Saints Nation: The Morning After

I don’t know how long it will take for that game at Seattle to be forgotten, but after a night of sleeping it off I think we’ve all gotten a chance to put things into perspective. The Saints have won 24 regular season games in the last two years, or an average of 12 per season. That’s something to be proud of. Based on the nucleus of a strong offense, a superstar quarterback and premiere coaching, the Saints are set up to compete at the highest level for at least the next couple of years to come. So while the sting from this most recent performance may take a little while still to wear off, this team is a far cry from the teams of the past. These guys are champions and winners, and they will bounce back like all good teams do.

I think I will do the player grades after all, because it’ll be a final bookend to the season before we start to look at the offseason. With that in mind, I do want to give you guys a taste of what we should look forward to. Here are a couple items:

1. Collective Bargaining Agreement – The current deal in place is set to expire on March 1st. As of right now no new deal is in place, which means no football until an agreement can be set. There’s a chance we won’t have a season next year, or that it’ll be a shortened one. Recent talks have apparently shown progress, but it’s far from a done deal. Keep a close eye on the progress of this as it will ultimately dictate whether or not we get to enjoy our Saints.

2. Draft and free agency – Assuming things work out with the CBA and there’s no lockout, the Saints are in definite need of some upgrades. Offensively, I think we’re still an elite unit and few tweaks are necessary. There’s a good chance Pierre Thomas will be gone. There’s also the need to restructure Reggie Bush’s contract because there’s no way he should be making $8 million next year. Running back depth becomes a must because we saw that that position can suffer a rush of injuries. I think the Saints should also re-evaluate if Jermon Bushrod and Jon Stinchcomb are the team’s future at the tackle positions. I’m not saying they’re not, but it’s the biggest weakness on our offense for sure. Defensively, the Saints’ pass rush is atrocious. They have got to get better in that department. I’d love to see them spend some money on a young athletic playmaking linebacker as well. Ultimately, the Saints need someone who can get to the quarterback consistently. Most of the elite teams have that. The Falcons have Abraham. The Giants have Umenyiora and Tuck. The Colts have Freeney. I’m not saying the Saints can go out and just randomly pick up a player of that caliber, but the pass rush needs a serious upgrade. As for Roman Harper: yes, he had a horrible game but he is a great player who had a terrific season. He’s still a liability in pass coverage, but when you combine that with his superior play around the line of scrimmage he’s still an above average strong safety.