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The New Orleans Saints could only watch on as division rivals and NFC champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in the Super Bowl to win the franchise's second Lombardi trophy.
A host of other teams that came within inches of making it to the big game, with the New Orleans Saints being among those. The Saints are have a talented roster and need to add only very little to the mix to get back into championship contention next season.
With that in mind, let's take a look at part one of six: 3 things the New Orleans Saints need to do to get back to the Superbowl:
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1. Figure out who will be the starting QB
Saints QB Drew Brees has been the main man in the Bayou since 2006. His career has been the stuff of legend. A Super Bowl winner with the Saints in 2009, Brees holds the record for most passing yards in the history of the NFL with 80,358 yards and is second on the list of touchdown passes with 571.
When the Saints lost to the Buccaneers in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs, the man they call 'Breesus' down in Louisiana, stopped to take in the Super Dome as if for the final time. To the trained eye, it looked like perhaps the 42-year-old's last moments in the famed black and gold of New Orleans. The recent news that Brees has agreed to take a 'veteran's pay-cut' has done little to dampen speculation of the QB calling it quits.
Sean Payton already has Taysom Hill on the books, who did a good job of filling in for Brees last season when the Saints' star was out of action with broken ribs and a punctured lung.
There is also Jameis Winston to factor in. The former Buccaneers' QB impressed the New Orleans backroom staff during his stint with the Saints last year and may have done enough to win himself a new contract with the franchise. It would definitely be interesting to see Winston in action next year after a full season under Brees' tutorage. Winston has incredible arm strength and great athleticism. If he has learned to take better care of the ball, he is a real option for the Saints.
There are also a host of quarterbacks who are either out of contract, hankering for a move, or set to test free-agency. The likes of Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky, and Andy Dalton could all be potential options in the pocket for Sean Payton if Drew Brees decides to call it a day.
If they are to continue to dominate the NFC South and make it back to that elusive Super Bowl final, the Saints organization needs to get this pick right. Getting the right man in the pocket will without doubt be the most important decision the franchise has to make during the offseason, especially with Brady's Buccaneers now aiming to build a dynasty in New Orleans' division, the NFC South.
2. Keep the offensive line together and add to it if possible
The Saints have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL today, ranked 8th by PFF.
Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are two of the best offensive tackles in all of football, and both excel when it comes to opening up gaps in the line for the likes of Kamara and Murray to exploit. In fact, since Ramczyk first debuted in 2017, Armstead’s pressure rate allowed of 3.7% is the best in the league in his position (left tackle), and Ramczyk’s rate of 4.0% puts him in 3rd place in the NFL.
Center Erik McCoy, Left Guard Andrus Peat, and rookie Right Guard Cesar Ruiz all have plenty of ability in their respective positions, and each of these players has plenty of time to improve. Sean Payton's impetus on improving the O-line during recent drafts has paid dividends, so it's imperative that the group is tied down for a few more years because they are only going to get better with Kamara and Murray in the backfield.
Improve discipline and avoid conceding cheap penalties
In the divisional round vs. Tampa Bay, wideout/kick-return specialist Deonte Harris plucked one out of the air from Pinion's boot and ran the ball 67-yards into the endzone for a spectacular TD that would have put the Saints 10-0 up in the first quarter. Would being the operative word there, as the TD was called back for an illegal block in the back at about the 40-yard line, and of course the Bucs went on to win the game and then the Super Bowl.
Saints fan were up in arms over the call, but in all honesty, it was a penalty. A type of penalty that doesn't always get called, but a penalty nonetheless.
New Orleans gave up the 2nd highest number of yards on penalty calls in the NFL last season with a whopping 1,005 yards! Sean Payton's team gave up 10 penalties for 129 yards against the Raiders; eight penalties for 83 yards the very next week against the Packers, and the list goes on. Most of these came in coverage where Janoris Jenkins, Malcolm Jenkins and Marshon Lattimore need to do a much better job of avoiding those PI calls.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson had a great year in black and gold, but he too needs to work on his discipline. The Saints safety finished T-4th in the league for penalties called-against, giving up 89-yards to the opposition offense on the year.
It's almost cliche to say, but in the words of every TV-broadcaster ever, "penalties will kill you." If the Saints want to usurp the Bucs, they have to improve in their discipline.
