CreoleJoe

Great assessment Roger! I'll give it a go myself... The Let me start with: The Worst Defense Ever! The 81 Colts gave up 6793 yards, a record that stood 31 years. Well the Saints went ahead and obliterated that by nearly 250 yards, giving up 7042 a record that might possibly never be broken. At least in our lifetimes.LOL. In 12 games, the Saints gave up over 400 yards, and over 500 in four of those. The league average is 347.2 YPG, and only once did the Saints hold an opponent below that: a 23-13 loss to Atlanta and was made possible by five Drew Brees interceptions. My assessment of 2013: Bon voyage, Steve Spagnuolo! An anonymous Saints player ripped the defensive coordinator, claiming Spags would never make adjustments, never took input from players, and forced his system upon a team not used to his style. You think Spags would be more revered than the mouthy Ryan, but that's not the case. Spags was razzed for being emotionless and short on patience, whereas Ryan is thus far rebuilding the defense to fit the players. Early rumors are that the Saints defense is experimenting with odd formations. Among the unique setups are three rushing outside linebackers, with even DE Will Smith working as both an inside and outside back. The Saints bane in sacks and general pass rush put much pressure on their secondary. Ryan hopes to remedy this by throwing as many pass rushers as possible onto the field, coming from every direction. While Ryan doesn't have a DeMarcus Ware that he can position anywhere, he does have Vaccaro. Vaccaro possesses a great herding instinct, drawing receivers away from the sideline and off their natural routes, which the Saints desperately needed. While his run coverage skills are questionable, he's had flashes of brilliance, and is capable of being developed. On offense, there isn't much to add to an already stellar squad. Brees threw a career-high 670 times last season (his fifth time over 600), and much of those throws came as he tried to undo the damage his defense had done. Sean Payton returns from his "BountyGate" suspension, and was given a contract that makes him the highest paid coach in league history. After watching his team crumble under the weight of a tough 2012 schedule, Payton's taking out that frustration with what tackle Zach Strief's -calling too much energy. Now that's not a complaint, the team is apparently feeding off both Payton's manic vibe, as well as the comfort of simply having their leader back. Workouts and OTAs were said to have been brisk, and every single contracted Saint attended, a first for the team. It remains to be seen if the Saints will accentuate the running game more. 65 percent of the team's offensive plays were design-pass last season, but Brees seems to handle the load fine. But regardless, New Orleans was ranked 25th in rushing offense in 2012. The competition at left tackle between Charles Brown, Terron Armstead, and Jason Smith could determine if Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, and Pierre Thomas get more carries. After all, Jermon Bushrod no longer has Brees' blindside. Other than that the Saints offense is largely the same, except for the losses of Bushrod and Chris Ivory. But of all twenty teams that missed the playoffs last year, it's the Saints I think who will take the biggest leap forward. Next up:

Surprise! Surprise! Obviously, the NFL Network and NFL .com are just trying to gin up off-season interest (and it's working like a charm) because there is no way that Jimmy Graham is left off a top 100 list, much less a top 10 and everyone knows it. This list is nothing but a popularity contest, a Prom King vote, and nothing more. But that's okay, New Orleans always gets snubbed somehow, somewhere. And I know there are a lot of Saints haters around the league and I'm sure it has a lot to do with Bountygate and our success over that same timeframe of 2009-11. But IMO, that's just the way I like it. Being a Saints lifer I've seen we work best under the radar. If we are being bragged on..that's when I worry! Jimmy is gonna use this well. GEAUX SAINTS!!!

A little article I found, thought I would post it. GEAUX SAINTS!!!

From a Saints fan, I give you guys a A! Just because you upgraded your major weakness and turned it into a strength. IMO it's more or less a wait and see thing, if the talent comes together you guys are a playoff team. If Josh Freeman can be more consistent, you guys are a playoff team. Also the ball is in Schiano’s court now, cause these off-season grades won’t mean JACK if he can’t get these guys on the same page. Just Ask Andy Reid. Good luck this season!

Now I'm taking this off of the NFC West thread of the same name. As a template to copy and paste. Offense QB - Drew Brees NO HB - Doug Martin TB FB - Mike Tolbert CAR WR - Vincent Jackson TB WR - Roddy White ATL TE - Jimmy Graham NO LT - Sam Baker ATL LG - Carl Nicks TB C - Ryan Kalil CAR RG - Jahri Evans NO RT - Zach Strief NO Defense - Running a 4-3 DE - Charles Johnson CAR DE - Greg Hardy CAR DT - Gerald McCoy TB DT - Dwan Edwards CAR OLB - Lavonte David TB OLB - Sean Weatherspoon ATL ILB - Luke Kuechly CAR CB - Asante Samuel ATL CB - Dunta Robinson ATL FS - Ronde Barber TB SS - William Moore ATL Special Teams K - Matt Bryant ATL P - Thomas Morstead NO Ret - Darren Sproles NO ST - Dekota Watson TB

He's one of those players everyone wishes they had on their team. Sad to see a legend pass away. One of the greatest defensive ends EVER to play the game! R.I.P Deac!

1. Ricky Jackson 2. Willie Roaf 3. Pat Swilling 4. Drew Brees After that, there are a whole bunch of guys who were very good, and deserve a mention but not considered "All Time Greats" IMO. Jahri Evans is well on his way and could join or replace one of those in another couple of years. Colston and Horn both get discussion, and obviously Colston is still playing so he could increase his chances. Forgot Morten Anderson he was really good. IMO Deuce McAlister and Archie Manning were both good players but were a bit overrated b/c they were the best parts of bad teams, so people have very fond memories of them doing a lot of good things! The other two members of the Dome Patrol(Mills & Johnson)should all merit discussion. IMPO, the whole Dome Patrol unit deserves a spot ranked #1 linebacking core of all time!! But that's what my MT Rushmore would look like as of now. GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Moss will get into the Hall of Fame regardless of his off-field baggage, sloppy routes and occasional disinterest. Does he deserve to be in Canton? Certainly! When Moss wanted to play, no one was more dangerous.

Favorite Team: New Orleans Saints Favorite Player: Drew Brees Favorite Moment: Winning Super Bowl XLIV. And also attending our first home game on Sept.25th 2006 in NO after Katrina hit....we beat down the dirtybirds 23-3 in front of a sold-out crowd of over 70,000!

Just clearing some cap space. The renegotiated deal saves us $3.44 million for this year by dropping his 2013 cap figure from $7.1 to $3.66 million, which places us nearly at $5.2 million under the salary cap. Good move by Roman and he can still be an effective part of this defense. He and Malcolm were horrid last year but part of that was Spags’ scheme. Roman had 7 1/2 sacks a couple seasons ago and he’s got two Pro Bowls so he can be effective in a more aggressive kind of unit. Cap will still be rough the next few years but if more players(hopefully Brees) make moves like this then things will be fine.