ESPN.com - Offseason overview: New Orleans Saints

ESPN.com: NFL

Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Updated: July 12, 4:26 PM ET
Offseason overview: New Orleans Saints

By Roger Rotter
ESPN.com

Wednesday, May 22
Can Deuce McAllister replace Ricky Williams at running back? McAllister may not be able to handle the 25-carry load that Ricky Williams, but he should be able to break longer runs. McAllister is explosive. Saints management looked at him as another Fred Taylor. There is a good and bad with that. The good is that a Taylor-type back can be one of the best in the game, able to get 150 yards on any given Sunday. The bad is the question of durability. McAllister, like Taylor, has a history of missing time because of injuries.

Whether they were right or wrong, the Saints believed that they couldn't live just on inside running, Williams' specialty. There is no question that McAllister has a 1,200-yard season in his body. With the speed at the receiving position and Aaron Brooks' throwing ability, McAllister might be able to do that this season.

Coming off a 10-6 season in 2000, New Orleans was riding momentum heading into the 2001 season. After all, it made the playoffs after finishing 1999 with a 3-13 record and reached the playoff's second round by defeating defending Super Bowl champ St. Louis in the wild-card game. Now they had rising star Aaron Brooks to man the passing attack, Ricky Williams to carry the ground game and a defense to dominate. The Saints jumped to a 4-2 start and appeared to show 2000 was no fluke when they handed the Rams their first loss by returning from an 18-point deficit to win on a last-second field goal.

However, erratic play on offense and defense slammed the breaks on the rest of the season. In the following week's nationally televised home loss vs. the Jets, offensive lineman Kyle Turley's childish antics reflected the season's breakdown when he was ejected for ripping the helmet off of Jets defensive back Damien Robinson and then hurling it in the air.

Unfortunately, the penalized Saints were poised to tie the game on the Jets' 6-yard line with a minute remaining in the game and eventually lost. New Orleans won just three games the rest of the way and finished 7-9. Team morale remained low when receiver Albert Connell was suspended in December and later released after being arrested on charges -- which were later dropped -- of allegedly stealing $4,363 from teammate Deuce McAllister.

Since then, the general manager (Randy Mueller) was fired, the franchise running back (Ricky Williams) was traded and 2000 Pro Bowl defensive linemen Joe Johnson, La'Roi Glover and offensive lineman William Roaf have departed. Head coach Jim Haslett, who has one year left on his contract, will have to regroup a team that was blown out by an average of 27 points in the last four games. Haslett may get support from management as new general manager Mickey Loomis is looking to sign him to a long-term contract.

Incorporating many of the offseason changes, the Saints' offense will likely spread the field by going to a three-receiver formation with Horn, newly-signed Jerome Pathon and No. 1 pick Donte Stallworth. This will place the ball more often in the hands of their most explosive playmaker, Brooks. Stretching defenses will help McAllister, last year's No. 1 pick, be more effective in the backfield with his speed and all-around skills. He will even be asked to line up as a receiver at times.

	SAINTS AT A GLANCE

	Deuce McAllister rushed for 91 yards last season.
	2001 record: 7-9 Team rank: Defense (16th); Offense (11th) Saints team news

NFC South foes Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay are expected to attack with power-running offenses, so the Saints are bulking up their defensive line. They let go 285-pound Glover in favor of signing 350-pound free agent Grady Jackson to man the middle with 340-pound run-stuffer Norman Hand, who has lost 20 pounds in offseason workouts. The linebacking corps remains largely unproven. Outside linebacker Keith Mitchell, who made the 2000 Pro Bowl, will be released after June 1, so second-year player Sedrick Hodge will replace him at the strong side. Wily vet Darrin Smith will be the weakside linebacker while Charlie Clemons will man the middle in his second year of starting with free agent addition Bryan Cox backing him up.

New defensive coordinator Rick Venturi wants to play more man-to-man coverage to reduce the many big plays given up by the Saints' zone schemes last season. They gave up the NFL's third-most passing plays of 40-plus yards and the second-most passing plays of 20-plus yards. New addition Dale Carter upgrades the cornerback spot while safety Sammy Knight was the Saints' best defensive player last season. Venturi hopes to prevent the Saints from falling behind early as their opponents led in 10 of their games at halftime.

For a complete list of all the players New Orleans has signed and lost so far this offseason, click here.

How they drafted
Stallworth, the 13th overall pick, was the top receiver taken as he runs a 4.26, has size at 6-foot-0 and 198 pounds and makes big plays. He'll slide into the Saints' No. 3 receiver slot. The second first-rounder Charles Grant at No. 25 was chosen to replace the departed Johnson at defensive end. Although he has impressive pass rushing ability, he was inconsistent at Georgia. Many liked Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, a mauler with a Turley-like mean streak, in the second round because he can play center or guard. Word out of minicamp is that Bentley already has an inside track on the right guard spot this season.

For a complete list of New Orleans' draft picks, click here.

Fantasy Focus

No. 2 receiver Jerome Pathon is a player to watch. Although Pathon missed 12 games last season with a foot injury, he was on the verge of breaking out with the Colts. The fifth-year pro started out fast by gaining 261 receiving yards and scoring twice through the first two games before sitting on the sidelines. The departed Willie Jackson had 1,046 yards and five TDs as the Saints' No. 2 receiver last season. Expect Pathon to at least match those stats, considering the Saints will be pass-happy in their new three-wideout offense. For more fantasy football news, click here.
-- Roger Rotter, Fantasy editor

Unfinished business
McAllister slipped in the 2001 draft because he had shoulder, hamstring, back and ankle injuries at Ole Miss. If McAllister goes down with an injury, the Saints will have to go with inexperienced James Fenderson, Jeff Chaney or rookie free agent Ricky Williams from Texas Tech, none of whom has an NFL carry or yet to conduct an interview with their helmet on. Free agents Ricky Watters and Dorsey Levens are deemed too expensive, so the Saints will look at veterans cut after June 1.

Outlook for 2002
Although the Saints collapsed last season, the changes in key personnel could awaken New Orleans in the weak NFC South. A soft schedule featuring Carolina and Atlanta twice with Detroit and Minnesota in the mix may add victories as the second half features only two winning teams from last year. Add another season of experience for emerging quarterback star Brooks and the offense could be explosive. The Saints will need to shore up their run defense and cut down big plays, so Brooks can run an effective game plan without playing behind. If Haslett can motivate New Orleans, a 9-7 record could compete with unsettled divisional foe Tampa Bay.

Roger Rotter is a fantasy games editor for ESPN.com.