New Orleans Saints Review

Want to know the inside scoop for all things Saints?  Then ask Mike Triplett, who covers the team for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Mike took time out of his busy day to answer a few questions about this year’s team, the big game against the Giants and some of the different personalities that make up the Saints locker room:

1. As someone who is viewing the team from up-close, what would you say are the biggest differences in the 2009 Saints from the disappointing teams of the past two seasons?

Well, the obvious answers are the defense and the run game. But even more than that it’s probably been Sean Payton’s TRUST in the defense and the run game. Over the past three weeks he’s taken a more conservative approach to win the field-position game against Philadelphia, Buffalo and the Jets because he wanted to make those shaky offenses work for every point. And even when the games stayed close in the first half and into the third quarter, he stayed patient and didn’t try to dial up any big-play gambles.

I’m not sure if the run game is “for real.” But I never thought it was that bad in years past either. I think the Saints have a middle-of-the-pack running game that, like most teams, works a lot better when they’re protecting leads instead of playing catch-up.

The approach on defense has been exactly what this team was missing. The Saints badly needed to mix things up and play more aggressive on that side of the ball after the old formula clearly wasn’t working. It’s not like they added a bunch of Pro Bowlers, but the new approach may send guys like Sharper, Smith, Grant and Vilma back to the Pro Bowl. And cornerback Jabari Greer has quietly been a huge addition because he handles that demanding role with a great deal of confidence.

That all being said, Drew Brees is as good as any player in the NFL at any position right now, so his arm will still lead them wherever they’re going.

2. Sean Payton seems to be much more interested in patience and balance (particularly on offense) this season.  Do you think that’s something he’s learned from experience or was it more a matter of not having the right personnel?

I should have read ahead before giving my first answer. I guess I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. … I definitely think it’s something he’s learned from experience and placed a big emphasis on heading into this season – especially against teams like the Jets, the Bills and the Eagles (with Kolb at QB). Payton figured none of those teams could match points with the Saints unless they gave them some freebies, so he didn’t need to get antsy or get cute. … That’s definitely something he learned from the experience of losing too many games the Saints should have won – most notably that game at Washington last year.

Drew Brees was just saying this week that the Saints have considered themselves a playoff-caliber team the last two years, but they blew too many close games for “stupid” reasons. That more than anything is something they want to eliminate this year.

3. Looking at this week’s match-up against the Giants, it would seem like Eli Manning will be far and away the best quarterback the Saints defense has faced so far.  While the defense has played great through four games, they haven’t exactly faced an offensively-gifted team.  If Manning has a great game, do you think it means the Saints will have been exposed by a good quarterback or will it be seen as just a bump in the road?

Well, I don’t expect Eli to pick the Saints defense apart. But he does offer the biggest challenge by far because he’s a very good quarterback, and the Giants have a very balanced offense with a great offensive line and a great run game. They don’t have any weaknesses that the Saints can easily exploit. … Another key to the Saints’ defensive success this year has been that they’ve been leading every game, forcing the other QBs to play catch-up. They might not have that luxury this week.

I’m not sure if the Saints defense can keep its current pace all season. But the improvements are definitely for real. It’s not a case of them just facing easy competition to this point. … It’s the schemes, the improved personnel in the secondary, the hungry attitude and maybe most importantly, the health. We kinda forgot that Will Smith and Charles Grant were very good players a couple years ago before their injury woes crept up.

4. If there is an unsung hero on this team so far, who would you pick?

Definitely Greer. I’d even argue he’s been just as important as Darren Sharper because of the position he plays. He might not be a Pro Bowl-caliber corner, but he’s very confident and comfortable as a No. 1 corner and he’s handled himself very well when he’s matched up against top receivers like Calvin Johnson, DeSean Jackson, T.O. and Jerrico Cotchery. … His presence has made the Saints very deep from top to bottom at corner. When’s the last time you could say that about the Saints?

5. Since you’re in the locker room, do you get a sense for what the personality of this team is like?  Are they a boisterous bunch or all business?

Well, it’s hard to lump the entire locker room together since you get all kinds of personality types among 60 guys. But in general it’s a very upbeat locker room with guys who have mostly stayed positive and on board with the direction of this team even through the missed playoff years. … They aren’t surprised one bit by this early success this year. They thought this is the kind of team they should have been in ’07 and ’08, too.

I’d say they lean more toward boisterous than serious. There’s always a good amount of joking and trash-talking, especially when it comes to college football rivalries. A bunch of guys play video games. And there’s really no malcontents in the bunch. … Life is good when you’re 4-0, of course, but the atmosphere has always remained pretty upbeat.

6. Has there been one player on this team in particular that you really enjoy talking to?

Just like everything else he does so well, Brees is the best in that department too. He gets a little cliché at times, but for the most part he’s extremely insightful and entertaining on most any subject. If you’re writing a feature story about Lance Moore, Darren Sharper, Thomas Morstead or leaguewide trends, chances are he’ll give the best quote or anecdote. … He’s even chased me down on more than one occasion because he thought of something later that he forgot to mention. … I even asked him for a fantasy football tip this summer, and he thought long and hard before recommending the Giants’ Steve Smith. Not bad, huh?

Deuce McAllister was probably the most genuine good guy I’ve ever met in sports. You’ll hear that from a lot of people. And I could really name about 30 guys in this locker room or recent Saints teams that stand out for one reason or another … I know that sounds like I’m kissing up, but it really is a good group of guys for the most part.

Rating:

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 7:34 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.