THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: 2008 SAINTS PREVIEW

by Rupert, Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

Don't ask me what the pictures of these teeny-boppers have to do with it, but we're saving up for an EC pizza party, so we need some ad revenue.

THE GOOD

The offensive line is coming off an absolutely tremendous season. How can you argue with the fact that Drew Brees threw more passes than any quarterback in the NFL, yet took less sacks than any other peer? Not bad, eh? Granted, they lost center, Jeff Faine, to division rival Tampa Bay, but they still have a really good crew.

Did I mention Drew Brees? If there was a year to slip, last year seemed to be the year given the loss of longtime Saints' badass, Joe Horn, but Brees still got it done. Now, he has a pretty nice upgrade at tight end to add to his arsenal in Jeremy Shockey, so look out for this passing attack.


THE BAD

The Saint's defense kept other teams in the game last year year as they really sucked defending against big plays. With Sedrick Ellis and Jonathan Vilma coming in, this should improve the Saints' D, but that secondary still has a way to go.

Also, as much as those dance moves are smooth, Reggie Bush is a big let down so far. Injured or not, the guy hasn't come close to living up to the hype. Sure, he catches a lot of dump off passes and turns them into gains, but how much longer is that really gonna fool anyone when everyone knows he can't get through the line of scrimmage up the middle?


THE UGLY

Whoever is still collecting paychecks as Deuce McCallister's agent, you need to do some soul searching. The dude's legs are gonna fall off if he keeps at it. Let the man cash in that Roth IRA and play some gold already. He's not gonna starve and neither are you. If the Saints are that desperate for some goal line carries, Natrone Means is probably still available as well. Maybe you could pull him out of retirement.


FEARLESS FORECAST

11-5 and a trip to the NFC Championship