MEET JUSTIN PAYNE
August 12, 2015
BREAKING: Thibodaux police chief stepping down
August 12, 2015
Just about nothing went right for the New Orleans Saints last season – a perfect storm of failure that saw the team ruin preseason Super Bowl aspirations and stumble to a nightmarish 7-9 season.
But with a long offseason to polish the roster and several months to let 2014-15’s frustration simmer, folks around the locker room think that this season will be much better.
The Saints are busy preparing for the start of the 2015-16 season at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, the place the team has called home for the past two training camps.
Through two weeks of work, players and coaches say there’s a hunger within this year’s team that last year’s group lacked. That motivation and determination are why some folks expect the Saints to again be a contender in the crowded NFC, which features Super Bowl contenders like the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
“We all entered camp with a sour taste in our mouths, because we remember what happened last year,” Saints halfback Mark Ingram said. “And I think we all want to show that we’re better than how we played. We’re putting in the work, and we have a lot of new faces. I think everyone knows what we’re capable of, and we think that we can compete with anyone on any given day.
“Last year is done. Our eyes are looking forward on today. It’s all about today and this season.”
As always with the Saints under veteran coach Sean Payton, it all starts with the offense.
But this year’s high-octane scoring attack may be structured a little differently than what fans have become accustomed to under the popular coach.
In Payton’s eight seasons on the sidelines as the Saints’ head coach (he missed one full season because of a suspension), New Orleans has ranked in the top-half of the NFL in total offense every season – most times being the best in the league in virtually every statistical category.
Most years, the Saints do it with a pass-happy attack that showcases veteran Drew Brees, the talented, dynamic playmaker who is undoubtedly the best player in franchise history.
But if the moves of the offseason are any indication of the future, New Orleans’ 2015-16 plans may focus heavily on the running game.
For starters, the Saints re-signed Ingram in the offseason to a multi-year deal, a move that brought stability to New Orleans’ backfield.
Once considered a draft day bust, Ingram has revitalized his career in recent years. He rushed for 964 yards this past season to earn his new deal.
The team then spent big free agent money on halfback C.J. Spiller, a player who has a similar skillset to former Saint Darren Sproles in that he can make plays as both a runner and receiver.
Spiller rushed for 300 yards this past season with the Bills – a year plagued by injuries. At his peak in 2013, he had 1,244 rushing yards and 459 receiving yards with eight combined touchdowns.
“He’s versatile,” Brees said. “He gives your offense a spark, and I think he’s done a good job coming in and understanding the system and what we’re trying to do with the football.”
In addition to the ball carriers, New Orleans also heavily invested in its offensive line in the offseason, acquiring Pro Bowl center Max Unger as part of a trade package for Jimmy Graham. The team also drafted Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat in the First Round (No. 13 overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft.
New halfbacks, combined with a new, improved offensive line, surely seems like a recipe for a heavily featured running offense.
The stat Payton and others within the organization like to rattle off is that the year New Orleans won the Super Bowl, the Saints were in the Top 5 in the NFL in rushing offense – a number they never have been able to reach since in any other season.
“You don’t want to be forced to be one dimensional,” Payton said. “You’d like to be able to control the game a little bit and so when you run the ball some, you do feel like you have a little bit more control over what you’re doing.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints look completely different than they did last fall.
After a disastrous showing in 2014-15, New Orleans completely overhauled its depth chart and has started from scratch.
Out are 2014-15 starters like defensive end Junior Galette, linebacker Curtis Lofton and defensive back Corey White – players who combined for more than 200 tackles a year ago.
Taking their place are fresh blood like First-Round pick inside linebacker Stephone Anthony, Second-Round pick outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha and free agent signee cornerback Brandon Browner.
New Orleans also invested in its defensive coaching staff, bringing in former head coach Dennis Allen to help defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. While some fear that the move will cause egos to clash, Payton said he disagrees, adding that Allen is the elixir that could cure the team’s defensive ailments.
“It’s going to play out well,” Payton said of his defensive coaching staff. “I don’t expect it to. It will. Those guys, No. 1, they are focused on winning and both of them are unselfish guys. … I think those two have done a great job this offseason in preparation and really looking closely at what we feel like we can do well.”
That preparation is much-needed, because the Saints don’t have many easy games to start the new season.
New Orleans opens the 2015 season on Sept. 13 at Arizona – one of the toughest places in the NFL to play.
After that game, the Saints will play their home opener on Sept. 20 against Tampa Bay, before facing a murderer’s row of Carolina, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Indianapolis and New York (Giants) in consecutive weeks.
But with a new-look roster and a vivid memory of the past year’s failures, the Saints seem poised to overcome it and find a way back to the postseason and beyond.
“We think we’re better than 7-9,” wide receiver Marques Colston said. “But the only way to get anyone else to believe that is to go out there and earn it. So that’s what this season is about – getting back on track and putting ourselves back in those big games at the end of the season.”
