NFL Team Preview- New Orleans Saints

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach– Sean Payton
Offensive Coordinator– Pete Carmichael
Defensive Coordinator– Dennis Allen
Special Teams– Bradford Banta

ODDS TO WIN:

NFC Championship- 6/1
Super Bowl- 22/1
Over/Under Win Totals- 9

Last 4 Season Win Totals:

2014- 7
2015- 7
2016- 7
2017- 12

The Offense

Quarterbacks:

Drew Brees is back for his 18th season as a quarterback in the NFL. He has been very steady in his career as evidenced by last season when he passed for 72% which is an NFL record. He threw for 4.334 yards and has career records in several categories. His backup will be Tom Savage and is considered a veteran backup and is insurance for anything that may happen to Brees.

Running Backs:

Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram may be the best duo backs in the NFL. One thing that increases their availability is that they can also be used effectively as a wideout. Ingram will miss the first four games of the season.

Receivers:

The primary target of Drew Brees appears to be Michael Thomas. In two seasons they have teamed up for 196 completions. After Thomas, the ranks thin out. There will be many candidates to get on the field as the Saints signed Tre’Quan Smith from Central Florida to enhance the receiver corps.

Offensive Linemen:

The entire unit returns that were very good at their jobs last year. On the left side, they have Terron Armstead and Andrus Peat. The center position belongs to Max Unger. Tackle Ryan Ramczyk has retired and will be an audition for his job.

The Defense

Defensive Linemen:

With 42 sacks last season, the Saints tied for 3rd best in the league. Cam Jordan registered 13, Alex Okafor with 4.5 and Hau’oll Kikaha had 4. The Saints moved up in the NFL draft and grabbed Marcus Davenport as their projected right end.

Linebackers:

This unit has work to do to get to a top-notched group. Mani Te’o and A.J. Klein seem to get their job done. There are many players to try to find the right fit for this unit.

Secondary:

The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marshon Lattimore, made this a great season for the secondary. The corners will have PJ Wiliams, Ken Crawley, and Patrick Robinson patrolling that space. In the fifth round of the NFL draft, New Orleans drafted Natreell Jamerson from Wisconsin and in the sixth round they took Kamrin Moore out of Boston College to help solidify the defense.

Special Teams

Will Lutz is taking care of the kicking, Thomas Morstead does the punting and the return artist is Alvin Kamara in punting and kickoff.

The Schedule

Preseason Schedule:

August 9 Jaguars AWAY 6 PM

August 17 Cardinals HOME 7 PM

August 25 Chargers AWAY 7 PM

August 30 LA Rams HOME 7 PM

Regular Season Schedule:

(all games Central time)

Sunday Sept. 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Home 1:00 pm
Sunday Sept. 16 Cleveland Browns Home 1:00 pm
Sunday Sept. 23 Atlanta Falcons Away 1:00 pm
Sunday Sept. 30 New York Giants Away 4:25 pm
Monday Oct. 8 Washington Redskins Home 8:15 pm
Sunday Oct. 14 BYE WEEK
Sunday Oct. 21 Baltimore Ravens Away 4:05 pm
Sunday Oct. 28 Minnesota Vikings Away 8:20 pm
Sunday Nov. 4 Los Angeles Rams Home 4:25 pm
Sunday Nov. 11 Cincinnati Bengals Away 1:00 pm
Sunday Nov. 18 Philadelphia Eagles Home 1:00 pm
Thursday Nov. 22 Atlanta Falcons Home 8:20 pm
Thursday Nov. 29 Dallas Cowboys Away 8:20 pm
Sunday Dec. 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Away 1:00 pm
Monday Dec. 17 Carolina Panthers Away 8:15 pm
Sunday Dec. 23 Pittsburgh Steelers Home 4:25 pm
Sunday Dec. 30 Carolina Panthers Home 1:00 pm