Perhaps as importantly as anything, they’re able to focus on football this season, which should be a huge relief and motivator to everyone in the organization.

PFT Preseason Power Rankings No. 9: New Orleans Saints | ProFootballTalk

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

jlouhill

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I have long felt that we had decent talent on the D side. Everyone talks like our D is going to be just as bad if not worse than last year. We just had a DC who refused to utilize that talent and became so predictable my cat knew what was coming next and a train wreck last year who I think as the season wore on the players gave up on him due to lack of respect. I am not a fan of the Ryan Bros. but I have a good feeling about what Ryan can do with our D. Heck any move up will be an improvement. I just hope he can push them several notches up the rung so our O doesn't have to score 45-50 every game just to win.

Seer1

Zzzzzzzzz... Suppose there'll be something new to read about in 2014?

aintasinner

The only ranking that counts is the one at the end of the season. Preseason rankings are only guesses.

halloween 65

I like being the underdog.

Rugby Saint II

#9............well that just sucks for us. I thought we were better than that................oh well, maybe next year.

tavia45

No one knows until the season starts.

The Dude

I am happy anywhere above the 15 mark. We had a losing season last year, and even though we have our coach back we still have to go out there and prove it. I would put us around 15. I have no doubt that once the season actually starts we will be higher though. I dont see us breaking top 5 this year . I see around 10-6 missing the playoffs. Could go one game in either direction though. The playoffs, for us is going to hinge on just one game this year. We need to win every one we are supposed to and then some. Non of this losing to teams like the Rams in recent years. Thats the kind of game that will keep us out of the playoffs.

|Mitch|

Power Rankings

Who cares where some "analyst" thinks we rank, and before the season has started at that...

SmashMouth

Well, you don't want to be a preseason number one. Historically it does not bode well. But at 9, at least they are acknowledging that the Saints needn't improve that much to cause a snoot-full of trouble for the rest of the league. I'll bet that if you were to ask all of the other 31 teams, none of them are looking forward to facing the Saints this year, as they might be on the very brunt end of a fifty burger massacre on any given Sunday!