I’m worried about the Saints offense

Sometimes in life we spend so much time fixing a lingering problem that we end up creating another one in the process.

I can’t help but to wonder if that’s not what the New Orleans Saints did this past offseason with the way it shaped its roster.

Sure, the Saints spent a lot of money to fix the defense – a unit that was one of the worst in NFL history this past season. But by doing so, I can make a strong argument that general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton sacrificed a lot on the offensive side of the ball.

In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that I am worried about the Saints’ offense this fall – something that I haven’t said about this team in eight years.

Sure, I can still see the gunslinger in the No. 9 jersey, veteran quarterback Drew Brees.

But no longer do I see the bullets necessary to make that gunslinger’s gun shine in the brutally tough NFC.

Take off the Black and Gold blinders for a minute and read this objectively. I think it’s pretty easy for any fan to see that this offense lacks the adequate weapons to thrive at the level that it did in its heyday.

In the past offseason, the Saints lost Pierre Thomas and traded Kenny Stills and Jimmy Graham – a trio otherwise known as the team’s three most consistent receivers in 2014.

OK, so I hear you hollering out that they replaced Thomas with C.J. Spiller. But I think even the most objective fan could admit that Spiller is a bit of an injury-prone player. After all, he is the same guy who missed seven games to injury just last year. If Spiller were so valuable and dominant, why did his previous team make zero effort to bring him back? Google it. The Bills totally let him go without a fight.

That’s because he’s not dominant and is a ticking time bomb to be on the shelf again. Thomas was the Saints’ most consistent halfback. He will be tougher to replace than people realize. He is one of the most underrated New Orleans Saints of all-time.

But all of my thoughts aside, I’ll give in and concede Spiller as adequate for a replacement. He’s high-risk, but high-reward, and with Mark Ingram in-hand, that’s OK for a backup running back.

The team’s receivers are a mess, though.

That’s a subject that can’t be debated – even by the most biased New Orleans fan.

When the Saints lost Stills, they lost their best pure receiver – a guy who caught 63 passes for 931 yards and three touchdowns last year.

When the Saints traded Graham, they lost the only player on their offense that opponents feared and were intimidated by. Opponents made their entire gameplan around Graham’s ability. He had at least two, if not three sets of eyes on him at all times throughout the game.

The word on the street is that Payton loved Stills’ talent, but wasn’t a fan of his antics in the locker room. That’s pretty easy to believe, because Stills is good, young and cheap – three things that are commodities in the NFL.

With Graham, his services came with a hefty price tag, and he was part of the team’s salary cap crunch.

But neither make the losses any easier to swallow.

Without Stills and Graham, who will make plays in the Saints’ offense?

Marques Colston is old and washed up. He should have been cut in the offseason to save money. Reports out of training camp are that he looks OK, and is playing well. But that holds no weight for me. What do we expect Colston to do? Get on the podium and talk about how awful he’s been? Colston’s days as a top wideout are done. I expect nothing except average production from him this season.

Brandin Cooks is a sexy choice, but at 5-feet, 10-inches and 189-pounds, can he carry the load as a No. 1 receiver? I tend to think he can, but the reality is he’s never done it before. Cooks missed six games to injury in his rookie season. That makes me nervous.

At tight end, Josh Hill is getting some play, but he has 20 catches in his career and has never been asked to take the beating that comes with being a full-time starter in the NFL.

Everything outside of that trio is a total crapshoot. Do Saints fans really feel warm and fuzzy about names like Brandon Coleman, Joseph Morgan or Nick Toon?

That’s pretty slim pickings right there.

Of course, the reality is that Payton is an offensive genius, so the Saints still will rack up a ton of yards offensively – even with the shortcomings in personnel.

But I think where you’ll see the team struggle is in the red zone where Graham’s size, Thomas’ experience and Stills’ quickness will be sorely missed.

That’ll mean field goals will be kicked instead of touchdowns being scored. In the NFL, field goals usually mean losses and touchdowns usually mean wins.

Maybe I’m wrong, and I hope that I am, but I just am fearful about the roster that I see on paper.

I think the moves of the offseason have ripped a Band-Aid off one battle wound to patch up another, and now it’s the offense that’s bleeding and in need of help.