New Orleans Saints Team Report by Jacques Cuneo
| NO Projections (9/3) | Passing Stats | Rush Stats | Receiving Stats | Fantasy | |||||||||||
| Change | Name | Pos | Att | Comp | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
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#fname# #lname# | #pos# | #NumberFormat("#pts#", '__,_____')# | ||||||||||||
| Totals | #NumberFormat("#tot_patt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pcmp#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#evaluate(100*tot_pcmp/tot_patt)#", '_____._')#% | #NumberFormat("#tot_pyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ptds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_int#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ratt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ryds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rtds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rec#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_cyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ctds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pts#", '__,_____')# | ||
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Quarterbacks Starter - Aaron Brooks Backups - Jake Delhomme, Jeff Lewis Starting Quarterback: Aaron Brooks is coming off of his breakout year in the NFL, piling up 3800 yards and 26 touchdowns in the air. Considering his mobility, it is a surprise that he only got one touchdown last year on the ground. The simple fact is that Brooks is the most talented quarterback to grace the Saints since Archie Manning. Brooks has a plethora of offensive options available to him, from an explosive Deuce McAllister, Joe Horn, Jerome Pathon (an upgrade over Willie Jackson last year), lightning-in-a-bottle Donte Stallworth, and David Sloan. There are two big points in the negative column that must be brought up, however. Brooks is very unhappy with his contract status and has been very vocal as of late. Right now he is the lowest paid of the three quarterbacks on the depth chart. This should get cleared up quickly as the Saints are working him a deal at present. The second is the revamped offensive line. Roaf has left and the reshuffled line has caused Turley to be moved to the all-important left guard position. Turley was beaten badly in some games last year and Brooks' propensity for getting sacked (and thus his health through the season) this year becomes more of a concern. To view a detailed discussion on Aaron Brooks, go here. Backup Quarterback(s): Jake Delhomme has matured and progressed as a backup, slowly becoming a solid #2. The former Ragin' Cajun has not seen action since the 1999 season, in which he played in two games. If Brooks does go down, there will be value in Delhomme. Jeff Lewis went from Carolina Panthers' front-runner to cut, which shows you why he is a #3 guy right now. He does have an arm, but let's hope the Saints never have to use it. Running Backs Starter - Deuce McAllister Backups - Curtis Keaton, Fred McAfee Starting Running Back: Deuce McAllister is consistently given the rap as injury prone, when the two major injuries he suffered in college were due to a roll-up on his leg and a tackle out of bounds onto a piece of concrete. Not exactly the type of injuries that tend to repeat themselves - his injury concerns are overrated. Deuce will not see the ball as much as Ricky, but has the ability to take it all the way when he does touch the ball. Expect a lot of traps, draws and short passes to Deuce this year. Deuce will be the back of choice on third down and goal line plays, as well. A full rundown on McAllister can be found here. Backup Running Back(s): Terry Allen was let go as the rosters paired down to 53. This was made possible by the signing of Curtis Keaton (ex-Bengals back). Duece does not have a good track record for avoiding injuries so Curtis is someone you may want to keep an eye on. Fred McAfee will be the change of pace back - he is small and very nimble. Fullback(s): Terrelle Smith, Moran Norris: Terrelle Smith is a good blocking fullback, but is being challenged by Moran Norris. Neither of the FBs has any fantasy value to speak of. Wide Receivers / Tight Ends Starters - Joe Horn, Jerome Pathon, Donte Stallworth Backups - Jake Reed, Onome Ojo Starting Receiver(s): Joe Horn is the primary threat for the Saints at the WR position. Joe has reportedly had a good camp (notwithstanding his short holdout) and with the variety of targets to take attention off of him, he should be even more effective this year. A look at Joe Horn can be found here. Jerome Pathon's return from a foot injury last year has been complicated by a strained quad. Stallworth's rookie campaign has been hampered by a hamstring pull, an injury that only rest can heal. Once he is healthy however, Stallworth's world class speed will open up the field for other targets. Backup Receiver(s): Jake Reed provides a good veteran locker room presence, though his best days are far behind him. Onome Ojo was discovered at Cal-Davis playing intramural sports and is a raw, if talented, project. Tight End(s): David Sloan, Lamont Hall, Boo Williams David Sloan was signed to a large contract to play for the Saints after putting up good numbers in Detroit last year. The question becomes how will the catches be split between Sloan and Williams? Williams proved himself last year in Cleeland's absence to be a superlative pass catcher. Williams and Cleeland split the receiving yards and TDs (7 of them) almost evenly last year. Expect Sloan to get two-thirds of the TE production in NO this year. Place Kicker John Carney: John Carney is not a long kicker anymore, but he is very accurate and is the defacto starter this year. With the losses on defense and the upgraded offense, Carney could be at the top of the kicker points this year (he was at the top of the league until the four game collapse at the end of the season last year). Defense The Saints will rack up the compensatory draft picks next year, mostly because of the talent lost on defense. Gone are La'Roi Glover and Joe Johnson, both multiple All-Pros. The weakest area for the Saints last year, however, was the secondary. One attempt to fix the problem was the signing of Dale Carter, which promptly backfired when Carter celebrated his signing with a few beers, which was expressly forbidden with his suspension from the league for drug use. Expect the Saints defense to be tough against the run but suspect against the pass again this year - the changes they have made may have recouped some of the losses of Johnson and Glover, but have not dramatically improved the secondary. In IDP leagues, Sammy Knight is likely the best pick from the defense. Coaching Jim Haslett just received a contract extension which should keep him in New Orleans for the next few years. Haslett found out last year how tough a head coaching job can be when his team fell apart around him at the end of the last campaign. He is popular with the fans and has managed to keep a historically poor franchise very competitive. This should keep him around for a while to come. Intangibles The Saints crumbled in the last four games of the year last season. This despite the charismatic Haslett at the helm. The Saints need to start the '02 campaign quickly to erase the bad taste of last year's performances. This may not be so easy to do, since the Saints have a woeful opening game record, and have the unenviable task of having to take on Tampa Bay at Tampa in the opener this year. |