30-year old QB Drew Brees really had the Saints’ offense humming this season.  He played in 15 games for the Saints this season and he completed 363 of 514 passes (70.6%) for 4,388 yards with 34 TD passes and 11 INTs (109.6 QB Rating).  Brees also carried the ball 22 times for 33 yards (1.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has now played in 122 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,697 of 4,164 passes (64.8%) for 30,646 yards with 202 TD passes and 110 INTs (91.9 QB Rating).  Brees has also carried the ball 244 times for 482 yards (2.0 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  The Saints really need to protect Brees in the playoffs or they will have no chance of winning the Super Bowl because the Saints don’t have much depth at QB.

39-year old lefty Mark Brunell looks like he’s shot.  He played in all 16 games (he was the holder on kicks) this season for the Saints and he completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 102 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (44.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for -12 yards (-3.0 ypc) this year.  Brunell has now played in 173 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,753 of 4,624 passes (59.5%) for 31,928 yards with 182 TD passes and 107 INTs (83.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 513 times for 2,421 yards (4.7 ypc) with 15 TD runs in his career. 

26-year old WR Marques Colston just needed to get back healthy to get his role back as the #1 WR on the Saints and he is having a great year.  Colston has played in 14 games for the Saints this season and he has 61 catches for 994 yards (16.3 avg) with 9 TD grabs this year.  Colston is the complete package as he blends size, speed and an outstanding set of hands and that is why he is Drew Brees’ favorite target in the passing game.

27-year old linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been a tackling machine for the Saints this season.  He has played in 14 games for the Saints this season and he has 104 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 8 passes defensed, 2 sacks and 3 interceptions.  Vilma has done a great job for the Saints and he will be the player the Saints continue to build their defense around.

The Saints are putting their faith in 23-year old kicker Garrett Hartley after the release of John Carney.  Hartley has played in 3 games for the Saints this season and he has connected on 7 of 8 field goals (87.5%) and 7 of 8 extra points this season good for 28 points.  He has now played in 11 games in parts of two years for the Saints and he has made 20 of 21 field goals (95.2%) and 35 of 36 extra points good for 95 points.  Hartley is a good kicker so he will likely reward the Saints’ faith in him the rest of the year.

Robert Meachem is finally starting to show why the Saints drafted him so high a couple of years ago.  He has played in 13 games for the Saints this season and he has caught 33 passes for 601 yards (18.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 75 yards (15.0 ypc) so far this season.  Meachem pitches in on special teams for the Saints when the need arises as he has returned 6 kickoffs for 148 yards (24.7 avg).  He also made a huge play against the Redskins were he forced a fumble, recovered it and returned it for a TD.  He is really turning into a asset for the Saints in 2009.

The tight ends have been a very important part of the offense for the New Orleans Saints this season.  Jeremy Shockey, David Thomas and Darnell Dinkins have combined to catch 71 passes for 825 yards (11.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs so far this season.  Shockey is the main man of this group as he has caught 48 passes for 569 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  David Thomas has been really effective also despite being #2 on the depth chart as he has caught 22 passes for 254 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Darnell Dinkins is only usually used in goal line situations and short yardage situations as he is a good blocker.  He has only caught 1 pass for 2 yards but it went for a TD.  Look for the Saints to use the TEs a lot tomorrow if the Cowboys are blitzing a lot.

30-year old QB Drew Brees just seems to be getting better every season.  He has played in 11 games this season for the Saints and he has completed 236 of 343 passes (68.8%) for 3,117 yards with 27 TD passes and 9 INTs (112.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 18 times for 27 yards (1.5 ypc) wiht 2 TD runs this year.  It will be interesting to see if Brees gets the Saints to the Super Bowl this season as this is the best New Orleans’ football team that I have ever seen.

Pierre Thomas has taken over as the main running back for the Saints over Mike Bell and Reggie Bush.  Thomas has played in 7 games for the Saints so far this season and he has carried the ball 83 times for 455 yards (5.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 13 passes for 96 yards (7.4 avg) with a TD grab this year.  It’s good for the Saints that Thomas has taken over as the main man because he’s just a better player than Bell or Bush.

Starting safety Darren Sharper has been outstanding this season for the Saints.  He has played in all six games for them this season and he has 22 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 1/2 a sack and 6 interceptions.  The amazing thing about his interceptions is that he has a stunning 317 yards (52.8 avg) in return yardage and he has scored 3 TDs.  Sharper is the best playmaker on the defense and he will be heading directly to the Pro Bowl when this season is over as long as he can stay healthy.

The Saints were a passing team last season but this year they are a much more balanced team right now on offense and it’s making them really unstoppable.  Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have all been outstanding this season.  First up was Mike Bell who carried the load early this season for the Saints while Thomas was injured.   Bell has carried the ball 45 times for 229 yards (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Almost on cue, Bell injured himself when Thomas returned from injury.  Thomas has been awesome this season for the Saints as he has carried the ball 33 times for 212 yards (6.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg) this season.  Reggie Bush is the change of pace back for the Saints.  He has carried the ball 36 times for 148 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 14 passes for 121 yards (8.6 avg).  The Saints are lucky to have depth like this at RB which means they are likely to sustain success on the ground all season long.  The Saints have averaged 166.3 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry and if they keep that up the Saints might be playing in the Super Bowl.