New Orleans Saints - 3 Keys to Repeated Success

On February 7th, 2010, the New Orleans Saints shocked the sports world by rallying from a poor performance in the first half of Super Bowl XLIV and winning it all. That night, the Saints took to the people of New Orleans, their first ever, Lombardi trophy.

The Indianapolis Colts, and their future Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning were defeated 31 to 17 after the Saints turned the game upside down, opening the 2nd half with an onside kick, that the Saints recovered successfully. That kick, which was arguably the most shocking play of the entire 2009 season, is what jump-started the Saints team, and pulled them back into the game. Tracy Porter proved to be a clutch player for the Saints defense, making one interception off of Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game, which stopped what, could have been a season ending field goal by the Vikings. He had another interception, this one returned for a touchdown, off of Manning, that sealed the deal in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints had finally done it, over 40 years of agonizing seasons, and painful memories could finally be forgotten, the New Orleans Saints, were finally champions.

Only 17 other teams in the NFL had felt what the Saints were feeling. The moment of being on top, the best team in the NFL. The Saints were happy to become number 18, and they let it show, the whole city let it show. The people of New Orleans welcomed the Saints back with a nearly city-wide party that seemed to last for months; but with the Super Bowl hangover wearing off, and the 2010 season quickly approaching, it is time for the Saints to get back on track. There are 3 keys that need to be met, in order for the Saints to continue their newly-found success.

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Number 1 - Establish a run game
2009 was the first time since 2003 that the Saints had over 1,800 yards rushing in a single season. In 2003, the Saints finished the season with exactly 2000 yards, led by their beloved running back, Deuce McAllister, who led the team with 1,641 yards. The Saints finished that season with 8 wins and 8 losses, mostly due to the lack of a great quarterback, like they have now found in Drew Brees. With an elite quarterback like Brees, and the ability to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, the Saints found themselves in their most successful season ever, and with their first Super Bowl win. Cutting rushing attempts leader, Mike Bell in the off-season may have hurt the Saints run game, but Coach Sean Payton has faith in running backs Pierre Thomas, and Reggie Bush. Look for one of them to step up big in 2009

Number 2 – Continue pressuring quarterbacks
When Gregg Williams took over as Saints defensive coordinator in 2009, fans could see a difference almost immediately. On nearly every play, Williams was sending players after opposing quarterbacks, and they racked up 35 sacks in the season, the most since 2006, when they sacked the quarterback 38 times. This almost constant quarterback pressure caused opposing quarterbacks to make mistakes, mistakes that the Saints defense took advantage of, racking up 26 interceptions, the most for this organization in over a decade. The Saints have moved cornerback Malcolm Jenkins to free safety, in hopes that he can learn what it takes to be a great safety from Saints star ball-hawk, Darren Sharper.

Number 3 – Stop the run
In 2009 the Saints run defense was average at best. Any knowledgeable Saints fan can tell you that was one of the biggest areas of concern going into the playoffs. In 2009 the Saints allowed a over 100 yards rushing in over 60% of their games which is almost unheard of for a team that is ranked number 1 in their conference. If the Saints want to win as many games in 2010 as they did in 2009, they will need someone to step up from the depth chart, and fill the open defensive tackle position. As of week 2 in the preseason, it looks as though the second starting defensive tackle is yet to be determined.

Meeting all three of these keys doesn't lock up another Super Bowl win, or even deep playoff run for the Saints. The NFL is a tough league, any team can win any Sunday, and being the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Saints will start the season with a target on their backs. These three keys will merely insure the Saints best chance for success; which may or may not translate into a Super Bowl repeat.

By Tyler Douglass
ProFootball-fans.com New Orleans Saints Correspondent