The official start to the 2012 NFL campaign is nearly underway. Rosters have been decided and every team is on equal footing with a 0-0 record. Will the traditional powerhouses take control early? Will a surprise “sleeper” team like the 2011 Cincinnati Bengals emerge and make the playoffs? Only time will tell.
Offensive Line/Running Game Coach Aaron Kromer met with the media and discussed his new role, facing the Washington Redskins in week one and the Saints’ relationship with the Gulf Coast.
Offensive Line/Running Game Coach Aaron Kromer met with the media and discussed his new role, facing the Washington Redskins in week one and the Saints’ relationship with the Gulf Coast.
When the New Orleans Saints practiced in Cincinnati for two days last week to avoid problems caused by Hurricane Isaac, the visit had an unexpected benefit for UC quarterback Munchie Legaux.
The New Orleans Saints have been transformed in the last six years from a team that hoped to win, and still identified itself with the Ain’ts brand, to a team that expects to win games and championships.
Sean Payton has been the biggest catalyst in that development and transformation, alongside the team’s record-setting quarterback Drew Brees. Luckily Brees is going to be leading the Saints’ train down the path ending in a Super Bowl appearance on February 3.
Of course, the Saints are motivated due to the team’s offseason issues stemming from “Bountygate” and the subsequent suspensions. From a more positive perspective, the team can look to the possibility of becoming the first team to host a Super Bowl as a great motivator.
Despite losing its head coach, and being forced to use an interim-interim head coach for the first six games of the year, the Saints are positioned better than most teams in the league to make the marathon run to this this year’s Championship Game.
And the blueprint is actually quite simple.
Keep Drew Brees Healthy
The New Orleans Saints will not go to the Super Bowl if Drew Brees is not in the lineup. Everyone knows that. Thus it is imperative they do everything in their power to keep Brees upright at all costs.
With Aaron Kromer taking over as interim-interim head coach for the first six games of the season, the offensive line may not get the same kind of quality attention that it ordinarily would. It is crucial that Kromer figures out the proper balance for his time and attention.
Of course, as running game coordinator he may command more attention be given to running the football and racking up the carries. Certainly the team can handle running the ball 30-plus times per game, since it kept five running backs.
And the team brought in one of the best run-blocking offensive guards in the league when it signed Ben Grubbs in March. That should all point to an increase in the number of rushing attempts in 2012.
That will be an important factor in keeping Brees alive and well. And it should open up a multitude of possibilities in play-action and other forms of creative ways to get the ball down the field effectively.
Play Ahead
The Saints have always been a better team when they get ahead early in the game. Saying that is nothing revolutionary, since most other teams are the same way.
But the Saints take playing ahead to another level. When in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, a Saints lead is as good as death for the opposing team. Will Smith, Junior Galette and other Saints pass-rushers seem to smell blood.
With new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo bringing in a new, more conservative defensive approach, the defense should benefit from not giving up as many big plays in the passing game when holding a lead.
And because Spagnuolo has long been an expert on creating pressure with four rushers, the defense should be able to make opposing quarterbacks cry when they consider the pain they’re about to have inflicted upon them.
Quarterbacks will hate the Saints’ solidified pass rush and intelligent coverage schemes. Scoring on the Saints figures to be a lot more difficult than in previous seasons.
Create a Special Season
In the Saints’ 2009 run to the Super Bowl, the special teams unit played an integral role to the success of the football team. Not only did Garrett Hartley transform into Adam Vinatieri with a bigger leg, but all throughout the season, special teams were special for the Saints.
Rarely did another team create a big play against the Saints from special teams. And the New Orleans was aided often by big returns and a plethora of other big plays on special teams. Everyone in the world, seemingly, remembers “Ambush,” the surprise onside kick the Saints executed on the opening second-half kickoff in the Super Bowl against the Colts.
The 2012 version of the Saints are a great football team, but it still is necessary for the team to reprise that performance if it wants to stay home in February and host the Super Bowl. You might be able to say the team will not earn such a lofty distinction without special teams being special.
In the preseason that unit has been lackluster in coverage, and nothing to write home to mom about in the return game. The effort and execution must pick up for this team to fulfill its destiny as the first team to host a Super Bowl.
That is the goal. It is possible. It’s going to take greatness in all three phases. The Saints have the players and the leadership to get it done.
It’s a simple blueprint. The team just has to execute it.
Read more New Orleans Saints news on BleacherReport.com
After announcing their final cuts last week the New Orleans Saints announced who they have selected to be on their practice squad this past weekend. The Saints’ practice squad will consist of WR Andy Tanner, TE Michael Higgins, CB Nick Hixson, S Jerico Nelson, LB Ezra Butler, G Ricky Henry, G Harland Gunn, and DE Braylon Boughton.
After a few surprises with their final cuts I think the Saints have established a good practice squad. I had no complaints with the Saints’ final cuts but was surprised that Tanner and Higgins did not make the 53-man roster.
Tanner might have made the final roster if he had not gotten injured during the preseason but he is a reliable receiver to have on the practice squad. Higgins was expected to be the third tight end but once veteran tight end Daniel Graham came in he made a big enough impression to claim the number three tight end position.
Hixson was a long shot to make the 53-man roster but it is great that he was able to secure a spot on the practice squad. Hixson was impressing down the stretch in the preseason but the Saints secondary was all but set when he came along. Hixson will allow the Saints to have another tough cornerback to practice with and he can help the team in that sense.
Now that the Saints’ 53-man roster and practice squad are set they can now focus all of their attention on September 9th for the start of the regular season. The Saints open at home against the Washington Redskins.
The Redskins will be a good first test for the Saints’ defense as they will square off against number two overall pick Robert Griffin III. If the Saints can slow down Griffin III I know the Saints’ dynamic offense will be able to handle the rest.
Alejandro Aviles is the Featured Writer for the New Orleans Saints at Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aaviles312
With less than a week until opening weekend, it’s full-on NFL preview week. Kevin Held posted the first part of his NFL Preview (record predictions!!) yesterday on hakimdropstheball.com, and nola.com’s extensive preview went up Sunday, too. Ralph asked me a question Saturday about the infamous history of Saints interim coaches, so I’m sure his preview Forecast column will appear on wwltv.com soon, and I imagine we’ll see a “predict the Saints record” post/thread any day now on CSC (if Dave’s power continues to stay out, I’ll probably be writing that one).
As I was in the airport Friday morning on my way to visit my parents for my Mom’s birthday this weekend, I glanced at the newsstand while walking by, and lo and behold, there was the Sports Illustrated 2012 NFL Preview with Rob Gronkowski staring me in the face. “Sweet!” I said to myself. “This will make perfect travel reading today.”
So I bought it and pored over it as I went from Louisville to Atlanta to Pensacola to Perdido, and after the jump you’ll get some Saints-related tidbits that I’ve deemed it prudent to share with you…
The first part I read was the page with the division-by-division regular season record and playoff predictions, compiled by Peter King.
He sees the Saints finishing second to the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South with a 10-6 record. This isn’t too bad.
He also has the team making a decent playoff run, dropping the NFCCG by two points to eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, after defeating the Falcons in the wild card round, and taking revenge by toppling the 49ers in the divisional round. This would be a nice little playoff run, but it would leave me wanting more.
The next thing that happened was I tried to flip to the Saints scouting report page, but due to subscription card and other advertising inserts, the page it opened to was the one for the Rams on the second to last page of the whole magazine. As I realize where I am, my eyes and brain and heart are first shockingly faced with a picture from last October’s Rams-Saints game of Stephen Jackson in the old blue and gold Rams throwback uniform, bowling over a flailing Malcolm Jenkins on the sideline, on his way to the end zone, if I remember correctly – GAAAAAAA!
Then my eyes slide over to the large number 4 to the left that indicates the team’s projected finish in the NFC West, and then they drop down a bit on that side of the page to the “2011 Record: 2-14″, and my stomach churns as I remember that the Rams won only two freaking games all season long, and that they were winless before meeting the Saints in Week 8. How in the hell did we end up losing to those guys? SMH, bitches, SMH.
What a double punch to the gut that moment was. I SMH one more time to clear the fog, and turned to the actual Saints scouting report next, and found not much there of note, but for what it’s worth, here it is.
As you may recall, King visited the Saints right as training camp opened, so he wrote up this page, and some cute editor led the section with this large-font capsule: “They’re missing some key components but still have a bounty (yeah, we went there) of talent. So they’ll just go out and play.” (Hopefully you’re not already sick of bounty references, because this is a reminder that they’re going to come hard and fast all season long.)
Rightfully so, the focus of the report was on the overhaul of the defense with the arrival of new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and linebacker Curtis Lofton.
A question we’ve bandied about a bit on CSC is whether Lofton will be a liability or an upgrade in pass coverage over previous MLB Jonathan Vilma. Here’s an interesting statistical nugget presented in the “numbers” corner. Apparently, both Vilma and Lofton led all inside linebackers in 2011 by allowing 5 touchdowns in pass coverage. Guh.
And here’s how they close the Spagnuolo “spotlight” box:
By all accounts the adjustment in camp has been smooth, though the first unit hasn’t gotten the kind of pressure on the passer the new coordinator likes. “I have been through four of these [installations of a new defense] in my career,” Spagnuolo said. “I think this group, Curtis Lofton included, has embraced more in a shorter period of time than anybody else.” But embracing it and succeeding with it are two different things.
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That’s everything that made it into my notebook. If you have any specific questions about what I left out, post them in the comment section and I’ll answer them. You can also feel free to react to what SI or I wrote. That’s always fun.
New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis will begin serving his eight-game suspension Monday.
