Drew Brees threw for over 5000 yards in 2013, but that’s nothing new. The star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints has thrown for over 5000 yards the past three seasons and led the Saints back to the postseason in 2013. Despite losing one of his favorite targets, Darren Sproles, in the offseason, the Saints improved their entire squad and locked up one of the game’s best weapons to a long term deal, making them the favorites to win the NFC South in 2014.
As long as Brees and head coach Sean Payton are together, New Orleans is always going to have a chance. Since the two came together in 2006, they have made five playoff appearances and won the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. Payton is an offensive genius and Brees leads the Saints pass-happy attack with his pinpoint accuracy.
The biggest questions going into the offseason for the Saints was the contract status of All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham. The former University of Miami basketball player is a mismatch for all defenders and he posted 86 receptions for 1215 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2013. He recently agreed to a four-year extension with the Saints which causes a headache for other NFC South defensive coordinators.
The Saints did lose long-time jack-of-all-trades back Sproles in an offseason trade, but he had begun to slow down with age. Also lost was veteran wide receiver Lance Moore. In the NFL Draft, the Saints more than offset these losses by trading up to take wide receiver Brandin Cooks for OregonStateUniversity. The speedster will provide a deep threat for Brees and last season’s second-ranked passing offense. The Saints should even take a step forward with the passing offense with the addition of Cooks to add in a unit that already consists of Graham, Marques Colston and Kenny Stills.
Two seasons ago, the New Orleans defense was the laughing stock of the league, allowing an NFL-record 7042 yards. To revamp their defense they hired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and in 2013, they were much improved. They made a gigantic leap forward going from the worst defense to the fourth-best defense in the league. The secondary took off with rookie Kenny Vaccaro at safety. On the defensive line, Cameron Jordan recorded 12.5 sacks in his third season and earned his first Pro Bowl berth. In the offseason, the Saints went further to better their defense by acquiring one of free agency’s best gems, Jairus Byrd. The playmaking safety from Buffalo signed a six-year deal and now pairs with Vaccaro to make one of the best safety duos in the entire league.
The Saints have excellent coaches and a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. This is one of the better defenses they have had during Payton’s tenure and having two of the top safeties in football will allow Ryan to dial up a lot of blitzes. There is no reason to expect Brees to slow down his record-setting passing game with the addition of Cooks to an already stacked pass-catching unit. The Saints lost out on the division title to the Carolina Panthers last season, but Carolina appears to have taken a step back in the offseason and the Saints have improved, giving them the inside track to the NFC South title in 2014.
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Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Football Overdose, and a LastWordOnSports Analyst. For more of his NFL articles, follow his updates at NFL Fantasy Football Rankings Facebook or follow him on twitter @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
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