As long as Brees is quarterbacking the Saints, that New Orleans offense will be among the NFL’s most prolific. However, Brees was a bit uneven last year in large part because the New Orleans running game was awful. He threw for 4,620 yards and 33 touchdowns but also tossed a career-worst 22 – 11 more than in the Super Bowl year. That Saints running game was just 28th in the league. Reggie Bush is now gone but the team drafted former Heisman winner Mark Ingram in the first round of this year’s draft and added former Charger Darren Sproles, who is a lot like Bush. No team in the NFC had a bigger game between passing game rank (No. 3) and running game (No. 28) than New Orleans in 2011. The receiving group is one of the NFL’s deepest. The offensive line will be a bit overhauled this year; former Bears Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz is the new center among the changes.

The Saints defense was very good against the pass in 2010 and solid against the run, but that unit didn’t force turnovers like it did in during the Super Bowl season. The defensive line should be upgraded this year. The team signed former Pro Bowl tackle Shaun Rogers, fellow tackle Aubrayo Franklin and used its initial first-round pick on Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan. But perhaps the biggest defensive move was the team re-signing safety Roman Harper. Fellow safety Malcolm Jenkins appears on the way to becoming one of the best in the league. The Saints of 2009 were third in the league in interceptions with 26, but collected a paltry nine in 2010, ranking last in the NFL.

The over/under win total for New Orleans is 10. The Saints are the -110 Bodog favorites to win the NFC South.

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