2011 New Orleans Saints Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The New Orleans Saints backed up their Super Bowl win with another playoff appearance, expect things ended rather quickly for New Orleans in 2010. The Saints finished second in the NFC South with a 11-5 regular season mark, earning them a wild card game against the Seattle Seahawks, who won the NFC West with a 7-9 record. New Orleans loss in a shootout 36-41, but that loss seems to have motivated this team to really come back strong in 2011. Let’s take a look at what the Saints will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus I will give my prediction on where they will finish in the South.

Offense:

Drew Brees threw for 4,620 yards with 33 touchdowns, but he will be the first to tell you that his 22 interceptions are something that can’t happen again in 2011. I have a pretty good feeling that Brees will get things turned around, as the Saints should see improvements on the offensive line and in the running game.

New Orleans was hit hard with injuries at running back last year, as Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush combined to play in just 14 games. They decided to not bring back Bush, who has since joined the Dolphins. To make sure the running game doesn’t suffer in 2011, the Saints used their first round pick on Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who could end up starting ahead of Thomas. They also added free agent speedster Darren Sproles, who could be a very dangerous weapon out of the Saints backfield.

No changes were made to the receiving corps. The go to guy is still wide out Marques Colston, who had 84 catches for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns, but it’s no secret that Brees likes to spread the ball around. Lance Moore had 66 catches and eight scores, Robert Meachem caught 44 passes for five touchdowns, and Devery Henderson hauled in 41 receptions with three touchdowns. The player to keep your eye on in 2011 is second-year tight end Jimmy Graham, who will open the season as the starter.

The offensive line returns the four starters at guard and tackle, but have replaced center Jonathan Goodwin with veteran Olin Kreutz, who should instantly make the unit better with him leading the way.

Defense:

New Orleans went out and added free agent defensive tackles Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers. These two should really help improve a run defense that ranked 16th in 2010. Franklin will likely start alongside Sedrick Ellis, but Rogers figures to get plenty of reps. Alex Brown and Will Smith return at defensive end, but the player to keep your eye on is rookie Cameron Jordan, who is expected to bring a big boost to the pass rush.

At linebacker, the Saints feature Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who easily led the team with 131 tackles in 2010. Scott Shanle returns to start at one outside spot, but the other starting spot could see a number of different players get a shot. They bring back Jonathan Casillas and Jo-Lonn Dunbar, added free agent Will Herring, and drafted Martez Wilson. Herring and Wilson figure to get first crack.

The Saints featured the fourth best pass defense in the NFL last season, holding opposing quarterbacks to just 193.9 yards a game. No changes were made to the secondary in the offseason, and this unit could be even better with the improvements made on the defensive line. Malcolm Jenkins really took off at free safety after making the switch from corner, and strong safety Roman Harper landed in the Pro Bowl. Both Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are strong at corner, and Porter has continued to get better each year.

Prediction: 1st NFC South, 12-4 Overall – I feel like the Saints have done enough to regain the top spot in the division. I actually expected this team to have a bigger drop off last year after winning the Super Bowl, but that just goes to show you how much head coach Sean Peyton and the rest of this team want to win. It won’t be easy, as the Falcons and Buccaneers both figure to be right there in the mix.

Individual Team NFL Season Predictions

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Predictions	Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions	Indianapolis Colts Predictions	New England Patriots Predictions
San Diego Chargers Predictions	Baltimore Ravens Predictions	Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions	New York Jets Predictions
Oakland Raiders Predictions	Cleveland Browns Predictions	Houston Texans Predictions	Miami Dolphins Predictions
Denver Broncos Predictions	Cincinnati Bengals Predictions	Tennessee Titans Predictions	Buffalo Bills Predictions
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Predictions	Chicago Bears Predictions	Atlanta Falcons Predictions	Philadelphia Eagles Predictions
St. Louis Rams Predictions	Green Bay Packers Predictions	New Orleans Saints Predictions	New York Giants Predictions
San Francisco 49ers Predictions	Detroit Lions Predictions	Tampa Bay Bucs Predictions	Dallas Cowboys Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Predictions	Minnesota Vikings Predictions	Carolina Panthers Predictions	Washington Redskins Predictions

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