2010 NFL Predictions: New Orleans Saints

July 27, 2010

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints put together an amazing playoff run that ended in a Super Bowl victory. After finishing the season with 3 consecutive losses, many football experts had them slated as a non-contender that would be bounced from the playoffs early. The Saints started their 2009 campaign with 13 straight wins and were threatening the Patriots regular season record of 16-0. However, they stubbed their toe against a good Dallas team, and decided to mail it in the last 2 games. This had many NFL experts wondering if they would be mentally ready for the playoffs. They were!

Drew Brees is quite possibly the best quarterback in the league. Peyton Manning fans may argue, but Brees was better in almost every quarterbacking category last year. He finished the year with 4388 yards passing and 34 touchdowns. His 109.6 quarterback rating was tops amongst all starters. His most impressive stat by far in 2010 was his 70.6 completion percentage. This is an incredible number, and shows just how accurate Brees is. Brees doesn’t have a single superstar on his offense, but has the ability to spread the wealth more than any other QB in the game.

The top running back for New Orleans only had 793 yards rushing. Pierre Thomas only had 147 carries last year, but made the most of them as he averaged a solid 5.4 yards per rush. His 6 touchdowns wasn’t overly impressive, but Brees is so accurate from anywhere on the field that head coach Sean Payton had no problem throwing the ball inside the 10 yard line. This may have been bad news fro Thomas, Bell and Reggie Bush, but the Saints receivers loved it.

Drew Brees managed to throw touchdowns to 10 different receivers in 2009. The fact that he can check all the way down his progressions and throw a touchdown to his 4th or 5th target makes it next to impossible for most NFL defenses to defend. Marques Colston led the way again for the receiver group last season. He caught 70 passes for 1074 yards and 9 touchdowns. He is a great route runner that has a great knack for getting separation. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem combined for 1526 yards and 11 touchdowns as Brees’ 2nd and 3rd receivers. After leaving the New York Giants, Jeremy Shockey was thought to be a flash in the pan that was over-rated. He has come to the Saints and fit in perfectly with their scheme. He caught a respectable 48 passes for 569 yards last season, and will be looked upon to do the same if not more in years to come.

New Orleans defense may have finished way down in the 25th position in terms of yards allowed, but that number is not indicative of how good they actually are. Their offense was so good that it put many of their opponents in a hole early. This forced the other teams coaching staff to change up the game plan regardless of what their offensive scheme may be. The New Orleans secondary was routinely worked out in the second half of games as they found themselves being attack with the pass. They allowed 235 yards passing which is slightly higher than they would have liked, but when you have the offense they do, you can’t really be too upset. The coaching staff clearly doesn’t think there’s too much to worry about defensively as they used only 2 of their 6 draft picks on that side of the ball. One of them happened to be their first selection. Patrick Robinson is a highly rated cornerback out of Florida St, and will be expected to give the team flexibility in regards to their backfield. New Orleans was one of the top teams in the league in terms of takeaways as they were led by safety Darren Sharper who had 9 interceptions in 2009. They are in great shape heading into this season, and will improve over last season’s numbers.

As a whole the 2010 Saints look to be as loaded as they were last year. They are currently listed as the second favorite behind Indianapolis to win this years’ Super Bowl. The over/ under for wins by the Saints this season has been set at 10.5. This may seem like an easy over, but they have a much tougher schedule to navigate in 2010. It is very hard to repeat as Champions of the NFL, but if any team can do it, it’s this New Orleans Saints squad.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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