2009 NFL season in review: New Orleans Saints

Finally we come to the reining Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. They won the Super Bowl in their very first apperance in the big game, and we got to believe the San Diego Chargers are kicking themselves for letting QB Drew Brees get away from them. We know the general rule bad NFL teams make bad decisions, and good NFL teams know when to take a risk on a player or two. The Saints have become a good NFL team, and an excellent NFL organization. I can think of no city that deserves a Super Bowl win more, well maybe Detroit.

In 2009 the Saints offense scored 510 points or 31.9 points per game. It seemed for much of the year they could score at will. Brees completed 70.6% of his passes, threw for 4,490 yards and 34 TD’s while only throwing 12 interceptions. Those numbers are just awesome. On the ground they gained 2,106 yards but did not feature a 1,000 yard rusher. Instead Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell each had very productive seasons.

The Saints defense gave up 341 points or 21.3 per game, and that was good enough for the 20th best 2009 NFL defense. That total is a little high, and had they not had such a high power offense it would be a real concern. The good news there is they get two 2009 draft picks back from injury for 2010, and have the draft to address their number one weakness an awful run defense. In 2009 they gave up over 122 rushing yards per game. Addressing this need seems to be their highest priority in the draft. However wit ha number of restricted and unrestricted free agent determining an actual draft strategy is somewhat difficult.

Related Links:

•New Orleans Saints news and notes
•2010 NFL Draft news, notes, and rumors
•2010 NFL Free Agents
•2010 NFL Mock Drafts
•MTR Football.com