During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the New Orleans Saints are the focus.
Faces of the New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees
Although he is reaching the latter stages of his career at age 36, Drew Brees still remains the leader of the New Orleans Saints franchise. Since joining the team via free agency in 2006, the Saints offense has finished top five in eight of the last nine seasons–five of those years they ranked number one overall. Also in that span, Brees has four 5,000-yard passing seasons, two Offensive Player of the Year honors and a Super Bowl championship, which was the first and only league title in franchise history. His numbers dipped a bit in 2014, but he still has the ability to be a formidable signal caller.
Coming off a significant injury that ended his tenure with the San Diego Chargers, Brees inherited a difficult situation as not only the team endured changes in coaching and ownership, but also the region itself had its struggles. Just the summer before his arrival, the city of New Orleans was decimated by Hurricane Katrina, resulting in the loss of lives and the damaging of the Superdome. During his time with the Saints, Brees has revitalized Louisiana residents by his on-field production and his off-field service. A team infamously known as the “Aints,” due to its history as a moribund franchise, he has changed the culture by helping the Saints become one of the more successful and respected organizations in football. Routinely leading his teammates in pregame chants, Brees’ leadership is displayed both on and off the field.
Cameron Jordan
Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, the second face of the New Orleans Saints franchise is defensive end Cameron Jordan. Drafted 24th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, Jordan has developed into a steady edge rusher. After having nine sacks total in his first two seasons, he broke out in 2013 with 12.5 takedowns to earn his first Pro Bowl selection on a vastly improved defense. His sack numbers dropped to 7.5 a year ago, but he garnered 51 tackles and achieved career highs in passes defended (5) and tackles for a loss (4).
After losing guys like Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper, Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer in recent offseasons–all of whom were integral pieces of the 2009 championship squad–Jordan now stands as the team’s best defensive player. Jordan has the charisma and confidence that coaches love to see from their players, especially from their leaders. Well admired by his teammates both on and off the field of play, his presence has become one to look up to.
Mark Ingram
The third face of the Saints was drafted four picks after the aforementioned Jordan in 2011. After his stellar Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at the University of Alabama, Ingram weathered a slow start to his NFL career. After being labeled as a disappointment by most critics, Ingram enjoyed his best campaign as a pro in 2014. Despite finishing 36 yards short of 1,000 yards, his 964 yards on 226 attempts, 47 first downs and nine touchdowns were all career highs, and he accomplished these numbers in only 13 games. Because of his stocky built, his bruising rushing ability helps set the tone for the offense. With an aging Drew Brees and presumably a full season to produce, Ingram will become even more valuable in the team’s offensive attack this year.
Main Photo:
