Saints camp report: Better D key to repeat hopes
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METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith is standing next to the Lombardi Trophy, all silver and shiny and glistening inside a glass case in the main lobby of the team's facility. Smith said he doesn't get to that area much, but when he does he makes sure to stop to stare at the big prize.
"Oh, yeah," Smith said. "I stop and look and think about what we did to get it. A lot of hard work went into that. So, yeah, I look at it when I come by."
If the Saints are to have any chance to repeat, earning a twin to sit by that trophy's side, it will be up to Smith and his defensive mates to repeat the special season they had in 2009 -- and play even better.
We know the Saints can score on offense. It has been that way since coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees walked into the building a little over four years ago. It is a high-flying offense that fans love to watch, one that moves the scoreboard as fast as any offense in the NFL.
They score quickly, which can put a ton of pressure on the defense. In 2009, the Saints' defense handled that pressure. It was an opportunistic unit that finished second in the NFL in takeaways with 39, scoring eight defensive touchdowns. They also had eight takeaways in the postseason, including the biggest of them all, Tracy Porter's interception return for a touchdown to ice Super Bowl XLIV over the Colts.
Under first-year defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, they swarmed to the football and caused the ball to come free a bunch.
"If a quarterback or a running back or a receiver is worried about us hitting them, then they won't be worried as much about holding onto the football," Williams said. "That's our philosophy. We want to hit and play aggressive enough to force you to give us the football."
Those turnovers were the key to the defense. But they also helped compensate for some numbers that weren't so impressive, which makes this the question of the offseason for the Saints:
What happens if the turnovers, which you can never count on, don't come? The ball bounced their way last season. What if doesn't in 2010?
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The Saints were 20th in the NFL points allowed (21.3) and 25th in total yards per game (357.8 yards). They also gave up 4.5 yards per rush. Those are numbers you would expect from a losing defense, not a Super Bowl winner.
The turnovers are a tribute to Williams. He compensated for a lack of star power on his unit by scheming up to get pressure. Smith is a good pass rusher. After him, there wasn't much and there still isn't.
That forces Williams to bring exotic blitzes to get in the quarterback's face. It is not an easy defense.
I asked Smith if it was complicated. He laughed.
"A little bit," he said. "But we understand the concepts better now. Guys are playing faster."
That's the Williams way. At every stop where he has been defensive coordinator or even when he was the head coach in Buffalo, his defenses run to the football and play a nasty brand. Speed is paramount.
"You hear me out there all the time," Williams said. "Faster. Faster. Faster."
Playing defense on a team with a speed-scoring offense can be tough. Ball control isn't there. Big plays and quick scores are. That means a lot of possessions for the defense.
That can put pressure on a defense, but the Saints defenders wouldn't have it any other way.
"The old saying is the best defense is a good offense," Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "But with our offense, we might have to be out there a little longer. So be it. I'd rather be playing with the lead anyway."
"It's a lot easier playing our style of defense than it would be if we were winning games 16-14, 14-10 or 10-6," Williams said. "This offense really makes it easier for me to be more aggressive."
But it can also skew the stats. The Saints defense was on the field for 1,044 plays, the highest total of any playoff team in the NFC and second only to the Colts among the 12 playoff teams.
The Saints were also 26th in passing defense last season. That's in large part because the opposition played from behind. The Saints had 574 passes thrown against them, the fifth-highest total in the league. That can lead to garbage passing yards in the fourth quarter, but it can also lead to helping the turnover numbers, the key to their defense.
"We shouldn't have any problem achieving the same type of thing," Smith said. "We left a lot of turnovers on the field last season."
What they did do last season was put to rest any idea that the Saints were a finesse defense. When a team is a passing offense, the label of finesse team often follows. It's unfair to the defense, but they get thrown under the same cloud.
That isn't something you ever want to hear on the football field. Finesse means soft, which means something we can't print here.
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| Second-year safety Malcolm Jenkins might play a bigger role for the Saints this season. (Getty Images) |
He looked ready to hit somebody as he said that. You bet, Jonathan. Whatever you say.
The Saints return 10 of the starting 11 from the Super Bowl victory over the Colts. The only starter to leave was linebacker Scott Fujita, who signed with Cleveland as a free agent. Jonathan Casillas will take over for Fujita, and he runs better, which Williams loves.
There will be other new faces. Bobby McCray started at left end in the Super Bowl, but even though he's back either Alex Brown or Jimmy Wilkerson will probably take over, likely Brown. Veteran safety Darren Sharper, who had four returns for scores last season, is back but he is battling knee issues and might lose his job to second-year player Malcolm Jenkins, a player the coaches are raving about.
"We will be even better," Williams said. "The guys know the defense better. It took time last year. Now there's not as much thinking. You will see how improved we are on defense."
The style certainly won't change. When I told Williams about some of the comments made by Vikings coach Brad Childress about the way the Saints played in the NFC Championship Game, he just chuckled. Childress took exception to the way the Saints hit Brett Favre. Asked if the Saints went too far, Childress said, "In my opinion, yeah."
"Tell him that's the way we played Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and every other quarterback we faced," Williams said. "That's the way we play. We get after the quarterback any way we can within the rules."
That drama should be a nice backdrop for the season opener Sept. 8 between the Vikings and Saints. It could be nasty.
So could that Saints defense. But they have to improve their non-turnover numbers for that to be a reality.
I asked Vilma to tell me why I should believe that, considering all the bad numbers.
"I don't have to pitch you my defense," he said. "I am not a salesman. You'll see through all the hard work why we will be better."
If that happens, that silver trophy in the lobby -- which some New Orleans natives still can't believe is there -- might just have a twin after all.
