Don't Believe the Hype: Saints

It's August, meaning we all think our favorite teams are Super Bowl contenders. Some teams get more championship hype than others, however. In this series, we look at those fawned-over franchises and their potential flaws and advise: Don't Believe the Hype.

Saints fans are no strangers to preseason hype; it seems the only year this decade the team wasn't predicted to be a contender was in 2006, when they of course went 10-6 and made the NFC championship game. This offseason is no different. Jon Gruden thinks they've got a real shot at the big game. And he's not alone.

The team significantly improved its defense via personnel and the hiring of coordinator Gregg Williams, and the offense remains intact (and might actually be improved if Robert Meachem makes the jump to every-down receiver, as has been discussed). If the defense can improve, the team should be dangerous. But alas, there are issues ...

1. The Running Backs

Pierre Thomas has been underestimated his entire NFL career -- until this offseason, when the cruel mistress called expectation caught up to him after a stellar end to last season. While Thomas has responded well to every bit of responsibility thus far, he has still yet to play a full 16 as a workhorse back. The team has been woeful running the ball since the beginning of the 2007 season. And if Thomas fails to make plays on a consistent basis or can't stand up to the rigors of a full season, this team is still going to struggle in short-yardage and red-zone situations, its only weakness on offense last year.

Then there's Reggie Bush. We all know the book on Bush thus far -- he's been electric, he's been horrific, he's been on the sidelines in street clothes -- and 2009 is a very important year in his career development, as he's getting closer to the point in his rookie contract where it becomes palatable for the Saints to let him go. But first things first -- this year. While people have raved about Bush's bettered preparation and dedication, he's still missing practices as he gets his knee 100 percent.

Both he and the team say it was in their recovery plans to give him some regular rest and that he's on track with no worries, we're still talking about a guy who hasn't played 16 games since his rookie year, a guy who's battled issues with his knees before. Bush, more than perhaps any other back in the league, needs his knees at full health to make an impact.

Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton are not a terrible one-two punch in the backfield, but they don't provide the type of running game you can rely on. So it's important for Thomas and Bush to both meet expectations this year.

2. The Outside Linebackers

Jonathan Vilma is gravy, everything you can hope for in a player, and by all accounts he's having a fantastic camp. Unfortunately, the Saints don't run a 6-1-4 base defense, and the players flanking Vilma (weakside linebacker Scott Shanle and Scott Fujita on the strongside) are liabilities.

Fujita and Shanle, both mainstays in the starting lineup from the beginning of the Sean Payton era, are blue collar players with good character, but neither has the speed to catch a running back turning the corner. Neither can keep up with an athletic tight end (they'll have to deal with Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez this year). Neither has the athleticism to provide a strong pass rush.

The defense may improve this year, but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link(s), and in this chain there are two links that are rusted over and brittle.

3. The Four-Game Suspensions

Some would rightfully consider Charles Grant and Will Smith, the team's starting ends, roughly $125 million of wasted salary. The two have been underwhelming since signing almost matching big-money deals a year apart. But they're still starters because the team has had no one better to push them (and, humorously, too much money tied into the position to add a prominent free agent or draft pick). As such, losing them both for the first four games of the season is going to hurt.

Make no mistake, there are things to like about the group the team has behind them -- Bobby McCray, Paul Spicer, Anthony Hargrove, and Jeff Charleston. But none are every-down ends. McCray is a pass-rusher, Spicer is an end-tackle tweener, and Charleston's potential is maxed at rotational player. Hargrove has an intriguing athleticism and skill set, and has coaches raving about him, but we're in a wait-and-see mode on whether or not he's overcome the mental and emotional problems that betrayed his potential earlier in his career. He's a mystery.

The Saints' first four games don't appear to be backbreakers -- Lions, at Eagles, at Jets, Bills -- so the team might come out of that stretch at 2-2 or better. They have to. After consecutive slow starts to the season, this team needs to come out of the gate hard -- especially the defense, which is tired of being considered the team's albatross and ready to prove their worth.