There's really no reason why the Saints can't repeat as Super Bowl champions in terms of their personnel or mindset. They're returning everybody on offense, Scott Fugita is the only significant departure from their defense whose replacement is questionable, and Drew Brees is still a top three quarterback in the league. The team still has the swagger that they had when they were talking about going 19-0 through most of last season, so why won't they win in Dallas at the end of this year? With history against them as well as defensive flaws, New Orleans would have to catch a couple of huge breaks to make it to the title again this season.
Nobody questions that the Saints have a prolific offense. What people should question is how often a 25th ranked defense will win the Super Bowl. This unit was opportunistic more than good, and though they took the ball away more than anybody outside of Green Bay, will that type of production hold up if Darren Sharper's knee keeps him out of the lineup? His meaning to the unit goes beyond statistical production as, along with Jon Vilma, he is a leader of the defense. Even if Malcolm Jenkins is a step up at the safety position in terms of talent, I have my doubts as to whether this unit will have another 26 interceptions in 2010 without his voice in the back. The defense came up with timely interceptions in the Super Bowl and NFC Championship, but it wasn't like they held the Viking offense to single digits. Will Smith and the rest of the defensive line will put enough pressure on the passer to keep the picks up and if Jenkins plays he'll certainly have the talent, but it's still a mystery as to whether or not that will be enough to replace Sharper's consistent leadership. Without a dependable defense, the Saints may put on a show again, but it's unlikely they'll get through to another Super Bowl.
The Saint offense is no joke. Drew Brees and Sean Payton were a match made in heaven and with their line and weapons like Marques Colston and Devery Henderson on the outside it's hard to imagine the Saints offense finishing outside of the top 5 in total offense. They have a three pronged attack in the backfield with Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and newcomer Lynell Hamilton, and even though I hate Reggie it's still an impressive unit that will put up points. Bush ran like a new back in the postseason and they're hoping that he'll finally turn into the player that they thought he'd be, but it seems as if that's the case every season. Expect him to be the same as last year only with a little less personal hardware in his trophy case. Jeremy Shockey has apparently gotten himself together so maybe the number one offense in the league can still improve.
It's hard to find faults in this team and half the people out there are picking against the Saints purely because they won it last year. It isn't necessarily a mental difference that makes it so hard to repeat, but the fact that so much has to go right for a team to win in the first place makes it almost impossible. Had Favre not played like Brett Favre at the end of regulation then chances are he'd be out of the league or Manning wouldn't be talked about as a choke artist again. That doesn't mean the Saints aren't going to entertain this year, but don't book your playoff tickets just yet. The NFC South is the worst to first division after all and that doesn't bode well when you're already on top.
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