NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 2009 PREVIEW
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 2009 PREVIEW
By Andy Benoit, www.NFLTouchdown.com
If a man in a New Orleans Saints shirt ever passed a man wearing a Phoenix Suns hat on a street somewhere, you can bet the two would briefly lock eyes and exchange looks of empathy. For, the man in the Suns hat knows what the man in the Saints shirt is going through. The Suns fan has spent the better part of the last five years rooting for a juggernaut offense to carry his favorite team to a title. Sadly, the old saying Defense Wins Championships isn’t just a way to coax focus in young athletes during the boring drills at practice––it actually has merit. So, for the Suns fan, each postseason has proven to be nothing more than emotionally-expensive foreplay, outfitted with “We Believe” signs, thundersticks and homecrowd-unifying T-shirts.
The Saints fan hasn’t even gotten to taste that much of the playoffs. After exploding for a magical post-Katrina 2006 season that saw first-year head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees carry the club to the NFC title game, the Saints have become a beacon of disappointment (7-9 in ’07, 8-8 in ’08). None of the blame can be dumped on Payton or Brees. This offense ranked first in scoring and yardage last season, despite being without top receiving options Marques Colston, Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey, and despite having an utterly putrid rushing attack.
If Saints fans are frustrated seeing the team’s high-octane offense go to waste, imagine how general manager Mickey Loomis must feel. Since shrewdly signing Brees––who, you may recall, was originally a risky free agent investment after major shoulder surgery––and striking gold in the ’06 draft with Bush (first round), Colston (seventh round) and outstanding right guard Jahri Evans (fourth round), Loomis has wisely focused on constructing a formidable defense.
He locked former first-round star pass-rushers Charles Grant and Will Smith into long-term deals. Last year, he brought in ascending speed-rusher Bobby McCray and spent the No. 7 overall pick on defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. He also traded for Jonathan Vilma, a productive 27-year-old middle linebacker who played well enough to earn a new five-year, $34 million contract. Loomis hasn’t ignored the secondary, either. Jason David was signed to a rich free agent contract prior to ’07. When the zone-based corner floundered, Loomis tried again, bringing in Randall Gay in ’08. He also drafted Tracy Porter in the second round.
But nothing worked. The Saints defense finished 23rd in yards and 26th in points allowed last season, thanks in large part to a penchant for surrendering big plays (33 pass plays of 25 yards or more, just one less than they gave up in 2007). Injuries continued to be a factor, but not as much as general ineptitude.
So what did Loomis do? He tried even harder. This past offseason, longtime Jaguar defensive end Paul Spicer was brought in to provide depth up front (Spicer may also have to start four games depending on the outcome in the StarCaps steroid case that Grant and Smith, along with Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams, have headlined). Identifying the secondary as this defense’s prime area of weakness, Loomis paid $10 million in guarantees to underrated Bills corner Jabari Greer, assured 33-year-old free safety Darren Sharper of a starting job if he came aboard and drafted Ohio State corner/safety Malcolm Jenkins in the first round.
All these moves give New Orleans a defense that, in terms of strict talent, is in the top half of the NFL. But it’s not Loomis’s player personnel changes that have the Bayou buzzing––it’s the change that Payton made. Facing the tough reality that his team’s defensive scheme was overly-cautious and just plain futile, Payton fired close friend Gary Gibbs after three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator. Then he hired renowned attacker Gregg Williams.
The former Redskins D-coordinator is almost the antithesis of Gibbs. Williams preaches turnovers and aims to dictate tempo and tone. Is he a savior? Well, actually…maybe. A closer look at this roster reveals very few weak spots.
Click here to continue reading or visit: http://www.nfltouchdown.com/new-orleans-saints-2009-preview/
By Andy Benoit, www.NFLTouchdown.com
If a man in a New Orleans Saints shirt ever passed a man wearing a Phoenix Suns hat on a street somewhere, you can bet the two would briefly lock eyes and exchange looks of empathy. For, the man in the Suns hat knows what the man in the Saints shirt is going through. The Suns fan has spent the better part of the last five years rooting for a juggernaut offense to carry his favorite team to a title. Sadly, the old saying Defense Wins Championships isn’t just a way to coax focus in young athletes during the boring drills at practice––it actually has merit. So, for the Suns fan, each postseason has proven to be nothing more than emotionally-expensive foreplay, outfitted with “We Believe” signs, thundersticks and homecrowd-unifying T-shirts.
The Saints fan hasn’t even gotten to taste that much of the playoffs. After exploding for a magical post-Katrina 2006 season that saw first-year head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees carry the club to the NFC title game, the Saints have become a beacon of disappointment (7-9 in ’07, 8-8 in ’08). None of the blame can be dumped on Payton or Brees. This offense ranked first in scoring and yardage last season, despite being without top receiving options Marques Colston, Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey, and despite having an utterly putrid rushing attack.
If Saints fans are frustrated seeing the team’s high-octane offense go to waste, imagine how general manager Mickey Loomis must feel. Since shrewdly signing Brees––who, you may recall, was originally a risky free agent investment after major shoulder surgery––and striking gold in the ’06 draft with Bush (first round), Colston (seventh round) and outstanding right guard Jahri Evans (fourth round), Loomis has wisely focused on constructing a formidable defense.
He locked former first-round star pass-rushers Charles Grant and Will Smith into long-term deals. Last year, he brought in ascending speed-rusher Bobby McCray and spent the No. 7 overall pick on defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. He also traded for Jonathan Vilma, a productive 27-year-old middle linebacker who played well enough to earn a new five-year, $34 million contract. Loomis hasn’t ignored the secondary, either. Jason David was signed to a rich free agent contract prior to ’07. When the zone-based corner floundered, Loomis tried again, bringing in Randall Gay in ’08. He also drafted Tracy Porter in the second round.
But nothing worked. The Saints defense finished 23rd in yards and 26th in points allowed last season, thanks in large part to a penchant for surrendering big plays (33 pass plays of 25 yards or more, just one less than they gave up in 2007). Injuries continued to be a factor, but not as much as general ineptitude.
So what did Loomis do? He tried even harder. This past offseason, longtime Jaguar defensive end Paul Spicer was brought in to provide depth up front (Spicer may also have to start four games depending on the outcome in the StarCaps steroid case that Grant and Smith, along with Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams, have headlined). Identifying the secondary as this defense’s prime area of weakness, Loomis paid $10 million in guarantees to underrated Bills corner Jabari Greer, assured 33-year-old free safety Darren Sharper of a starting job if he came aboard and drafted Ohio State corner/safety Malcolm Jenkins in the first round.
All these moves give New Orleans a defense that, in terms of strict talent, is in the top half of the NFL. But it’s not Loomis’s player personnel changes that have the Bayou buzzing––it’s the change that Payton made. Facing the tough reality that his team’s defensive scheme was overly-cautious and just plain futile, Payton fired close friend Gary Gibbs after three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator. Then he hired renowned attacker Gregg Williams.
The former Redskins D-coordinator is almost the antithesis of Gibbs. Williams preaches turnovers and aims to dictate tempo and tone. Is he a savior? Well, actually…maybe. A closer look at this roster reveals very few weak spots.
Click here to continue reading or visit: http://www.nfltouchdown.com/new-orleans-saints-2009-preview/
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