Season Recap - 2010 New Orleans Saints

Final Record: 11-5 (0-1)

Finished: 2^nd Place in the NFC South; Lost in Wild Card Round

2011 Draft Position: 24^th

Preseason Ranking:   3
Preseason Letter of Misfortune:

Defending Super Bowl Champions. The Aints no more. On their championship run, Drew Brees and the Saints out-dueled three Hall of Fame quality quarterbacks – Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning – to forever secure their place in NFL history.

New Orleans will try and become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since New England took home the prize for both Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. The task could prove to be a monumental challenge for the plucky Saints. Teams have only repeated as Super Bowl champions seven times in the 44-year history of the game: Green Bay - I & II, Miami – VII & VIII, Pittsburgh – IX & X, Pittsburgh – XIII & XIV, San Francisco – XXIII & XXIV, Dallas – XXVII & XXVIII, Denver – XXXII & XXXIII and New England – XXXVIII & XXXIX.

Given the above list of repeat champions – Green Bay, Miami, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Dallas, Denver and New England – all are storied franchises and none have experienced the futility New Orleans has experienced in its history. Even teams that have yet to win a Super Bowl have richer winning traditions than New Orleans.

It will not be easy for the Saints to join the elite list of repeat champions. New Orleans faces stiff competition from within the division. Atlanta will challenge them for the title and Carolina could steal a game or two from them as a motivated division rival. Outside their division, they face tough games against Dallas and Minnesota, but should find easier sledding against the AFC North and NFC West teams they match up with in 2010. New Orleans has no reason to lose any of those 8 games, with their most difficult test coming at Baltimore in week 15.

The offense will continue its high-flying, aerial attack in 2010 and the defense will do its part to keep opposing offenses from matching them score for score. Last season the Saints benefited from turnovers and fortunate bounces that went their way, but the defense's ability to swarm the ball should give them more of the same this year.

Only Atlanta stands in the way of a division title for them and only Dallas, Minnesota and Green Bay are strong enough to challenge them for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The schedule sets up nicely for New Orleans to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Now they have to go out and prove 2009 was no fluke and bury the taint of the Aints once and for all.

Week 1: Defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 14-9

Ranked – 4

Offense sputtered just enough against the Vikings to merit a one spot drop in the rankings.

Week 2: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22

Ranked – 2

That is how defending champions stay strong, weather the storms, and win on the road. Who dat gonna beat dem Saints?

Week 3: Lost to Atlanta Falcons, 27-24

Ranked – 10

A terrible missed field goal in overtime and silly coaching games cost the Saints this division matchup. Unlike last year, New Orleans is looking a bit more mortal every week and the NFC looks like it will be end up being a war of attrition more than a sprint to the finish. The Saints can definitely run the footrace, but can they win the knock-down, drag-out battles they will need to in order to emerge as champions once again?

Week 4: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 16-14

Ranked – 7

Good teams win ugly. Great teams win with style. Time will tell if this team can become the great team they were just one season ago.

Week 5: Lost at Arizona Cardinals, 30-20

Ranked – 10

What in the world? Brees is uncharacteristically terrible in an easily winnable game. New Orleans continues to struggle to find their identity. Could Reggie Bush have been a more tangible part of the offense than people were willing to admit?

Week 6: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-6

Ranked – 9

A road win in a division game is always good, but the Saints will have to defeat a stronger opponent on the road before I am ready to say they are back to their championship form.

Week 7: Lost to Cleveland Browns, 30-17

Ranked – 15

Could Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas really mean so much to this team? Without a running game, Brees so far has been unable to throw with much success against defenses the Saints would have destroyed last season.

Week 8: Defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-10

Ranked – 11

The foul taste of Cleveland lingers, but a victory over the Steelers helps to cleanse the defending champions'  palate.

Week 9: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 34-3

Ranked – 8

That's the Saints team we all remember!

Week 10: BYE WEEK

Ranked – 5

The defense has figured it out. Hopefully the offense did some catching up over the bye week.

Week 11: Defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 34-19

Ranked – 7

The offense is clicking, the defense is wrecking havoc and now a short week gives the Saints an interesting Turkey Day challenge in Dallas as they make their attack run for the playoffs.

Week 12: Defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 30-27

Ranked – 5

A strong victory against an inspired Dallas team. If Reggie Bush can stop trying to catch footballs with his helmet, this offense will become even more dynamic.

Week 13: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-30

Ranked – 4 (ROCKY WEEK!)

           

            The worst thing that happened to you, that can happen to any Super Bowl Champion: you got civilized.

Week 14: Defeated the St. Louis Rams, 31-13

Ranked – 4

Three upcoming games against playoff-caliber teams will make or break the Saints' season.

Week 15: Lost at Baltimore Ravens, 30-24

Ranked – 7

Wild Card positioning may suddenly be an issue for the defending champions if the Saints drop a second straight game when they visit the Georgia Dome to face off against the Dirty Birds.

Week 16: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 17-14

Ranked – 3

These are the defending champions everyone remembers. Now they have sown the seeds of doubt in the Falcons should they meet again in Atlanta during the playoffs.

Week 17: Lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-13

Ranked – 5

The defending champs shouldn't be knocked out of the playoffs by a losing team, but New Orleans has struggled at times this season and will need to stop the little mistakes that have cost them in recent weeks.

Wild Card Game: Lost at Seattle Seahawks, 41-36

Final Rank - 9

Tomorrow, the 2010 Seattle Seahawks…