Saints 2007 Preview: The Real Miracle Season

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's New Orleans' outlook.

2006 record: 10-6

2006 Offense: The #1 offense in the league. Drew Brees. Reggie Bush. Deuce McAllister. Marques Colston. Devery Henderson. All led by Sean Payton, who has proved to be one of the most innovative offensive coaches in the NFL after but one year. Yeah, it was pretty good.

2006 Defense: The Saints ran an unusual defense last year -- the break but don't bend variety (yes, you read that correctly). Their job primarily was just to get the ball back to the offense, either by forcing an early three-and-out or by quickly giving up the big score. And they succeeded one way or the other. They still finished with the 11th overall defense, but causing turnovers was a major problem.

2006 Special Teams: Between Lance Moore, Michael Lewis, and Bush, the team did well enough returning the ball. Kickoffs were a problem though, so much so that the team had to waste a roster spot on Billy Cundiff, a kickoff specialist who still couldn't boom touchbacks into the endzone. John Carney retained his accuracy, but lost even more distance on his field goals. From the blocked punt that sparked the Superdome reopening, to Bush's first NFL touchdown (a game-winning punt return against Tampa), this unit produced some of the most memorable plays of the season.
Coaching: Payton did pretty well for himself. He overhauled the roster. He changed the culture of losing. He re-connected the team with the struggling city. And he took them to historic lengths in the playoffs. It was all enough for him to earn the Coach of the Year. Beyond that, the Saints have a handful of future head coaches on the staff, most notably defense coordinator Gary Gibbs and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Doug Marrone, who did the best job with his unit out of all the position coaches last year.

Draft: Last year, the Saints wound up starting two-and-a-half of their draft picks all season long (Colston, guard/Pro Bowl snub Jahri Evans, and Bush, sorta). This year's collection hasn't made nearly as much an impact, but there aren't as many jobs up for grabs. Robert Meachem has been a complete non-factor. Corner/third-rounder Usama Young and linebacker/seventh-round selection Marvin Mitchell will play the most right away, though both will only play situationally. Guard Andy Alleman and offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod are second-teamers at their respective positions.

New additions: The Saints brought in players to fix every single one of their weak spots, most of which come on defense. Cornerback Jason David and defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy have won starting jobs, while safety Kevin Kaesviharn and linebacker Brian Simmons will play a good amount. Eric Johnson will make this offense even better if he can stay healthy.

Three keys:
1. Can the defense force more turnovers? With ballhawks David and Kaesviharn in the secondary, and inspired play from defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith, they should come.
2. Can they also stop the run? For all of the talk about the Saints' secondary, it was the run defense that really failed them. They're better and deeper up the middle, though, so improvement should be made.
3. Can Brees stay healthy? Despite all of the talent on this roster, they are nothing if he misses extended time.

Prediction: This team is absolutely ready to prove that last year was no fluke. There's a lot of Super Bowl talk, and it's not unconfounded, but I don't expect Payton to let the collective ego to get too large. The Saints should win the NFC South handily, and can have an easy path to the Super Bowl if they get homefield advantage. After they beat the Colts on Thursday, a 12-4 record won't seem ridiculous.

Gratuitous YouTube: Will Smith isn't afraid of sharks. You think he's afraid of offensive linemen?