The New Orleans Saints are preparing to make a statement in the NFL next season and, little by little, the rest of the world is starting to take notice.
After a disheartening season last year in which the Saints could not even manage to finish above .500, the team, the coaches and the loyal Saints fans are ready for a change for the better. The stigma of the bountygate is finally over. No one even cares to recall the injustices suffered by the team under the restrictions imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the New Orleans team. That’s over. Let’s move on.
After an entire season without head coach Sean Payton even being in New Orleans, the city has welcomed its favorite coach back with open arms and expectations are high for a good showing by the Saints this coming year.
Part of the overall optimism is due to the new defensive scheme being introduced by new Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan. The Saints D will be making the switchover from a 4-3 to a 3-4 line up. Put simply, this means that the Saints will only be playing three guys up on the defensive line of scrimmage with what amounts to four linebackers backing them up.
Last season the Saints D set an all-time record for the worst defense in the history of the NFL. They are determined to live that bad rep down this year and make any team pay that takes them lightly.
So far things are going very well indeed. Saints Quarterback Drew Brees recently told reporters that he was quite impressed with how the new defense was shaping up under Ryan’s supervision. The new DC told the press, “I’ve been really impressed with how much these guys love football, how much they study, and what quick learners they are.”
Las Vegas linemakers are also keeping a close eye on the Saints offseason development. Currently one can wager on the New Orleans team as an over and under bet on total number of wins for the regular season. Vegas has the Saints at 9.5 wins with the Over at +120 and the Under at -140.
New Orleans is listed as 9-to-1 favorites to win the NFC and 18-to-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl.
But if you ask anyone down in ‘Who ‘Dat Nation’ about those numbers, they will tell you that they are all wrong. Their Saints will win 10 or more games and probably go to the Super Bowl!
