Three Questions 1. Who Dat playin’ next to me? The Saints are working in a bunch of new faces. How well they mesh, especially in the secondary, will be crucial. A relatively soft early schedule (at Cleveland, Minnesota, at Dallas following opener in Atlanta) will give the Saints some time to come together before a brutal seven-game stretch following the bye in Week 7 (at Detroit, Green Bay, at Carolina on Thursday, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Baltimore on Monday, at Pittsburgh). 2. Can the Saints play better on the road? Early in Sean Payton’s tenure, the Saints were very successful on the road, going 30-18 (a .625 winning percentage). Last year, they went 3-5, although they also won in Philadelphia in the Wildcard Game, the franchise’s first outdoor playoff win in cold weather. Winning on the road could make the difference in winning—or not winning—the division, as it did last year, with crippling road losses at the New York Jets, St. Louis and Carolina. 3. Is this the year Mark Ingram makes his mark? The first-round pick of the Saints in 2011 (No. 28 overall), has yet to really establish himself but has a chance to rectify that this season with the starting running back spot up for grabs. Ingram, who’s been somewhat snake-bit by injuries, has something to build on, with his late-season and postseason running in Philly. He has further incentive as he’s in the last year of his contract with a team option for 2015. Inside linebackers Curtis Lofton (a team-best 125 tackles, 82 solo) and David Hawthorne (91, 60) anchor the middle but also penetrate, as they tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (7). The secondary will look different, as longtime Saints cornerback Jabari Greer, and safeties Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins are gone (New Orleans will still see Harper twice a year, however, as he signed with NFC South rival Carolina). But the Saints did well in addressing those departures, signing free agent free safety Jairus Byrd and 36-year-old, 16-year veteran corner Champ Bailey, who will likely start at left corner. Byrd and Bailey bring a combined 74 career interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries to “The Big Easy,” which should help a defense that managed only 19 turnovers last season. The Saints’ leading interceptor Keenan Lewis (four picks), the big free agent pickup from last off-season, is back at right corner, while 2013 first-round pick Kenny Vaccaro will start at strong safety. Defensive Player to Watch Jordan, 25, begins his fourth NFL season as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, after making a team-high 12.5 sacks in 2014, (third in the NFC). The former first-round pick of the Saints in 2011 (No. 24 overall), has seen his sack numbers jump in each of his first three seasons (1.0 to 8.0 to 12.5), and is hungry for more (he’ll do so with the security of having his option picked up for 2015). The 2013 Pro Bowler has proven to be durable, having yet to miss a game in his three seasons on the Bayou. He has a nose for the ball, having forced five fumbles and recovering five more in his career, including forcing and recovering two each of the last two years. Saints Special Teams The loss of Darren Sproles may be felt the most on returns, but the Saints believe they have their answer in the combination of third-year pro Travaris TEAM ROSTER SAINTS DEPTH CHART OFFENSE QB Drew Brees Luke McCown RB Mark Ingram Pierre Thomas FB Erik Lorig Austin Johnson WR Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks, Robert Meachem TE Jimmy Graham Ben Watson LT Terron Armstead Ty Nsekhe LG Ben Grubbs Manase Foketi C Tim Lelito Jonathan Goodwin RG Jahri Evans Senio Kelemete RT Zach Strief Marcel Jones DEFENSE LDE Akiem Hicks Glenn Foster NT Brodrick Bunkley John Jenkins RDE Cameron Jordan Tyrunn Walker LOLB Junior Galette Keyunta Dawson LILB David Hawthorne Kevin Reddick RILB Curtis Lofton Ramon Humber ROLB Victor Butler Parys Haralson LCB Champ Bailey Stanley Jean-Baptiste SS Kenny Vaccaro Marcus Ball FS Jairus Byrd Rafael Bush RCB Keenan Lewis Corey White SPECIAL TEAMS K Shayne Graham P Thomas Morstead KR Travaris Cadet
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