The Saints’ running game and defense might not be up to par in 2009 leaving the bulk of the work towards winning in veteran QB Drew Brees’ hands.  That shouldn’t be a problem for him as he has been outstanding since the day he appeared in Cajun Country.  Brees doesn’t have a great arm but he has enough zip on the ball to make almost any throw he needs.  He often looks like a surgeon when throwing the short stuff as his timing is often impeccable.  The most important thing about Brees is that he is a winner!  Veteran lefty Mark Brunell will be the #2 QB again for the Saints this season.  He doesn’t have a gun for a arm anymore and his mobility is pretty much gone but he’s also a winner like Brees who would help the Saints find ways to win games if he were forced into action.  Joey Harrington will be the #3 QB for the Saints again this season.  He has a ton of experience for a #3 guy but that doesn’t mean he’s good because he’s not.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  A

The Saints have lost rookie linebacker Stanley Arnoux until the 2010 season due to a torn ACL.  Arnoux was the 118th pick in the NFL Draft last April (4th round).  The Saints are disappointed because they expected Arnoux to at least help them on special teams as a rookie.

The Saints have released 35-year old DT Hollis Thomas.  Thomas played in 8 games for the Saints last season and he made 7 tackles and defensed 1 pass.  Thomas played 3 years in New Orleans and he appeared in 36 games making 100 tackles, defending 3 passes and he had 6.5 sacks.  The Saints won’t miss Thomas in 2009 as he appears very near the end of the line in his NFL career.

The Saints have released 31-year old DT Brian Young.  Young played in 8 games last season for the Saints and he made 13 tackles, had 1 sack and he forced 1 fumble.  In 5 years with the Saints, Young played in 64 games in which he made 187 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 12 sacks and he forced 2 fumbles.  This is likely not much of a loss for the Saints as Young projected to be nothing more than a backup in 2009 if he even made the team.

The Saints have signed undrafted rookie RB P.J. Hill out of Wisconsin.  The 5′10″, 240 pound Hill played in 37 games (34 starts) in his three years at Wisconsin and he carried the ball 750 times for 3,942 yards (5.3 ypc) with 42 TD runs.  He also has caught 39 passes for 358 yards (9.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs in college.  His weight and relative lack of speed (4.6 40) are likely what kept him from getting drafted, but, the Saints are looking for a power back so Hill could help them.