I think the answer to that question is pretty easy.  If he stays healthy, I think Brees will have another season just like the last one.  Even when Joe Horn was out of the lineup due to injury, Brees always found someone to throw to and the Saints added Robert Meachem in the first round to replace Horn and that should be an upgrade.  Brees started all 16 games last season for the Saints and he completed 356 of 554 passes (64.3%) for 4,418 yards with 26 TD passes and 11 interceptions (96.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 42 times for 32 yards (0.8 ypc).  Included in the rushing attempts were a lot of kneel downs at the end of Saints’ wins.  The Saints almost didn’t get a chance to sign Brees as he visited the Dolphins first and they chose Daunte Culpepper…..luck was on the Saints side last season.  Hopefully they saved some of it for this season.  Brees has now played in 75 games (74 starts) in his NFL career and he’s completed 1,481 of 2,363 passes (62.7%) for 16,766 yards with 106 TD passes and 64 interceptions (87.5 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 177 times for 398 yards (2.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.

The Saints backup will again be Jamie Martin.  Martin played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Saints last season and he completed 16 for 24 (66.7%) passes for 208 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (90.3 QB Rating).  He played in all of the games as a holder on the placekicks which adds to his value on the team.  Their have been whispers that the Saints might sign a veteran like Drew Bledsoe to improve the backup position on the team.  Martin has now played in 50 games (8 starts) in his NFL career and he’s completed 355 of 541 (65.6%) passes for 3,814 yards with 20 TD passes and 21 interceptions (82.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 41 times for 19 yards (0.5 ypc).

Marvin Mitchell was a good pick in the 7th round for the Saints.  Mitchell is a classic middle linebacker as he blows up inside running plays.  He’s a big guy at 6’3″, 249 pounds but he’s a tad slow as he only runs a 4.87 40.  It’s possible that the Saints could use him in short yardage situations because he’s not fast enough to make plays to the sideline or cover a running back on a pass play.  Mitchell played in 39 games (15 starts) at Tennessee and he made 154 tackles, had 1 sack, 16 tackles for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, broke up 5 passes and had 2 interceptions.

Once again the Saints have dug up another draft pick from a baby college.  David Jones is very athletic as he stands 6’0″, 196 pounds and he runs a 4.42 40.  Jones is soft against the run but he’s a playmaker in the passing game.  Jones played in 40 games (28 starts) at Wingate and he made 100 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, forced a fumble, broke up 28 passes and had 15 interceptions that he returned for 335 yards and 3 TDs.  Jones also returned 34 kickoffs for 676 yards (19.9 avg) for Wingate.  Look for Jones to play in the Saints’ nickel and dime packages as a rookie.  He also will likely play on a lot of special teams. 

Jermon Bushrod played his college ball at tiny Towson State but that doesn’t matter to the Saints.  Scouts compare Bushrod to Jahri Evans who started all 16 games for the Saints last season.  Bushrod is a monster in the running game as he’s very good at trapping and pulling on the sweep.  He will need some work in his pass blocking but the Saints coaching staff is confident that they can coach him up.  Bushrod is an athletic freak for a player his size.  He is 6’4″, 315 pounds and he runs a 4.92 40.  Look for him to be a back up as a rookie but a starter down the road for the Saints.  He could impress in Training Camp and follow in Evans’ footsteps to start as a rookie.

Michael Lewis had an outstanding run with the New Orleans Saints.  The one time beer truck driver turned into one of the best special teams players in all of football.  Last season, Lewis played in 10 games and he returned 37 kickoffs for 914 yards (24.7 avg) and he returned 16 punts for 111 yards (6.9 avg).  He was banged up a little bit last season but he still played well for the Saints and deserved a better fate than the one he received.  Over 6 seasons with the Saints, Lewis played in 63 games and he caught 28 passes for 553 yards (19.8 avg) with 1 TD catch.  He also carried the football two times for 17 yards (8.5 ypc).  But where Lewis really made his money was returning kicks.  He returned 243 kickoffs for 5,903 yards (24.3 avg) with 3 TD returns.  He also returned 142 punts for 1,482 yards (10.4 avg) with 1 TD return.  Michael Lewis is gone from the Saints but he won’t be forgotten.

The Saints have infused a lot of new blood into the defense so they felt they didn’t need Whitehead or Groce around for this season.  DT Whitehead played in 12 games last season for the Saints and he made 13 tackles and had 1 sack.  In 8 seasons with the Saints, Whitehead played in 105 games and he made 216 tackles, had 24.5 sacks, defensed 3 passes, forced 3 fumbles and recovered 3 fumbles.  DeJuan Groce played in 12 games and he made 16 tackles and forced a fumble.  Neither of these losses will hurt the Saints this season.

The Saints were not looking for a running back in this draft, but they couldn’t pass up Antonio Pittman when he slid to the 4th round.  Antonio Pittman is only 5’10″, 195 pounds but he plays much bigger.  He runs with good pad level and he always seems to be going forward.  He’s a good inside runner and he has the speed (4.45 40) to go the distance on any run.  At Ohio State, Pittman played in 36 games (25 starts) and he carried the football 557 times for 2,945 yards (5.3 ypc) with 22 TD runs.  He also caught 37 passes for 314 yards (8.5 avg).  I can’t say enough times what an outstanding pick this was for the Saints.  With Deuce McAllister’s knee bothering him a bit, Pittman could get some playing time this season.  In fact, he eventually will probably replace McAllister at some point if the Saints feel he gets too expensive in the future.