One of the more interesting aspects of the 2010 regular season will be seeing just how the Saints’ opponents will attempt to slow down the defending Super Bowl champs. Predictably, teams tend to focus a little more when facing a defending champion. They’ll look to see what exactly made the Saints so special and how to best counter it.
The challenge for the NFC South and the rest of the Saints’ 2010 opponents will start with slowing down the best offense in football. The trouble is, it’s hard to key on just one weapon. The Saints are known for spreading the ball around to multiple play-makers. And, in 2009, the Saints added a whole new dimension to their attack by running the ball more consistently than they ever had before under coach Sean Payton.
Since Payton took over in 2006, it seems the only team that can severely hurt the Saints offense is the Saints themselves. Penalties, turnovers and dropped balls seemed to plague the team in the non-playoff years of 2007 and 2008. It was something that the team did a fantastic job of correcting last season, and you saw the result.
To me, that’s the biggest challenge the 2010 edition of the Saints will face. Maintaining a balanced attack and mental focus will be a huge factor in determining just how far this team will go. Because, let’s face it, as long as Drew Brees is healthy most teams will have an awful lot of trouble keeping the Saints off of the scoreboard.
But the 2009 Saints weren’t just a one-dimensional team. Their defense was also instrumental in bringing a championship to New Orleans.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams turned a previously dormant group into a pack of wild dogs who attacked relentlessly. The result was a unit that pressured the quarterback and caused a slew of key turnovers. It’s no stretch to say that this team wouldn’t have won either the NFC Championship Game against Minnesota or the Super Bowl against Indianapolis without big plays from the defense.
Williams seems to thrive on making his unit unpredictable. Exotic blitzes and coverages that wreak havoc on an opposing quarterback’s thought process.
I think that unpredictability will be a major factor in 2010. As any gambler will tell you – you win some and you lose some. Teams will be more prepared for what this defense will throw at them this season. So it’s up to Williams to continue to change things up just enough to throw opponents off.
A large part of continuing to win after you’ve had success in the NFL is about making adjustments. We know teams will adjust to what the Saints did in 2009. Sean Payton and company will have to deftly counter with their own set of adjustments. If they do, another victory parade in the French Quarter may become a reality.
Prediction: 12-4
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