Survivor I - New Orleans Saints Commentary

NOTE: this draft was completed on 7/24

Positives - Despite their horrible points against and yardage allowed, the Saints still managed to rank 10th in takeaways with 32 total. Add that to 37 sacks (which ranks right in the middle of the pack at 16), and you have a decent backup defense.

Negatives - The Saints were having a yardage liquidation sale last season, placing them squarely in the NFL basement for total defense. They failed to keep their opponents below 20 points until week 14 (and kept adversaries below 20 for the final 4 games). The team hasn’t done much in the off season to upgrade, seemingly keeping their fingers crossed that the current squad will improve by leaps and bounds in 2005.

Draft Strategy - Pickings were a bit slim in the defense department but the Saints meshed pretty well with the Colts schedule. When the Saints have tough games, the Colts have easy ones. And when the Colts have their bye and a couple harder games, the Saints have their easiest opponents. I’m hoping this committee approach will be as good as having a top-ranked defense.