HEAD COACH: Joe Vitt (interim Head Coach while Sean Payton serves season-long suspension)
Key Additions: DL Brodrick Bunkley; LB David Hawthorne; LB Curtis Lofton; LB Chris Chamberlain; OL Ben Grubbs
Key Losses: WR Robert Meacham; CB Tracy Porter; LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar; DL Shaun Rogers; OL Carl Nicks
Offense: What more needs to be said about the Saints offense after the record setting year they had in 2011?
Quarterback Drew Brees broke the all-time NFL record for passing yardage in a single season as well as the completion percentage by throwing for 5,476 yards and completing 71.2 percent of his passes to go with 46 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions. Brees' backup will be Chase Daniel.
The number of weapons for Brees to choose from is awesome as wide receivers include Marques Colston (80 catches for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns), Devery Henderson (32, 503, two TD), Lance Moore (52, 627, eight TD) and tight end Jimmy Graham, who led the team with 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and eleven touchdowns. Rookie pick Nick Toon (Wisconsin) may get a chance to contribute as well.
The running backs are also relied upon in a big way in the passing game with Darren Sproles (86 receptions for 710 yards and seven touchdowns) and Pierre Thomas (50, 425, one TD) providing consistent targets for Brees.
Speaking of running backs, the Saints have a quartet of runners in Thomas, who ran for 562 yards with a 5.1 ypc average and five touchdowns. Sproles led the team with 603 yards and had a 6.9 ypc with two touchdowns in addition to taking a punt return back for a score and finishing in the top five in kickoff returns. In fact, Sproles set the NFL record last season with 2,969 all-purpose yards.
In addition to those guys, New Orleans features Mark Ingram (474 rush yards and five TD) and Chris Ivory, who ran for 374 yards and one touchdown in limited action.
The line provides decent pass protection (only 24 QB sacks allowed) while opening the holes for the backs in the explosive offense. The center is Brian de la Puente and the guards are Ben Grubbs and Jahri Evans. The tackles will be Jermon Bushrod and Charles Brown. In reserve are Eric Olsen, Matt Tennant, Zach Strief and rookies Andrew Tiller and Marcel Jones.
The Saints led the league in offense in 2011, piling up a record 7,474 yards while averaging 467 yards per game. The passing game was first with 334 yards per game and the running game finished sixth overall, gaining 133 yards per game. New Orleans scored 547 points, which was second in the league.
Defense: Improvement is needed here as the team simply gave up too much yardage last year, especially against the pass.
The Saints allowed 369 yards a game, ranking 24th in the NFL, including giving up 260 yards through the air, which was 30th overall. The run defense was respectable, allowing 109 yards, which put the Saints at 12th in the league. Better pressure on opposing quarterbacks is also needed as the team had only 33 quarterback sacks a year ago.
New Orleans uses the 4-3 scheme and has ends Cameron Jordan and Turk McBride. The tackles are Sedrick Ellis and free agent Brodrick Bunkley. Also on hand is Junior Galette (4 1/2 QB sacks), Remi Ayodele, Greg Romeus, pass rush specialist Will Smith (6 1/2 sacks), Mitch King, Tom Johnson and rookie Akiem Hicks.
The linebacking unit was made over as starter Jonathan Vilma was suspended by the league for the entire season in the "bounty gate" scandal that rocked the team in the off-season.
The Saints signed three new linebackers for 2012, with two of them lining up as starters.
Outside linebacker Scott Shanle, who is a holdover, will be joined by free agent David Hawthorne on the outside while Curtis Lofton, another free agent signee, will play the middle spot.
Chris Chamberlain was also inked to a deal and will be on hand along with Jonathan Casillas and Martez Wilson at linebacker.
The secondary has Roman Harper (7 1/2 sacks) and Malcolm Jenkins as the safeties with Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson playing cornerback. Robinson made four of the team's nine interceptions last season.
Reserves include Jonathon Amaya, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Johnny Patrick and rookie Corey White.
OUTLOOK: There is no doubt the team will continue score at will (or so it seems) with Brees and company. The Saints topped 30 or more points ten times last season, including 40-plus points six times, with a 62-point effort against Indianapolis during a blowout win.
Stopping the opposition better will be important in 2012, evidenced the Saints couldn't do it when it counted most... in the playoffs.
Also in the mix will be the "bounty gate" scandal as a key defensive player (Vilma) and Head Coach Sean Payton are both suspended for the entire season by the league.
Whether that will be a big distraction or not remains to be seen because the Saints offense is a machine and did not miss a beat when it was called by an assistant coach for a time last year when Payton was up in the coach's booth due to a knee injury he suffered from a collision during a game.
As long as Brees is healthy and the weapons remain intact, the Saints are always going to be in the game.
Barring any major injuries to key players, count on the Saints making it back to the playoffs following an 11-5 season with the offense scoring 30-plus a game once again.
Once the playoffs start, the defense has to show they can do their part if the Saints want to get back to the Super Bowl, which is a possibility this season.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
Week 1- vs. Washington
Week 2- at Carolina
Week 3- vs. Kansas City
Week 4- at Green Bay
Week 5- vs. San Diego
Week 6- BYE
Week 7- at Tampa Bay
Week 8- at Denver
Week 9- vs. Philadelphia
Week 10- vs. Atlanta
Week 11- at Oakland
Week 12- vs. San Francisco
Week 13- at Atlanta
Week 14- at NY Giants
Week 15- vs. Tampa Bay
Week 16- at Dallas
Week 17- vs. Carolina
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