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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
Posted by Drew, Milpitas, CA. on 07/16 at 08:38 PM
Interesting, Saints fans commenting on the Buc website.
Posted by Scott, MD on 07/16 at 07:00 PM
Mike from OK, you been out on the prairie too long. In case YOU haven’t noticed, the Bucs defense was #2 in the NFL last year. The remainder of the trash you spewed was just wishful thinking.
Posted by todd, PSJ on 07/16 at 06:18 PM
NFL NETWORK just said that BRETT FAVRE was sighted eating dinner in Tampa the other night. And Possibly Bruce Allen was there also. No kidding I just heard it. What it means I don’t know.
Posted by mike posson, Tulsa,Ok on 07/16 at 06:14 PM
As the article stated the Bucs main strength has been defense.Which if anyone hasnt noticed no longer exhists.Whereas the Saints strength offense,had only to fill one hole with a proven back-up Goodwin at center.The saints ground improved with blocking tight end Campbells return and the emergance of Thomas.As for thier deep ball problems,that will be masked by the improvements along the D line.The best pass defense is the quarter on his back, and with above average rotations at the tackle and end positions.Those fresh legs will equal headaches for o-lines. Also the addition Vilma should allow for more stunts and blitzing from the edges which forces teams to get rid of the ball faster. Virtually eliminating the deep ball threat
Posted by Jason, Tampa, FL on 07/16 at 05:15 PM
The head to head of the Bucs/Saints does not mean anything. Don’t forget, the Saints swept the Bucs the year Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl…
Posted by Bill Byrne, Marietta, Georgia 30064 on 07/16 at 03:28 PM
The BUCS defense is solid and although the off-season concerns about our receivers has been a focus, the addition of Faine at center and Dunn and Bennett catching passes out of the backfield, the wide receiver concerns are secondary. Allen and Gruden have built a solid team for 2008. Injuries are the only obstacles in the way of a division championship.
Go BUCS!!!!!
Posted by Kurt, Charlotte, NC on 07/16 at 02:51 PM
Barring any problems at the QB position, we should win the division. The Saints have done a fairly good job of retooling, but like the article said, their secondary is toast. We’ve improved in every aspect of our team while I’m not so sure that’s the case with the other teams in the division (although Carolina did do a lot.) Bucs/Panthers/Saints/Falcons is how I see it. There is a very fine line between the top 3 with a significant dropoff for Atlanta.
Posted by Oliver, Chester, United Kingdom on 07/16 at 02:39 PM
Everyone is writing off the Bucs, in most cases to finish 3rd behind Carolina, but I firmly believe that the Bucs are still the strongest side in the division.
The Saints should be better than last year - but the Bucs can still win the division.
Posted by Ben Talley, DeRidder, Louisiana on 07/16 at 01:55 PM
That is a nice article. However, I would invite you to check the stats of wins/losses of the two teams head to head since they became division rivals. Even when the Saints weren’t very good, the Bucs/Saints games were always tough, close and hard fought games usually with the visiting team winning in the last minutes. In 06, the Saints swept the Bucs and the Bucs repaid the Saints in 07 with a seep of the Saints.
The Saints are plenty enough improved on defense to slow down and even consistently stop the Bucs on offense. The Saints offense consistently torches some of the best defenses in the NFL and the Bucs defense will be no different.
Posted by todd, PSJ on 07/16 at 01:47 PM
No surprise here !!! Of course its going to happen.
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Posted by jason jesse, cocoa beach on 07/16 at 08:54 PM
Honestly, the Bucs were pretty good on defense last year, but the offense was still pretty bad. We made the play offs because we sucked the least out the NFC South…not because we were good. That’s why we got blown out at home in the first game of the playoffs.
I’m very happy with the play of our yopung guys on defense, and as long as we finish in the top 5 defense again next year I’ll be happy. The fact remains our offense stinks. Galloway is our only weapon, and he isn’t THAT good to carry the whole team.
The other NFC team will be better this year, we need to be too.