Behind a high powered offense that snuck up on everyone to rank first in the NFL in yardage and fifth in scoring, the New Orleans Saints might have been the best story in the league last season. With the addition of first WR Robert Meachum pass catching TE Eric Johnson, the offense shouldn’t skip a beat despite the loss of Joe Horn (679 yards 4 TD). Sportsbook.com has posted the New Orleans Saints betting odds to win Super Bowl XLII at 15 to 1.
“The Saints can score on anybody with that offense,” stated Point-Spreads.com NFL expert handicapper Brad Marchetti . “5-1 betting odds to win the NFC looks like a great play.”
If their passing attack wasn’t enough, the Saints should pose one of the most devastating and versatile ground games in the NFL. Look for Deuce McAllister to do what he does best: grinding out the tough yards, the occasional long scamper and getting in the end zone with regularity. Rookie Reggie Bush lived up to the hype with his 1307 rushing & receiving yards and 8 TD and there is no reason to believe that he won’t increase on these numbers drastically.
Ranking 11th in the NFL, the Saints defense was solid last season but they were tied for second worst in takeaways. The strength of the unit is their DE tandem of Charles Grant and Will Smith who combined for 16.5 sacks last year. The linebacking unit has been upgraded a bit with Brian Simmons replacing the undersized Mark Simoneau. Same can be said for their secondary as they added CB Jason David to an already average group of d-backs that gave up way too many long pass plays a year ago.
Key additions: TE Eric Johnson, LB Brian Simmons, CB Jason David, S Kevin Kaesviharn, K Olindo Mare
To Win the NFC South:
New Orleans 6-5
Carolina 9-5
Tampa Bay 4-1
Atlanta 5-1
To Win the NFC:
New Orleans 6-1
Carolina 8-1
Tampa Bay 20-1
Atlanta 25-1
To Win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans 15-1
Carolina 25-1
Tampa Bay 50-1
Atlanta 60-1
