4. Will The Saints 2013 Season Be Revenge Or Redemption?
The 2012 offseason for the New Orleans Saints was one the entire league, organization, fans base and front office would like to forget. An alleged bounty program from 2009-2011, under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was exposed and a long, drawn out and public witch hunt ensued with head coach Sean Payton being suspended for the entire 2012 season, an unprecedented suspension for a coach. Williams was suspended indefinitely (he is subsequently back in the league as an 'assistant' with the Tennessee Titans). And while the players were basically absolved after a third party mediator heard the case, the Saints' 2012 season was sunk as a result of Commissioner Roger Goodell's railroading of the organization for his own 'player safety' agenda. So finally the Saints have a normal offseason for the first time in three years and have their ballsy head coach back. And the first move Payton made was fire 1 year Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnolo after fielding the worst defense ever in the history of professional football, and replacing him with a the combustible Rob Ryan, whose previously was defense coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. On paper, it's almost the same move as hiring Williams was in 2009: a blitz happy, larger than life gambling defensive mind, so Saints fans are hoping Ryan's switch to a 3-4 scheme can result in the same turnover ratio as Williams had for the 2009 Superbowl run. Buts let's be honest, anything better than the teams 2012 defensive performance would be better. This is a the second complete scheme shift in 2 years, and the defensive players did not adjust well to Spagnolo's zone scheme last year. Now they have another camp, another coach and another completely different scheme. With Payton prowling the sideline again, Drew Brees can focus on playing and there is a certain amount of confidence and play calling swagger Payton brings with him. The question is, can Payton reign in his no doubt raging emotions after his suspension? Payton has said all the right things about moving on and learning, but my gut tells me he is going to try to make an offensive statement in the 2013 season. . With a good draft the defense should be better, and with Chris Ivory shipped off to the Jets, underutilized former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram should become the focal point of an increased running game, allowing Brees to do what he does best, so long as the left tackle spot is manned adequately after Jermon Bushrod left for the Chicago bears in free agency- will it be injury prone, 4th year pro Charles Brown, reclamation project Jason Smith or 3rd round draft pick Terron Armstead? Regardless, once they get the left tackle position addressed, the temptation for Payton will be to keep his foot on the throttle offensively and essentially show Goodell and the league they messed with the wrong franchise with 55 passing attempts a game, but Payton has to be balanced, let Ingram finally shine and keep his fingers crossed that Ryan and the defense can at least keep them in the game. After being vilified for 2 years it will be very interesting to see how the New Orleans Saints players and coaches respond in 2013 and will be one of the more interesting teams to watch in 2013