2008 New Orleans Saints
Written August 14, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Its time to start getting those Sundays ready for another great NFL season, and professional handicapper Jason Lowry is ready to bring you his 2008 New Orleans Saints season predictions. The Saints are coming off a pretty disappointing season, as they finished just 7-9 in the NFC South, after winning the division back in 2006. The Saints were really hurt by the injury to running back Deuce McAllister, as Reggie Bush was unable to take over as an every down back. The Saints have really added some key pieces this offseason, including tight end Jeremy Shockey from the Giants and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma from the Jets. To see just what the Saints will look like in 2008, lets take a closer look at who they will be sending to the field on all sides of the ball this season.
Offense:
The offense could really be explosive again this season, as the addition of Shockey to go alongside Marques Colston and Devery Henderson at receiver should really help the passing game. The Saints are also hoping they can get some production out of 2nd year player Robert Meachem and the vet David Patten. The running game should really take off if McAllister can come back from injury and take over the inside running game, allowing Bush to be used more on the outside. The guy that has to be loving this all is quarterback Drew Brees, who could put up Manning and Brady like numbers this season. Keeping everything in tact is the offensive line, as they only had to place backup center Jonathan Goodwin into the mix, after last year’s center Jeff Faine left for Tampa Bay. Brees was only sacked 16 times last year, and that is a big reason we think he is ready for a huge season in 2008.
Saints +700 odds to win NFC Championship at Sportsbook.com
Defense:
The Saints defense wasn’t all that impressive last season giving up way to many points. With an offense that can really put some big numbers on the board, if this unit improves it could mean a really big season for the Saints. The defensive line needs both Will Smith and Charles Grant to put some more pressure on the quarterback this season, and tried to help them out by adding Bobby McCray to the mix. On the inside Hollis Thomas and Brian Young are the tackles, but they should have a good one coming in rookie first round pick Sedrick Ellis. The strength of this unit could be at linebacker, as the addition of Vilma, and Dan Morgan to go alongside Scott Fujita, looks like a big upgrade to this unit. In the secondary The addition of Randall Gay at corner could be a big help, as he is likely to start along side Mike McKenzie. At safety the team is counting on the young play of Josh Bullocks and Roman Harper. Overall this unit should be a little bit better, and that might be all it takes for this team to win the division.
Saints +1800 odds to win Super Bowl at Sportsbook.com
Special Teams:
This unit could also improve this season, but they are likely to be counting on the veteran leg of Martin Gramatica, after he came in and impressed at the end of last season. The punting job remains in the hands of Steve Weatherford, as he put up another solid season last year. The return game needs to improve, and it will be up to Pierre Thomas in the kick return game and Lance Moore on punts.
Saints Over/Under 8.5 wins in 2008 at Sportsbook.com
Prediction: 1st in the NFC South
We are right along many fans and experts saying that this year could really be the breakout year everyone expected a year ago. A big key as it is with any team is how this team is hit by injuries. If everything goes as planned this team could be looking a big turn around, as we could see them winning right around 12 games this season, and maybe even turn into the 2nd best team in the NFC.
If you want to get a bet in on any of the Saints odds to win this season, head over to Sportsbook.com and get an account up and going today. For those of you looking for a little more on the upcoming season, check out these great Saints predictions.
