Editor’s Note: Mike Horan is our NFC South Report writer who will tell us what the Teams are doing in the offseason and each week after games. Horan is showing us what the Saints did today, with Panthers coming up tomorrow.
Offseason Review
Draft: The Saints entered the 2010 draft with an obvious need at running back and the more you think about it, their target should have been obvious. With the 28th pick in the draft, New Orleans made Mark Ingram the second Alabama rookie in the NFC South. Ingram is a Heisman trophy winner that runs with power and reminds some of the great Emmitt Smith. He’s provided immediate depth for the Saints backfield and will compete for carries with Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Chris Ivory for carries.
Ingram wasn’t the Saints only choice in the first round however, and wasn’t even their first. With the 24th pick the Saints picked California defensive end Cam Jordan who will team up with Will Smith and the rest of the Saints loaded defensive line. Another key pick was in the 3rd round when the team picked talented outside linebacker Martez Wilson out of Illinois. Wilson had a monster season last year with 111 tackles and four sacks.
Free Agency: New Orleans started quick in the offseason, picking up massive defensive tackle Shaun Rodgers on a one year deal before the lock out started. After the lockout the Saints entered free agency and picked up a few big names. These players include former Bear center Olin Kreutz and San Diego Chargers scat back Darren Sproles. Their biggest pickup however, was Aubroyo Franklin, formerly of the San Fransisco 49ers. Franklin is a run-stuffing defensive tackle that clogs up the middle and puts the finishing touches on a potentially dominating defensive line. It was widely believed that Franklin was a lock to return to the 49ers but the Saints some how managed to pull off an upset.
Key Trade: Running back Reggie Bush was traded to Miami.
How do these moves affect the Buccaneers?
Please READ MORE to find out how…..
The selection of Mark Ingram is an interesting one for the Bucs. It’s difficult to say how much Ingram will affect our team because of the uncertainty in his amount of carries. The additions on the defensive line that New Orleans made are what will definitely affect the Bucs, and more specifically LeGarrette Blount. Blount is going to need a strong effort from his interior linemen against Ellis, Rodgers and Franklin. Sproles as a return man could be potentially dangerous, but probably isn’t much better than Reggie Bush in that regard.
Noteworthy out-of-division Games
-September 8th, Opening Night, Saints at Packers
-October 23rd, Super Bowl Rematch, Colts at Saints
-November 28th, Giants at Saints
Summary
The Saints will be looking to make up for their disappointing loss to the Seahawks last year and took their anger out on free agency it seems. They were certainly active, and like the rest of the NFC South, have improved their team this offseason. The theme seems to be “depth” with the Saints, as they’ve added to an already talented running back core and defensive line. Drew Brees will certainly feel less pressure to throw the ball 40 and 50 times every game like he has in the past and the defense may now be able to hang its hat on run defense. Look for the Saints to have double digit wins again and compete for not only the division crown, but the Super Bowl.
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