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08/22/08 - 09:41 PM
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Drew Brees knows he’s got it good right now.
It’s not simply the luxury of throwing to a Marques Colston-led
receiving corps that has helped him rack up more than 8,800 yards
passing during the past two seasons.
Reggie Bush has recovered from a knee injury that caused him to
miss the last four games of 2007. Deuce McAllister’s comeback from
a second knee reconstruction in three seasons got off to a
promising start in the preseason.
Now add four-time Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey, along with
much improved second-year wide receiver Robert Meachem, and the New
Orleans Saints have the ingredients to be an offensive juggernaut.
“Realistically, we have an opportunity right here because we
have the pieces of the puzzle in place,” Brees said. “There are
those windows of opportunity for every team and this is a window of
opportunity for the New Orleans Saints.”
At least on one side of the ball.
Questions remain on defense, an area the Saints sought to
address in the offseason after giving up a slew of big plays during
a 2007 campaign that ended at 7-9 and short of the playoffs.
The Saints’ defense ranked 26th last season in yards allowed per
game (348.1), 30th against the pass (245.2) and 13th against the
run (102.9).
“Guys understand that on our side of the ball, we have to hold
up our end of the bargain,” said Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, a
defensive captain last season. “Everyone knows that, it’s obvious.
I mean, if we had been able to do that the last two seasons, who
knows how far we would have gone. Our offense is doing their part.
We need to do ours.”
To that end, New Orleans has added new personnel to the
defensive line, linebacker corps and defensive backfield.
The Saints traded a draft pick for veteran linebacker Jonathan
Vilma, a former Pro Bowl selection with the Jets. Then they
acquired former Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray, former Patriots
cornerback Randall Gay and former Jacksonville cornerback Aaron
Glenn in free agency.
New Orleans’ top pick in the draft, seventh overall, was
Southern California standout defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, who
has looked strong throughout training camp and is expected to
start.
The Saints’ second pick was Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter, who
has spent some time practicing with the first team during training
camp.
Coaches also hope to see improvement from 2007 draft picks such
as cornerback Usama Young and linebacker Marvin Mitchell.
Head coach Sean Payton, now in his third season, has declined to
single out players or position groups that might have been most
responsible for the Saints’ defensive woes last season.
“It would be hard to just point to one specific thing,” he
said. “When we spent time in the offseason studying things that we
could improve on, we gave up a large number of big plays where you
might be playing the proper technique and the proper defense but on
one given play, you give up a 40-yard chunk. There are a number of
areas that we would like to see improvement in. Generally, good
defenses are good team defenses.”
Still, the Saints want to see improvement from specific players.
Cornerback Jason David was the Saints’ highest-profile acquisition
during free agency before the 2007 season. But while David played
well in a zone coverage scheme for the 2006 Super Bowl champion
Indianapolis Colts, he was beaten on numerous big plays last season
in the Saints’ man-to-man scheme.
While coaches say he’s looked better in training camp, he was
beaten on a 26-yard touchdown and three other first-down passes
during the Saints’ 31-27 preseason loss to Houston. The Louisiana
Superdome crowd noticed, and booed.
The Saints also want to see defensive end Charles Grant come
back stronger from a down season in 2007, when he received an
enormous pay raise but had only 2½ sacks. Grant attended a
weight-loss clinic at Duke over the summer and reported to camp in
better shape. Grant, however, could be distracted by legal issues.
He was indicted in May on an involuntary manslaughter charge
stemming from a February nightclub fight in which he was stabbed in
the neck and a woman died.
There have been recent injury problems as well. Defensive tackle
Hollis Thomas, who also attended a weight-loss clinic and appeared
to be in better shape than recent seasons, tore his triceps in
practice and is out until mid-October at least. Fifth-round draft
pick DeMario Pressley, a defensive lineman, will miss this season
because of foot surgery. Projected starting cornerback Mike
McKenzie has been recovering from torn knee ligaments late last
season, limiting him early in camp and preseason games. He expects
to be ready by opening day, however.
After the preseason loss to the Texans, Payton used the words
“frustrating” and “painful” to describe what it was like to
watch his defense perform. Not a good sign, but the regular season
doesn’t start until the Saints open at home against Tampa Bay on
Sept. 7, so there’s still hope.
Preseason games often are less a barometer of a team’s
competitiveness than they are a chance for coaches to mix and match
personnel in simple game plans so they can determine strengths,
weaknesses and whom to keep on the 53-man regular-season roster.
“There was a concerted effort with how we finished to say that
we have to pay attention to some positions over there and ...
improve ourselves personnel-wise through free agency and the draft.
I don’t think that’s a secret,” Payton said. “When it ends every
year, the team that wins the championship is typically playing very
good defense at that time of the season.”

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