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Ira Kaufman
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Posted Jul 15, 2008 by Ira Kaufman
Updated Jul 16, 2008 at 12:53 PM
The Saints appear to be the trendy pick to win the NFC South this fall, but there are real concerns in New Orleans about whether Sean Payton’s club can recapture its magical 2006 form.
An 0-4 start doomed New Orleans to a 7-9 finish last year and the defense was awful, yielding at least 31 points six times. The defense wasn’t very good in 2006 either, but the NFL’s No. 1 offense routinely bailed out the Saints as they reached the NFC title game at Soldier Field.
The Saints have made some significant defensive pickups, signing free agent LB Jonathan Vilma and drafting DT Sedrick Ellis, but the secondary is still lousy. DE Charles Grant, who underperformed last year, is facing legal woes and the retirement of free agent LB Dan Morgan doesn’t help.
Compounding the problem in New Orleans is the uncertainty surrounding RB Deuce McAllister, who was the offensive hammer in ‘06. While flashy Reggie Bush was more exciting, it was McAllister who provided the tough inside yards that opened things up for Bush and WR Marques Colston. McAllister is still recovering from a devastating knee injury that ripped the guts from Payton’s playbook in 2007.
Bush has already proven he is not a stellar No. 1 back, so if McAllister struggles, the burden will be heavy once again for Drew Brees, who led the league with 652 pass attempts. The defection of C Jeff Faine to Tampa hurts up front, where the Saints do an outstanding job protecting Brees.
Payton’s a sharp coach, but the Saints have some huge question marks, particularly on defense.
The Bucs boast the best defense in the division, by far, and Tampa Bay has done a nice job of retooling on the fly. The only returning defensive starters from 2006 are DT Chris Hovan, OLB Derrick Brooks, CB Ronde Barber and S Jermaine Phillips. That’s quite an overhaul in a short period of time for Monte Kiffin’s proud unit.
While the Falcons rebuild under a new coach and GM, Carolina faces a season of desperation.
Coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney survived a second straight disappointing season and the Panthers gambled in the draft by trading a future No. 1 pick to move up for T Jeff Otah. The Panthers have been a conservative organization, so the draft-day deal illustrates a new sense of urgency in Charlotte.
If QB Jake Delhomme returns fully from elbow surgery, the passing game should improve markedly, but the Panthers still don’t run effectively and a once-feared pass rush has withered away. DE Julius Peppers went AWOL, frustrating owner Jerry Richardson, who had hoped Peppers would embrace a more visible leadership role.
Add it all up and the Bucs have fewer issues than their division peers as they seek to become the first NFC South champion to repeat.
—Ira Kaufman
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Reader Comments
Por (Jesse) on July 27, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Once again i broke down one of your bs stats or statements and all you have is something to say about me. I stopped commenting because of that but i keep reading about how our line allowed the fewest sacks in the league last year while Brees attempted more passes then anyone. God you guys crack me up….hmmm whats the matter i proved you wrong again and you have nothing to back it up with. I mean you guys are hilarious. But i will enjoy watching us beat you on my 150 inch projector screen or my 55 inch flat screen k…..then watch the replays on my tv in my denali. Do yall write comedy as well, cause you damn sure dont talk about football.
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on July 27, 2008 (Suggest removal)
And please tell me what was bs about my “report”. Oh wait thats right you dont talk football, just make uneducated remarkes about nothing but complete bs. And i have about 4 laptops and definetly no trailer since i live in a 3 million dollar home k bud.
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on July 27, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Do i need to email you some articles and stats since you cant even say the right things about your hometeam and dont have the ability to look anything up? Surprised you can use the keyboard to type all this stuff about me (again not about football).
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on July 27, 2008 (Suggest removal)
And i dont have a sister but if i did why would i want to watch anything with her when i have your mom here keeping me company? Dont worry ill have her back in time to make your dinner and tuck you in ok?
Suggest removalPor (BigBucFan) on July 28, 2008 (Suggest removal)
I rest my Case.
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on July 28, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Excatly. No stats.
Suggest removalPor (ref813) on July 29, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Jesse, in case you have forgotten running is part of the game, too. We were 11th while you were 28th last year. If your line is so much better, how do you explain the poor running? We had to use back-up RBs, too, in case you forgot. Our line is young and steadily improving, so it will be about as good as your line this year. I never said we had one of the best lines, but, given that it’s been our weakness for a long time, it’s looking a lot better. I think most would put it in the top 10. Our middle 3 are exceptional and our Ts are pretty good, too.
Suggest removalPor (FleurdeLis) on July 31, 2008 (Suggest removal)
ref813, memphis,
We ranked in the top five for protecting the QB last year, but our run blocking was horrible. There is a difference. Our run blocking should be much improved by the time we have to play the Bucs.
Suggest removalPor (todd) on July 31, 2008 (Suggest removal)
Fleur,
How do you know this ? Are you just full of wishfull information ? You Saint fans are something else. What a bunch of delusional idiots !! This artical is going on 3 weeks old. Can’t you guys move on with your lives ? Its not week 1 yet are you really this worried about it ?
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on September 09, 2008 (Suggest removal)
That finally shut your ##### up? I was at the Dome and that place was rockin. We beat yall in every aspect of the game even without playing McKenzie, Duece, and Meachem. Wow yalls offensive line sure was one of the best in the league. If thats the case then our D line must be better then the Giants had last year cause we completely DOMINATED your O line. Even our star center that you picked up looked clueless against our reshaped D line. Shouldnt have even been that close of a game - Brees threw a ball he knows better then to throw just cause he was trying to make something happen, we had a lot of stupid ..
Suggest removalPor (Jesse) on September 09, 2008 (Suggest removal)
... flags in the 1st quarter, and missed a lot of open tackles. If you guys still dont think we have a better and more talented football team i dunno what to tell you. Im sure ill here plenty of excuses but fact is yall got beat by a better team… period…
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