National Football League

Saints see chance for more titles

Published Aug. 24, 2010 10:53 p.m. ET

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When New England hosted the Saints for joint practices in mid-August, Patriots players referred to New Orleans as the new standard for NFL success.

The idea would have raised eyebrows only a year ago, when the Patriots could boast of four Super Bowl appearances and three championships in an eight-year span, and the Saints had never even been to the title game.

Then came New Orleans' magical year. The Saints won 13 regular season games, then three more in the postseason en route to their first NFL championship.

All those jokes about New Orleans not winning the Super Bowl until you-know-what freezes over are dated now. The Saints enter 2010 still among the league's elite. They're confident that they'll be there for a while.

New Orleans is ''trying to be a dynasty, not just a one-time defender,'' running back Reggie Bush said.

''This is a special time for us right now,'' Bush continued. ''We feel like we have all the pieces to the puzzle right now to be a contender every year. It's up to us to make that happen, to be able to make those playoff pushes every year.''

The Saints haven't lost many key players from a year ago.

On offense, all starters are back. Some, most notably receiver Lance Moore, are healthier.

In the four seasons since head coach Sean Payton began calling the plays and quarterback Drew Brees began executing them, the Saints have led the league in yardage three times. Their lone ''off'' year was 2007, when they were fourth.

The Saints' offensive line has been among the best at preventing sacks, and if Brees stays healthy for a fifth-straight year, New Orleans could very well rack up the most yards in the NFL again.

On defense, the Saints lost two starters: linebacker Scott Fujita, who left in free agency, and defensive end Charles Grant, who was released. The Saints may be stronger at end this season after replacing Grant with longtime Chicago starter Alex Brown. New Orleans also brought back Bobby McCray, who started all three playoffs games, and added free agent Jimmy Wilkerson, a former Tampa Bay starter who can play both end and tackle.

After Fujita's departure, New Orleans signed free agent linebacker Clint Ingram, but a lingering injury has left his prospects for this season unclear. Defensive coaches also are considering moving veteran weakside linebacker Scott Shanle to the strong side and using one of their younger linebackers, perhaps second-year pro Jonathan Casillas, on the weak side.

In the defensive backfield, the Saints have one of the NFL's best cornerback tandems in Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer. Starting safeties Darren Sharper and Roman Harper also are back, although Sharper's recovery from offseason knee surgery has lasted well into the preseason. Sharper, an All-Pro last season who had nine interceptions, could open the regular season on the sideline while second-year pro Malcolm Jenkins gets the nod at free safety.

Last season, the Saints' opportunistic defense helped New Orleans come up with 39 turnovers, 17 more than the 22 they forced in 2008. The improvement was the key to their success, because the Saints ranked 25th in yards allowed per game at 357.8 in 2009.

''One challenge is if we can take the ball away as effectively as we did a year ago, because we did it as well as anyone,'' Payton said.

On special teams, the Saints have a pair of young players with strong legs in third-year kicker Garrett Hartley and second-year punter Thomas Morstead. Bush has been an inconsistent but considerable threat in the return game. Porter, who returned punts in college, is preparing to do so with the Saints this season, along with Moore.

With so many key players back, it's no wonder the Saints see themselves as contenders again.

They've already overcome their own losing history. Now there's the matter of recent NFL history. No Super Bowl champion has repeated since the Patriots did it in the 2003 and '04 seasons. And the NFC South has never had a repeat winner since the division was formed in 2002. Meanwhile, players tend to agree that defending champs usually get the best efforts of their opponents, which only makes things harder.

''You'd be naive to think that you could just show up and everyone would be intimidated because you're the defending world champions,'' Brees said. ''It's going to be very challenging, but we embrace that challenge.

''There's still a lot more to be done here.''

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